Parisian four-piece Hangman’s Chair formed in 2005 and whilst they have a melodic edge to their music, it is firmly entrenched in the more dark and despairing realms of doom. In the accompanying press blurb for ‘Saddaction’, the band’s 7th full length release, the band is described as sitting at the crossroads of Type O Negative, Sisters of Mercy and Life Of Agony in terms of their sound and their lyrical approach. Blending their own experiences of the undercurrent of the Parisian suburbs with the trappings of the darker side of life, the band has received high praise for their honest and raw approach in creating a resonating and melancholic sound which has an emotional impact.
The initial sounds of this album do live up to the descriptions and comparisons Hangman’s Chair has been subject to. The dark melodies draw you in and play on your senses. The haunting melodic lines linger in the air as the vocals hit with a real rawness to them, stripping the layers away and exposing you to the very core of the experience conveyed by the sounds. With the simple melodies which are common to the dark and melodic corners of goth inspired music combined with the brutally open and honest themes of drug abuse, mental instability, depression and alienation, it’s almost like Hangman’s Chair have managed to blend melodic hooks with crushingly heavy like asking ‘What if Alice In Chains were a goth/doom band?’
What Hangman’s Chair have seemingly done, is manage to capture that spark which made Alice In Chains stand out so much, and harness it and refine it through their own perception of how goth and doom sound, mix it with their own experiences and give off a wonderfully bleak album which hits just right, bringing pleasure in the throes of despair. Like the song ‘2AM Thoughts’ says, “Ain’t that a lovely way to go? Upping the dose…”
Taking a deeper dive into the music, there’s some real powerful tracks and moments on this album. The run of ‘In Disguise’, ‘Kowloon Lights’ and ‘2AM Thoughts’ is 14 and a half minutes of haunting despair. Low-tuned guitars thunder with the steady and measured pace, bringing the intensity to the sound, and the lingering melodies which dance between shoegaze friendly territory and the melodic hooks of gothic inspired doom add to the atmospheric impact. Shimmering sounds of delay, echo and reverb form odd harmonies, with the expressive vocal lines bringing comfort all around.
From the start, the atmospheric work hits you hard. ‘To Know The Night’ has a pummelling intro of dissonant droning and thunderous drums, which soon pick up pace as the vocals come in. The higher registered vocals and haunting melodic tail offs are raw and heartfelt, really drawing you into the darkness and playing up to its title. There are hints of Type O Negative in the sound, which is not unexpected. The Brooklyn ‘drab four’ have had a huge influence on generations of bands with their uncompromising and atmospheric work, and hearing it applied in a minimalistic yet hugely atmospheric way is extremely enjoyable.
‘The Worst Is Yet To Come’ thunders away with a massive low end chug, really hammering in the lower register tuning use. Perhaps it is a baritone guitar at play, the tone of it does sound familiar and in the B standard/C standard ranges, but that is just the music nerd in me getting a little excited. This track has a killer groove to it. Behind that low rumbling chug the drums really drive the track on with their steady pounding and big fills, pulling away in the verses where the clean arpeggios linger with that hint of chorus to fatten their sound before it crashes back into a pushing drive as the vocals open up and give a massive feel to the track.
As mentioned previously, the 3 singles, follow this, ‘In Disguise”‘has a long, building intro with swirling samples and lingering arpeggios before the slow bass and drums kick it off as a synth chord is sustained. The vocals come in, soft and haunting in their feel and edge, giving it that real murky late-90’s era Type O Negative feel but with the emotional vulnerability of Alice In Chain’s ‘Dirt’ era sound. ‘Kowloon Lights’ has a catchy melodic hook which permeates the track, whilst the vocals draw most of the focus. Behind this, the drums and the low rumbling pushes on at a slow and steady pace, allowing you to get lost in the labyrinth of sound on offer thanks to the mental imagery conjured by the lyrics and the atmospheric compositions. ‘2AM Thoughts’ is a hauntingly beautiful track laden with sorrow. Taking its time with a gradual build up, it slams in with the big low end thundering and haunting arpeggios which linger whilst the vocals do their expressive magic, keeping you firmly within their enchanting and thought-provoking grasp.
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‘Canvas’ retains the haunting atmospheric edge which has been prevalent so far throughout the release, and it demonstrates just how powerful the musical arrangements offered by Hangman’s Chair are. The chord progressions and vocal work along with the spacious sounding melodic section towards the final run in of the track is absolutely massive sounding and captivating with its haunting beauty. ‘Neglect’ has a sombre air to its introduction. The arpeggios and ringing chords loop in the typical minimalistic composition thus far on the release, building a slow and steady sense of suspense. The vocals have an ethereal edge to them, seeming to merge in with the lingering chords with a captivating melody to them before the distortion kicks in, the pace picks up, and the vocals really come to life. All giving it a slight William Duvall-esque edge to the delivery in the chorus section.
‘44 YOD’ seemingly flows on from the previous track, retaining that slow pacing with plenty of space in the sound for things to happen. The subtle shifts in the music give it a dark and ominous vibe as it slowly ascends throughout the verse before it opens up, descending and then reascending as the hazy vocals laze above them. It has a strange comforting feel to its sound, and it almost has a feel of finality to it, quite fitting for what is the penultimate track. The big melodic lift round the approach to the middle section of the release is fantastic as it explodes to life before dialling back and repeating. Reminiscent of the Ocean Machine era Devin Townsend material such as ‘Funeral’ with how atmospheric it is and the way it conveys its emotions.
Closing this release is ‘Healed’, a title which offers some sense of hope if you were to take into account the sense of despair and bleakness running throughout the release. Upon listening to the track, the sound quickly changes to something which doesn’t seem all that uplifting. The big, crushing guitar and bass droning accompanied by the slow drums and the lingering arpeggio accenting create a wall of sound which slams into you and vocally, it is right up there with the full-bodied and painfully raw delivery. Slow and pounding, its sustained approach keeps the haunting atmosphere up until the middle portion of the track, where the groove underneath shifts. This subtle shift in the riff gives the track a little more intensity before it trails out into near silence. Drum blasts permeate this space and soon enough, it swells back to life in another instrumental section. A looping melody is joined by big chord stabs, boosting the sound, and it has a gripping feel, like it is building the suspense one last time. As this sequence runs, a haunting vocal melody lingers between the layers, helping create a real grandiose feel before it starts to pull back as the end approaches, letting the looping refrain fade out into silence and drawing the curtain on the album.
Hangman’s Chair are a band who were not previously on my radar. Saddaction has changed this. The compositional work, the dynamics of the delivery, the haunting edge and beautifully dark vibes are woven together in a captivating musical tapestry which keeps your attention throughout. Though at times the songs may seemingly slip and merge into one, which can be distracting at times, it also shows just how powerful the gravity of the band’s sound and performance is. The execution of merging elements of Goth, Doom, Ambience and raw, unfiltered emotion is superb, and this album has a haunting beauty to it which needs to be experienced in full.