From Harm – Arcane Pardon
Fort Worth-based act From Harm (FH) have something to say – their newest offering, Arcane Pardon, is a six-song EP full of hardcore punk that grinds out an important social message inspired by pagan hysteria. Feeling oppressed? Tired of the way the world’s being run? So is the project’s lifeblood, Jon Chapman – he uses From Harm as his vehicle to express his disappointment with the world. Expect throat-shredding screams with a yelping timbre; hard-and-fast drums pounding rhythmically in your ears; and angsty instrumentals that inspire emotions from anger, to urgency, to straight-up fear.
From the get-go, From Harm impress with their unique blend of brutality and melody. Intro track “And You Shall Receive” is only a minute long, but with a unique 11/4 (?) time signature, it’s an immediate ear-catcher. Stabs of discordant guitar leap into your eardrums with prickly, staccato melodies as another guitar smashes out a doom-inspiring single note riff. It gives way to FH’s first “proper” song, “Cloaks & Daggers,” where the hallmarks of From Harm’s sound really come into focus. With the ferocity of contemporaries like Gallows and Cancer Bats, “Cloaks” slams through your speakers with blistering punk potency. Double bass drums hit like hammers, providing the backbone for ultra-fast tom fills and thundering snare drums to shine. Chunky guitar chords lay down a rock-solid spine while lead guitars squeal and squelch in the forefront. Chapman himself is the clear highlight here – despite being pushed to its absolute limits, his voice never quite loses its original flavor, giving this a sing/scream/speak vibe that’s dripping with sincerity.
“Cloak & Dagger” is a clear single, but Arcane Pardon is full of tasty hardcore punk gems that keep your blood pumping throughout. “1563” might get our nod for album favorite – it’s full of creepy guitar discord, with it’s clashing notes that sound spindly and creepy overtop a rolling, tom-based beat. The breakdown around the 1:15 mark is a particular highlight, with its buzzsaw guitar leads that punctuate the super-heavy chugging like evil klaxons. It’s a welcome buffer between the absolute onslaughts of “Cloak” and “Fraternalia,” the latter of which has hints of Buffalo’s own Every Time I Die. The driving verse around the :30 mark feels lightly southern in sound, channeling the iconic ETID catalog with an intensity that’s perfect for mosh pit thrashing. You can expect the same throughout “The Heathen League” and album closer “We Have No Other Name,” which are both filled with enough riffy carnage to end this EP on a powerful note.
You can find Arcane Pardon on your preferred streaming service, including Spotify and Apple Music. Preview using the YouTube embed below, or, find all the different ways to support them via this handy Linktree link.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna