I’ve often been complaining about the metal scene nowadays ‘cause I’m a lover of classics. Maiden, Dio, Sabbath, TNT, W.A.S.P., you name it. I have the nasty tendency to compare newcomer bands to the (sometimes legendary) songs and sound of aforementioned acts, which – to some readers – can be quite annoying. But whatever grumpiness befalls me at times, now isn’t the moment to talk about that. Because a I got struck by a bright light. Progeny, the second album of the New York-based progressive death metal band Hung (insert penis joke here), has left me quite impressed.

The title song, 'Progeny', starts off a bit melancholic. At first, it’s puzzling. There’s clearly some death/black metal there. There’s also some heavy riffing going on… but what’s causing the melancholy? A second glance at the biography clarifies all, it’s a violin! Which brings me straight to the power of Hung, namely the ability to blend guitars and violin into a powerful brew of melodic, progressive and aggressive metal. The vocals vary from an incredibly clear, yet flesh ripping black metal scream to a grunt that comes from the deepest chasms of the earth itself to a clean voice… which actually sounds okay with the music.
The guitars don’t dominate all the time, which seemed a bit odd at first, but makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The bass guitar has a distinct clear sound, which enables it to stand out at times and the violin is a dominant factor in Hung’s music. This is not just guitar smashing metal, this is really a successful artistic attempt to make heavy music more interesting.

Furthermore, the production is superb, The lyrical content is sure to appeal to a lot of philosophic death metal fans and the arrangements are just really good. For the sake of a small minus, I’d like to note that time is needed to be able to enjoy the full extent of Hung. Not only because the song structures are quite complicated, but because some songs last for a while, as well. This makes the record less enjoyable for music lovers who seek explosive, destructive death metal.

What can I say, some newcomers become famous within a day, last for 20 years and still haven’t put out anything worth mentioning on the market. Hung has already made its mark in music history; I anxiously await whatever this promising band has in store for us.