The Challenge of Reviewing ‘Hidden’
This is the third time I’ve tried to write this review. I initially planned to proclaim Hidden as the best Ufomammut album since Eve or Oro. Instead, before publishing, I revisited their more recent albums, including 8, Fenice, and Ecate. During my first listens of those albums, I hadn’t connected deeply with them, so I intended for this piece to focus on how subtle execution in an album like Hidden can transform a good album into a great one.
Instead, my listening forced me to re-evaluate how I relate musical experiences as a reviewer. I have come to understand that the experience of a great album is as much about the listener’s state of mind as it is about the art itself. Because I was not in the right state to receive the greatness of these albums at the time, I had dismissed them undeservingly.
My passion waxes and wanes. On the good days, I enter a flow state and music becomes a soundtrack that enhances the good feelings and the bad; a good album resonates with the right feeling and I can soar with the positive or drown in catharsis with the bad ones. Other times, nothing connects, and music that everyone else loves feels like static. After a period of listlessness, a piece of music dispels my malaise, and I fall in love with music (and life) again. Understanding that I have times where I cannot connect with great music, I must learn to recognize its greatness so that I connect with readers who may have that great experience, even if I cannot.
This goal might seem at odds with my other aim: to share personal experiences with my audience. If I am to convey the emotional weight of an album, I must also share my own experiences.
It was fortunate that Hidden was released on the same day as Pallbearer’s Mind Burns Alive. At the time, I was struggling to connect with any art. Pallbearer’s release resonated with that particular state of loneliness and disconnection that ironically primed my soul to be open to music again. , This experience with Mind Burns Alive made me vulnerable and available to connect to Hidden. It was this moment, this sudden vulnerability, that also allowed me to connect with those previous albums that I could not before.
Ufomammut: ‘Hidden’
Pallbearer’s Mind Burns Alive lacerated my heart with isolation and loneliness, and the last track, With Disease, pierced me with the dagger. This opened me up again. As the first song on Hidden, Crookhead started with the familiar Ufomammut recipe of huge cosmic distorted riffs, distant reverb-drenched vocals and atmospheric synths and samples. It was not long before it defied all expectations at 2:28 and split me wide open. A small break of silence, a dissonant synth, and the aggressive exclamation of “My Mind” reset the formula, and at that moment, I knew I was ready for this album, and the experience it would bring.
While Mind Burns Alive connected me with loneliness and introspection, Hidden kicked me into hunger for action.
Even though Hidden has all the ingredients of a typical Ufomammut album, it is set apart , like Eve, in the interplay of these elements. The music has space to breathe, with calm between tempests.
While Eve was dynamic linearly, with a long buildup to a climax near the end, Hidden has more ebbs and flows, mixing more ambiance throughout. This gives the album more consistency overall and allows individual songs to carry their own weight. What strikes me about Hidden is the band’s use of subtle shifts in guitar tone and synths to push songs forward. Often, the guitar riff stays unchanged while the tone changes; atmosphere progresses the song. At times, the main motif was consistent, but the shift in tone transforms that motif, imbuing it with urgency.
As I have dived into this album, I’ve come full circle. While I have a newfound appreciation for their previous releases, Hidden still has an extra bit of magic that pushes it into greatness. The meticulous attention to production allows the different elements to meld into a sublime arrangement that envelops the listener.
What strikes me about this album is the sense of urgency portrayed in a genre known for its plodding nature. Running 45 minutes across six songs, it races to the end, leaving the album feeling like it finishes in record time. This leaves the listener spent, ready to reflect on the experience, and wanting more.
Hidden has a special place in the Ufomammut discography, nearing all time greatness second only to Eve. I whole-heartedly recommend buying this album, turning the lights off, clearing some mental space and opening yourself to the cathartic musical experience this can provide.
Hidden was released on May 17th, 2024
Ufomammut is:
Poia – Guitars
Urlo – Bass, Vocals, Fxs and Synths
Levre – Drums