An inventive experimental rock outfit from New York City, So Hideous' evocative orchestral post-metal/black metal has drawn comparisons to similarly genre-bending groups like Deafheaven, Envy, and Liturgy. Founded in 2008 by guitarist Brandon Cruz, who cites influences like Arvo Pärt and Ennio Morricone, the band eventually solidified into a quartet with the additions of Cruz's childhood friends Etienne Vazquez (guitar) and Danny Moncada (drums), and brother Chris Cruz (bass, vocals). The band's unorthodox composition style, which typically begins with piano and orchestration, and then incorporates the more traditional bass, drums, and guitar model, was first showcased on a pair of self-produced EPs. The group's debut long-player, Last Poem/First Light, arrived in 2014, with their sophomore full-length, Laurestine, arriving the following year. ~ James Christopher Monger