So Hideous

Emerging from New York City, the experimental rock ensemble So Hideous crafts brooding, inventive soundscapes that merge orchestral post-metal with black metal, prompting parallels to Deafheaven, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Envy, and Liturgy. Guitarist Brandon Cruz established the project in 2008, drawing on inspirations such as Arvo Pärt and Ennio Morricone, before the lineup stabilized as a quartet through the inclusion of his childhood companions Etienne Vazquez on guitar and Danny Moncada on drums, along with his brother Chris Cruz handling bass and vocals. Their distinctive approach to songwriting, which customarily opens with piano and orchestration before layering in bass, drums, and guitar, first appeared across two self-produced EPs. The outfit issued its initial full-length album, Last Poem/First Light, in 2014, followed by the second album, Laurestine, the next year.