CoC : Haste - The Mercury Lift : Review

Haste - _The Mercury Lift_
(Century Media, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit (7 out of 10)

Hardly a day seems to pass by where a new record isn't advertised using trendy marketing buzzwords like "diverse influences" or "inevitable musical evolution". These being particularly favoured descriptive slogans among the emo and increasingly fashionable post-hardcore crowd, Alabama's Haste are no exception for the most part. From time to time however, they do reveal the knack for penning a good tune or three, ultimately making _The Mercury Lift_ a distinctly more attractive offering than anything you'd hear by the likes of the highly overrated Funeral for a Friend or Hell Is for Heroes. Like the melodic bastard-child of Snapcase or the ugly cousin of Boysetsfire, _The Mercury Lift_ is an uneven listen; brilliant at times, hinting at the staleness of yesterday's underpants at others. Certainly the likes of "With All the Pride & Dignity of a Drowning Summer" are excellent examples of how effectively no-frills hardcore and melodic breaks can combine. Lamb of God's D. Randall Blythe even pays a welcome visit to the vocal box on the bone-jarring "God Reclaims His Throne". Yet Haste often miss the mark in terms of consistency and effective song construction. Likewise, the production job lacks bite, and although showing off the band's obvious talents with admirable clarity, fails to do their dynamic approach justice. For what it's worth however, one should take solace in the fact that tracks like "Force Is Always an Option" hint at Haste becoming a bona fide contender in contemporary heavy music within the next few years.

(article published 26/11/2003)

ALBUMS
13/5/2001	A Bromley	8	Haste - When Reason Sleeps
15/6/1999	A Bromley	8	Haste - Pursuit in the Face of Consequence