HORSE The Band

A Natural Death

Written by: AG on 31/10/2007 14:48:49

HORSE The Band, from what I read, always seems to be a reviewer's delight. With enough originality and technicality to be entertaining and complex at once, the Nintendo-crazy band is always in for some good reviews from music elitists, who see in them the future of the overcrowded metalcore genre. But as for me, I don't fall for that. I'm not an elitist reviewer, I just happen to like music enough to have some (uninteresting) thoughts about it. So from my point of view, that of a guy just looking for challenging, entertaining, and emotion-filled music, HORSE The Band's third LP "A Natural Death" falls flat most of the time.

HORSE, in this release, seem way more serious than their usual, all-babbling, all-dancing selves. First of all, singer Nathan's vocals have really improved. I miss his manic barking which seemed to have such power on tracks like "Cutsman" or "Bunnies", for he now seems able to hit notes, not just scream around playing with the keyboards. If "Murder" displays the same abilities, "Sex Raptor" feels like a failed attempt at making me dance, a track that might have been 10 times better with Nathan's old vocal style. "Kangarooster Meadows" really sounds like Anton Maiden, the internet hero who sang to midi tracks of Iron Maiden, and really manages to get my attention up and my feet dancing. I came quick to the conclusion that, once again, this HORSE release was full of filler, a flaw that has plagued all past HORSE LPs. But I had some hope that, in the end, these guys would reach the perfect album for their style, a mix of raw power, stupid humor and keyboard-induced melody.

Which they don't. As the album goes, I even realized there are even more bad songs than usual. Furthermore, some weren't just bad, they were terrible: attempts at snare hits don't make "His Purple Majesty" worth a listen, and trying to imitate 80s hardcore in "The Red Tornado" doesn't really hit a chord. But rest assured, "A Natural Death" doesn't always fail to impress. On "Murder", Nathan's incredible voice, backed by the band's most raw and catchy creation in this album, make for an incredible scream-to/dance-to track. "I Think We Are Both Suffering From The Same Crushing Metaphysical Crisis", a long and epic track, builds up enough emotion to get you singing along nodding your head to the pounding rhythm. It seems as though HORSE have always loved the idea of being different, and made themselves different, but now, in a forest of weird-core bands that feature highly technical abilities, they just sound like another fish in the sea. Except when they're being stupid.

6

Download: Murder, I think We're Both Suffering From The Same Metaphysical Crisis
For the fans of: nintendocore
Listen: Myspace

Release date 28.08.2007
KOCH Records

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