For the last few years, it has been Stoner, Doom, and more down tempo metal that has been getting me to gigs, filling my shelves with CDs, and stopping me paying off my mortgage early for that matter. Lots of factors had lead me away from the beloved Thrash of my teens in favour of slower metal: Metallica vanishing up their collective recta with ‘Saint Anger’ and Some Kind of Wanker, erm Monster; Anthrax ditching the superlative John Bush; and Megadave crying on stage and ditching class A drugs and attitude for right wing fundamentalist (with emphasis on the “mental”) conspiracy theories. But I guess that after thinking about it long and hard I reckon it must have been seeing the yet to be equalled billing of Centurion’s Ghost and Orange Goblin opening for the triumphant return of Saint Vitus in 2010 in Islington that finally convinced me that not everything needed to be about break neck speed. It is with that in mind that I venture into the world of Harvester’s ‘The Blind Summit Recordings’, the first Irish self defined stoner band to register on my metal radar.
Firstly, beware; this is a limited edition. 250 units only will be shipped on vinyl and that’s it, so let me say, if you fancy something new to the scene, or you are an avid collector, grab it while you can. Personally my record deck is now in the attic, so I was grateful for the promo CD. No more prevaricating gentle reader, and onto the music. ‘Cosmonautical Mile’ kicks off this 30 minute taster of Galway’s Harvester, a track that fires off in the faster, rockier, High on Fire realms of Stoner, throwing a fair slice of traditional rock guitar riffage into the psychedelic mix, hints of Thin Lizzy’s guitar harmonies adding a nice fresh touch to a form that can sometimes lack subtlety in favour of a bludgeoning bass line. That same quality shines in the rocky solos of ‘Circle Eater’, the doubling up of guitars at the end of the track adding a distinctive flourish that if developed will help set Harvester apart from the pack.
‘Aberration’, ‘Old Blood’, and ‘Atom Splitter’ follow on fast and hard, all titles that scream stoner metal, and are laced with a high energy punch that some bands that wallow at the bottom end of the register seem to forget. However, for me, the clear standout track is the six minute plus instrumental closer ‘All Roads Led Away’; lacking lyrics, it is left for the listener to guess what that title may allude to, but what the track is, frankly, is a superlative showcase for the musicians in the band. Not a note is out of place as it builds up layer after layer, the rhythm section perfectly complementing the guitars as the almost pastoral opening builds up into a bludgeoning wall of sound before fading into a single strummed acoustic guitar.
As a debut, this EP lays a solid foundation on which Harvester display the skills to build upon; if you’re a purist collector, go for the vinyl. For the young and the technical, a download is out there in interweb land.
(7/10 Spenny)
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