Review by Sonny for Reverend Bizarre - Harbinger of Metal (2003)

"Harbinger of Metal" was released in 2003 as an EP between the trio's first two albums and in the midst of a spate of split releases with the likes of Minotauri and Orodruin. I say it was released as an EP because it has a runtime of over 73 minutes, more than most full-length albums, but was still steadfastly labelled an EP by the band themselves. I am not sure why this would be because most of the material is consistent with that on the three main full-lengths, but then again Albert Witchfinder tended to do things his own way and for his own reasons so who am I to question the decision.

Anyway, there is some great stuff on here, with Strange Horizons and its awesome doom-laden riff (one of the band's best) being my pick. Of the seven tracks available three are quite short with "Harbinger" being a kind of introductory scene-setter and "The Ambassador" and "Into the Realms of Magickal Entertainment" being little more than interludes, so the bulk of the hour and a quarter is taken up by just four tracks, which is pretty much par for the course with the Reverend. To say that Reverend Bizarre know their shit when it comes to traditional doom metal is an understatement. During the mid-2000's they pretty much wrote the book on producing epic-length trad doom sagas and are still very much the yardstick against which I personally measure any other trad doom act of the last 25 years. The simple fact is that if a band are going to produce tracks that rely so heavily on the lengthy repetition of riffs then those riffs need to be pretty damn good and in this regard Rev Biz have very few equals. It is very hard to think of any other doom metal band that manage to do so much with so little but the sheer ponderous momentum they achieve with Witchfinder's prominently mixed bass boosting the crushing weight of Peter Vicar's riffing is a marvel to behold. That said, if you are of a more impatient mindset then maybe RB aren't the band for you because they really do like to draw things out and sometimes go to extremes on this front, repeating a riff over and over, well past the point of comfort, a charge which could certainly be levelled at the first part of "From the Void", at least until it turns into an Earl of Void drum solo! I am not the biggest fan of drum solos, so the five minutes in the middle of the track here is a bit of a challenge even for me I must admit. Things are certainly redeemed though with "The Wandering Jew" being another classic slab of doom metal goodness with yet another top RB riff. For this track and "Strange Horizons" alone the EP is well worth the entry fee, but throw in Rev Biz's hulking, doom-laden interpretation of Burzum's "Dunkelheit" that adds crushing weight to the icy, frigid melancholy of the original and we have another doom metal winner on our hands.

Reverend Bizarre truly were one of the finest traditional doom metal bands ever with a distinctive and authentic sound (and sometimes a wicked sense of humour) that pushed trad doom to its extremes whilst still remaining exceedingly listenable. Whilst this EP may not be their best release with, admittedly, a couple of weaker moments, which the band may have realised themselves hence the reason why it was separated from the main full-lengths by the EP designation, when it is good it is absolutely top drawer and as such is definitely worth the time of any discerning doom head.