Halmos' Full-Length LP "Exist" Review

Between the Boston bombing and West, Texas explosion, we're living in rather tumultuous times. When things get chaotic, it's nice to have some consistency, some familiar things, and things that are comfortable. The strong and still growing doom metal scene in Atlanta is full of sounds to help you calm down, slow down, and chill out, and Halmos' new album is a definite example of this. Their new album Exist delivers a solid, consistent, and plenty heavy effort that builds and expands upon their first EP, Vicious Cycle (which was one of my first reviews.)
Since the EP was released, the former duo has expanded into a quartet, adding Melanie Maher on bass and Casey Yarbrough on guitar number two. Both new members partake in vocal duties as well, meaning that everybody in Halmos gets to have his or her say at some point.

The vocals on songs that were brought over from the Vicious Cycle EP still focus on guitarist Corey Briley's straightforward speak-shout style for a good bit. However, the explosion of variety in the vocal styles since the EP serves as a testament to how important interesting vocals are, and how they can add a lot of intrigue and even depth to a band's sound. The clean singing in tracks "Outcry" and "Datura" stand out to me, and sometimes can get stuck in my head for hours. They just fit their underlying groove so well, and contrast nicely with the spoken and rougher vocals. The rougher vocals feel stronger in this release as well, and add yet another vocal variety.

Beneath the vocals thrums the heart of a doom metal beast. What Vicious Cycle hinted at has been realized in the form of fully fleshed out riffs. These Georgians worship at the same riff-hewn altar as doom behemoths Sleep, Conan, Acid King, Electric Wizard, and Black Sabbath. Everything is drenched in fuzz and distortion afforded by the ridiculous amount of Orange amps these guys have. The addition of Melanie Maher's bass playing adds much needed low-end support, and Casey Yarborough injects a freshness and versatility that sets the tracks new for the LP apart. The pacing is good, and shifts to fit the context of each song; nothing feels overly fast or slow. I could see myself jamming Exist while cruising down the highway with the windows down on an 80° summer day, while pumping my fist in time with the anthemic stylings.

This picture of their amps alone should

tell you how rad this album is

All together, Halmos plays slow and heavy, with a lot of groove and a lot to say. In their interview with Sludgelord, Corey talks about how the album is broken down into 3 parts, based on the givens of existence. Tracks 1-3 are about "Meaninglessness and Existential Isolation", 4-6 touch on "Freedom and Its Attendant Responsibility", and 7-9 focus on "The Inevitability of Death." Substantial topics in doom and stoner metal? I guess it's more likely than you think. This only adds to the intrigue of the album, and elevates it to a thought-provoking level not normally associated with this sort of music.

Although it is still somewhat constrained by sticking to music that was created as a two-piece, Halmos' style has become much fuller, fleshed-out, and maybe even more fully realized on this album. The addition of the new vocals adds welcomed contrast to the original style, and the added bass and guitar give this record the thump that Halmos deserved. As I see it though, these guys and girl are on the upswing: this album is just an appetizer for what I think Halmos can do. If they're headed where I think they're headed, their next album will fucking blow doors down. Not that this album is a slouch by any means, it's a damn good stoner anthem worth your time and money. But Halmos, they're just getting started.
8.3/10

The biggest noticeable change is Travis Anderson's hair. What was once a pinhead afro has transformed into an intimidating yet glorious peacock's mane as fuzzy as their sound. Awesome.

To see for yourself, stream it here while you still can!

Up next, look for the regular allotment of show reviews, but especially look for some Black Tar Prophet reviews that have been way, way overdue.

Halmos' debut EP Vicious Cycle

When I saw these Atlanta doomers back in January, I wasn't quite sure what to make of them. The duo was heavy and doomy enough, but their vocals struck me as unusual. Instead of being sung or screamed, they were shouted, almost spoken. This comes through in their first release, their self-released EP Vicious Cycle.

The first track "Datura" opens with a gentle, flowing intro, almost reminiscent of some of Isis' quieter moments. And then the riffs come in, and don't stop for the rest of the EP. The following track "Patterns" comes in with a nice sludgy riff, and then slams it down an octave. Track number 3 comes in similarly, with a slow heavy riff that drops an octave when the drums make their presence known. There is a little more variety in this track, with a the vocals switching switching between the regular shout and a slightly more intenser style, and a more upbeat (but no less heavy) passage. After it fades out with some noisy feedback, the next track, "Prophet of Two" comes in with an absolutely crushing riff. This is probably their heaviest track so far, good stuff. The second half of the track mixes things up starting with a bridge reminiscent of Electric Wizard that leads to an ocean of a riff and then to a groovy jam that closes out the track nicely. The final track "Antithesis Superstructure" comes out swinging. The track is solid and groovy, and closes the release on a familiar heavy note.

