Null Dynamo
Hadean Eon
6.9
Null Dynamo play an appealing blend of black and thrash metal with strong musicianship and quality songwriting. While not exactly earth-shattering, Hadean Eon is a rougher, more straightforward take on black metal that harks back to the eighties in its riffs, solos and thrash-inspired drum patterns. Null Dynamo comes across as a well-rehearsed unit in complete control of its sound, and this disc features some particularly impressive drumming and vocals, as well as a consistently energetic delivery. Truth be told, there is nothing original or outstanding here, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that Hadean Eon is a solidly-written album that is easy to enjoy.
Musically, Null Dynamo is tight and professional, displaying a broad repertoire throughout the twelve songs on Hadean Eon. The speedier numbers, such as ‘Grigori’ and the title track are especially effective, with drums that scream thrash all the way. Also impressive are the vocals, which are very much in the shriek-and-gargle mold favored by most black metal bands, but delivered with force and thankfully not too high-pitched. ‘A Reptile’s Relevance’ is the strongest track vocally, with the charismatic growls rendering the song both powerful and memorable. Other notable standouts include the Slayer-esque ‘Doomsday Clock’ with its slithering mid-pace chug and backing shouts, and ‘A Funeral For Fire’ which features a galloping thrash break to die for.
Hadean Eon is a solid little piece of thrash-infused black metal that should go down well with fans of the genre. It’s a catchy and memorable album, and one that’s performed with enthusiasm throughout. Null Dynamo are impressive musically, and inject a pleasing amount of variety into their songs. This album probably won’t change your world, but if you revere that particular time in the mid-eighties when thrash first began to cross over into more extreme territory, you may want to give these guys a listen. Catchy riffs, solos and thrash beats are the order of the day here so if that’s the kind of black metal you dig, Null Dynamo is a pretty safe bet.
