On hearing lead track ‘Halifax’, I eagerly looked forward to hearing the full album from Denver trio Harboured. Entitled We’re Only The Love That We Lead, the band consisting of Michael Stancel (Allaegeon), Brandon Michael (Allaegeon) and Cierra White (Oak, Ash and Thorn) fuse many styles that float my boat. Recorded with Scott Evans, the production is excellent throughout as layers of experimentation thrive underneath the basic guitar, bass and drums set-up.
Introductory piece ‘W.O.T.L.T.W.L.’ creeps out of the traps with an eery menace before switching to a pounding dirge. Thunderous drums underpin the raucous riot of ‘Dead Ringer’ with fizzy guitars and atmospheric synths adding a glossy sheen. I get locked into the high-pitched whirr that hovers over the slippery groove of ‘Sevin’. Cierra’s piston pop drums and Brandon’s throbbing bass are a nod to hip-hop, so the track comes over like Public Enemy going black metal. Works brilliantly.
After all the chaos that has ensued, the delicate plucked guitar tones that usher in ‘Guardrail’ are the aural equivalent of silk. Michael’s clean vocals are sweet and yearning, showing a great way with melody. Merging into a heavy set of chugging guitars the track opens up into a swirling pool of crashing drums and searing guitars, as Michael growls and roars with reckless abandon. Sweet harmonised vocals interchange making for an epic track that pulls in some cool dynamics. Futuristic atmospherics open ‘New Year’s Day’ as droning guitars fuse with synths. Halfway through, the song veers into a blizzard of furious drums and Michael’s scorching guitars. Sailing through post-metal waters this ship speeds with stunning ferocity.
‘Debts’ utilises that cat screech guitar lick that permeates most Gojira songs in the fast passages, as the song alternates between moody verse and raging chorus. ‘Halifax’ begins as a campfire ballad in the vein of R.E.M with some beautiful instrumentation underpinning Michael’s clean vocals. You can almost smell the pine trees. When the song is kicked into louder territory with a swift rumble of the drums it’s a sublime moment. The band really soar into the blackgaze ether as the song screeches and roars to its conclusion. Epic.
The real red herring comes in the form of ‘End Credits’ which actually sounds to these ears like Snow Patrol! Now don’t recoil in horror, it’s a great song. A straight up indie-rock banger the driving guitars, shimmering piano and earworm melody are simply bloody marvellous.
Last song ‘Agenda Suicide’ is a cover version of a song by The Faint, I’m not familiar with the original but Harboured’s take on it is a piledriver fusion of choppy guitars, thrusting drums and throat shredding vocals. I hate it when band’s end albums with the song that I like the least. This cover might mean something to the band, but it pales in comparison to their own compositions.
I’m really loving the way modern metal is expanding and how bands are pulling in different genres and styles creating exciting music. When it’s done well, as it is here, it really gets me fired up, and the listening experience is such a blast. There’s going to be much more to come from Harboured, this album’s got great songs and is full of surprises.
