HeKz: Terra Nova

The fourth album from progressive metal outfit HeKz has taken a mammoth five years to land, and seemingly the main reason for that would appear to be the breadth and scope of what this four-piece have ambitiously created. A double album stretching to just over 85 minutes, this conceptual piece is no small undertaking and I mean that from both the side of the creators and the listeners, with dedication on both sides bringing the best results.

From 2018’s impressive Invicta album, it would appear that only bassist, singer (now also) keyboard player and chief song-writer Matt Young remains, the Englishman now flanked by Mark Bogert (Knight Area) on guitars, Irina Markevich on violin and Moyano El Buffalo on drums, although keyboard extraordinaire Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson and many more) also features. With all those changes, HeKz could be forgiven for falling into a holding pattern where they keep their core sound safe without venturing much further, but with Terra Nova nothing could be further from the truth. More bombastic, more epic and more adventurous than the band have ever been before, and also wrapped round a concept that weaves together a tale of ambition, duality and the relentless fight to conquer the darkest parts of one’s personality to become who we were born to be, HeKz have gone all in.

So far, so grandiose, and that really is quite the story of Terra Nova, an album that I must admit I found too bombastic for its own good on first encounters - and I still do in many ways - but which then slowly reveals a much more nuanced core round which everything is built. The addition of Markevich on violin as a full time band member certainly leaves little doubt as to the symphonic elements running across the album and when combined with Young’s impassioned vocals and some expert guitar incursions from Bogert, while there are copious amounts of light and shade, a little relief from what can be quite a serious undertaking would have maybe been an interesting aside.

As it is, “Too Far Gone� romps and rolls and is blessed with a surprisingly 80s melodic rock guitar and keyboard solo, before revealing a brooding but still uptempo spirit, whereas “Lifetime� adds so much drama that it verges on being slightly overwrought. That said, if you enjoy your progressive metal at the more emotional and impassioned end of the spectrum, these issues may prove less of a stumbling block for you than they have for me. The album’s title track possesses some excellent musical interplay and a catchy chorus - not really a feature that rears its head on every song - while “The Silent Man�, while still revealing some excellent guitar, keyboard and drum duelling, again heads for that ever so theatrical situation in which much of this album resides.

There’s a huge amount to be impressed with on Terra Nova and yet, as a long term follower of HeKz it’s taken me quite some time to warm to its charms. Admittedly, I now have and in the process have discovered a collection of songs with real depth and ambition. Possibly had this release been a tad shorter, or (for my money) added a few different aspects and approaches, I’d be finding it less of a hard nut to crack than I have so far.

Track Listing
1. TERRANOVA
2. SABOTAGE
3. HORIZONS
4. MAYDAY
5. SO FAR GONE
6. THE TOWER
7. LIFELINE
8. TOO FAR GONE
9. I AM THE THRALL
10. THE SILENT MAN
11. TERRA NOVA II

Added: November 3rd 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: HeKz online
Hits: 411
Language: english

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