The seasons may be changing, but my fascination with Hungarian metal bands remains the same. Although I have been deep into post-metal and death-doom recently, I have been restless and feeling a change of pace coming. While looking through the list, I took a chance with Needless because their latest full-length, Premonition, seemed to be the change of pace I needed – and it was. Let’s discuss.

First track “Derelict” is punchy, punctuated by excellent guitar riffs and groove-like rhythms that immediately took me by surprise. I have been so used to having albums start off with an introductory track that having “Derelict” change this norm of sorts signaled that I had to be in for a great time. However, it proved to be a mere warm-up for what’s to come – after all, this is prog death which means that Needless knows how to transition from funish death metal to the more progressive aspects of the genre. “Metatrons in Sunken Arks” (“Metatrons”) is more melodic than its predecessor, albeit following the punchy nature of the previous track. It also showcases how great Needless’s instrumentation can be as they keep it tight while also experimenting with tempo. Their ability to shift from a blackened tone to a more straightforward death metal approach is seamless, as it indicates when the band will shift from verse to chorus. For such an early track, it is certainly one of the stronger songs on Premonition – it’s memorable because of the way Ádám Forczek’s vocals are syncopated to the main melody the song has.

On a related note: while listening to “Metatrons,” I couldn’t help but think about how similar Forczek’s vocals sound to Mille Petrozza (of Kreator fame) – they both have this incredibly powerful voice, albeit Forczek’s voice has a gravellier quality to it. It shines on tracks like “As Our Citadels Burn” where his vocals give the music a certain intensity and gravitas. Granted, the music does have this gothic quality to it, as if pulling it straight from a film soundtrack, but Forczek’s voice adds to the overall atmosphere the song has. You can hear how passionate he is about the destruction of false gods within the interdimensional void and I could easily imagine him pulling off the beginning of “Satan is Real.” I personally think the vocals are one of the main highlights of the album, and if you enjoy Petrozza’s vocals, then you are predisposed to enjoy what Forczek brings to the table.

Of course, Premonitions has more surprises in store. For example, “Constellations” starts with cleans – the first time you hear them on the album – before fully diving into what sounds like a backing synth. You can hear the synth in the background sometimes, adding an emotional weight that didn’t seem to work until the music changes tempo. Because of the way the song is constructed, the tempo is much slower than on previous tracks, allowing the band to show off more of their experimentation. At times, it does sound like they are taking cues from death-doom, especially when the music becomes more melodic towards the end of the track. It’s clear that Needless have decided to change things within Premonition, and they are committing to those changes.

Another example is on “Dark Epiphany,” where you are not only getting the cleans you heard on “Constellations,” but you also get an icy atmosphere and a saxophone in the background. If you know me, you know that I love it when bands incorporate brass and strings into their music. Thus, when I learned that a saxophonist was one of the guest musicians, I knew it was going to be delightful. While I do wish they had incorporated more of it on the track, “Dark Epiphany” is already one of the longest tracks on Premonition, and adding more may have bloated it.

Premonition is one of those hidden gems that I wouldn’t have found on my own, and I am happy to have found it. The album has a fantastic runtime: almost 43 minutes of music that blitzes. I found myself fully invested, enjoying every single minute of it. It might be too early to start calling potential contenders for Album of the Year, but this album will certainly be on that list.

— Hera

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Premonition will be available May 30 on Inertial Music. For more information on Needless, visit their official Facebook and Instagram.