Band:	Hills Like White Lions
Album:	Meander
Style:	Post-metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	June 2023

01. Meander, Pt. I: Coral
02. Meander, Pt. II: Maelstrom
03. Meander, Pt. III: Acedia
04. Meander, Pt. IV: Black Tide
05. Meander Pt. V: Cataract
06. Meander, Pt. VI: Nihil
07. Meander, Pt. VII: Mondgrau

I’m not sure how one would go about drawing similarities between hills and white lions, but Hills Like White Lions evoke similarities to good progressive metal groups, by virtue of being one.

The Austrian trio released their debut record soon after forming in 2020, a self-titled outing that complied with standard album structure. With sophomore release Meander, Hills Like White Lions have opted for the ‘one long song in several movements’ approach, dividing the overarching “Meander” into seven components. Albums such as this can vary in the extent to which they feel like parts of a greater whole; I doubt anyone would consider the 9 movements of Edge Of Sanity’s Crimson II to be anywhere near as appreciable as standalone songs as they would be when placed within the context of the full record, but, as good as the record is, if one were to remove the seamless transitions between songs on An Abstract Illusion’s Woe, few would consider its constituent songs to be anything other than individual tracks. From the listens I’ve given to it, Meander feels far more so like the latter type of record; however, just because it doesn’t feel like one very long song, there’s no reason why that should preclude it from being an enjoyable album.

The album, and Hills Like White Lions in general, have been tagged with the prog/post-metal tab in most places I’ve seen them, but they don’t quite feel like another member of the Pelagic Records and Pelagic-like group of bands that have spawned in the wake of The Ocean. There’s tracks that veer closer in that direction, notably the complex grooves and elaborately assembled texturing of impressive closing song “Mondgrau”, but I’d say Meander on the whole is more strongly recognizable as progressive metal. Unlike most post-metal bands that feature vocals, Hills Like White Lions eschew any kind of extreme vocal style; the album as a whole is very much on the melodic side, but there are occasional hints of more extreme metal influences on it, particularly the blackened midsection of the otherwise mellow “Maelstrom”.

It's neat that the group have tools such as blast beats in their arsenal, but by and large they’re not needed, as this is a record that thrives more on its melodic textures, with the group making good use of both cleaner sounds and heavier riffs. The opener “Coral” serves as a good example of this in how it drifts from understated beginnings, gradually building and eventually spilling into metal, and riding the song out afterwards with a mixture of more muscular metallic riffs and more complex chords reminiscent of what alt/prog groups like Rishloo or Caligula's Horse might use. The grounding feature of the song is Florian Wagner and his singing, which lingers in a lower register and has a depth and fullness to it; he’s not necessarily going to contend for my new favourite prog vocalist, but he more than does the job for this group.

Meander has a decent tonal range; the short quasi-interlude “Acedia” is light and dreamy, while “Black Tide” (another that features a brief burst of blasts) is darker and more ominous. I would probably consider “Black Tide” to be the standout track here; maybe it’s because I only just reviewed them, but I do get a slight Vulture Industries vibe to them, and I dig the depth that they place into the chorus of the song, particularly with the arpeggiated chords and powerful bass drum sound. If I have one, not really an issue, but point that curtails my enthusiasm for Meander, it’s that there’s not enough moments that really stand out to me outside of this. I’ve given it a good few listens by now, and I consistently enjoy it, but while I like the variety between songs and the general quality level, I’ve not built much of a connection to it due to a lack of really engaging songs or sequences in it.

Still, in spite of this, it’s a very decent record, and one that I’ve got satisfaction out of while spinning, even in the absence of a lasting impression. With their balance of post-metal and other influences within their prog sound, Hills Like White Lions do enough to distinguish themselves not just from the straight prog-metal scene, but also from the increasingly popular progressive post-metal fusion. If they can find a way to translate a solid musical foundation into more compelling tracks, they could really be onto something soon.