Whoever came up with the name Ho99o9 was a genius. The letters and numbers are a fusion of two things that don’t belong together, the word means something frightening and, just as it implies, they’re a nightmare to write about. The three-piece actively push against your expectations, they defy anything you throw at them, and that’s why you need to listen.
The best way to describe them is as an experimental group influenced by hardcore, metal and rap… except when they’re not – which is most of the time. Let’s be clear, their music is as far from rap-metal as you can get while still containing elements of both. It’s a sound that is difficult to pigeonhole – and that’s the whole point of it. Each song is a statement, and if it’s aggressively noisy or hard to listen to, so be it. On new album ‘Skin’ this trend continues; anything goes, and frequently, everything does.
And now to the difficult part, explaining just what the record is doing. The first track ‘Nuge Snight’ features rapped and yelled vocals over glitching drums, the whole thing bathed in different types of distortion just to make it scathing and uncomfortable. It’s a bold opening, setting the tone for what comes next – and it’s not what you expect. Subsequent songs pull no punches, often swinging wildly between genres and sounds but retaining that same confidence. The twelve tracks are a breathless cycle of ideas that don’t stop or look back, and don’t disappoint. And still, despite everything, it’s a surprisingly coherent collection, experimental without ever feeling like an experiment, which is a feat in itself.
Not only are the songs varied in style, they do different things within themselves and it’s rare they start and finish in the same tone, making the whole thing feel structureless and fluid. At times the songs change so fast it gives you whiplash and although this might be a recipe for disaster, it works so well it can only be the result of deliberate, if slightly unhinged, choices. For example the drum loops behind ‘Bite My Face’ might feel like a mainstream rap track but it quickly slices into metal, then a piano ballad, and back again. ‘Battery Not Included’ swings from wild cries to gentle singing before dropping into what sounds like a live recording from a hardcore punk gig. Similarly, parts of ‘Skinhead’ are like being sandblasted, but despite being an audio cheese grater, it’s never too inaccessible. ‘…Speak of the Devil’ and ‘Dead or Asleep’ even contain clean singing and both are also placed exactly when the album needs a little levity meaning it is fluid, avoiding peaks and troughs.
Beyond the ferocity of their music, Ho99o9 are also an awe-inspiring live act. Back in 2017, they toured with The Dillinger Escape Plan and gave the tech-metallers a run for their money; any band that can put on a memorable live show in that context deserves your attention and ‘Skin’ is infused with the same frenetic energy. You never know what will happen next or why it works, and what is really striking is that nothing here feels gratuitous or out of place. At its strangest, ‘Lower Than Scum’ washes across with elements of deathcore and punk rock only to transition directly into an 80s synthpop sound on ‘Devil At The Crossroads’. It’s the last thing you’d expect to work. And yet, it does.
For the most part, the vocals are either rapped or performed in a gravelly bark that sounds like they’ve been levered off a recent Sepultura record. Of course, that’s also a sweeping generalisation but isn’t a bad example of the overall tone. Ho99o9 have a lot to say about the state of the world and choose a style that works best for the music, even if it’s completely at odds. There are also guest spots from Corey Taylor, Bun B and Saul Williams to add a little extra texture. Well, actually there’s a lot of texture in Taylor’s case as he both sings and lets off some of his signature growling on ‘Bite My Face’, giving the track extra personality without stealing the limelight. In the same way, Bun B adds softly spoken vocals to the drum loops on ‘Slo Bread’ leading to the most restrained song here but even this evolves along its runtime.
You’ll never guess who produced it – it’s Blink-182’s Travis Barker. This seems like an odd choice for such an intense album, after all, it’s easily the most abrasive thing he’s put his name to but, because the album is built around loops and drums, he’s working with what he knows and the results are impressive. Especially as it captures a raw edge, even more so than the band’s recent EPs.
Where Ho99o9 excel is making all this mayhem listenable. ‘Skin’ is relatively accessible even compared to their more electronic ‘Cyber Cop’ EP. This is, in part, because the songs are fairly short, meaning the bursts of aggressive noise sit neatly between electronics and beats, and the record breezes by. You find yourself wanting to go around again, and again, just to experience the thrill.
With their new record, Ho99o9 have created a Frankenstein’s monster; it’s primal but thoughtful, aggressive but artistic, a kind of evil genius. ‘Skin’ is a frightening record stitched together from scraps of drum loops and blast-beats, but so much more besides. It’s not for everyone, but if you like your music to be challenging, limitless and inspiring, this is a record for you.
IAN KENWORTHY