Hark ‘Mythopoeia’ 7″/DD 2012

For those who got their unique brand of angular power sludge rock it was a sad day back in September 2010 when Welsh three piece Taint called time on a project that spanned 16 years, 3 albums and numerous EPs. For those still craving a little of that magic, good news comes in the form of Hark, an angular power sludge rock trio, fronted by ex Taint frontman and guitarist Jimbob Isaac, who have just release their strictly limited Mythopoeia 7″ on Super Fi Records (each of the 300 copies is lovingly hand screened and numbered by Isaac himself).

Picking up where his work with Taint left off, the two tracks on display here – the title track and flip side ‘Sins On Their Sleeves’ – showcase eleven and a half minutes of hardcore and punk welded onto huge Sabbath style riffs.

Adding former Whyteleaf rhythm section Nikolai Ribnikov and Simon Bonwick to the post rock mash up that drove the heart of his former band, Isaac has crafted another genre defying set of tunes that combine dizzying dynamics with classic rock swagger.

It is hard to choose between the two tracks, both have massive technical, but catchy grooves. Both start and finish on a dime, one minute beating you into submission, the next lifting you up with a blistering guitar lead whilst Jimbob’s scraped larynx explores both melody and aggression with articulate ease.

Those thinking that is is merely Taint Mk2 are mistaken, yes the muscular song writing has nods to the deceased band, but this is to be expected when one of the parties here was one of the principle song writers, but from the brief evidence on display here Hark have a lot more to explore in their own musical avenues and with a full length album planned for the end of the year, this is a mouthwatering taster of things to come.

A must for those still craving more of Jimbob’s magic.

Label: SuperFi Records
Website: www.harkband.com

Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden