Highly recommended. The three-piece nightmare band knocked around the claustrophobic end of the house show circuit for a longish spell but right around pre-‘dermic times, the trio of Ethan Billips, Max Deems and Andrew Nogay morphed into a multi-dimensional synapse-snapper with little regard for genre nor their own self-preservation. On that front, Hell 2 was echelons in the making; it would not be an exaggeration to say the writing / recording / editing process was arduous and lengthy enough it nearly took Blank Hellscape out of the game for good. But before you declare, “better luck next time”, strap yourself in to your favourite listening chair / apparatus and bask in this sprawling double album, to these ears, an uncanny musical and lyrical representation of the confusing, scary and thoroughly oppressive state we currently find ourselves in (not specifically Texas, but yes, Texas, too). Hell 2 thrives in tension. Chaotic, fuzzy noise gives way to irresistible, disco-laced beats that invite you to dance your cares away – until the lyrics stop you in your tracks. The vocals, refreshingly front-and-center in the mix, showcase Nogay’s raw, open-hearted poetry, floating above hypnotic rhythms, capturing the collective dread and fragile hope of the present moment.