The vocals on this release capture the emotional appeal very well here; it's pretty serious in tone, but without being desperate. It's a somewhere between Swans- and Thrash-like in nature, but with less of a tortured feel than Gira and not as menacing as thrash vocals can sound. The guitar is thick and heavy, and the drums are punchy. The overall sound can be described as a somewhat stripped down, pure style of sludge and doom metal.

My main complaint here is a lack of variety. These guys can definitely rock, but it teeters on the edge of stale at some points. The addition of some solos, more vocal variety, and maybe a bass or second guitar could really help to expand and flesh out some of these guys' more interesting ideas, like the psychedelic theme present in the lyrical content, but not fully represented in the music itself. Make no mistakes though, these guys make good, groovy, fun doom. These guys have a lot of potential, I just hope they go in a more experimental direction with future releases.

If you're a fan of underground stoner doom metal, then you will enjoy these guys.
7/10

Stream from their bandcamp!

Brother Ares, Halmos, and Clorange at The End on Jan. 14

If I'm able to keep up with this blog, the Nashville metal scene, etc, then I'd be alright tracing everything back to right here. I've seen a few bands around Nashville before, but none this low-key or local. The bands playing this night were Brother Ares, Halmos, and Clorange. I'd never been to The End before, and was excited to see what it was like.

If no one minds terribly, I'd like to arrange this in order of quality instead of lineup order.

Halmos - 6/10
Halmos, from Atlanta, came on second. As a guitar/vocalist-drums duo, they were somewhat competent, except for a dozen or so mixed notes from the guitarist. The vocals were interestingly neutral, almost reminiscent of Michael Gira of Swans, though without the full, emotional delivery. A few good heavy riffs here and there, but not very memorable overall.

Clorange - 7.7/10
I have a strange connection to this band. I met the guitarist, Elliot when he was going to school at Belmont with my girlfriend at the time; and I'm friends with the lead singer's sister on facebook, we went to the same university for a time, but for the life of me I don't remember ever meeting her in person. In any case, these guys came on last. They're comprised of two guitarists, a drummer, a bassist (the only one of the night), and a female lead singer. They put on a pretty good show: groovy, doomy riffs pumped through impressive Sunn 0))) speakers all while miss Carrie Acree sang top of the whole thing. Good sound, good presence, good show overall. My only real complaint is that the vocals didn't feel very cohesive with the overall sound on a few occasions. Perhaps it's just my personal preference, but some moments in their songs lent themselves more to a hardcore scream or two than clean singing. Minor complaints aside, a heavy and very fun show, and I look forward to hearing them live or on record in the future.

Brother Ares - 9/10
Zach from Hank Williams III band Lung was initially going to play this show, but when they bowed out, Brother Ares quickly filled their place. This quick change was quite fortituous - despite being the opening band, Brother Ares turned out to be the best band of the night. At first glance, you might dismiss this duo as just another pair of coffee shop loiterers, but once they started playing, all bets were off. Their sound was gorgeous, so deep, dense and full; heavy but not entirely without melody, with a few epic, memorable crescendoing build-ups. When the drummer, a mightily bearded man named Gore, started screaming, it was all I could do to gather my jaw from the floor. Though he made it look effortless, the noise coming from his open maw was that of a tortured, defiant soul, nearly consumed with fury, clawing its way out of hell. His screams were vicious not only in style but in volume as well.

My jaw dropped a second time when the guitarist, Blake, opened his mouth and screamed at the mic. These screams were markedly different, almost more of a shout. They were clear, loud, and at the top of his lungs, but without almost any trace of a shriek or a growl intonation except for a slight crack here and there, which only added to the emotional intensity carried by his voice. They reminded me slightly of the vocal's on Conan's masterpiece Horseback Battle Hammer, though not quite as high.

Overall, an unbelievable show, especially for just a handful of songs from a pair who started jamming in 2011. It was an honor to be able to make their acquaintance after the show, and I look forward to seeing them again next month with a spattering of other local bands. I look forward to seeing (and hopefully remembering to review) them soon.