Mad Hatter 2.0 - Deconstruct
We’ve featured Mad Hatter 2.0 a few times in the past, and I’m somewhat of a self confessed fan of the guys and their music! As such, when Marc chucked me a link to their spanking new album, Deconstruct, offering me the chance to hear it before anyone else…well…let’s just say I was more than a little excited! Being the eager beaver I am I downloaded the album, cranked the volume up as high as it would go and prepared myself for the awesomeness I was about to behold!
Opening with Kiss The Curb we’re immediately thrown into the insane world of Mad Hatter, kicking in with some serious bass drums and feedback as the track builds around you, building the anticipation, building the foreboding, and building the knowledge that what’s about to hit is going to be seriously, seriously heavy. As soon as the track drops it’s heavy for sure, kicking into a melee of distorted riffs, hammering drums and bass heavy rhythms, alternating the pace to keep things interesting and complex. Continuing to build until the vocals come into play, this track may well open the album, but my god it hits home, and hits home hard. Heavy, funky, powerful and packing a noise which is quite simply massive, if the rest of the record follows the opening moments, then this is going to be one hell of a ride!
Slowing to a more intense and bludgeoning riff for STOMP, the guys continue to hammer out distorted riffs, powerful drumlines and bass lines which are sure to get your rib cage rumbling from the off. Once again saving the full force of the track until the vocals kick in, this is one which has been crafted for the live scene, the sort of track which is going to get crowds jumping, venues pumping, and ears bleeding. I love the pinch harmonic which is fitted into the guitar line here, mixing with an almost thrash like riff procession and leaving the listener unable to do anything other than bow in submission to the band. It’s also worth mentioning the middle moments where the vocals alternate between roaring and soft before launching into an insane solo, the track twists and turns just to make sure you’re paying attention still! The Cyst almost seems to lead directly on from the previous track, continuing the rolling progress set out by STOMP. Once again using the guitars to fully accentuate the power of the track before layering the vocals to add in a little extra ‘je ne c’est quois’ (ooooh err….check me out getting all Francais!), once again we’re shown a track which seems to represent Mad Hatter 2.0, showing their live roots and showing where their true power lays – another track which is well worth checking out!
It’s striking then when title track Deconstruct comes into being, opening in a much softer fashion before building into another hammering mix of hard guitars, powerful bass lines, hammering drums, and a sense of all out devastation. If sound could represent warfare then I imagine this would be pretty close to what you’d get, it’s heavy, powerful, funky, hard hitting, and quite simply the sort of thing which is going to sooth whatever pain you might be feeling at that particular moment. We’re greeted by a similar style of opening for Forfeit Your Life, this time using softer guitar work to fully accentuate the emotion which is being reflected here. Building the track once again, this is one which seems to work its way deep into your mind, making you listen harder and harder until suddenly, it snaps. Snapping into action with some whirlwind guitar work, roaring vocals and seriously fast paced drum work, the track shifts from what first seemed to be a soft and emotional ditty into an all out weapon of distorted mass destruction, another quality track to make sure you get on to!
Continuing to push the boundaries of what should be possible on a record like this through Mind Over Matter, Deviance, Forgiven and one of my personal favourites, Considering This, the album twists, turns, surprises, elates and keeps you listening through track after track. The latter mentioned above is one we’ve checked out before, and one which I know I’ve gone back to time and time again – it’s got the right mix of heavy, funky and angry all wrapped up in a distorted package which leaves a little wry smile on your face every time you hear it.
Shifting into Breathe, once again the new sound of Mad Hatter 2.0 is on full show, managing to mix their hardcore heavy sound with a real sense of disjointed progression and complexity, merging sounds which shouldn’t work together and somehow forming a sound which does in fact, work incredibly well. Sure this is heavy, but believe me when I say that there simply isn’t a volume setting heavy enough to cater for the tracks on offer here, no matter how loud you play it you’ll want to hear it even louder. The same sort of feeling continues through Turmoil, shifting the style slightly to a more out there vibe through the softer vocals, yet still managing to pack that irresistible punch that we’ve all come to love. Fast paced, heavy, thrash like and the sort of track which is going to get pits moving from the front to the back, this is another track which is surely going to be a live favourite in no time at all, and a track that I can’t wait to witness live.
However, all good things must come to an end and all too soon we reach the end of the album, finishing with You Sold Me A Lie and leaving no doubt in your mind that this has been one hell of a ride. Closing the album with a track that’s heavy, emotional, deep, powerful, and one which will strike a chord with everyone that hears it, the closing moments here summarise the whole album, bring it all to a close, and leave no doubt in your mind that Mad Hatter are here, and man do they mean business.
Over the last year or so Mad Hatter 2.0 have had a bit of a time of it, firstly with some line up changes, then Marc having his little ‘accident’ so being off of his feet, so when I saw that they’d hit the studio to record an album I was looking forward to seeing what they’d come up with. All the anger, all the pent up frustration from the year gone has come out in the music here, resulting in an album which isn’t just heavy, it’s meaningful and deep, speaking to those who hear it and connecting with their souls. There’s moments which are melodic, moments which are all out insanity, and moments that simply make you sit back and think damn, that was cool. Deconstruct isn’t just an album, it’s a statement from Mad Hatter 2.0, and everyone that hears it is going to understand what they’re saying…they’re not about to go anywhere.
