Two things seemed strange to me from the very first time I listened to this CD. The first one is the band's weird name, and the other one is that despite a well known database site mentions END. (short for ERYN NON DAE.) they play Power/Groove Metal/Hardcore ( the experimentation has crossed the limits this time, hehehe), I came across a totally different musical style. Anyway, let's examine the identity of this band.

END. hail from France, and they were formed in 2001. The band debuted 4 years later with its self financed The Never Ending Whirl Of Confusion EP. The band then managed to sign a contract with Metal Blade Records, for the release of its first ever full-length work, entitled Hydra Lernaia, which is the mythical monster Hercules killed in the Greek mythology.

As I said above, the music this band plays is totally different from what I expected (because of what I read on the net). Their music is this weird mixture of Hardcore, Sludge and Mathcore, drawing influences from bands like HIGH ON FIRE, MESHUGGAH, NEUROSIS and a little bit of GOJIRA. Let me tell you some things about this mythical creature here. The myth claims that the creature had three heads, and whenever Hercules cut off one of them, two more were growing on the same spot. The bad thing is that END. don't have the monster's diversity. They may be really interesting at some parts, extra fucking heavy, but they seem somehow unable to absorb and develop their influences into something unique and attractive. No, the album is not bad. It is an album that will attract the listeners of this genre, but I guess that not many will end up placing Hydra Lernaia to their top 10 releases.

The French metallers will have to try a bit harder not only to earn new fans from the Metal scene, but to create a sound that will be able to compete the titans of this genre. Not bad, but could be definitely better...