BLACK MAP: Hex

Featuring members of Dredg, Far, and The Trophy Fire, Black Map has evolved into something far more compelling than a side project. Across three solid albums, the Bay Area trio steadily refined their blend of post-hardcore muscle and melodic rock sensibility. But with HEX, their fourth LP (and first release for Spinefarm Records), Black Map doesn’t just sound confident; they sound like a band that’s finally arrived.

The progression from 2014’s debut …And We Explode is impressive. The hints of bands like Sevendust and Disturbed were pretty much absent by 2022’s Melodoria, and now with HEX, that evolution feels complete. Gone are the lingering traces of early-2000s alt-metal (you’ll find no Sevendust-isms here), and in their place is a focused, hook-laden collection that plays to the group’s every strength.

Nine lean, anthemic songs clocking in at just over 30 minutes make HEX the band’s most streamlined effort to date. It’s also their most memorable. The band leans all the way into focused, riff-driven songs that leave ample room for singer Ben Flanagan’s voice. (He delivers a career performance here, by the way.)

The album kicks off with “Disintegrate” and the fist-pumping title track. The former effectively channels the band’s muscular roots while the latter carves out some new ground via a soaring, arena-worthy chorus. It’s an impressive one-two punch that manages to set a tone and raise the bar at the same time.

From there, the record settles in and never really lets up. Each song showcases a band in lockstep. The tight arrangements and memorable melodies sound so huge, thanks in no small part to the lush, surprisingly open (by 2025 standards, anyway) production. Tracks like “Badlands,” “Little Undead,” and “The Price to Fix It,” in particular, feature some of the band’s strongest choruses to date.

That focus on melody is what really elevates this record. Where past albums found the band struggling to balance pit-inducing bangers with radio-friendly singles, HEX finds Black Map comfortably shedding any last hints of forced aggro. The result is their best album yet.

By the time closer “Fake Your Own Life” wraps things up, there’s definitely a slight tinge of, wait, that’s it? But, really, in the best way possible. If anything’s missing, maybe it’s an understated instrumental or an acoustic-driven track to break things up. But hey, what do I know? This record is pretty damn close to perfect as-is.

HEX feels like the album Black Map has been building toward all along, and now that they’ve landed on a formula this potent, here’s hoping they don’t wait another four years to double down. Remains to be seen if arenas are in their future, but should an opening slot for, say, the likes of James, Lars, and the boys become available, Black Map more than has the goods to deliver.

Freaking love this album. Can’t stop playing it.