E. Peltier | North Arlington, New Jersey United States | 05/01/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The deep south is not exactly known for it's thriving extreme music scene. Blues and folk music, yes. Maybe even real rock and roll. But hardcore? Not a chance. That is, until bands like Haste come along and attempt to put lonely places like Hueytown, Alabama on the map. Haste are not your run-of-the-mill hardcore band and being from the south it is not much wonder why. The scene has no rich history or modern presence as its north-eastern or west coast counterparts. What it has is young ambitious bands, filled with enough angst, emotion and musical ideas to pack a convincingly brutal punch. The unconventional dual lead vocal approach immediatly sets them appart from the pack. Two distinctly different screams are offset by the duets pairing of clean voices thus allowing for layering or call-and-response interplay between the four approaches. Even musically, Haste attempts to crack the mold with it's gritty dual guitar approach and southern-fried grooves. The interplay between vocalists and slamming breakdowns are fully exploited on "the Absentee" and "a Chance for You to Prove" and will even leave a sizable impact after "Irriatation Persists." If the future of Haste lies in the direction of those songs, expect a brutal and aurally pummeling sophmore effort. Their debut release on Century Media presents itself, at times, as if a glorified demo and is truly a hardcore recording reminisant of the DIY era of underproduced basement tapes.However, the potential for something greater shines forth in the overall product and leaves the door open for Haste to devolope their sound throughout their career. Just as the title implies, Haste persue their own sound and musical direction in the face of mainstream music and conventional hardcore thinking and the only concequesce to the endevour is that more people have not yet been exposed to what they have to offer."
This stuff rocks
sixmonthface | new york | 05/16/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ive been listening to Haste for a while, after buying thecd. It rules! Two final Words starts off with a little drumroll and then chris mosley(highervocalist) starts singing, then kelly reaves(lowervocalist) screams with a pounding drum and guitar beat behind him. Then A chance for You to Prove, is just one of those dancing hardcore songs, this is the best song on the cd, kelly and chris really trade off on vocals the most on this song, this song just rips. Then 1297 has a very jumpy beat to it, but the vocals are awesome. THe absentee is really cool to, kelly sings for a few seconds, then it goes into a really heavy drum and guitar beat and chris sings his heart out. God, i wish i could just get up on stage at one of their shows and sing with them. Overall, this album is awesome, buy it now, and wait till they release their second cd, it'll be way better than this one. Buy this now!"
Voices carry in low and high
vladirules@ameritech.net | 02/16/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this is a unique release for many reasons, it falls solidly into many genres, metal, hardcore, and straight rock. It features a vocal tandem of one singer with a high pitched scream and one with a rough edged but recognizable growl. this band from alabama create their own niche by joining theses styles in a way fans of all the above types of music would enjoy"
I really like the two singer style and variety.
vladirules@ameritech.net | 10/11/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Haste album has a hardcore feel with metal riffs and melodic lines as well. It's really cool and unique."
Excellent Debut Album for fans of Pantera, etc.
vladirules@ameritech.net | 08/10/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Excellent debut album from Haste of Birmingham, Alabama. Songs feature a unique lineup of two frontmen, heavily accented (thick) guitar (and bass) riffs that conjugate minor keys (much like Metallica), and drum rudiments that are of a percussionist style seemingly inspired by Neal Peart (Rush). Very good stuff, fast and heavy, and very tightly played. It would probably be best to order through Amazon.com, as it is distributed through Century Media Records, a division of Caroline Records (Smashing Pumpkins' first label), and does not distribute quite as thoroughly as some of the better known labels out there. You can find it at some of the larger record chains, but ordering online will save you the potential problem of finding it (especially if you don't live in or near a large city like Atlanta or Chicago). But beware: it's not the kind of music you want to throw in your car CD player if you've just picked her (or him) up for your first date...first impressions are lasting ones, and you may not get a second chance. However, if the two of you met each other in a mosh pit, chances are you'll find your wedding song somewhere on this album."