CD review, Sep 08. Harvey Milk – Life… The Best Game In Town CD (Hydra Head Records)

I’m really not sure what to make of this. Harvey Milk seems to be another band that passed me by, while being lauded online and plowing the Heavy Stoner/Doom furrow whence I often reap. Musically they specialize in challenging, experimental, riff heavy musical passages. The first track has such an annoying feedback section I have to skip over it, but the rest of the album unearths some flowing heavy moments amongst the leftfield arrangements. Fact is, they do come across a lot like The Melvins, perhaps crossed with a little Weedeater plus a generous smattering of drone and wail. Personally I’ve always found the Melvins a little too inconsistent and almost apologetic for being heavy, while Weedeater keep the groove/riff ratio high, and so my heart lies with the latter. Harvey Milk is certainly interesting listening, but unless you’re into this style of heaviosity, and enjoy some controlled chaos, this album may well be hard work.