by James Zalucky
From the streets of one of Metal's most legendary cities, a young band has begun to perk-up the ears of the European Metal underground. No Hawaii emerged out of Gothenburg, Sweden in 2007 with their debut EP, Bruce Lee in Your Brain. They have since played live shows across western and central Europe and released their first full-length album, Snake My Charms, in the summer of 2010. No Hawaii will be touring Europe this month in support of their debut. Possible US dates have not yet been determined.
No Hawaii remains relatively unknown here in the states, but with all the buzz surrounding them, maybe that will begin to change. I was only introduced to their music a couple days ago and was interested to hear what Gothenburg is producing these days. I was also intrigued by their…um…"curious" name. Maybe they're being confusing on purpose so people would remember the name? If there's some sort of connotation or inside joke behind the name, it's been totally lost on me, but oh well, onto the music!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNXSS8WFKQ8[/youtube]
The intro sounds like it could be gearing up for a doom-infused sludgefeast…and then quiets down into an almost Lateralus-esque section before a wave of heaviness crashes down on you. Streaks of Mastodon, shades of The Ocean, and pigments of Isis cascade out of the speakers as the band explores a multitude of moods and emotional expressions. One might even catch a scent of The Deftones and The Mars Volta in the song's lighter, more contemplative moments. Within this stormy back and forth, No Hawaii succeeds in keeping the listeners attention. From this first impression, it seems like this versatile band has plenty of potential. My only criticism would be how blatantly reminiscent they sound to some of the artists listed above. However, I'd rather give No Hawaii the benefit of the doubt instead. They've only just put out their first LP, and as all musicians and other artists know, your early work tends to emulate your influences. So for now, I would definitely recommend No Hawaii to any fan of progressive metal (or "post-metal" if you really feel the need to use the term).
So for those of you in Europe, or if you find yourself traveling a lot this month:
Snake My Charms Spring 2011 Tour- Confirmed Dates
March 8th- Hamburg (DE) @ Astra Stube
March 9th- Den Haag (NL) @ Café Cremers
March 10th- LILLE (FR) @ La Rumeur
March 11th- Eernegem (BE) @ Club B52
March 12th- Neath (UK) @ Duke
March 13th- Leiden (BE) @ Sub 071
March 14th- London (UK) @ Hope
March 16th- Chemnitz (De) @ Subway to Peter
March 17th- Liberec (Cz) @ Barandoff
March 18th- Berlin (DE) @ Potse
March 18th- Copenhagen (DK) @ Beta
For more information about the band, check out their Myspace Page, or take a look at their Official Website.
