Heralded as the new darlings of American post-rock, Hiroe, pronounced hero-way, emerged from the Philadelphia underground during the 2020 pandemic and quickly coalesced into a seismic force within the post-rock community, aptly described by Fuzzrocious Pedals as "an instrumental band with teeth."
Delivering a compelling convergence of soaring harmonies and heavy, visceral riffs that comfortably straddle the rock and metal genres, Hiroe marks a return to music for principal songwriter Eric Kusanagi after a decade-long absence, bringing with him a history of supporting heavyweights including Caspian, Rosetta, Spotlights, Sparta, Shiner, Autolux, and The Appleseed Cast.
2022 saw the globally renowned record label, Pelagic Records, welcome Hiroe to its roster, home to post-rock and post-metal giants Mono, God is an Astronaut, Year of No Light, and The Ocean Collective.
Wrought, Hiroe's crushing 5-song debut, established them as a compelling new voice in the post-rock canon and showcased uplifting anthems alongside weighty riffs and heart-crushing soundscapes.
Wrought achieved critical acclaim thanks to its impressive production team of Mario Quintero (Spotlights/Ipecac), Matt Bayles (Isis, Russian Circles, Mono), and Will Yip (Caspian, Circa Survive). The album's recognition on many best-of/year-end lists also led to an invitation for Hiroe to perform at the 2024 edition of Post Fest, North America's largest post-rock festival.
On April 8th, Hiroe announced their follow-up album, Wield, which again marks the return of their long-time collaborating partner, Mario Quintero, overseeing both production and mixing, alongside Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Russian Circles) handling mastering duties.
Drawing from influences including Radiohead, Deftones, Mogwai, Interpol, and Isis, Hiroe positions their albums as thematic counterparts. Wrought is presented as a statement of creation, while Wield explores the application of that creation. Both albums delve into themes of transformation stemming from personal loss within the context of a devolving world, against the backdrop of the global pandemic.
Hiroe's first single from Wield, the massive track 'Tides', evokes aural imagery of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, a metaphor for the universal human struggle to exist in the face of unrelenting challenges.
Hiroe's album, Wield, on Pelagic Records, showcases Hiroe's refined and immersive sound, poised to make a significant contribution to the post-rock genre.
Stream 'Tides' here
Purchase Wield here
Wield Accolades:
"If you’ve ever heard the statement that ‘music has the power to move you’ and never understood it, you will now." — GBHL (10/10)
"This emotional maelstrom cuts to the core in the best sense of the word.” — Demonic Nights (9/10)
"Truly wonderful.” — Handwritten Mag (4.2/5)
"You should get on this immediately." — Metal Epidemic (4/5)
"Sounds like someone trying to perform delicate surgery on a jet engine." — All About The Rock (8/10)
“Hiroe takes listeners on a dense, technical, and emotionally immersive instrumental journey, situated somewhere between post-rock, progressive, and metal.”-Sourcewebzine (8/10)
"One of the undisputed forces of instrumental metal, post-rock, and post-metal." — Metallerium (8/10)
"Absolutely top notch." — Bereutesproggen (12/15)
"Like a stalagmite gaining mass one drop at a time." — PROG Magazine
"Tear-jerkingly beautiful – yet always urgent, always to the point." — Metal Hammer
"Send shivers down our spines." — Sounding Shivers
“emotionally charged barrage of more tremolo picking and chord progressions that could rival anything by the likes of EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY in terms of sheer sonic majesty.” —Distorted Sound
"Combining the sonic expansiveness of Deftones with the dynamics and solidarity of bands like Isis and Caspian, Hiroe knew from the start how to create the most majestic sounding post-rock.”—Revista the 13th
"Crushing waves of sound, beautiful and emotional passages, and all of this without a word uttered." — Metal Injection
"Compelling post-rock. Hiroe are skilled worldbuilders, and their debut album is a strong one" —Wonderbox Metal
"Absolutely massive sounding." — Metalsucks
"This is easily going to be one of my favorite instrumental albums of the year." — Heavy Debriefings
"Epicness through elegant soundscapes." — Brave New Music
"Hauntingly beautiful." — Score AV
"Expansive and crushing." — Idioteq
“Triumphant." — Echoes and Dust
"Wield is a far superior record to Wrought." — As The Story Grows Podcast
"Powerful." — Metalitalia
"Impressive." — Visions
"Gorgeous." — And Now The Band Podcast
Wrought Accolades:
"Black Mountain is one of the best tracks of the genre, rivals Russian Circles in passion and intensity, better than anything we’ve heard this year." — Rocking.gr (EDITOR'S CHOICE)
"Breathtakingly epic, achingly beautiful." — RTMB Music (9/10)
"They manage to teleport us very quickly towards the highest atmospheric layers.” — Mowno (80/100)
"Hiroe creates heavy, heartbreaking soundscapes, resulting in a crushing debut.” —Amped Up (80/100)
"Relentless honesty and beauty." —Demonic Nights (8/10)
"Ideal soundtrack for moments of reflection.” —World of Metal (8/10)
"Among distinguished bands such as Isis, Pelican, Russian Circles." —Slavestate (4 Stars)
"A barrage of orchestral guitar work that is simultaneously unsettling and uplifting.” —Metal Epidemic (4/5)
"Hiroe at their heaviest are up there with whoever in this sphere you want to namedrop – Russian Circles’ builds and textures, Pelican’s classic pastoralia-as-urban-escapism or Red Sparrows’ wordless storytelling.” — The Obelisk
"A hard-hitting post-metal behemoth, it hurtles riff after riff, amassing a tension that almost consumes and suffocates crushing riffs, that gorge on every ounce of hope, without empathy." —Smashing Skulls
"Crushing guitar that encloses you with sheer command, absolutely solid post-metal.” —Everythingnoise
"One of the most anticipated albums in the community, exceptionally heavy.” —Dar Post Rock
“Gritty intensity with broad progressive flourishes that are bound to appeal to fans of post-rock” —Prog Magazine
"Wrought is a flow, a flow that annihilates time.” —Metalhead
Hiroe is:
Eric Kusanagi – Guitar
Jill Paslier – Guitar
Brian Kong – Guitar
Jon Seiler – Bass
Dan Sagherian - Drums
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