Last we checked in with Hinayana was with the excellent Order Divine two years ago. The independent act has since gone on to sign with Napalm Records to deliver this latest EP, Death of the Cosmic. Hinayana continues to spread their wings with this short number, making this an excellent time for them to start getting more international attention.
Consisting of four tracks and a gentle yet inspired interlude, it’s the perfect short but sweet introduction to the act if you have missed out on them thus far. Melodic death/doom is a cherished format here at DR, and Hinayana’s merger of some of the strongest Stateside doom bands’ sound as well as nods to the European melodeath (particularly Finnish) greats makes their a particularly memorable one. There’s a very strong consistency to the tracks in terms of their quality, but “Cold Conception” gets a slight edge due to the late Naturre Ganganbaigal’s horsehead fiddle insertions, giving the gloomy riffs an added bit of exotic texture. If anything feels especially different from the band’s last full-length, overall the sound is more cinematic and gripping. The keys do an excellent job of augmenting the dreary and sad nature of much of the music. The way the two of them best intermingle, such as on “Pitch Black Noise,” make for a beautiful sound – it may be coated in darkness but there’s still a shining and ethereal touch to it that pops out at just the right moment to sweeten the deal further. The final strength that really stands out is the way that the band’s death/doom sound is structured. There’s never really a lull in the action, so to speak. More mid-tempo ‘deathly’ stuff manages to rally the cause forward, often with some thrilling melodies woven in to the mix (see the title track), often breaking off into a deserved quieter moment or rumbling bit of doom.
Hinayana continue to impress and up their game with each release. Death of the Cosmic ushers the band forward once more, and provides melodic death/doom in all of its unbridled glory. It won’t be long before you see this act really leading the charge with the potential that continues to accumulate.