Hex hail from Spain and play a neat brand of death-doom that seems fairly easy to pigeonhole at first listen but becomes more distinctive as things progress. ‘Thy Kingdom Gone’ opens with an enjoyable if somewhat workmanly riff, grinding and grooving like the Peaceville Three or a slightly less suicidal Decomposed. That sense of curmudgeonly gloom remains, but as things plough doggedly forward other elements are folded in, from washes of ambience and off-kilter riffing to mournful melodic vocals. The balance they achieve is surprisingly delicate for a band so heavy, somehow managing to weigh immediacy and rock-solid riffcraft against epic inclinations and some decidedly non-linear choices.
