Artist: Hagzissa
Country: Austria
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Formats: 12” EP / CD EP
Year: 2025
Formed in 2016, Hagzissa combines members of the likes of Kringa, Serpere, Sněť and Weathered Crest. Despite having released an album on Iron Bonehead Productions and a Split with Hexenbrett released on into Endless Chaos Records, I had never heard any music by the band. Until now, with the release of their brand new EP ‘Revelry of a Maltreated Jade’.
Considering the involvement in Kringa I was already expecting some atypical music, and certainly Hagzissa delivers on that promise. After a sinister into, ‘A Single Feather Coiling’ kicks out of the gates in a rocking and grooving fashion until it quickly twists into a distorted bass-heavy part with clean howling. It is just one of the many odd musical moments on the EP, that is musically probably best described as a rawer sounding and more Punk/Black Metal oriented version of Tribulation. While there’s certainly a sense of the unchained ethics of Kringa embedded in it, outside the first minute or so of ‘Kingly Daughters of the Alder-Wisp’ it never gets nearly as much into Black Metal territories. Instead, it leans more towards Heavy Metal and Punk. With rocking groove, a bit of chugging and Punky pace, it’s straightforward riffs, thumping bass and pretty deranged vocals what you get on this EP. Especially the vocals and some freaky atmospheric elements push it a bit out of the ordinary and into quite unique territories. In comparison to the band’s previous material, ‘Revelry of a Maltreated Jade’ feels quite in between the album and the Split in terms of rawness, but no matter which recording you play, the music is still characterised by that grooving weirdness .
A bit of a bareboned and more unhinged Blackened version of Tribulation is what Hagzissa presents on their latest EP. It’s music that actually kind of fits perfectly with that odd and unsettling cover artwork, something you don’t hear every day. Those that think that Kringa wasn’t mad enough may want to give ‘Revelry of a Maltreated Jade’ a shot!
