Black Harvest – White Light Came Down
Oak Knoll Productions – OKP011 – July 28th, 2005
By Vince Levalois
An impressive debut effort is presented here from Brooklyn, N.Y. newcomers Black Harvest. Formed in 2002 and with a self financed release under their belt, the group seems to have already gone through some line-up turmoil, yet retain their core of Eric (drums), Kishor (vox, bass, guitar) and Roger (guitar), with no last names listed.
What we have is a very powerful mix of Black Metal and progressive Metal/Rock elements, organized in such a way as to ensure the listener’s attention. Detail and reinforcement is given to rhythmic patterns and atmospheric passages that create interesting contrasts between the brutal and what I like to refer to as the “flight mode,” whereas one is projected onto higher planes of existence. This is where we really find Black Harvest’s strength, as I believe their Black Metal side is not one to call home about, and in there lies one dilemma about this band. On one side they excel in creating moods, on the other they could tone down the use of the intruding brutality.
Of note, you’ll find strong Opeth, Fear Factory and Pink Floyd (“New Year’s Day”, “Die, Lavina”) influenced passages throughout that truly display their talent to meld styles yet still retain the necessary degree of originality. Kishor’s vocals, especially in the clean/deep department are excellent and portray the feel of this eclectic form exactly as in “Remnant” or “Tamora” which are the closest they have to getting to their own identity. The guitar work is not shredding nor off the top, but it is worthy of mention for its use of complementing melodic elements, as Akerfeldt would. On the other hand, I have a bone to pick about the drums, and it’s not due to performance, which is more than adequate (listen to the double on “Remnant”), but due to their sonic quality. Drums are a very important part of the overall quality of a recording and can determine one’s perception of an album as whole, despite the music’s ability to come through. In this case the drums are simply not well recorded. Black Harvest deserves to have a much better production, with which they’ll garner even more acclaim. Finishing off this nearly hour long CD is appropriately, a cover of Hypocrisy's "Apocalypse."
“White Light Came Down” is a strong calling card for this trio. We should look forward to the next release as Black Harvest has much potential to become a player in the big leagues of extreme Metal’s more exploratory projects.
7.5/10
Official Black Harvest Website
Official Black Harvest Forum
Official Oak Knoll Productions Website
Oak Knoll Productions – OKP011 – July 28th, 2005
By Vince Levalois
An impressive debut effort is presented here from Brooklyn, N.Y. newcomers Black Harvest. Formed in 2002 and with a self financed release under their belt, the group seems to have already gone through some line-up turmoil, yet retain their core of Eric (drums), Kishor (vox, bass, guitar) and Roger (guitar), with no last names listed.
What we have is a very powerful mix of Black Metal and progressive Metal/Rock elements, organized in such a way as to ensure the listener’s attention. Detail and reinforcement is given to rhythmic patterns and atmospheric passages that create interesting contrasts between the brutal and what I like to refer to as the “flight mode,” whereas one is projected onto higher planes of existence. This is where we really find Black Harvest’s strength, as I believe their Black Metal side is not one to call home about, and in there lies one dilemma about this band. On one side they excel in creating moods, on the other they could tone down the use of the intruding brutality.
Of note, you’ll find strong Opeth, Fear Factory and Pink Floyd (“New Year’s Day”, “Die, Lavina”) influenced passages throughout that truly display their talent to meld styles yet still retain the necessary degree of originality. Kishor’s vocals, especially in the clean/deep department are excellent and portray the feel of this eclectic form exactly as in “Remnant” or “Tamora” which are the closest they have to getting to their own identity. The guitar work is not shredding nor off the top, but it is worthy of mention for its use of complementing melodic elements, as Akerfeldt would. On the other hand, I have a bone to pick about the drums, and it’s not due to performance, which is more than adequate (listen to the double on “Remnant”), but due to their sonic quality. Drums are a very important part of the overall quality of a recording and can determine one’s perception of an album as whole, despite the music’s ability to come through. In this case the drums are simply not well recorded. Black Harvest deserves to have a much better production, with which they’ll garner even more acclaim. Finishing off this nearly hour long CD is appropriately, a cover of Hypocrisy's "Apocalypse."
“White Light Came Down” is a strong calling card for this trio. We should look forward to the next release as Black Harvest has much potential to become a player in the big leagues of extreme Metal’s more exploratory projects.
7.5/10
Official Black Harvest Website
Official Black Harvest Forum
Official Oak Knoll Productions Website
