As if to prove a point about their first album, 2007's
The New Normal, not being the end result of a casual hookup which just so happened to be captured on tape (it was that spontaneous, for good and ill), Boston's
Hackman wasted little time producing a follow-up in the curiously named
Enterprises. More significantly, the predominantly instrumental power trio -- vocals do crop up, but sparingly and often indistinctly -- managed this quick turnaround after only recently taking on a new drummer (the one-named Owen), also bringing on producer
Andrew Schneider (
Unsane,
Pelican, etc.) to help out on what ultimately amounted to a much more interesting collection of songs. These songs broke down pretty evenly into the familiar and unfamiliar, in contrast with that first album. On the one hand, recognizably hypno-riffed escapades like opener "Panama," the stutter-paced "Bludge," and the first half of "'War Gong" (the second is made up of ghostly feedback) recalled instrumental stoner legends
Karma to Burn, minus the creepy Deliverance vibes; on the other, stylistic detours ranged from the mournful acoustic reverie of "End of Men" and swirling chimes of "C'est la Mort" to the Southern-flavored doom grooves of "Tragedian." Of the cuts graced with actual vocals, the sludgy "Monoceros" showcased forceful but mostly unintelligibly hoarse shrieks from main man Darryl Sheppard, while the altogether brief "Not Anymore and Never Again" came off like twisted hardcore, and the uncommonly intense "Number Eight, No Bullet" was as close as
Hackman got to composing a conventional "song" (albeit a pretty scary one). Finally, there was the extended rumination of "March into Victory," which, at over ten minutes in length, simply spun its wheels a little too long before getting to the interesting bits, comprised of mysterious (but effective) mumbling over slow-strummed, warped arpeggios. On the whole, though,
Hackman took a major step forward with the greater diversity and inspiration to be found on
Enterprises, likely meaning that they'll have a lot less to prove with their third album. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia