siLLy puPPy
One of the strangest artists to hit the black metal scene in recent years, the Chinese born Liu Zhenyang better known as Ὁπλίτης HOPLITES (means “soldier” in Greek) was only born in the year 2000 and has focused on a career of linguistics researching the Sino-Tibetan languages but has found a unique propensity for churning out some nasty and adventurous progressive black metal. Progressive black metal that is that is fearless in its pursuit for the most twisted and creative expressions to be forged.
Having only debuted in 2021 with the EP Ἡ εἰκών , HOPLITES returned in 2023 with not one but three full-length albums that caught the world of avant-garde black metal off guard. Fortified with a propensity of second wave furor and a unique methodology of fusing technical thrash and dissonant death metal into a chaotic monstrosity, HOPLITES has jumped onto the world’s stage as the newest best thing since Deathspell Omega.
Born in Ningbo, China and now residing in Paris, France, HOPLITES has become smitten with all things Greek and not only titles all his albums and tracks in Greek but contrasts by forging his subject matter with the themes of Chinese social issues and protest. Of course this is explosive and manic black metal in the vein of the most freakishly hyperactive sector of the genre so it’s impossible to discern any of the lyrics as they are unintelligible and only heard as raspy screams from the mishmash of extreme metal gone absolutely wild.
While HOPLITES was already displaying a few hints of progressiveness on his trilogy set of 2023, on Παραμαινομένη (Paramainomeni) he goes absolutely batshit with incessant time signature changes, crazed mathcore inspired chaotic dissonant and the occasional use of a saxophone reminiscent of Imperial Triumphant’s recent works however HOPLITES is much more spastic with crazed lunacy unleashed at every turn of this aggressive bombastic set of 6 tracks that steal 52 minutes of your precious life.
This is riffing paradise with a never-ending stream of variations of a theme that take on different methodologies that implement the true spirit of experimentation. Keep in mind that this is a one-man show here with Zhenyang playing everything whizzing by at a million miles an hour as well as every raspy utterance that portends black metal terror. And what a performance this guy gives on every instrument whether it be the guitar, bass or drums. As much as noise rock inspired metal as progressive black, HOPLITES isn’t afraid to drop the m metal altogether for a few moments of traditional Chinese music.
What makes this so special is that the compositions are a mix of freeform looseness with traditional orthodoxies that give it a satisfying cohesiveness. The opening of “Συμμαινόμεναι Διονύσῳ Ἐλευθέριῳ” features a bizarre avant-garde non-metal musical formula that sounds like it emerged from an alien world and then the metal joins in and brings it down to Earth but not without sounding like the most bizarre mangled mess of noise and dissonance ever yet it’s all kept somewhat manageable by easily digested black metal riffs and the incessant pummelation of the blastbeats. It’s like a whale swallowed a mathcore band, a technical black metal act and a brutal prog ensemble and then vomited them all out and this is the result.
Add a few demented piano rolls, a few moments of a (simulated) operatic diva and other twists and turns and you have found yourself in the true land of the weird and the wired as the energy never lets up on this one. However just when you think this guy has left planet Earth and launched into orbit he’ll throw you a curve ball as in the black’n’roll fueled second track titled ““Συμμαινόμεναι Διονύσῳ Ἐλευθέριῳ.” Wow. This is one of the wildest and most daring extreme metal releases of the 2020s. This guy is on F-I-R-E !!! For fans of deranged black metal acts like Serpent Column, Theophonos, Imperial Triumphant and even Deathspell Omega. Definitely gonna make the best of 2024!!!