From the site of the record company APF Records: THE HYENA KILL are a visceral, emotionally-charged four-piece rock band from Manchester, England, originally formed in 2012. Drawing influence from DEFTONES, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, NIRVANA, HELMET and TOOL, their sound fuses intensity with introspection — a raw and dynamic force that's captivated critics and fans alike. well, that is partially true, but I will explain why I feel that is. What I do know is that opener "Sly" is a red herring, together with the second song "Benefits Me". In those two songs the influences mentioned are exactly as described by their label. Not only that, "Sly" is by far the heaviest and most highly strung tune that "Collapse" houses. After that it feels like the energy has leaked out. And even though "Benefits Me" still respects the influences given above here, there are others seeping in too. And those are much more prevalent and important in mentioning than I realised when I first listened to this album.

At first listen I was very sceptical at what I was listening to. I felt the music of THE HYENA KILL was all over the place, until I realised that I was comparing every song with "Sly". Only when I decided to rate them all on their own accord it dawned on that I was hearing completely different peers coming through. And once I admitted that to myself, I also had the epiphany that the two bands that came to me blasted their way in. that didn't bother me one bit, as I do love the bands in question; RADIOHEAD and U2. So, from "Collapse The Sun" onwards you get those two bands intertwined in every song on "Collapse". In some you feel it is U2 meeting with RADIOHEAD, while on others it will feel like it is the other way around. In other cases they meet in the middle.

What this does provide is a very interesting album. THE HYENA KILL not only is able to mix those two giants of Rock into their music on "Collapse", they are capable of writing and performing songs that come close and sometimes equal the quality that those bands harbour. Plus, they are able to emulate the emotions that those bands radiate and mix them in the right way. That makes them less despondent or depressing than RADIOHEAD, but also less exuberant or outgoing as U2, making THE HYENA KILL sound utterly ubique. Songs that stick out for me are "Sedatives" (because of the way the emotions are built up) and closing song "The Flood". The latter is due to how bloody impressive THE HYENA KILL have been able to make this song. Conclusion: "Collapse" is a brilliant album, but you have to let loose and absorb all the influences to allow that to happen. I'm glad I did.