Haste undergo a musical make-over
2003 has been a year of metamorphosis in the music world, with bands changing as quickly as catwalk models between outfits. Lostprophets became American, Minus became melodic, rock became pop, hardcore became 'cool' and nu-metal became irrelevant (wasn't it always?). Ok, so Busted still haven't stopped living yet, but there's still time... Haste have been part of this shape-shifting phenomenon, and their new album represents a noticeable departure from previous offering 'When Reason Sleeps'. However, to simply state that they have 'changed', doesn't really do the transformation justice. Haste have evolved, in the truest sense of the word, and have emerged from their chrysalis as a superior band, a 'hardcore butterfly' if you will. Their sound has taken on a new melodic edge, with vocalists Kelly Reaves and Chris Mosley toning down their dual-pronged attack from the usual gravely screams, at times sounding like Stephen Carpenter from Taproot or Hopesfall's Jay Forrest at his most melodic.
Haste quote a diverse list of influences that range across the entire rock spectrum, from Quicksand and Sparkmaker all the way to Pantera and EyeHateGod, so its hardly surprising that The Mercury Lift is an eclectic beast. It will lull you into a false sense of security with songs like the beautiful "Houdini Lost His Key", with its probing guitars bringing back memories of post-rock threesome The Junket, only to then explode in your face without warning. It's almost like Haste have some form of Musical Schizophrenia, with a melodic rock band crammed into the same body as a metallic hardcore band, and the album sees a constant battle between the two, with them both trying to exert their dominance on proceedings. It may have been better if one of the parties had dominated, because whilst diversity is always a good thing and can help increase the impact of both the heavier and more melodic moments, it almost proves to be a problem, as the one criticism I could level is that the album suffers from a slight lack of direction. Haste have yet to master the art of merging the heavy and melodic without losing some sense of coherence and continuity, although the songs are of a sufficient quality to overshadow this relatively minor shortcoming.
'God Reclaims His Throne' sees Haste slow things down, with a sludgy track that would sit comfortably on any album made by Electric Wizard or Warhorse. It also sees a vocal contribution from Randall Blythe of Lamb of God fame, whose guttural screams of "the deepest scars are made by the most familiar blades" crawl alongside, slow, sludgy riffs and a rumbling bassline.
The album title is inspired by an incident in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where a university illegally disposed of mercury, poisoning several people in the process. This incident is not the specific focus of the album, it instead deals with the problems that exist throughout the world, and the fact that they are an inescapable fact of life - the incident simply acts as an embodiment of that theme that the band can relate to. This pain and hurt is realised in the savage "Revenge Tastes Like Blood And Broken Teeth', although I'm sure you could guess that, with a title like that, it was never going to be a ballad. This onslaught of pummelling bass drums and menacing guitars serves as a brutal climax to the album, leaving you reeling and ensuring that, at the very least, 'The Mercury Lift' will not be an album that you forget in a hurry.
Haste are planning to tour our shores early next year, don't miss out on this opportunity to see one of the most exciting bands around today.