No Hawaii are from Gothenburg, Sweden, and have evolved since their forming in 2003 to becoming a very intelligent, aggressive atmospheric sludge metal band. Blending the crushing power of hardcore with intricate melodies and heavy distortion, the band draws its influence from early Mastadon, Neurosis, and Isis to create an album that seems just as likely to tear one's ears off as it is likely to lick its face in a gesture of friendship. Their debut album is a roller coaster ride, epic and worthy of checking out for anyone who enjoys stop-and-go harmonies, random tracks, and just truly 'out of this world' music.
Snake My Charms begins "A Lovely Breed" which ebbs and flows with the melodies of a stoner alternative metal band. The vocals are charming and ethreal while the guitars stay shrouded in distortion but don't crash like the waves, allowing the drums to be heard clearly. Then somwhere in the mix the storm breaks and everything picks up. The drums add more cymbals, which hiss even more than the distortion while the vocals turn into wild screams. There's still singing, but it sounds clouded amongst all the other music. That's intensity for you. The following track, "Chuck Noir," sounds a bit like Mastadon with the chaotic guitars and drums over clean vocals. Suddenly the music slows down to some very soothing melodies over the crooning vocals before suddenly exploding into some very aggressive hardcore styled guitars and vocals. The screaming somewhat offputs the harmonies of the band, but it lets the listener know they're in for some rough times as well.
"Tunnel" continues the hardcore vein with just nonstop aggression the is broken up every once in a while by slower guitar melodies and the clean vocals. Of course, everything eventually falls back into chaos, but the clean vocals tend to stick throughout the song. There's even some psychadelic whispering samples to add to the complex, progressive feeling overall. For some reason the clean vocals are extremely enjoyable compared to the hardcore ones. Sure, they add all the more aggression and make one want to headbang, but there's a soothing, ethreal quality the suits the progressive sludge rock that No Hawaii are determined to perform. The simple "." is very random. It features a simple drum beat along lengthy, distorted chords that seem endless, like a static broadcast. It doesn't do much for the album except raise eyebrows, which will make fans really think about the track, or just skip it out of annoyance. "Isual" starts out as aggressive but fades out to being one of the more mystical tracks on the album. Taking on slow, stoner metal qualities with ambient percussion and hollow vocals, it seems like a dream... until suddenly the drums get very aggressive and the hardcore vocals come in for a rude awakening.
"Radio Magallanes" is another random track, but more enjoyable and less annoying than "." The guitar melody is very slow, very romantic, while the vocals take on the quality of a foreign language speaking over a radio transmission. Eventually the music slides into heavier hardcore and features some aggressive chugging to get the blood boiling, but that constant soothing melody is still there throughout the entire track, whether shrouded or clear as day. "Technical Difficulties" tries to incorporate a layer of melodies and random sounds to live up to the track name. Fortunately, it isn't so random as to turn listeners off. Instead, it is very thoughtful and once one blocks out all the random sounds, there's a distinctive, solid guitar melody that weaves in and out, kind of like a Queens Of The Stone Age song. "Unleash The Kuru" is another Mastadon impersonation that falls a bit short; it tries to be progressive and aggressive at the same time, but somehow just comes off as a mix up with little to focus on. Of course, any misconception is cleared up with "E=Mc," which is a slow instrumental for the most part. The vocals are present, but they are so faded and distorted they become one with the music as another instrument, like a Xasthur track. The drums are the most solid thing on the music which everything just hangs over the earhole like a haze. This is slow shoegaze, and No Hawaii at its progressive ambient best.
For a debut, this album is surprisingly solid. It is quirky and random, but that makes listeners think. Sometimes it can get a bit hazy, but the aggressive hardcore parts are loud enough to make sure nobody falls asleep. Once done with the album, one will either have grown a bit more open minded towards music, or just thought this was a jumble with little regard to listening to it again. Hopefully the first option will suffice. This isn't really trendy music, so expect more an underground style rather than mainstream. It is made to make fans think outside the box, and the band will continue blowing minds as they continue to think outside the box with their diverse sound that is hard to classify, but easy to enjoy under the right circumstances.
