Hurt
Vol. 2

Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails: his downward spiral poured into a song as memorable as it is dramatic, named "Hurt", the ultimate outpouring of his sufferings. I don't know if Hurt, with their name, intended to reference the song by the cursed genius, but, like the namesake song from "Downward Spiral", their works are expressions of strong emotions: passion, love, suffering, and pain.

Vol 1. left us with epic and poignant songs: "The Rapture", "Cold Inside", "House Carpenter" to name a few. A mix of Hard-Rock, Metal, and Grunge with nods to A Perfect Circle, heavy riffs alternated with melodic arpeggios, dark atmospheres even in acoustic ballads, J. Loren's voice both seductive and gritty, in short, a decadent album.

This Vol. 2 opens as a natural continuation of its predecessor; from the pouring rain closing "House Carpenter", it introduces "Summers Lost", an alternative-acoustic track that has nothing to envy from the tracks of Vol.1, with notable prog changes in rhythm and sound register. The album, however, apart from the opening track and the poignant "Abuse of Sid", presents some differences from Vol.1: as evidenced by the difference in album cover color (black for vol.1 and white for vol.2), this vol.2 features less gloomy and more sunny atmospheres, yet there is always an aura of sadness and melancholy; less harsh sounds and slower rhythms where metal influences give way to country and folk. The Hard-Rock of tracks like "Ten Ton Brick" and "Talking To God" is much more accessible and catchy compared to the tracks of Vol.1 but not less valid and touching. The beautiful acoustic ballads "Alone With Sea" and "Assurance" transport us to a snowy white landscape between country arpeggios and Loren's vocal modulations. Masterfully mixed by the excellent production (let's remember that the drummer's father is the legendary producer Andy Johns): songs that recall others, and others that seem like the natural continuation of the previous one, the entire album is a melodic journey towards unexplored horizons, towards beauty as such. The wonderful "Thank You For Listening" with its marvelous concluding solo marks the end of this epic journey.

If Vol.1 represents the dark and decadent soul of Hurt, this Vol.2 represents the white and romantic soul. Not to be underestimated.