Harbinger – ‘A Letter To Anguish’ [EP] [Album Review]

As London metallers Harbinger pummel into “Prayer of Deliverance,” the opening track on their new mini-album, A Letter To Anguish, it really does feel like they’re literally stomping on your head. Sledgehammer heavy, the first release to feature new vocalist Dilan Alves finds the band pushing their sound to new levels.

Brace yourself as the Londoners pin you to the wall with the unrelenting thump of “Hate File” then, while they’ve got your attention, let Alves, who has an almost CJ Mcmahon style to his animalistic howl, stamp his mark on proceedings. Sure, at a mere six tracks long, A Letter To Anguish, might be just a brief insight into the collective minds of the group but the mechanical air about tracks like “Guile” make sure that these twenty-five or so minutes are ones you won’t forget in a hurry. Imagine Strapping Young Lad jamming with Thy Art Is Murder and you’re somewhere in the ballpark for where the clinical, groove-soaked savagery spat out by the band sits.

Songs like “Antagonist” are simply seething while the title track along with the closing cut “Guiltless” are perfect examples of the band experimenting with new styles. Mixing clean and harsh vocals, galloping guitars, and dramatic melodies before adding a good dollop of face-punching metal, if this is a taster of what the group is capable of creating, things look very exciting for the future.

A Letter To Anguish Track Listing:

1. Prayer of Deliverance
2. Hate File
3. Guile
4. Antagonist
5. A Letter to Anguish
6. Guiltless

Run Time: 25:25
Release Date: May 27, 2022
Record Label: Self-Release