As we approach the end of the year, it’s almost time to annihilate whatever remains in the filter, so we can start the new year full of promises and dreams completely out of touch with reality. However, before I do that, there’s still some time to explore what the underground has left to offer this year. In this case, we return to this blog’s guilty pleasure: Death/Doom. Harkane‘s Argo claims to be inspired by The Argonautica, the most boring-interesting Greek epic I’ve ever read. Let’s hope it delivers more action!
“Catto, you pleb, of course The Argonautica has action; you just don’t get it!” Sure, but what I can tell you is that Argo is way more digestible than its source material. It’s depressing and mournful. It sounds so Finnish, it probably dreams of dying in a sauna instead of surrounded by family. I’d even dare to say the album has two main sections. It starts with intense MeloDeath and gradually devolves into crushing Doom Metal. Both are performed in ways we’ve heard before, but the subtle melancholy that creeps in is what I truly appreciate about Argo. There’s genuine love for the craft here, even if I’ve heard it all before.
You’ll find all the trademark moves of the genre: sorrowful melodies, solid drums that tear you a new one, bass (just bass, nothing fancy), and vocal work that ranges from angelic singing to deep, agonizing gutturals. My favorite track is “The Oracles of Pelias”. It embodies that sorrowful mix of anger and sadness we all came for. All the tracks bring small variations to the Death/Doom formula, so you can’t accuse Harkane of being repetitive or playing the same song for an hour. The band takes some calculated risks. However, I do have my usual comments.
I’m not a machine, so yes, I have two main complaints. First is the pacing: the album grows more depressing and less intense as it progresses, so it starts to feel rather long by the time we reach the end. Second, while I know I’ve already said Harkane isn’t reinventing the wheel here, I’m beginning to feel that as much as I love Death/Doom, it’s a style that’s becoming increasingly hard to innovate within. Maybe nothing’s broken and doesn’t need fixing, but still, it’s tricky to tell bands apart—despite most of them, Harkane included, delivering high-quality, gut-punching Metal.
So, the weather outside looks like wet trash, and you don’t want to leave the house. You also happen to enjoy old Greek stories, like yours truly. If you’re somehow this kind of nerd, then Argo is an album that will make you feel the burden of an epic journey with no end, a journey that defies the patience of any good reader. But as a Metal interpretation, it has a lot to offer emotionally. For the melancholy junkies out there, here’s another treat.
Label: Season Of Mist
Release date: 13 December 2024
Website: https://www.facebook.com/harkaneofficial
Country: Italy
Score: a long voyage to 3.3/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 