Hermano Clisson, France Review
Hermano
Clisson, France
Ripple Music
2026
Let’s kick things off with something a little out of my usual wheelhouse, a live album. Not just any live album, but one pulled from a performance nearly a decade old. In 2016, legendary Stoner Rock outfit Hermano returned to the stage at Hellfest after an eight-year absence, and the anticipation was massive. By most accounts, their set ended up being one of the standout performances of the day.
A few weeks back, Ripple Music finally unleashed this show as both an LP and a DVD. If you’re already a Hermano fan, you know the drill, and chances are you’ve seen this footage floating around YouTube in one form or another. The setlist leans heavily on the band’s early catalog, with several cuts from “Only a Suggestion” and “Dare I Say”, along with a handful pulled from other releases. It very much feels like a band reconnecting with its audience, and considering how long they’d been away, that approach makes perfect sense.
I’ve never had the chance to catch Hermano live, I’ve managed to miss them every time they’ve come anywhere near me, but this release makes it clear they weren’t just showing up for nostalgia’s sake. The performance crackles with intent. They’re locked in, energized, and clearly enjoying the moment. You can hear it in the playing and see it in the way the band attacks these songs.
If there’s a knock to be had, it’s that the sound isn’t pristine, but that’s also part of the charm. Over-polishing this set would’ve sucked the life right out of it. What you get instead is something raw, honest, and unmistakably live. For fans of Hermano or Stoner Rock in general, this is essential viewing and listening, a reminder of how the genre should be done.
Standouts: “Left Side Bleeding,” “Cowboys Suck,” “My Boy,” “Is This Ok?”, “Kentucky,” and “Angry American.”