Harbinger of Metal

For a mere EP, this early recording by the doomy Finns turned out to be almost worthy of a double album release and might have been so had they put it out on vinyl. "Harbinger of Metal" is dominated in the main by three tracks plus a cover of Burzum's "Dunkelheit", the first track of his classic "Filosofem" album. This last track probably wasn't really needed as the rest of the EP, at just over an hour in length without the cover, is a pretty mighty proposition in itself. Our fave reverend fellows did like to record covers of other people's songs and the idea of a black metal song being covered in doomy style, especially a depressive BM one like "Dunkelheit", is too good to pass up.

After an impressive 3-minute introduction, in equal parts crunching concrete-slab doom and bleeding gravel scree, the first of the three humdinger tracks "Strange Horizon" lurches forbiddingly into view with an urgent repeating siren riff and a grinding rhythm. Much of RB's music is distinguished by its low end rhythms and this track is no different. (The same goes for the rest of the EP.) Albert's singing is a little off-key sometimes but otherwise its declamatory style suits the epic nature of the music. The song is generally trundle-y with a general sense of dread and rarely rises above laidback leisurely in its pace.

"From the Void" is a massive doom monster of spine-chilling alien voices both falsetto and gargle-guttural (skirting the thin line between the creepy and the camp) in amongst the huge chunks of bass grind and emphatic percussion. The centre-piece of the track though is a very long drum solo which may not be to everyone's liking: I don't mind it much because the drumming is in keeping with the mood of the track and is not too self-indulgent. Plenty of dark space surrounds the drum rolls and the atmosphere is very still. Perhaps the track could have been edited for length with the solo part shortened as the rest of the track basically tops and tails the percussion and takes a back-seat to it.

"The Wandering Jew" on the other hand is a truly inspired piece lyrically and musically and is the one track that could stand alone as an EP in itself. The steely riff is a highly memorable motif that burns deep into the brain cells, branding itself permanently in the subconscious. Albert's Heldentenor singing tells a tale of never-ending existential anguish brought about by an utterance that incurs near-eternal damnation, atoned for only by nomadic self-exile. Again, there's an all-instrumental middle section which meanders quite a bit but this is in keeping with the song's subject matter.

The last of the three major original tracks does not have its own separate filler introduction as the other two do and I wonder if these short introductions really needed to be hived off as separate tracks. "Into the Realms of Magickal" is a quiet little experiment with acoustic guitar melody, mood and effects that needed to be a bit louder and more confident to make itself truly at home among its more heavyweight brethren.

The reverend ones' take on "Dunkelheit" is a raw metallic lumbering beast that doesn't quite capture the original's sense of desperation and empty-middle-of-the-chest pain. It is faithful to the original song's structure though; it just needs to be a bit less whack-your-head hard-hitting in the percussion. The best part of the song is the lead guitar instrumental which is genuinely sad and almost tearful.

For an EP, this is heavy-going music; each of the three major tracks can be an exercise in endurance and possibly the second long track will seem unnecessarily long and uneven for some people. The long tracks with their introductions (or coda as the case may be) are not unified by a common theme so listeners have some flexibility in how they want to listen to the EP and if they want to listen to all of it or just their favourite tracks.

Fans of Reverend Bizarre are sure to love this recording as it showcases individual members' talents and the music has plenty of crunchy texture, grit, muscle and steel. It's amazing how the singing veers almost close to the theatrical and campy without ever falling into embarrassing kitsch. Those not so familiar with the band might want to try some of the guys' shorter recordings first as appetisers. "Harbinger of Metal" should be treated as the main course.

Ahhhhhh, my favourite band. I of course worship every single release, so there is no doubt in my mind that this, one of their best releases, is a recommendation on my part to every Doom metaller out there. As with their other EP, Reverend Bizarre have blessed us with a sacred offering of doom, gloom, and heavy fucking metal - 73 minutes worth of it. You all know the reasoning by now; only three real songs, a few intros and of course the Burzum cover. The production is a step up from In The Rectory, which is saying a lot, as that was near perfect.

The vocals, the bass, the guitar, the drums, everything on this album is exactly how it should be (albeit with a few experimentations). For example, Albert's voice is so goddamned charismatic, as usual, but here he throws in a few really low snarled vocals ("From The Void") and even some spine-chilling Black Metal screams at the end of "Dunkelheit". The aforementioned "From The Void" is the darkest song the gentlemen have ever done, but also has the brilliant 5 minute drum solo half way through. "Strange Horizon" rocks hard, even though it is only about 30bpm. "The Wandering Jew" has some of the Reverend's best preachings...

"He was said to be saviour/ The son of God,
Somehow he failed to save/ Even his own ass.
Or was it just a question/ Of being a martyr -
An example of justness for the lower class."

As for the remaining songs, all serve their purpose as build-ups, interludes and intros, and the cover of "Dunkelheit" is one of the best covers I have ever heard - right up there with the Melvins' version of "Goin' Blind". This is also probably one of my favourite tracks on the album; they really do the song justice and it is really eerie to hear Varg's vocals being discernibly sung (and in such a brilliant manner). And I thought the original was slow...

