Review HARMS WAY ‘Common Suffering’

Sometimes fun quickly turns into seriousness. Most of the time, this has a negative connotation. However, in the case of Harms Way, it is fair to say that the seriousness has led to even more fun.

Initially Harms Way was a side project of Few And The Proud. It was mainly about fun, which was reflected in ultra-fast songs and not very intellectual lyrics. However, as time went by, the guys realized that more was feasible and the work of Harns Way became more serious. This led to four released albums, with ‘Posthuman’ being the band’s first album published through Metal Blade Records. With such a label in their back, Harms Way set to work and release their new longplayer these days.

‘Common Suffering’ is the name of the new record, and there are ten new tracks that hit you.

Compared to their predecessor, Harms Way have become even more groove-oriented and are not shyto incorporate more complex elements into their sound. One sometimes feels reminded of bands like Mesguggah in terms of rhythm. However, groove and hardcore roots remain the predominant element, which gains sweeping power with metal references. In this context, the murderous riffing on songs like ‘Cyanide’ should be mentioned.

However, Harms Way does not always stay 100% within the frames of the chosen genre. ‘Undertow’, for example, stands out, due to, among other things, the melancholic female vocals of Kristina Esfandiari–AKA King Woman. Her voice provides a perfect counterpart to the harsh shouts of James Pligge and it is this mix that makes the song a small highlight on a very accomplished album.

‘Common Suffering’ is a furious release and even though the opener of the album is called ‘Silent Wolf’, neither the song nor the record is silent. A lot has piled up since the release of ‘Posthuman’ and it is ‘Common Suffering’ which gives the band the chance to yell it all out. Together with topics of today and with also some personal lyrics, an album has been created, which should definitely be listened to.