Haar "2012 EP" CD Cardboard Sleeve

Initially intended to be a split release with Subvertio Deus, but was cancelled and released separately.
The EP was rereleased by Todestrieb Records in November 2012. Issued in a plastic envelope.

With an eclectic sound that derives from different kinds of black and progressive metal, Haar’s 2012 EP is aesthetically appealing to the ears with its blend of old and newer styles. It combines the heavy sounds that can be heard in bands such as Deathspell Omega and combines it with the beautiful, melodic guitars seen in bands such as Abigor  or Enslaved. With two very different influences, Haar has done an excellent job at meshing both together to create a sound that is beyond just black metal.The EP starts off with a slow guitar build up which lasts around 30 seconds or so, and this is a common theme seen in not only black metal music but almost all kinds of metal music as well. I had not realized, however, that this guitar build up was actually the first track of the album, I, or the Roman numeral for the number 1. I did not think much of it once the second track, Bourne, started to play immediately after.  I was pleasantly surprised by how raw and old school sounding the song actually was. A lot of newer black metal utilizes recording technology to give their music a cleaner sound, but Haar’s recordings did not sound over produced. While I’m aware that this a self-released EP and the band probably couldn’t access higher quality recording technology, it still sounded stunning in the end and it really did prove that an album’s recording quality does not have a huge influence on a band’s sound. The next track, cleverly named III, also had the same guitar build up sound that was in the first track. I was hoping it would not be an entire track but actually be the opening to the song. However, it followed that same pattern seen in the previous two tracks, and the last two tracks were also set up in this way. Being a 6 track EP, I was excited to see that there would be more songs to listen to than the average EP, but I was disappointed that with this set up, half of the tracks are just built up noise. If these songs were incorporated into the other 3 tracks rather than just stand on their own, it would have caused for less space for a much more simplified EP. Overall, I love that Haar’s sound consists of an older, black metal sound pair with newer, progressive guitars. I definitely recommend this EP to any newer and older school black metal fans. I hope Haar will be recognized for their talent and continue to put out more albums.

Sample: https://haar.bandcamp.com/albu...