ALBUM REVIEW: Sons Of Destruction – The Native Howl
Based out of Leonard, Michigan, four-piece THE NATIVE HOWL proclaim themselves to the purveyors of ‘thrashgrass’. Pulling influence from folk, bluegrass, thrash metal, and pure hard rock, the band seek to conjure up a sound that merges the traditional with the contemporary, and that is brought to life no better than on the band’s major label debut, Sons Of Destruction.
Both bluegrass and metal already lend themselves perfectly to the cause of getting you moving, so the band’s combination of the two feels incredibly natural in both concept and execution. Furthermore, whilst it might be expected that the result of these genre fusions would be energetic, nothing can quite prepare you for how electrifying this album can be at its very best. The listener is transported to a world of vagabonds and outlaws, ruling the open roads, the dirt tracks, and the dark bayous. As rough and raw as the band portrays themselves, there’s a distinctly polished theatrical element to it all that only bolsters the experience further; you truly cannot help but believe that the band are devilish sinners on the run from a vengeful God.
This is particularly the case on a biting cover of JONNY CASH’S God’s Gonna Cut You Down, which is what originally earned the band attention; with its stomp-clap rhythms and dramatic instrumentation, it not only does the original justice, but portrays it perfectly through the lens of the band’s creative ethos. Despite how good it is, however, it is surprisingly the original material that stands out the most here.
Can’t Sleep is a brilliant opening track that gets straight to the point of what the band is, with monstrous breakdowns threaded with sharp, twanging banjos. B.O.G brings a ferocious harmonica solo to the back half the track, whilst delivering some slick lyrics that truly harness that aforementioned devilishly sinful feeing; ‘I hope Jesus grabs the bill when the tab comes through’ in particular stands out.
The vocal performance throughout from Alex Holycross is simply brimming with an electrifying sense of character, charisma, and confidence. Tracks such as the blues tinged juggernaut Waco benefit perfectly from Holycross’ balance of raw metal ferocity, and soulful country-infused balladry, whereas heavier moments such as the aforementioned opener Can’t Sleep offer a brutal vocal performance that would put your favourite death metal band to shame.
Whilst there isn’t a major amount of variation in the soundscape, which is perhaps going to prove detrimental for some listeners, the band do offer some gorgeous slower moments. In Death commences with a surprisingly stripped back and contemplative passage, before launching into a righteous second act, whilst the closing number Devil I’ve Become offers some particularly soul stirring moments as it rallies to the album’s dying moments.
Sometimes it is easy to forget that good music can just be fun, such as a collection of tracks that makes you want to grab your battered leather jacket, grab your bike, and go cause a ruckus in some small American town. That is precisely what THE NATIVE HOWL offer, and in not taking themselves too seriously, but just seriously enough to produce some actually well-performed music, they have achieved a memorable and repeatedly enjoyable listen that gets your feet moving and blood-pumping.
Rating: 8/10
Sons of Destruction is out now via Sumerian Records.
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