While Bodies is nothing like as abrasive as previous effort No, there’s something infinitely darker about this fourth full-length effort from Oslo crustpunk noisemongers Haust.
Perhaps it’s a result of the Norwegians growing that bit older and increasingly world-weary, but the overall feeling here is one of melancholy and reflection.
As frontman Vebjørn Guttormsgaard Møllberg screams, ‘I don’t know what to do with my life and I’m 29!’ on Days, you can’t help but feel that their world is perhaps getting that little more serious than before, while the somewhat surprising but effective move into more post-metal territories with the likes of No Body only goes to further this feeling.
That’s not to say that Bodies isn’t aggressive or catchy in any way, because it most definitely is – the band’s trademark buzzsaw punk guitar riffing, thumping bass and Vebjørn’s rasping, blackened vocals are all there to be had throughout its 10 tracks – but it’s their newfound exploration of more melodic regions that makes this perhaps the best Haust record to date./o:p
