The Danish/Turkish quartet Hyperdontia made a gnarly splash in the metal scene with the one-two punch of the Abhorrence Veil EP, followed promptly by the debut of full-length Nexus of Teeth, which is an absolutely brilliant title to accompany the band name. The latter sported a grotesque cover piece of swirling gums, teeth, skulls and eyeballs pulled straight from the worst stress-induced nightmares about visiting the dentist. Those initial releases straddled the line of brutal death metal with a grittier tone and David Mikkelsen’s lower, more one-dimensional approach to gurgling. His departure opened the door for Mathias Friborg not only as the new vocalist but as an additional guitarist as well. Since then, the songs have gotten a touch more complex with a more direct nod to OSDM and a greater use of strong guitar leads.
With a powerful lineup cemented for over four years, does album number three still have teeth? What’s that? Oh, you’d like me to take a long walk off of short pier? Yeah, that seems reasonable. I’ll see myself out.
Malik Çamlıca does want everyone to know, however, that contrary to popular belief, bassists do matter. A higher-quality pair of over-ear headphones is the ideal way to hear his work, but regardless of your ear equipment, his bass is bopping, popping, pulsing, and sliding between the other instruments to provide body blows to the listener while they’re distracted trying to process the slicing guitars and battering drums. He has his moments to shine, too, though. “Pestering Lamentations” is led by a downright sexy bassline backed only by drums. When the guitar does land, it purely mimics the bass riff, locking in all three instruments to the best riff on the entire album. While his flourishes don’t steal the spotlight in the intro drummer Tuna, yes, Tuna, absolutely destroys the slower open passage later in the same song. As the rest of the instruments settle into a breakdown-style repeated riff, Tuna is throwing constantly morphing fills like his body has been taken over by six different drummers fighting for control.
Like any good OSDM band, Hyperdontia isn’t shy about showing you some of their influences. The connection to Autopsy needn’t stop with cover artists or mixing and mastering professionals, as the opening riff to “Pervasive Rot” would be right at home on a modern Autopsy album. Unsurprsingly, there’s a bit of Bolt Thrower that pops in here and there too. Not only do Friborg’s vocals have a glimmer of Karl Willetts in them, but the trudging crush of the opening passage to “Defame Flesh” is a clear nod to the UK OGs. Hyperdontia is also well aware that death metal owes a debt to thrash and isn’t afraid to throw some of those classic elements into the mix.
The aforementioned “Defame Flesh” rolls all of these influences together beautifully, or hideously, maybe. After that Bolt Thrower intro, Tuna proceeds to absolutely redline his drums before the main whirling riff hits. There are multiple times where the guitarists shift away from playing to the same riff to battle off of one another while the bass expertly weaves between, suturing all the pieces together. Then they unleash a thrash-tinged breakdown not unlike how “Raining Blood” rips itself apart.
Death metal can’t be fun without killer leads, right? Harvest of Malevolence has you covered there, too. These aren’t Kerry King nonsense solos or uber-technical brutality meant to break your brain. Friborg and Mustafa Gürcalioğlu lean into what guitar leads were meant to be: flashy! These are the type of leads you can expect to be swathed in a spotlight on the stage while the players make ridiculous cocky faces and motions. Opener, “Death’s Embrace,” pops off two leads of different styles. One is extra flashy while the other feels darker and more dramatic. “Salvation in Death” ends a lead with a serious pull on the whammy before just as the song explodes back into full form. Throughout the album, the lead work is varied and engaging.
Hyperdontia hasn’t changed what they do substantially, but they continue to morph their sound to fit an aesthetic that is simply more fun. Harvest of Malevolence is precisely that. It won’t expand your mind; it won’t challenge your notions of what death metal can be; it’s pure OSDM meant to make you band your head and have a good time.