Band: Hesse Kassel | Album: Morir Saltando | Genre: Post-rock | Year: 2026
From: Santiago, Chile | Label: Amuleto
For fans of: black midi, Swans, Kayo Dot
Chilean post-rock sextet Hesse Kassel are back with their second full-length release. Last year’s La Brea had a ton of really solid music on it, but on repeated listens, its biggest hindrance is its crushing length. Eight songs with an average runtime of nearly ten minutes can make for an exhausting experience, even in the hands of very skilled songwriters and musicians. The songs on Morir Saltando (Eng.: To Die Jumping) retain all the strengths of those on their debut, but they are more focused, giving them more impact.
The album opens with its longest song, the 14-minute “Pornomiseria”. The words are half-spoken, half-sung, and often shouted. Right from the get-go, this song is bristling and anxious. Strains of post-punk and krautrock are evident in the instrumental backing, featuring jittery and angular guitars over a hypnotic rhythm.
When the band launches into instrumental sections, I love the weightiness of the piano. That, in turn, allows the bass to take on something more of a leading role, getting a few brief show-offy passages. Lighter jazzy moments are interspersed among heavier passages, with the two sides of Hesse Kassel’s music complementing and playing off one another.
I need to compliment the mastering and mixing on this album. On a record so full of chaos and dynamic contrasts, every element of the music is crisp and clear. It never comes off as sterile, but it also avoids muddiness. There’s still a ton of grit and edge, but the complex arrangements shine through.
“No Me Puedo Relajar” (“I Can’t Relax”) is a furious, tangled mess of post-punk riffage played with heavy-metal fury. Guitars buzz and twist around each other like a noisier version of 1980s-and-onward King Crimson.
Relatively mellow jazz tones open up “El Reflejo” (“The Reflection”). It’s a nice bit of breathing room after the preceding song. The flute, in particular, helps this song float. There’s still a sense of unsettled tension, even with the milder timbres. As the song progresses, the band gradually ups the intensity. Guitars squeal and crash, and the vocals become more desperate. The final minute or so of this song is a noisy cavalcade of guitars and piano that ties it all up beautifully.
“Maripsoa” (“Butterfly”) features jittery and speedy guitar licks, along with multi-parted vocal arrangements. This song features some of the strongest ties to the Windmill Scene on this album, with half-mad ranting over wonky, wobbly riffs. “Sancho Plagio”, the shortest song on the album, kicks off with fuzzy, throbbing bass and features a frenetic marching rhythm. The madcap call-and-response vocals add to the oppressive, martial feel. Smooth synths provide a calming counterweight. It ends with the most-metallic guitar lines on the album, providing an incredible amount of diversity in under four minutes.
Morir Saltando concludes with “Tulpa”, where jazz once more takes center stage. It doesn’t take long for Hesse Kassel to plunge back into their high-intensity insanity. They skillfully shift between airy jazz and slashing walls of atypical guitar chords, with plenty of technical flashiness along the way.
Hesse Kassel’s Sophomore album shows a marked improvement in focus and songcraft. The six compositions on Morir Saltando demonstrate not just the bandmembers’ impressive technical chops but also their unique compositional tendencies.
Score: 88/100
The Elite Extremophile 