Harmony Drinks of Me

“Electric Spaceboy”, the opening track of Harmony Drinks of Me, begins with a thumping drumbeat that sounds like it belongs in a dance song you'd hear in a club in the 90s, but then enters the drone of otherworldly synths and after that the buzz of electric guitar. The music would be weird in any circumstance, but becomes unfathomable by dint of being released under the name Nuclear Death. Once we hear Lori Bravo's vocals and the once legendary screamer is now singing, it is settled: this is a different beast than the out of control death metal associated with Nuclear Death.

Those following the band's career would have noticed they were already shifting direction on the For Our Dead EP, which is understandable as Carrion for Worm left little extremity unexplored. Yet even after the weird excursion that was The Planet Cachexial, with its conceptual narrative and cinematic aspirations, no one would guess the band's final word would sound like this. It makes a little more sense knowing that Bravo was now in full control and this is really a solo effort (with former drummer Steve Cowan acting as producer). Equally strange as the fact Bravo sings on this LP, is how well she does so. She has serious pipes which nonetheless convey the pain and more than a little of the madness that were hallmarks of her vocal performances on prior releases—she cares more about showing off her emotions than her abilities. Vibrato remains a favored technique, employed in tasteful doses. There are a few screams, though lacking the abrasion to be classified as harsh vocals. Other moments see her using a speaking voice in a way that comes across as appropriate for the song rather than pretentious.

Synthesizers are a major part of the instrumentation. Some fans may fear this is a sign of poppification, but their timbre is dark and the tones and melodies they create moody. Plus there's still guitar. Its tone is wispy, but since it's not playing metal riffs, that's not a detriment, and there are even solos. “Eyes Closed (the Sin)” features an extended, sorrowful one in the middle. The bass has a fatter sound and its rhythms keep the music grounded and moving forward which is unsurprising as she was always the band's bassist (though in an interview with the blog Vomitose she claims to hate playing the instrument). The arrangements are where things get interesting. Somehow Harmony Drinks of Me manages to be both lush and spare. Many of the melodies contain clear separation between notes and the pace is slow to mid-paced. There are layers of instrumentation, yet the effect is one of downcast atmosphere eschewing sweeping hooks or other grabs at attention. This is to the benefit of the album when it does have those big moments. When the music swells in “Haunted Man-Nimbus” and it hits that crescendo is does so with maximum impact.

Some choices don't pan out. “The Baths” with its crazed vocals smothered in effects seems like it should be a short interlude rather than a six minute track. Tacked onto the end is an almost ten minute untitled track which is a collage of sections from previous tracks played backwards. It's not unpleasant to listen to, but it seems pointless (and besides, the punk band Fifi already did the same thing on their album Sinkhole and that track had the commitment to include the entire album in reverse).

Harmony Drinks of Me is a far cry from the Nuclear Death we're used to, but if you're open-minded enough to appreciate the pure sickness of Bride of Insect, you should at least give it a try. No, it's not a manifestation of unhinged chaos, but it's still dark, unorthodox and in a subtle way unsettling. I didn't touch on the lyrics, but though they're no longer gruesome, rest assured they still flow from a disturbed mind. There will never be another Lori Bravo. Headbangers appreciating music outside of metal isn't unheard of, especially since streaming became commonplace, but it put a smile on my face reading Bravo (in the aforementioned interview) list Tori Amos and Amy Winehouse alongside Discharge and Autopsy as artists she loves (if you didn't know, Winehouse's Back to Black is not only one of the best albums to hit the pop charts, but one of the darkest and rawest (in this case raw refers to emotions, not production)). And if you've never heard of Nuclear Death or can't stand DM, you still might want to check this out. Keeping in mind this isn't meant to imply the following artists are identical sonically, I see Harmony Drinks of Me appealing to fans of Marianne Faithfull's Broken English and Rose McDowall's Cut with the Cake Knife; i.e. female singer/songwriters who have pop accessibility while retaining credibility with avant garde crowds. And if you don't like it, at least it's not boring.