It's good to step out of your comfort zones once in awhile, if not often. If nothing else for the sole sake of opening your eyes to new experiences or sounds that will either broaden your horizons or push you further into that corner some of us already feel trapped in. Variety is, after all, the spice of life and Cleveland, OH's Hiram-Maxim are the kind of band that could bring out fans from a lot of different genres. Though some may not chance much of a listen at chance of alienation.
Hiram-Maxim are one: not a metal band, at least not exclusively, and two: named after an American born inventor who later became a British citizen (specifically Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim). Those privy on their firearms will recognize the name as the man to invent the first fully automatic machine gun, known as the Maxim Gun, in 1883. Though the Cleveland unit bares nary a resemblance to the aggressive, spastic nature of a machine gun, they do bring out an inventive nature concerning their sound and debut four song LP.
If your immediate concern/thought process with this review is: “why the hell not metal?” I can at least assure you that stepping into the long, slow trudge of Hiram-Maxim bares at least some influence taken from the doom metal scene. Sure the band could even be classified most specifically as a doom/psychedelia experience. Though the heaviness is often lacking and not a moment of the album is crushing, there's still something sinister hanging in the way Hiram-Maxim do their thing. It's the way vocalist Fred Gunn starts shouting over the lightly distorted guitars of “Worship”, a song slowly grows more frantic before breaking down into a droning, spoken-word section. The band sounds powerful, even intense though they never even come close to breaking the sound barrier. Largely, Hiram-Maxim trade a potential heaviness for more of an emphasis on ethereal sounds.
And I may harp a little on the band for lacking in heaviness but it's songs like “Visceral” that bring out the doom and psychedelia. The song even gets manic for a little while, making the listener wonder if the band is going to lurch forward into a frenzy. Especially with Gunn's shouts and the more aggressive drums of John Panza. However, the electronics of Lisa Miralia and guitars of Dave Taha play back and forth and gelling together with a ripe smoothness keeping the band stabilized. The song is like a marriage of Pink Floyd and Kyuss.
Depending on your stance on longer songs, Hiram-Maxim are either at their best or worst in the middle of their record. Their two eleven minute monsters “Can't Stop” and “One” are simultaneously their best and worst sections of the album. “One” is an utterly gorgeous piece with easily the best instrument sections and overall ambiance. However, the song carries on for far too long and falls too hard on repetition. “Can't Stop” may seem like a(n) (attempted) case of self-inflicted irony when it comes to another long song but the piece largely helps to establish and expand their already varied sound. And yeah, you'll notice a lot of “ahhs” in this one.
Hiram-Maxim is the kind of band that will please and draw a lot of people from all different kinds of genres. They certainly bare a slower post-punk sound reminisce of Joy Division's Closer fused with some noisey electronics and gorgeous instrumental sections. Though the band can certainly get to be a bit much at times with their longest songs feeling more like they're dragging. Maybe they would've been better if I had some weed before listening to it (and why not? It's legal here in WA). Still, Hiram-Maxim is certainly an interesting experience and a trip worth taking.
You can stream the album in full on Decibel.
As always, you can find me here.
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