Alright, that’s enough prevaricating about the bush, let’s get down to brass tacks; Christus Hypercubus kicks ass. This is an album by a band that knows exactly who they are, and how to pump out some motherfucking riffs. The guitars pound with a reckless heaviness that reminds me of Power Trip, but with a deeper, more death-metal-oriented weight. “Sikhote Alin” wastes no time showing what Messiah has in store—eerie samples explode into a massive riff as a raspy growl rears its head, introducing Messiah’s endless ability to write verses that demand headbanging. For all your headbanging needs, visit the brazenly simple, blunt-as-hell riff of “Soul Observatory” as it gets hammered into your skull across an exhilarating three minutes. Founder/guitarist R.B. Bröggi and newcomer guitarist V.O. Pulver are talented axemen with a penchant for guitar solos unconcerned with precision so much as expressiveness, but the greatest performance comes from the new vocalist, Marcus Seebach. His thick, guttural shouts blend perfectly with the ferocity of the guitars, and he earns his keep as a worthy successor to Kaina.
In addition to being heavy as hell, Christus Hypercubus is also a refreshing reminder of a bygone era when metal felt less cynical. It’s easy to imagine Messiah laughing to themselves as they wrote the “Acid Fish” lyrics “The acid fish / poisonous, delicious fish” or conceived the dramatic countdown from ten in “Sikhote Alin.” In particular, a song title like “Once Upon A Time… NOTHING” got a chuckle when I first saw it, but when it’s being shouted at me over chugging guitars, it suddenly becomes the most engaging sequence of five words in existence. Many of the song’s choruses boil down to the song title being belted at the listener ad nauseum, and I love it. It all gives Christus Hypercubus this sense of self-aware dumb fun with the faintest hint of irony that never approaches parody. Metal that doesn’t take itself seriously isn’t new, but other bands typically broadcast that distinction while Messiah pulls it off with a nonchalance that makes all the difference. This notion is challenged by the utterly ridiculous text-to-speech introduction of “Venus Baroness II,” but it’s the outlier in an album that otherwise keeps a straight face.
A band doesn’t hit 40 years of making music—albeit with a huge break in the middle—without a questionable songwriting choice or two. The slow, menacing verse and chorus of “Speedsucker Romance” should’ve made for a fun change of pace, but the endless repetition and the drawn-out, discordant pitch harmonics at either end of the song undermine the song’s impact as the pace slows to a crawl. Messiah has also ignored the number one rule in Mystikus’ book of good metal: ending your album with a strong sense of finality. To be fair, the riffs of “Venus Baroness II” are perfectly solid. But they just come and go without the satisfying presence an album’s end demands, contrasting the closing guitar crawl and atmospheric outro of the preceding “Venus Baroness I,” which would have ended the album on a much higher note.
Despite the oddball song or two, Christus Hypercubus is Messiah reminding the world that they’ve got nothing they need to prove. Christus Hypercubus is indeed a well-oiled machine engineered to force-feed you riffs, and sometimes that’s all you need. But it’s that underlying hint of hammy, self-aware joy that truly breathes life into this album, and keeps me coming back. Now enough dawdling, it’s time to nail this Christ to the hypercube and bang our goddamn heads.
Rating: Very Good!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: High Roller Records
Websites: facebook.com/messiah | messiah.band | messiah.bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 1st, 2024
