I hope I don’t need to introduce Hannes Grossmann at this point. Over the past decade (and more), he has been drumming on some of our absolute favorite releases and bands. The list is long but here’s a taste: Necrophagist, Blotted Science, Howling Sycamore, Eternity’s End, Obscura, Alkaloid, Hate Eternal and oh so many more. In the process, Grossmann has worked with some of the biggest and best names in the industry. That’s why his solo works are also so damn good; they blend Grossmann’s unstoppable talent behind the kit (and considerable talent composing music and writing lyrics) with some of the most skilled musicians out there today. This is all very true for the newest single from the drummer’s upcoming album, To Where the Light Retreats, which sees release on June 1st. We’re super happy to premiere this new track, titled “The Great Designer”, right here! Let’s get to it.
You can instantly see what I mean about the blending of Grossmann’s talent and some of the best musicians out there when you listen to this track. The lineup on this one features Danny Tunker on guitars (I assume I don’t need to introduce him either but, just in case, he’s played in Alkaloid, Aborted, Abhorrent and many more), Linus Klausenitzer (Alkaloid, Obscura, Noneuclid and, you guessed it, many more) and V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress) with the icing of the cake in the form of a solo by Christian Muenzner (who has played in basically all of the bands above, and then some). Santura’s inclusion here is especially exciting since he hasn’t been featured on a Grossmann solo release since 2014. His unique voice adds a ton of character to this track, building up the already busy and forceful thrust of the track into new heights of expressiveness.
And boy, talk about thrust! Grossmann’s drumming has always been very full and present but on his solo works, and especially on this single, you can really hear him letting go and going full throttle. This is, of course, no problem for Tunker, who’s played with his share of aggressive drummers. On this track, his guitars are precise and blistering, working with Grossmann’s powerful tone (amplified even further by Klausenitzer’s flawless bass) to create the aural onslaught that underpins the massive death metal that Grossmann’s solo projects have become associated with.
All in all, this single is business as usual for Grossmann’s bunch of merry, and heavy, men and that is no problem at all. You’ll be looking for a long time if you’ll try to find a project that delivers the kind of polished, well executed, and immersive death metal that this one can pump out. Until then, you can head on over to Bandcamp to pre-order the album ahead of its June 1st release.