| Hai | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Soulers | ||
| Released | May 30, 2019 | |
| Recorded | April and May 2019 in Grand-Rang, Saint-Paulin | |
| Genre | Funeral doom metal, post-metal | |
| Length | 51:50 | |
| Label | Independent | |
| Producer | Dai Maō | |
| Soulers chronology | ||
| Shadows of Ancient Cults (2019) |
Hai (2019) |
Obscura Silva (2019) |
Hai (廃, "waste") is the twentieth studio album by the Canadian one-man band Soulers, released on May 30, 2019. It is a follow-up to the previous album Shadows of Ancient Cults.
Unlike the previous albums, it displays a funeral doom metal style, which was the first time the project oriented itself towards the genre.
Background[]
While releasing Shadows of Ancient Cults on April 20, founder Dai Maō announced on Instagram that he would be recording a new album. This took one month to finish it, because the recording sessions were delayed by school, lack of inspiration and his visit to his girlfriend's house.
This is the first Soulers album since Yami no Kokoro Kara Shuppatsu to feature Japanese lyrics. In the Bandcamp description for the album, Dai Maō said:
| “ | "I wanted to create an album that would be entirely in Japanese, because I was highly influenced by Funeral Moth during the recording sessions. The guitar sound was better than previous albums, as I connected the amp to the recorder. But I do not abandon the feedback from previous albums. In fact, I plan to put microphones close to the amp again. I just wanted to try out something different." | ” |
— Dai Maō, Bandcamp page for Hai
|
A 23-minute song titled "Kiri wo Nogareru" was recorded during the sessions, but did not appear on the final verson of the album; however, Dai Maō released it on an EP of the same name on June 26.
Artwork[]
The album's artwork is a black-and-white photo of an old wooden house that was probably taken in the 1940s.
Composition[]
Hai is a funeral doom metal album with elements of post-metal. All two songs clock in at over 20 minutes in length, which gives it a total of 51:50; this makes it the third Soulers album to exceed the 50-minute mark, after Beautiful Like a Rainbow and The Storming Heavens as a Father to All Broken Bodies. The album evokes a sense of despair, depression and nature.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muishiki no Jōtai" (無意識の状態; "State of Unconsciousness") | 24:32 | |
| 2. | "Jiseishin" (自制心; "Self-Control") | 27:18 | |
Total length: |
51:50 | ||
Personel[]
- Dai Maō – all instruments, vocals