It’s fair to say that Häxan’s debut album was one of the best things about 2020 and finally getting to see them live – twice – was one of the best things about 2024. Now, almost five years on from White Noise, which made an incredibly high standard for them to follow, we now have the next piece of material from them in the form of Death of Me.
They’ve not half-arsed it by just chucking out a single and saying: “That’ll keep the people who are demanding new music off our backs for a while.” Not that that should surprise you if you’ve heard their album or witnessed them in the live arena. As soon as the EP thunders into life, you can tell this is the Welsh trio kicking things up a notch. It’s grittier, heavier, more mature and more focused. Whilst the debut album was hardly a pop affair, this is a concerted effort to nudge the needle forward.
Indeed, this is an EP which showcases the power elevating their game with the benefit of half a decade’s experience from its predecessor. There’s no attempt at emulation other than showing their influences whilst still being Häxan to the core. If you grabbed all the best no-nonsense rock like Motörhead, Airbourne, Black Spiders and bands of that ilk and you’d have Häxan, in case you need a formal introduction to them.
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None of those bands go in for tame songs (well, Motörhead did on occasion – see “1916” and even that was dark) and nor do this band. That said, vocalist/guitarist Sam Bolderson could very well lend her pipes to a song geared to tug at the heartstrings. She does manage to fit in some excellent belts and whilst the natural comparison in such a case would be Lzzy Hale, it’s her grit-fuelled drawls that are more akin to Ms Hale which featured on Halestorm’s earlier catalogue.
There’s not a bad track to be found on this EP but “Sirens” is the stand-out, showing everything this band are in 2025 and sounds like a late-era Lemmy/Phil Campbell/Mikkey Dee Motörhead number. If you’d said Campbell was playing on this track, I’d believe you; Bolderson gets that close to her countryman. It’s fast and furious, the harmonised vocals adding to the urgency against Jess Hartley’s drum work which has the speed of an intercity train without sacrificing dexterity. She locks in perfectly with bassist Harriet Wadeson, the low-end consistently rumbling menacingly across the five tracks. There’s a hell of a groove to be found within their music; “Burn Alive” appropriately sizzles with finesse, playing with dynamics and proves that when there’s only three of you, you have to be bloody good as a musician and as a unit.
Death of Me is a welcome addition to Häxan’s arsenal of great music – a lesson to all in how to create a body of work which is a progression yet still true to their core sound. Uncompromising rock and roll will always have its place, and this is a stark reminder that when it’s done this well – no other sound or sub-genre comes close.
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Header image by Summonfire Photography
Death of Me is released on 23rd May
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