Spook the Horses - Rainmaker
Self-released
Post-Hardcore/Atmospheric Metal
8 songs (())
Release year: 2015
Reviewed by Jared

Spook the Horses is an unsigned band from New Zealand. They are a post-hardcore atmospheric metal band that likes to get nasty with some sludgy doom sounding riffs. Rainmaker is their second full-length album to be released this year, and it has grabbed my attention with its heavy yet sometimes blissful nature.

Guitars provide a thunderous tone to start with the slightly repetitive intro of Footfall. But it does a nice job setting the tone for the music to come. The following track Widening begins things off on a stronger note. After the clean guitars pass, the murky, yet graceful tones of the guitars set in. Both this track and Overburden set an obvious gloomy quality, especially that of the clean vocals that really shroud the music in a lovely and dark way. It’s the kind of music where you can see yourself walking outside under the overcast, cloudy sky, looking up to see only a glimmer of the sun’s rays trying to stab their way through.

Atmospheric moments do complement this album well. One of my absolute favorite tracks, The Saint, reminded me a bit of the time I had spent a few years back with Ulver’s Shadows of the Sun. Despite this slower track, the record does a great job of providing a terrific atmosphere, but also remaining heavy and interesting during the entire ride.

Rainmaker was a completely enjoyable experience and surprised me more so than I would have thought. For a self-released album, I think Spook the Horses will raise a lot of eyebrows. With its heavily rich tone, beautifully bold atmosphere, Rainmaker will excite many fans of hardcore, but also doom and sludge metal.

Killing Songs :
Widening, Overburden, Flood, The Saint, Drought, Below Our Time
Jared quoted 85 / 100
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