Musician Spotlight: Zach Hill of Hella

Insight into the Solo Career of the Math Rock Band's Drummer

Jan 1, 2009

Zach Hill, drummer for math rock band Hella and solo artist, packs a punch on the drums. His unique drum setup and style of playing make his talent even more incredible.

It's true: Zach Hill as a solo artist isn't very different from Zach Hill as the drummer of Hella. His “wail on everything in sight” style comes with him, as does his ability to change time signatures as easily as breathing.

But despite all this, his 2008 solo album, Astrological Straits, shows what Hella would be like if Hill had complete control. It's not entirely a bad or good thing, but it allows fans of Hill to enjoy a new release from a member of Hella and to experience a variation and even sort of a throwback on Hella's ever-progressing sound.

Hill's Drumming Style and Sound

In Hella, Hill created his signature style early on. Before Hella added vocals and personnel, Hill put out beats that seemed impossible to do with a single bass pedal which clearly drove the band. But as Hella expanded from guitar and drums to add synthesizers, bass, and vocals, Hill refused to take the background. With his distinct style and help from guitarist Spencer Seim, Hella's sound has continued to evolve instead of changing, but Hill's influence over the band was never entirely made clear.

Astrological Straights starts out with “Iambic Strays”, which gives listeners a very accurate style of Hill's musical style. The drumming patterns change often and are at breakneck speed over spacey synthesizers and distorted vocals, which seem dead slow in comparison. Hill seems to have been influenced by record label's founder, Mike Patton of Ipecac Records. Patton's noise-rock side, as revealed in the collaboration with Slayer drummer Dave Lombard Fantômas, relies on similar quick changes and synthesized effects.

But Zach Hill's solo efforts attempt to distinguish himself from Hella and reveal some of his influences. As the only person working on the album, Hill becomes in charge of vocals, keys, guitar and bass in addition to drums, and he makes the most out of the chaos he creates. As a self-taught drummer who never writes down his absurdly complex music, it is interesting to see what he does with the instrumentation.

The final result is an interesting specimen. On the outside, Astrological Straits sounds very similar to a Hella release. Of course, this is mostly due to Hill's signature drumming style, and he puts a great deal of effort into the rest of the music. The lyrics are deeper and attempt to discuss more, whereas Hella is cryptic and often nonsensical. Having these meaningful, dark lyrics enhances the strangeness of Hill's music, and it allows for him to build his songs around things other than the drumbeat. Unlike in Hella, Astrological Straits follows lyrical progression and keyboard cues. This could be Hill experimenting, but the effect is certainly noticeable.

Overall, Astrological Straits is recommended to any Hella fan. As a solo artist, Zach Hill may not be all that different from his band, but Hella makes incredible music, and so does Hill on his own. It's noisy, but intriguing and even catchy in some places, and Hill takes advantage of vocalizations and effects to bolster Hella's classic drum and guitar.

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