The Rock Blogger

Harvey Milk . Life…The Best Game in Town . 2008. Hydra Head Records. 3.5 stars .

I had never heard of Georgia’s cult favorite Harvey Milk until last week when I randomly decided to catch their show in NYC. After having read a quick blurb about them in the paper comparing them to sludge/doom metal contemporaries Earth and Isis, I figured I would see what these surly dudes had to offer. Harvey Milk’s haggard and tired members took to the stage well after midnight, bemoaning technical problems, long stretches of highway, and whiskey, before taking big swigs and ripping into their set. This is sweaty, dirty, angry drinking music at its best. Their brutally loud and heavy performance, complete with drawn out riffs, lumbering percussion and bellowing anguish, has been captured beautifully on their latest disc "Life…The Best Game in Town" which I quickly picked up with ears ringing.

Harvey Milk’s influences are easy to spot, with slow crunchy numbers echoing the thunderous drones of The Melvins, the stoned bliss of Kyuss and the scrappy rawness of DC hardcore. Life is far from derivative however, as the band’s keen sense of pacing and dynamic shifts keeps things varied and interesting. You have the gentle to mental expanses of "Death Goes to the Winner" which contrasts a delicate and somber soft-sung intro with a surge of dense molasses. "After All I’ve Done For You…" is a rapid fire assault of tenuous, menacing soling. "Motown" sees the band practicing tight songwriting, rocking out within a clear and unified classic rock framework.

Life…The Best Game in Town succinctly summarizes the essence of Harvey Milk’s sound - thick as a brick and just as heavy and dangerous. Yet for all its violent outbursts there lies a tragic and longing heart within, hopelessly sentimental in its whiskey-soaked stumbles. I personally wanted to see more of the fragility that stealthily peaks its head out amid the Southern-fried mayhem, but oh well, sludge bands are rarely subtle in their approach anyways, so even the slightest nuance is quite remarkable. So yeah, if you like doom, sludge, hardcore punk and all that, check out Harvey Milk, they seem to encompass all that gritty territory quite well.

Fen . Ancient Sorrow (EP). 2007. 4.5 stars .

One of the most promising black metal acts to emerge from England, Fen incorporate post-rock and sludge metal influences into their unique sound, producing this incredible 3 track EP that flows like a full-length album. Sounding like a cross between Agalloch (whom they are currently touring with) and Red Sparowes, Fen blend sorrowful howls and blast beats with epic, serpentine riffs, producing mammoth songs that are both intense and subtly executed.

"Desolation Embraced" is a dense and atmospheric opener that moves at a quick pace through blazing distortion and powerful drumming, setting the stage for the dramatic twists and turns to come. Spellbinding arpeggios and breathless tempos showcase the band’s progressive ambitions, as they focus on extended song structures and nuanced instrumentation rather than just raw aggression.

"The Gales Scream of Loss" is a surprisingly moving effort that gracefully glides along heavy shoegaze riffs not unlike Alcest, as raspy vocals whisper behind the wall of clean guitar lines. The bleak mood and emotional ambiance are quite remarkable in their delivery, evoking feelings of catharsis that fans of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky should appreciate.

The monstrous closer "Under the Endless Sky" begins with sludgy doom metal riffs before shifting into an expansive ambient passage complete with a slow crashing tempo and distant keyboards that sound natural amidst the crushing heaviness. The post-metal breakdown, despite its entrancing quality, runs a little too long and detracts from an otherwise rewarding listen.

Overall, Ancient Sorrow is an innovative and captivating record that clearly demonstrates Fen’s enormous potential. Having just recently signed with Italian metal label Code666, there should be a full LP on the way this year. In the meantime, both post-rock and black metal fans should give this excellent EP a try, and let its transcendental compositions wash over you.

Fight Amp . Hungry for Nothing . 2008 3.5 stars .

New Jersey’s Fight Amp play an interesting mix of post-hardcore, noise rock and sludge metal, with aggressive and intricate songs that thrash by with burning intensity. Tight stoner rock grooves, chugging rhythms, dense bass lines and shouting vocals blaze their way across these 8 tracks, maintaining a throttling energy in the same tradition as post-hardcore heroes Converge and Today is the Day. Unlike their contemporaries however, Fight Amp leaves the more abstract frills behind and instead opt for a more ragged display of visceral power - this is strictly a back-against-the-wall kind of ride.

The band’s performance, while winding through suffocating guitar work and pummeling drums, is incredibly focused and to the point. The sludgy dynamics serves to enhance the dense sound created here, rather than taking it into any post-rock tangents - a move genre purists should appreciate. The punchy drum rolls, even in the slower sections, keep a propulsive momentum that continues throughout the whole disc. The caustic vocals are choked full of searing negativity and complement the dirty aesthetic that permeates across the crawling mayhem of tracks like "Bound and Hagged" and "Get High and Fuck". As the band alternates between speedy punk numbers and sluggish bursts of noise, the mood remains seething and crazed, making this a fine display of drug-addled catharsis.

Hungry for Nothing , being as effective as it is, evokes feelings of madness and frustration, creating an experience that is genuine and sometimes draining. While I personally prefer the more experimentalist touches found on albums like Converge’s Jane Doe , there is much to like in Fight Amp, even if their sneering attitude makes me want to kill someone. Check it.