Review HANGMAN’S CHAIR ‘A Loner’

The label info sheet mentions doom metal as genre in which French metal outfit Hangman’s Child operates. In a way it fits but in case you think of doom metal a la Candlemass and others you might be disappointed.

Hangman’s Chair are fans of lower paced metal that sounds rather modern. While listening to the album I had to think about bands like Type O Negative and partly even Deftones. A bit of grunge is included too, and the entire blend sounds rather interesting.

Doom and gloom is what is reflected on ‘A Loner’ and already the artwork indicated that the music, captured on this album, doesn’t mirror the happy side of life. What prevails on ‘A Loner’ are melancholic sounds and a mood in a minor key. There are no sunrays embedded in these songs. It is the urban tristesse that drive songs like opener ‘An Ode to Breakdown’.

What goes hand in hand with the music are the lyrics. The band process own experiences in life, like depression, death, drugs, and loss. Drawing on own experiences also means, that the songs are emotional journeys that sound authentic and real. These guys sing about the melancholic street life in a cold and unpersonal urban surrounding. It is almost a dystopic vibe that is weaved into each of the songs.

The songs on the album are well-crafted and the sound of ‘A Loner’ is powerful as well as clear and clean. Listening to songs like ‘Storm Resounds’ is like a deep-dive into a world full of clouds and mental twilight. It’s a bitter-sweet atmosphere that shimmers though the ten-ton hammer riffs of tracks like the closing ‘A Thousand Miles Away’.

Hangman’s Chair release with ‘A Loner’ their so far fifth album. It is a longplayer that doesn’t focus on the colorful aspect of life. It takes the listener to place where sadness and hopelessness play a bigger role. If you are ready for this, then you might want to check out ‘A Loner’.