Red Harvest Internal Punishment Programs

Norway’s Red Harvest are a peculiar beast.

When I first sat down to listen to this CD about a month ago, I got the impression they were just another death metal outfit with a little electronic edge. Sure, they’d gotten tons of positive press for Internal Punishment Programs, their third to be released in the States and first on Candlelight Records, but maybe it just wasn’t for me. Back into the pile it went.

Today, as I flipped through said pile to see what to review next, I came upon this curious disc with its bleak, post-apocalyptic artwork and figured, what the hell, we’ll try it again. I’ve been listening to spacey New Age and folk rock lately; I could use a change of pace.

And while I can’t say I was utterly floored by what barely garnered notice a month ago, I have to say fans of forward thinking death metal are in for a treat as Internal Punishment Programs offers up a brutal helping of sound while being able to mix it up a little.

To start, the production is high quality with every sound hitting with the impact of a bomb dropping in your lap. Traces of Fear Factory’s earliest work and that band’s trademark cold mechanical drum assault is evident while the guitar sound is kept up front in the mix and call to mind the aforementioned Fear Factory at points, industrial legends Ministry at their heaviest and even a little punk rock grit in the occasional breakdown.

The electronic aspect plays a large part on the album, as is the case with the almost entirely programmed “Abstract Morality Judgement ” and the nearly eight-minute “Synthesize my DNA ”. This dirge-like assault on the senses brings to mind Neurosis, another genre melding extreme metal outfit, with its seemingly unabashed method of performance. At the close of this track, as E_Wroldsen’s double bass fades away, a most unexpected car horn blares out, bringing the listener back into the present only to attack them again with “Teknocrate”. Elsewhere on the disc, a toilet flushes. Why, I’m not sure, besides the obvious hygienic reasons, but it’s odd touches such as these, which make me like this band a lot more than others of their ilk.

One flaw – and this could be personal preference – lies in the vocals. Ofu Kahn, for better or worse, sounds like his eyes are about ready to pop out of their sockets. Like, when I hear him scream, I can just picture his face getting very red, as the blood sprints as fast as possible to reach his head before he passes the hell out. It’s not like In Flames screams that sound like they’re coming from the throat, or even Misery Index, which sound like they’re coming from constipation, Red Harvest’s are the stuff high blood pressure is made of. Still, if that’s your thing, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Overall, I probably won’t listen to Internal Punishment Programs more than from time-to-time, when I need a fix but don’t want the same mundane death metal growl, blast beat, extreme guitar riff, etc. But for fans, Red Harvest is a very capable, professional band worth your attention.