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Haltefanden

Naar Man Taler Om Trolden... EP

Written by: PP on 07/12/2009 22:17:57

One of my least favorite jobs as a reviewer is to swing the axe at a young, defenseless local band trying to make a name for themselves to pay for future recordings, but every now and then you can't avoid it for the sake of staying at least somewhat objective, no matter how much of a positive spin you may try to attach to the review. Copenhagen, Denmark's Haltefanden are one of the local bands unable to gain a passing mark from me, but as much as I'd like to hate their amateur metal expression, I'm more inclined just to feel sorry for the band. Sorry for them to have wasted money and time in actually recording such horribly undeveloped material as that presented to us on "Naar Man Taler Om Trolden..." EP.

Haltefanden's music isn't easy to categorize because they have hints of punk, DIY hardcore, thrash metal, and dirty southern groove all smashed together into an impression-less and soulless cocktail. The vocals are yelled/sung in Danish, but the singer makes the Red Warszawa dudes sound like they spent tens of thousands of kroner on private singing lessons. So yeah, he's terrible. You'd hope that the riffs would compensate, but not only are the guitars completely devoid of any punch or power, but even after eight straight listens I'm trying my hardest to remember a single riff without success - let alone a structure or passage that would've moved me in the slightest. And then there's the production, which makes the CD sound like it's a cassette recording. Guys, it's 2009, and you can easily google for high quality open source recording software for free, there's no excuse for leaving your disc completely unproduced, no matter how underground and DIY you want to be. The best display of DIY is the ability to make your own recording sound as great as possible without outside help, you know? As much as I hate to say it, "Naar Man Taler Om Trolden" is one of those cases where it's difficult to see any potential in the band whatsoever. Please develop your sound for a few more years before releasing anything else, for your own sake.

Download: Feber
For the fans of: Basement DIY metal, Red Warszawa
Listen: Myspace

Release date 14.05.2009
Self-Released