Hella: There's No 666 In Outer Space

hellaHella's transition from a two-piece to a five-piece sounds the only way it could - quite drastic. The mathy drum and guitar work remains, but with vocals and added instrumentation the band of Zach and Josh Hill, Spencer Seim, Aaron Ross and Carson McWhirter has taken on a strangely psychedelic sound, though not necessarily in the way other bands have mimicked psychedelia in recent years. Though the label's press release compares their new sound to that of System of a Down and The Mars Volta (I guess they're trying to branch out?). I think that they've made a good choice with this new direction. The vocals of Zach are fairly consistent throughout, and give the whole operation a sort of unlikely Lungfish meets cockrock feel. The songs aren't as repetitive or catchy as those two comparisons, with a kind of spastic noodling underlying each new part which, along with the new members' contributions make this album fairly prog. The most impressive part for me, is the way the vocalist finds new ways to phrase his words over the technical backbone of the songs and give it a little more majesty. I'm so glad to see a band willing to take a risk and try something new for them, even if their label ends up comparing it to System of a Down. I don't think this is the easy way out. :: Hella: There's No 666 In Outer Space - Ipecac Recordings/Cargo