A band with a name like The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors is surely to raise some eyebrows and spark curiosity as to what music could possibly sound like. Is it experimental metal? Is it 90’s-inspired shoegaze and noise rock? Is it a proggy out-of-body spiritual psychedelic trip down the milky way? Is it beautiful, well-crafted, truly genre-bending music? The answer is yes.
I’ve been following this band since about 2019 when I saw them open for a symphonic metal band, showcasing music from their first release “A Humanistic Perspective” (2018). From the bill of the tour to the incredible set they played, it was obvious this band both refuses to be pigeon-holed into a specific genre and knows exactly who they are and how to convey it—and I was an instant fan. Needless to say, I have been eagerly awaiting more music and after four years of waiting, the patience has paid off two-fold with the release of their new double-CD, “A Clock Without A Craftsman,” with Massacre Records on August 11, 2023.
As if anticipating the audience question of “what am I in for from a band with a name like that?” the album’s opening track “The Clock” serves as an experimental overture, ominous clock-ticks punctuating song snippets from throughout the album—evoking someone scanning the radio during a scene from season four of Stranger Things. Featured here is everything from jangly riffs, deathcore growls, 90s-alt vocals, to contemplative soundscapes. This track feels disjointed, purposefully so, drawing attention to the breadth of what’s to come. By pointing out these disparate qualities right at the jump, it becomes all the more impressive as the album unfolds and the cohesive thread is revealed. Somehow, everything fits together and makes gorgeous, mind-bending, sense.
Although I’ve only had a couple hours to sit with this album, it's obvious it will be one that I’ll sit with and contemplate on repeat in the months to come. Like an Ari Aster film, this record demands to be re-experienced—weaving a plethora of thought and detail into the work for audiences to pick up on with each playthrough. In addition to the extensive musical explorations, the lyrics delve into social, environmental, and political issues. It is not always a comfortable listen by design, but also like an Ari Aster film, the emotional arc is very much worth the ride.
I truly don’t want to give away too much of the journey that awaits the avid listener to this masterful album that pays homage to its prog-metal/rock roots while combining elements from a myriad of other genres to push into musical territory that feels both new and familiar. If you’re a fan of Tool, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and even early Incubus, and ever wondered what a super-group of their members would sound like, The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors might be it.
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