Photo by Sam Coussens
Belgian progressive post-metal quintet HIPPOTRAKTOR has released the single “Stasis,” taken from their forthcoming full-length album of the same name, due for release on June 7th via Berlin’s Pelagic Records.
Consisting of seven compositions written with the full creative force of the five-piece in mind, the HIPPOTRAKTOR’s second record is a lavish, dynamically complex sound, with a multilayered structure much greater than the sum of its parts. Operating at the intersection of Meshuggah’s relentless, polyrhythmic pounding and Gojira’s colossal atmospheric weight, HIPPOTRAKTOR expanded upon their already distinctive sound in 2021 by introducing vocalist Stefan De Graef (also of Psychonaut) who’s performance bring with it an intriguing new depth to producer, guitarist and principal songwriter Chiaran Verherden’s already formidable musical storytelling.
Having deftly transformed the band’s previously disparate instrumental compositions into a singular, driving work of sonic fiction, new single “Stasis” is lifted from the middle of the concept album’s epic narrative. The nameless protagonist, having been deceived by the Silver Tongues, voices of greed and complacency that blind, divide and corrupt otherwise good people, attempts to use their shallow rhetoric against them but to no avail; finding himself stuck in stasis, trapped.
HIPPOTRAKTOR capture their protagonist’s plight through an incredible arrangement of searing post-metal breakdowns, shoegaze atmospherics and deft, jazz-fusion inspired guitar work, all amplified further still by the accompanying video. A collision of visceral live footage of the band in their element and of an ill-fated sculptor who carves away at his masterpiece only to watch it collapse into itself, “Stasis” is but a small piece of a sprawling story that aims to capture human nature hanging in the balance.
Comments Verheyden on “Stasis,” “The song ‘Stasis’ was by far the most challenging to write on the entire album. I wanted the title track to be the epitome of the record, stringing together elaborate progressions and moods which were necessary to serve the grandeur of Stasis. A major challenge, but proven to be fruitful in the end.”
Watch HIPPOTRAKTOR’s “Stasis” video HERE.
Watch HIPPOTRAKTOR’s previously released video for “Silver Tongue” at HERE.
Taken from the Greek for “stoppage,” Stasis sees HIPPOTRAKTOR doing anything but stagnating. These five, firm friends chart intricate melodies and sprawling riffs as a map showing how humanity has come of age in a chaotic world of its own making. Deftly unveiling tender truths whilst tenderly shrouding the violent majesty at its core, Stasis is a fitting soundtrack to life in a world that’s hurtling towards a stand still.
Stasis will be released on CD, gatefold LP, and all digital platforms on June 7th. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION.
Fans of Gojira, Meshuggah, Textures, Psychonaut, Uneven Structure, Tesseract, and Herod, don’t miss HIPPOTRAKTOR’s Stasis.
Stasis Single Art
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