This bunch of gloomy-doomy stoner-droners from Connecticut released this three-song EP back in October of 2007, and just recently, they’ve made it available for free download over at Last.fm. Since we missed reviewing it the first time, we figured we’d get around to it now, covering the free digital reissue and all, since a belated review of a good product is better than no review at all.
With three tracks, each longer than fifteen minutes and with only a few moments faster than about 60bpm, the funeral doom / post-rock descriptor is more-than-fitting. These songs don’t move so much as trudge (with the occasional lumbering gait), and yet, there’s a warmth and an atmosphere and an accessibility above and beyond simple dISEMBOWELMENT worship. (Think “dISEMBOWELED Pelican On Fire” as a more apt comparison…) Opener “Chapter IV” starts with protracted spacey opening before crashing into the requisite pounding drums and sludgy guitar chords. The vocals are low in the mix, growled and sparse throughout, augmented by film samples here or there. (One of those samples comes from “Tombstone,” so at least Sea Of Bones has good taste in Westerns.) “Chapter V” is the hardest-rocking track on hand, with a definite stoner-y vibe in the post-rock groove, starting slow and droning with some seriously hefty riffing (see the two note riff at around 4:30) and shifting into one of the album’s few uptempo moment starting at around 5:00 and continuing through the driving fuzzy riff at just around 6:00. Just when you’d think it was ending, amidst a collage of samples, the post-metal sets in and we’re treated to space-y guitar interludes, cymbal pings, and wind noise for a few minutes before the crashing onset of another simple-but-effective fuzzy doom riff. The production throughout is solid, with a thick guitar tone and quality drum sounds, even if the snare comes off a bit hollower than I tend to like.
Nothing on hand is ground-breaking, but nonetheless, The Harvest is expertly presented and very enjoyable and is certainly more than worth the asking price… Ye fans of the heavier side of doom would do well to get thyselves to Last.fm and get The Harvest while supplies last.
