Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Red Harvest - Nomindsland (1992)
In a land where black metal rules them all, progressive metal has also been taking Norway by storm. Since the 90s, Norwegian progressive metal bands have come around to sweep the globe, such as the power metal-influenced Pagan's Mind and Communic, the melodic Spiral Architect and Leprous, and the extreme Arcturus and Enslaved. A warm progressive light shines over the cold darkness! There's also a Norwegian thrash metal band called Equinox. A progressive thrash metal style is quite rare in Norway, but that's where Red Harvest's debut Nomindsland comes in! Red Harvest would later be known for their strong industrial metal sound with dark atmosphere, harsh noise, and cold riffs. Nomindsland is a much different debut. This is avant-garde-ish progressive/technical thrash metal not too far off from Coroner and late 80s Voivod!
This thrash sound isn't too surprising considering the band started in the late 80s as a Slayer tribute band called Arctic Thunder. After switching to a more original band known as Red Harvest, they stormed in with some demos, combating the mainstream menace as they stood by the Norwegian thrash sound of their fellow countrymen Equinox. As the original classic thrash dies out in the year 1992, these original innovators from Scandinavia are determined to have that dream rolling one more time. And they twist it up to with some avant-progressive metal as they strive for uniqueness.
"The Cure" kickstarts the album and lets listeners know that not everything that year is grunge/groove metal, there is still classic thrash with a mighty progressive turn. The avant-garde aspects arrive with a flamenco bridge in the middle to spice up this grand opener. Aggression should also be expected in the sharp riffs and leads, though you can find catchy choruses worth singing along to. "Righteous Majority" continues running the thrash bullet-train while having a bit of the progressive atmosphere that another Norwegian prog-metal band In the Woods would later have. "Acid" has the more abstract sound of Equinox, keeping up the progressive thrash dissonance. The frantic rhythms and catchy choruses will surely delight fans of the sound.
"No Next Generation" actually hints at a bit of the industrial metal the band would switch to and Deathstars would also later be known for. "Machines Way" reminds me a bit of Sadus in the thrashy parts. "(Live & Pay) The Holy Way" is a true avant-garde tech-thrash highlight, especially in the second half to reminds some of Mekong Delta.
What confuses me a bit is the idea of sneaking in "Crackman", a one-minute hardcore track, but it's still OK. "Face the Fact" is just straight up technical thrash from the get-go, a Coroner-like masterpiece of a song. The closing track "Wrong Arm of the Law" is another short eclectic hardcore track. It certainly repels a few of the more strict listeners, but nonetheless, it's a good way out.
Red Harvest had a much different stylistic nature that their more famous era. Regardless of that change, it's great to look back at the old-school as much as you can enjoy the modern stuff. Nomindsland shows the band's strength even when they didn't yet have the industrial sound that carves their name in stone!
Favorites: "The Cure", "Righteous Majority", "Acid", "(Live & Pay) The Holy Way", "Face the Fact"