Album Review: Hope Drone - Cloak Of Ash

Hope Drone's first album for venerable US metal label Relapse Records, at 75 minutes, Cloak Of Ash is a marathon of earthshaking devastation, balancing the Brisbane outfit's penchant for black metal ferocity with poignant and introspective atmospheres.

Though its epic ambitions are hampered by the tinny production that see Christopher Rowden's vocals buried so low in the mix he's almost drowning in the crushing deluge of blast beats and guitars, the marriage of melody and malice makes this one of the most compelling heavy releases of the year so far.