To find out more about Mad Hatter 2.0, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Kiss The Curb we’re immediately thrown into the insane world of Mad Hatter, kicking in with some serious bass drums and feedback as the track builds around you, building the anticipation, building the foreboding, and building the knowledge that what’s about to hit is going to be seriously, seriously heavy. As soon as the track drops it’s heavy for sure, kicking into a melee of distorted riffs, hammering drums and bass heavy rhythms, alternating the pace to keep things interesting and complex. Continuing to build until the vocals come into play, this track may well open the album, but my god it hits home, and hits home hard. Heavy, funky, powerful and packing a noise which is quite simply massive, if the rest of the record follows the opening moments, then this is going to be one hell of a ride!
Slowing to a more intense and bludgeoning riff for STOMP, the guys continue to hammer out distorted riffs, powerful drumlines and bass lines which are sure to get your rib cage rumbling from the off. Once again saving the full force of the track until the vocals kick in, this is one which has been crafted for the live scene, the sort of track which is going to get crowds jumping, venues pumping, and ears bleeding. I love the pinch harmonic which is fitted into the guitar line here, mixing with an almost thrash like riff procession and leaving the listener unable to do anything other than bow in submission to the band. It’s also worth mentioning the middle moments where the vocals alternate between roaring and soft before launching into an insane solo, the track twists and turns just to make sure you’re paying attention still! The Cyst almost seems to lead directly on from the previous track, continuing the rolling progress set out by STOMP. Once again using the guitars to fully accentuate the power of the track before layering the vocals to add in a little extra ‘je ne c’est quois’ (ooooh err….check me out getting all Francais!), once again we’re shown a track which seems to represent Mad Hatter 2.0, showing their live roots and showing where their true power lays – another track which is well worth checking out!
It’s striking then when title track Deconstruct comes into being, opening in a much softer fashion before building into another hammering mix of hard guitars, powerful bass lines, hammering drums, and a sense of all out devastation. If sound could represent warfare then I imagine this would be pretty close to what you’d get, it’s heavy, powerful, funky, hard hitting, and quite simply the sort of thing which is going to sooth whatever pain you might be feeling at that particular moment. We’re greeted by a similar style of opening for Forfeit Your Life, this time using softer guitar work to fully accentuate the emotion which is being reflected here. Building the track once again, this is one which seems to work its way deep into your mind, making you listen harder and harder until suddenly, it snaps. Snapping into action with some whirlwind guitar work, roaring vocals and seriously fast paced drum work, the track shifts from what first seemed to be a soft and emotional ditty into an all out weapon of distorted mass destruction, another quality track to make sure you get on to!
Continuing to push the boundaries of what should be possible on a record like this through Mind Over Matter, Deviance, Forgiven and one of my personal favourites, Considering This, the album twists, turns, surprises, elates and keeps you listening through track after track. The latter mentioned above is one we’ve checked out before, and one which I know I’ve gone back to time and time again – it’s got the right mix of heavy, funky and angry all wrapped up in a distorted package which leaves a little wry smile on your face every time you hear it.
Shifting into Breathe, once again the new sound of Mad Hatter 2.0 is on full show, managing to mix their hardcore heavy sound with a real sense of disjointed progression and complexity, merging sounds which shouldn’t work together and somehow forming a sound which does in fact, work incredibly well. Sure this is heavy, but believe me when I say that there simply isn’t a volume setting heavy enough to cater for the tracks on offer here, no matter how loud you play it you’ll want to hear it even louder. The same sort of feeling continues through Turmoil, shifting the style slightly to a more out there vibe through the softer vocals, yet still managing to pack that irresistible punch that we’ve all come to love. Fast paced, heavy, thrash like and the sort of track which is going to get pits moving from the front to the back, this is another track which is surely going to be a live favourite in no time at all, and a track that I can’t wait to witness live.
However, all good things must come to an end and all too soon we reach the end of the album, finishing with You Sold Me A Lie and leaving no doubt in your mind that this has been one hell of a ride. Closing the album with a track that’s heavy, emotional, deep, powerful, and one which will strike a chord with everyone that hears it, the closing moments here summarise the whole album, bring it all to a close, and leave no doubt in your mind that Mad Hatter are here, and man do they mean business.
Over the last year or so Mad Hatter 2.0 have had a bit of a time of it, firstly with some line up changes, then Marc having his little ‘accident’ so being off of his feet, so when I saw that they’d hit the studio to record an album I was looking forward to seeing what they’d come up with. All the anger, all the pent up frustration from the year gone has come out in the music here, resulting in an album which isn’t just heavy, it’s meaningful and deep, speaking to those who hear it and connecting with their souls. There’s moments which are melodic, moments which are all out insanity, and moments that simply make you sit back and think damn, that was cool. Deconstruct isn’t just an album, it’s a statement from Mad Hatter 2.0, and everyone that hears it is going to understand what they’re saying…they’re not about to go anywhere.
To find out more about Mad Hatter 2.0, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls