Hopsydian – A Graceful Sin EP

One might be inclined to think that pop and metalcore share very little common ground. But these are the genre classifications that Italian band Hopsydian have chosen to describe their style of music. This young band formed in Milan during 2024. As far as I know, apart from a few singles, some of which appear on this EP, “A Graceful Sin” is their first release of notable substance.

The pop element /influence is prominent as the first of five tracks on this EP starts. The ominous, atmospheric and choral feel to ‘Glare’ soon gives way to a more powerful passage. Even heavier crunching chords and short sharp blast beats follow. Despite this, singer Myles Idolo’s vocals stay clean throughout the song. It’s a great opener which is a good representation of the band’s approach and a taste of things to come.

The band’s moniker is an amalgamation of “Hope” and “Obsidian”. Which they say, “symbolizes resilience, shadow, and rebirth, perfectly reflecting the duality at the heart of their music”. This is certainly tangible in one of the aforementioned singles ‘Sight’. Cataclysmic chords from guitarists Loris Ronchi and Nikolay Deliyski are tempered by the mellow, perfectly controlled vocals. It’s brutal and beautiful in equal measures.

Although most of the vocals are clean, there is an occasional flash of harsher outbursts from Myles. This is particularly evident in another single that goes by the name ‘Devote’. Apart from that there are catchy choruses, djent-tinged riffs, pummelling staccato blasts and choral backdrops.

The songs are quite short, with everyone clocking in under 4 minutes but that doesn’t seem to matter. Each one is packed with a veritable smorgasbord of musical delicacies. We are treated to battering onslaughts that melt into moody breakdowns and emotive softer sections with boy band vocals.

The band are obviously fond of extravagant gothic style videos and the one for ‘Elysium’ is no exception. This track gives me strong vibes of The Five Hundred in parts. The song explores the emotional conflict between guilt and empowerment. It’s grandiose with haunting choirs, atmospheric, apocalyptic and euphoric which makes it my favourite track on this EP.

By now you may be wondering where the drummer is, well he/she is listed as remaining anonymous. Quite what that means I don’t know, maybe they are shy or perhaps a machine, who knows. I should, however, mention the only other member who is named and that is bassist Roberto Vezi. He provides a reliable solid backbone – along with the enigma of a drummer – to the excellent tracks here.

The EP is rounded off with another great song entitled ‘Heavenly’ which is so in name and nature. At 3:50 minutes it’s actually the longest track on this release. Extreme guitar battery sits cheek by jowl with singalong choruses in this satisfying finale. They have saved the most intense song until last, at least for now anyway.

These early steps on what should be a very promising journey for the band firmly states their intent to succeed. It’s a relatively short glimpse into what this band is about and hopefully there will be more to come soon.

Track-List:

1. Glare
2. Devote
3. Sight
4. Elysium
5. Heavenly