Search - HORSE the Band :: Desperate Living

An incredible Q-bert like dance party.

David Joyner | Fayetteville, NC USA | 10/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first put in my Desperate Living CD, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had heard that the band was trying to distance themselves a bit from their metal influences, and honestly it made me nervous. I first discovered HtB AS a metal band, and wasn't ready to part with that yet. Little did I know, HtB had grown on me with their own unique style and sound, and metal wasn't even a part of the equation anymore.



Sure, there's still screaming, there's still some double bass, and there's still some rough, raw guitar with heavy distortion; but the pacing, the smooth transitions, and expert keyboard playing take it almost out of the rock genre altogether. It's really something to experience. Also, lead singer Nathan Winneke actually places melody in several of their songs (something that was experimented with in A Natural Death) and creates a powerful feel without a wide vocal range.



Some tracks are still head-noddingly awesome, while others sometimes are slower, and fill your head with random images (which does seem almost like what they wanted to happen). Now, when I say slower, I don't mean slow. Anyone who is familiar with HtB's music knows that they are more fast paced than a cheetah on speed, so they'll understand.



Desperate Living is way more than I ever expected it to be. It's well paced, well versed, beautiful (in their own way) and still sloppy (once again, in their own way). Horse the Band's sound has really come out, and it only took them 5 CDs to do it.



Also, if you like videogames, they reference them a lot. Good stuff."