Review by Nekrist on May 3, 2024.

Hässlig is a mysterious solo project by the mastermind simply known as “D.B.” also behind the other two amazing entities Negativa and Délirant that combines the sounds of extreme metal with the most violent and ruthless punk. I came across them when trying to find more bands that combined these styles in a perfectly amalgamated and coherent way. Great bands like the Finns Arnaut Pavle or the Canadians Iskra were my main reference points in this search.

This Spanish band returns with their first full-length album titled Apex Predator, and boy does this title fit perfectly with the sonic violence that we will find in the 36 minutes of this devastating album. The attack begins without further wait, we are hit by a steel door that a tornado threw in our face, disfiguring us forever and leaving us dying, this is how it feels to listen to this band, the music becomes so abrasive that at times it can reach us to remember legendary bands also from Spain such as Teitanblood and Proclamation (keeping distance between their respective styles of course).

The voice is loaded with a caustic fury that envelops and captures us immediately, the delivery is sincere and passionate, the guitars are heartbreaking and incessant, pendulating between open chords typical of punk and the tremolo picking that so characterizes black metal, basically being a “blackened crust” band that goes straight and without any mercy. The drums reach such intense points that the music touches a bit on the grounds of grindcore. It is really difficult to choose individual songs from the album, since it is a relatively short work that is best enjoyed in its entirety, as a large volcanic mass that advances slowly but without any pause to pulverize everything in its path. The bass is inaudible, but it is noticeable that it adds depth and atmosphere among all the chaos of Apex Predator.

This album is highly recommended to all those fans of the rawest and most brutal metal, taking influences from a sister genre like punk, which, over the decades, have influenced each other to evolve and explore new terrain within of extreme music. A great and powerful album.

Rating: 9 out of 10