Harvist, a currently lycanthrope obsessed USBM band from the outback that is West Virginia have cult appeal written all over, but with their latest output, Wolfskin Clad will we have proof that there is more to them than simply image?

Harvist conjure ritualistic forest-friendly black metal with an element of drone, and fans of Katharsis and Wolves In The Throne Room may enjoy this. In retrospect, the droning and abyssal horror-scape that is “The Mountain River Flows Up, Not Across” which is apparently, “for your meditation pleasure” maybe is the strongest thing on the record.

When not making strange noises, vocals are delivered in fantastic versatile range, not linear in any way, giving the riffs underneath more emphasis; the immortal Abbath and mayhemic vocal maestro Attilla Cshiar are clearly influences here. Having said this, the opening howl sounds more like a sample from a Mortal Kombat video game in “The Lycan Draws Nigh, Clad in Wolfskin” than anything evil, and the female vocals in “Wolfskin Clad” are most unbearable.

The major letdown on this album is the production, which is not even acceptable in a raw kind of way. The guitar tone has ample fuzz yes but there is an inhuman buzz to it that is infinitely grating. A shame indeed as there are some great songs, driving riffs and even a few original hooks here and there.

This band has been hiding in the woods for too long and got a bit nutty (in a good way), and Harvist deliver unmitigated savagery, in the pagan realms of Hate Forest and Skyforger. Savagery yes, but the unoriginal forest and wolf influences combined with silly ‘spooky’ howls and screams and terrible production bring the album dangerously close to parody at times.

For true hearts of ice and steely mentalities, everyone else avoid at your peril. Only the most hardened black metal legionnaires could stomach the production here, it’s not just a bit tinny; it’s obnoxious. Staggering potential lost in a whirlwind of noise.

www.harvist.net