ALBUM REVIEW: Laid To Waste – Horsewhip

While HORSEWHIP has only been a band for a few years, it’s constituent parts have been around a lot longer. With ex-members of REVERSAL OF MAN, COMBATWOUNDEDVETERAN and ORDER OF IMPORTANCE, among others, the band has firm roots in the 1990s hardcore and screamo scenes. The group’s second album, Laid To Waste, makes this maturity and experience clear. The album follows their 2018 self-titled debut – a bleak, blistering, crusty 17 minute offering. This time around HORSEWHIP sound more refined, more inspired, and no less ferocious.

With a runtime of just under 27 minutes, HORSEWHIP waste no time in showing what they’re all about. Opening track Stillborn explodes with frantic drumming, crusty riffs and singer Mike Grantham‘s abrasive vocals. The song takes the listener to a lot of places, all of them bleak, in under two minutes. Following tracks Feast and Inertia Waits continue the assault. Both songs are a little over two minutes long, and feature more fast paced riffs, shifting tempos and moments of dissonance. Although HORSEWHIP are probably best described as metallic hardcore, these tracks show there’s a little more to it than that. Both feature more atmospheric touches, primarily in the form of some spacious leads from guitarist Shaun Drees. With some sludge thrown in for good measure, the combination draws comparison to bands like WILL HAVEN and COALESCE.

For all their ferocity, HORSEWHIP also prove that they are capable of creating space on Laid To Waste. After the onslaught of the opening three tracks, the ominous interlude Ruin gives listeners a breather. It’s not the only point on Laid To Waste where the band let up, which is a good thing. These moments of space prevent listeners from becoming numb to HORSEWHIP‘s visceral attack, and make things hit that little bit harder every time the chaos resumes. If anything, the album could have done with a couple more to break up a rather intense second half run.

It isn’t until the album’s sixth track, Charnel House, that HORSEWHIP go over the three minute mark. It’s also here where the band veer towards more sludge and post-metal territory. The song, a definite highlight, brings to mind post-metal kings NEUROSIS at their most crushing. These influences are clear again on the album’s tenth track, Lowlands, another highlight. The song opens with a riff CULT OF LUNA would be proud of, before taking a more fast-paced turn. The riff comes back later on, and the track ends on another good minute of ominous atmospheric space.

The band members’ history in the screamo scene also comes through on Laid To Waste. Songs like Remission, the shortest on the album, and Holy Lies feature breakneck section after breakneck section. There are also points where Grantham‘s vocals draw strong screamo comparisons – final track When It Comes is a prime example.

It’s also worth mentioning the excellent production on this record. Mixed by Jeremy SH Griffith, and mastered by Jack Shirley, the album somehow sounds raw and sludgey, and rich and clean at the same time. This is no mean feat, giving the album a primal feel while also allowing the listener to hear every detail. The production also adds a consistency to the record, leaving listeners with a clear sense of who HORSEWHIP are and what they do.

Despite it’s relatively short runtime, Laid To Waste couldn’t have been much longer. Even with moments of space it sometimes runs the risk of washing over the listener in a sea of heaviness. HORSEWHIP‘s chaotic songwriting approach also means that it can be difficult to find much to latch onto at first. That said, the band don’t outstay their welcome, and the album proves more rewarding with each listen. Ultimately, Laid To Waste is a record which reveals a band with a strong command of their craft, and is well worth a listen for anyone who enjoys feeling like they’ve been thrown around for half an hour.

Rating: 8/10

Laid To Waste is out now via Roman Numeral Records/Financial Ruin.

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