Review: Medicine Horse ‘Medicine Horse’
As September 2023 is now in its infancy, and the nights are beginning to darken earlier, for me personally, it’s the start of both my favourite time of the year, and it’s a time that I start to reflect on some of the incredible music that has been released this year. It’s a time for Halloween hijinks and preparing a pile of films in preparation for the month of October, and it is also when I start to think, albeit quite briefly, about the albums that have truly shaken me over the last few months.
At this point, I have a good few contenders for my top ten, but I am fully aware that there’s also a good couple of months yet, and it really isn’t over or set, at all.
Well, today, I have another contender for that magical ten, and it’s in the shape of the debut, Self-Titled Medicine Horse album. After the aural battering I’ve just received, I’m going to need my forever-growing list promptly and add this powerhouse of a band from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The five-piece juggernaut has quite the heritage, with vocalist Nico Williams being a member of the Cherokee Nation, and the band themselves being described on several websites as ‘North American Indigenous Sludge Metal’. Genre wise, as well as the sludge reference, there are also other genres getting mentioned, most notably stoner, doom, and psychedelic.
Now, while I am totally on board with the stoner, doom, and even sludge monikers, I feel that psychedelic needs replacing with spiritual, as what I took from this album was closer to a spiritual experience, more than it was psychedelic.
That aside, what is on offer is a thunderous debut, crafted by five musicians who have not only brought this entity to life but are also in full control of its movements. The album itself is seven tracks of unforgiving and unparalleled venom, guaranteed to filter into your veins and intoxicate you like a deadly snakebite.
Right from the opening bars of track one, Dead Medicine, it’s obvious they intend on taking no prisoners. As debuts go, this one is up there and opens with a statements piece. It’s a ‘this is who we are’, a call to arms, and by the end of the first verse, you will be fully immersed into the Medicine Horse sound.
intoxicating as it is venomous…
For me, there is a whole Candace Kucsulian of Walls of Jericho vibe to the vocal attack. The delivery is venomous, and it will literally have you leaning back from the speakers for fear of a clenched fist bursting forth and punching you square in the face. Even when there is clean singing, Nico really shares that dynamic in style, and what spews forth is such a welcome element. The rest of the band are quick to show their impressive skills too, and the culmination of all the elements makes for a brutal, yet honest, outpouring that is second to none.
In contrast, track two, Turning Tide takes us off down a different path completely. Here there is a more doom filled dynamic, and it really has me drawing comparison in style with EMBR. The chunky riffs, slow bassy lurches, and clean vocal cut with those demonic growls really highlights the band’s capabilities. This is also apparent on track six, She, where those elements are highlighted again.
For me though, it’s the middle two tracks, Letiche and Badlands where the band truly let themselves go, and that spiritually guided feeling washes over proceedings.
Letiche cuts between more ambient segments, which feel both dark, and incredibly zen like, and these heavier, more monstrous bursts of emotion. It’s here again, that Walls of Jericho vibe I sense, and when they hit, they are pummelling.
Badlands is abrasive, right from the get-go, and it’s this track which pulls me in the most. Like an ember becoming a flame before turning into an inferno, this track builds as it progresses, and as it peaks, its face melting. The juxtaposition between more sombre moments and antagonistic thrill ride highs work really well and leaves me wanting more.
Finishing with a flourish, track seven, Kuwa Detlukv (The Orchard), is one last chance for the band to shine. With a somewhat ambient ritualistic sound, it rolls in as if being carried on the wind. It’s a slower, darker piece, complete with what feels like a chanting before those now synonymous harsher screams replace the ambience. As it drops back, and those clean vocals ring through, it highlights just how versatile Nico can be. The band also make the most of the lead, and the accompanying soundtrack is just as wonderous.
By its climax, it’s safe to that Medicine Horse have really hit the ground running, and in the process have created an album which is as intoxicating as it is venomous. For a debut, this is something truly unique, and I for one, can’t wait to see where the band go from here.
Label: Horton Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Twitter | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
