:: Misguided Aggression - Hatchala

Misguided Aggression

Over the course of four years, Ontario based death metal/metalcore outfit Misguided Aggression have been making quite the name for themselves throughout their native Canada on the live front, with their three independent releases helping spread the word beyond their touring circuit. And sure enough, the band’s hard work paid off, with up and coming label Year Of The Sun Records securing the group’s signature on the dotted line for their debut full-length effort ‘Hatchala’. ‘Hatchala’, Hebrew for ‘Beginning’, is pretty much the perfect title for this release. While already having a few releases under their belt, this is the first release the band has to offer the broader metal community, and it’s quite a solid first taste of their abilities. The short instrumental title track ‘Hatchala’ quickly reveals the band’s collective influences, with the staggered stop/start riffing and odd kilter notes bringing to mind Meshuggah. The follow up track ‘Our Kingdom Come’, which flows directly on from the opener, again reveals another strong influence, this time being Lamb Of God. Boasting crushing riffs, huge breakdowns and a dry vocalist, Misguided Aggression might fall a little short on the originality stakes, but they sure do make a big noise. There’s some great tonal effects heard from the guitarists within ‘Pigs In The Market’, while the mid-paced ‘Mustard Gas & Roses’ stands out with its brief bursts of complex shredding and continual changes in tempos. Finishing up the album is the bludgeoning ‘Flesh To Gold’ and the relentless blackened drive of ‘Metal Horn Bessy’. Despite a lack of any originality in the musical sense over the eight tracks, and some seriously dreadful lyrics throughout the album, Misguided Aggression have put together a relatively strong and enjoyable debut in ‘Hatchala’, and one that the band will no doubt build upon with the eventual release of their sophomore effort.