ALBUM REVIEW: Hermit's Maze - State of Mind

HERMIT'S MAZE (Argentina)
"State of Mind"
(Independent)
Release date: July 20th 2019
Genre: Progressive metal, experimental metal, djent, progressive rock
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HERMIT'S MAZE is another ensemble that is a bit of a curiosity. Based in Martinez - a city in Buenos Aires, Argentina - this band of mystery was formed in 2016, and released their debut EP "Cyclothyminis" in August 2017.

The main ideology behind HERMIT'S MAZE is that only the music itself should be source to any thought or impression that the listener gets whilst listening to it, with no other visual aids than the album cover to guide them along. As part of this ideology the members in the band remain nameless, which really just makes the experience a lot more enticing.

Though this very superlative is already a fitting description for the album cover, it doesn't do the music justice whatsoever. The eleven tracks on "State of Mind" are all small pieces of musical art that together make up a total that is sheer excellence.

It is impossible to point out any individual tracks that stand out, as they are all impressive, dynamic and colorful compositions each on their own. Every instrument sounds clean and bright in the mix, and despite the fact that there are many layers of ambience and samples going on all at once, nothing ever falls out of balance.

"State of Mind" is only 33 short minutes long, and given the fact that the album features eleven tracks in total, I am in awe of how much life, variety and nuance HERMIT'S MAZE manage to incorporate into such short compositions.

★★★★★★★★★★

Tracklist:
1. An Unexpected Collapse
2. State of Mind
3. Duality (Original 2018 Mix)
4. Parallel Déjà Vu
5. Just.Re:Born
6. Crystal Box
7. Cognitive Dissonance
8. Fill Yours Shadows with Black
9. N1n3
10. Sea of Deafness
11. The Calm Before...