Review HALF ME “Opium” – EP – Markus' Heavy Music Blog

With “Opium” the Hamburg five-piece Half Me release a new EP containing five songs and as expected the guys deliver a musical blast. Half Me play a fusion of hardcore, groove metal and metalcore, resulting in an explosive sound collage, which can be checked out with the first song on this release.

“Concrete Ceiling” is a massive, riff-driven song that doesn’t even need two minutes to release all the energy it contains. It is like musical floodgates opening and the flow continues with the smashing “Quitter Talk”. It is a very wild ride with frontman Christoper Zühlke barking out the vocals. The songs also show that the frontman can handle clean vocals well as there are some melodic moments with more singing than shouting. The main pattern of “Quitter Talk” is a thunderous riff assault with a beat that still echoes in your head a while after listening to the song.

Time to take a deep breath after such a start? You don’t get it, because the heavily pounding “Nothing Left to Lose but the Chai” follows. Like the previous song, this one has some clean vocals and an even more melodic chorus. It is like a little retreat for the eardrums before the blast continues.

Fast paced and with a merciless drumming that is “Fatalist” as Half Me stick to their musical approach. “In Denial” is already the last song on this EP and it ends the release as it started 15 minutes ago. Half Me are firing on all cylinders and show why they are one of the most noteworthy bands these days.

Brutal and equipped with unrelenting energy, the band delivers smashing songs that challenge the neckmuscles and may result in some bruises during live shows.