When you receive as many CD’s (yes, actual, physical copies) as well as digital versions of releases as I do, you tend to build up filters. Some releases are simply put at arm’s length, simply by judging the combination of the name and the cover artwork. An unfortunate combination can mean that it will take weeks before I actually listen to the CD. If my intiuition tells me that the release is either old school black metal, blues rock, retro rock, sludge or a couple of other categories of hard rock/metal, then chances are that it stays in the ‘to do’ box next to my desk for some time.
Hills n’ Pills is a good example of my intuition not getting it right or, alternatively, that this French band need to visit their numerologics once more before trying to make it big. They could also find a new guy to advice them in terms of their logo and cover design. Or is it just me?
I have no clue when I received this CD, or who sent it to me, but I know it’s been sitting in that box I mentioned for a while. I honestly thought this was one of those awful bluesy hardrock bands, probably from Norway or something, who try to sound a bit like Motörhead, but really don’t.
If you happen to Hills n’ Pills, you can probably picture my surprise when I finally flipped the disc into my car stereo three days ago, expecting to haul it out of the window after two minutes. I didn’t. I was surprised. Pleasantly.
This is not bluesy hardrock, despite the name. This sounds like the bastard child of Rage Against the Machine and System Of A Down.
With four songs, the French troupé takes us through a frantic, funky, rocking, groovy universe, making considerable nods to the Armenian roots of SOAD (or something that sounds a lot like it, anyway) and the angry, funky rap of RATM.
Is this another clone band? Yes and no. The inspiration is so blatantly obvious, but still, I find the fusion of the two sounds extremely refreshing, and at the same time it triggers nostalgia. It brings my mood up a couple of nudges, it’s good fun, they have great ideas, and that’s a good thing, right?
This is only four songs, so I have no idea if there’s any more to this band. Time will tell. For now, I’m happy with what I hear, it good fun, they have ideas, and will leave you with this clip:
Tracklist:
01. Decaled
02. Atchoum
03. This Thing
04. Funky Shit
Playing time: 15 minutes
Release date: No idea
Label: Tinplno Records or something, can’t really make it out
Website: hills-n-pills.wix.com/musique
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