HØST - HØST

I take you from the Midlands, to the Midwest.  This particular album has a history with me.  In 2007, when Aversionline.com was bringing me tons of great bands (not any as of late!), this obscure nugget caught my ear.  I got turned on by the odd time signatures, and long, grandiose riffs (very progressive for a BM band).  The band never seemed to gain popularity, despite being reviewed in major magazines and being available at Amoeba, which is where I bought mine.  Two years later, they finally embark on a true national tour that came through my stomping grounds of Oakland, California.  I had been anticipating this show for months, and when I got to the Stork Club, I was pretty shocked that less than a dozen people showed up, most of whom were there to see an awful Pyrate Punx band.  After the "Punx" opener, HØST were finally up.  Even during soundcheck, I could tell the singer (the "brains" of the band) was already in a bad mood cause I was seemingly the only guy there to see them.  After playing just one song, the singer was so unstable that he threw his bass on the floor because the drummer couldn't remember the proper lead-in.  That was it, he turned off his amp and his dumbfounded bandmates eventually followed suit as they couldn't do much without him.  I packed up, and rode my bike home having the sickest feeling of disappointment ever from a show.

Despite that awful experience, this album is actually quite great.  It's one of the most original Black Metal albums I've heard.  Very modern and progressive while having a significant "rock" influence in the way of some "major-sounding" keys and chords.  It's somber, but not suicidal; heavy, but not quite brutal.  At one point, the song "Desember" has what I'm sure is the same chord progression as "Keep on Rockin in the Free World".  Odd to say the least.  You'll probably either love it or hate it, but for me, this band was my favorite USBM band for a while.

hella punx