In short, this is a magnificent effort from the Lohja lads. Despite its length, to call it an album would be a mistake - making it one of the best EPs I own.

Atmosphere: 99%
Production: 95%
Songwriting: 95%
Individual Performances: 96%
Lastability/ Replayability: 97%

Total: 96.4%

I think its safe to say that Reverend Bizarre are a unique band. What band releases a 73-minute album only to call it an EP? Although, after a reading an interview and seeing their justification, I can agree with them. The logic being that this album has only 3 "real" songs, the rest being made up of intros and a cover.

Reverend Bizarre are also the onl Doom band who realize that the Bass and the Drums are instruments capable of fulfilling lead duties. I'll go into details further. Another thing that sets them apart is that together they're able to create great music, but they freely admit to not getting along with each other. How long this band could last is anyone's guess but that?s irrelevant at this point.

The album opens with Harbinger, an intro track that serves to build up anticipation of what comes next. The song is of course slow but what sets this band apart from other Doom bands is the charismatic drumming of the Earl of Void. Most Doom bands are content to have a drummer who's just able to play in time, not so with Reverend Bizarre.

Strange Horizon is the first 'real' song on this disc. It begins with a hypnotic lead guitar riff and is followed by a huge cascading crash of sound. The riffs are so unbelievably heavy, in part due to the strong production, but due mainly to the compositional skill. The main riff makes you want to hum and headbang to it at the same time. Another positive aspect of this song is the fact that Magister Albert's bass is very upfront and it complements the guitar playing as opposed to just backing it up.

From the Void is next, in between a brief interlude. It begins with a really memorable guitar riff that reminds me of Black Sabbath in a way, but only much heavier. The song begins to go along and its rather quite slow and relatively low-key during the verses. Then, 8.5 minutes in the song seems to stop and we're quickly in the midst of a drum solo! Normally I hate drum
solos (don't get me started on Manowar's Triumph of Steel!) but this drum solo is really, really good and enjoyable to listen to. There such creativity to the drum solo, its not mindless blast beats or endless bass-drum rolls, there's a lot of taste to what The Earl goes through. Its without a doubt my favourite drum solo ever put on disc. And when the song finally resumes, it comes as triumphant, thunderous finish. You can only headbang along in admiration.

The next song is The Wandering Jew, a lovely song about everyone's favourite Jew (that being Jesus). The song is highlighted
by one of the best riffs on this entire album. Here again the bass complements the guitar wonderfully. Peter Vicar's guitar solo in this song is tasteful and suits the music perfectly. There are some awesome, trill-riffs in this song that really
jar you.

Another interlude track prepares us for another highlight on a disc overstocked with them, their cover of Burzum's Dunkleheit. Most would scoff at the notion of such a singular song being covered, especially by a Stoner band. But Revered Bizarre excel at this cover by putting their own stamp on this classic song, which is a lesson for all bands doing covers. I also like Magister's vocals on
this song, as were are at last able to detect what Varg was singing in the original. A song that was pretty slow to begin with is slowed down even further, stretching this song above the 12 minute mark. Not only do they make this song heavier but there also seems to be more clarity to it, whereas the original with its production was very obscure and distant-sounding. I'm at a loss to describe this song but without a doubt this is one of the best covers I've ever heard.

Finally, last but not least I need to mention Magister Albert's vocals. They are among the best vocals I've heard in the Stoner genre. He doesn't have a god-like voice like, say, Messiah Marcolin, but he excels with his clean vocals
which are really memorable. And he isn't afraid to growl either!

Overall this is one of the best CDs I've heard in quite some time. Reverend Bizarre are a unique band, probably my favourite Doom band at the moment. This EP is among those reasons. I can think of no self-respecting fan of Doom Metal who should be without at least one of their albums in his collection.

This young Doom act from Finland prove that Doom is not lost in the romantic gothic approach that seems to be so popular in the Doom scene these days. On this release Reverend Bizarre has recorded yet another incredibly strong effort. My friends this CRUSHES! The guitar tone is smooth, and has a almost warm sound to it. Yet still manages to be extremely heavy. The vocals from Albert are also in strong form. He sounds strong and warm also, except on a few moments where he is showing off his awesome grunts/screams. Albert’s bass playing is also prominent and is easily heard throughout. The drums do its job, but don’t really impress me at all, even the drum solo I found to be boring and long winded.

The main songs each pass the 10 minute mark and are separated by small “transition” songs, as I like to call them. Strange horizons, which appeared on there Slice of Doom demo, is easily the strongest song out of the bunch. With its infectious guitar riffs, and even a bass solo. The others are almost all equally impressive, even the Burzum cover which sounds just awesome as a closer. I don’t know if the lyrics have anything to do with the original song or not, but in any case fit well here.

Overall the Reverends deliver a Doom epic that may very well in the future be called a doom metal classic. On a side note, I like how they recorded a album that nearly as long as there debut for an EP. I hope they keep this up, as they are very young and show great promise!