French masters of gloom, Hangman's Chair, have released a new album on February 14, called "Saddiction". It's their seventh album and their second on Nuclear Blast. While I've always been interested in the particularly miserable style of Hangman's Chair, their previous releases never really stuck with me to build a lasting relationship. Will it be different this time?
If you haven't heard of Hangman's Chair before, you can roughly see them as what would happen if The Cure started playing metal. Other references would be late '90s Katatonia and the later works of both Type O Negative and Pallbearer. No, the sun doesn't shine here, and it always seems to rain. If you are familiar with the band, you will find no big surprises on "Saddiction", but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Returning to the question ending the first paragraph: yes, it is different this time. I find myself returning to "Saddiction" quite often, and I am captivated by its haunting atmosphere. It's an album that drags you down into despair without a glimmer of hope, but it's a beautiful journey through a desolate musical landscape. Now that I've finally connected with the band, I will make sure to revisit Hangman's Chair's previous albums again. Highly recommended!
