Review HAYSTACK ‘Doomsday Goes Away’

It was in 1994 when Ulf Cederlund (Entombed, Disfear, Murder Squad, Alpha Safari, Swarm of Souls) formed Haystack after a US tour with Unsane opening for Entombed. Inspired by Unsane’s more noise-rock-oriented songs, Cederlund went with Haystack into a similar direction.

With ‘Doomsday Goes Away’ the trio, that next to Cederlund also includes Jonas Lundberg (d) and Patrik Thorngren (b), launches a new album. The newest offer is a ten-tracks featuring longplayer with songs that remind of the alternative-/noise rock scene of the 90s. The mighty Melvins but also bands like Dinosaur Jr. had an impact on the sound of Haystack. Next to these renowned icons, the sound of the newest Haystack album also reminds me, with songs like the heavy pounding ‘Dark Nothing’, of Henry Rollins.

Simple and yet weird is ‘Burning Eyes’, a song with a hypnotic beat and a throbbing chorus that also refers to some punk influences.

‘Blame’ follows a similar structure a ‘Burning Eyes’ when it comes to the hypnotic groove while songs like ‘Neglected’ spread the sad vibe of loneliness and solitude. Even some blues roots appear when listening to the well-crafted ‘Freak’ while the final chapter is slow and gloomy one. ‘Winter’ is the season of darkness and wistfulness, and it is the closer that wraps you in the grey blanket of doom in great fashion.

‘Doomsday Goes Away’ is a gnarly and remarkable album as it builds on the sound of some greats of the 90s and still has an own emotional touch, giving this release an own identity. Haystack’s newest offer is a exciting blend of sounds that might take a few spins before it starts to reveal its entire potential.