HARPOON
"Double Gnarly / Triple Suicide" (Interloper;
2009)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
Harpoon is a Chicago-based duo (now beefed up to a trio) whose grindcore-meets-metal batterings are backed by programmed drums, an element that sets a definitive tone for "Double Gnarly / Triple Suicide."
Coming off as sterile and clinical when artificial beats become inhumanly overbearing ("Throngs"), despite maintaining a crushing concoction of blasting guitars and glass-gargled vocals throughout ("The Cacographer", "Lefty", "Frogs, Boils, Locusts..."). Even though shards of Slayer, Napalm Death, and Pig Destroyer rear their heads in sporadic spurts on this 12-track affair, overall these morsels of metallic goodness are detracted by synthetically sounding skin bashing that plagues the entire production.
Re-record drums with a powerhouse behind the kit (Dave Witte? Danny Herrera?) and the results would be radically different, but for now this disc is a few steps away from being something to marvel.
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Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2009 by R.
Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised:
28 Oct 2024 12:36:41 -0500
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