Concert Review: August Grind-down – Horse Latitudes at Nosturi

Horse Latitudes @ Nosturi, August 27th, 2011.

With the approaching darkness of the Finnish fall and winter – the enjoyment of which will be cut short for me should California call in January – I deemed it necessary to take a head start into gloom and darkness by checking out the quadruple doom metal gig headlined by the legendary Saint Vitus in Nosturi, Helsinki. Their historical first appearance will be covered by the well-established metal media, so I decided to concentrate (for personal reasons too) on the opening act, Horse Latitudes.

The Helsinki trio, named after The Doors’ song, has already released an eponymous EP and debut album ‟Gathering” that has been highly appreciated by critics. Consisting of drummer-vocalist Harri and the two bass-players Veli-Matti and Heidi, Horse Latitudes takes conventional doom metal and gives it a distinct, uncanny spin. The slow, heavily distorted drone of the bass-akimbo is combined to march-like low drums, interrupted with violent crash-fills and shamanistic rage of the speedier sections, but one should not confuse apparent simplicity with lack of ideas – for at the level of the idea and originality, Horse Latitudes ruled supreme among the support acts at Nosturi.

The band’s set was a minuscule thirty minutes, in their case leaving space for three long, ponderous songs, but the trio had chosen them well. To the poetic ‟Seas of Saturn” and the aggressive, at times almost groovy, ‟Son of the Moon” (both from ‟Gathering”) they added a previously unheard tune that is to be released on an upcoming 12” split with Hooded Menace who were also present supporting Saint Vitus. The patient, titanic grind of the bass guitars painted most of the horrific landscapes, the drums providing variety and shifts within the songs. It was interesting to note how one forgot that the stage was set with instruments usually reserved for staying in the background. Horse Latitudes managed to turn the tables and bring out the distinct character of the basses and the drums, almost as if none was accompanying the others, but rather so that each individual brought its own character to the mix, the result being a discordant, demoniac harmony where the outcome appeared greater than the sum of the components.

Added to the downtempo, dark and discordant musicianship is the clean singing of Harri, who excelled especially in comparison to other support act vocalists on the darkening Saturday night. With a great sense for nuances, he managed to invoke the planetary seas and dark depths, ranging from low growls, to monotonous Jim Morrison -like chants and high-pitched shrieks. His standard singing voice was in good order so that the special effect stayed just that and didn’t become ends in themselves.

In a BTSB interview after the show, Veli-Matti said that the band’s confidence in performance has taken steps for the better and this was easy to see from the Nosturi crowd as well. The trio gave out an air of being in control of the stage, of their respectful instruments and of the massive waves of sound and bursts of piercing metal-attack that left the building shaking and the journalist trembling for the rest of the night. Still, the slightly embarrassing arch-gloom and false seriousness, so common with many metal ensembles, was not present, and the atmosphere remained somewhat relaxed, even if the depths of the coldest space and deep despair remain at the heart of Horse Latitudes’ songwriting.

Even if Horse Latitudes might have squatted in the shadow of their idols, the venerable Saint Vitus, it might not be long that they’re sought after performers at many a venue around the world. Maybe in twenty years there is a country that awaits the steam-driven sledgehammer of Horse Latitudes as devoutly as Finland waited for Saint Vitus pre 2011.

Check www.myspace.com/horselatitudesmetal for more info on Horse Latitudes, their upcoming releases, song previews and tour schedules!

Esko Suoranta
BTSB

You’re Listening to F-You fm

Friends, it goes without saying that there is a problem with popular radio. I have wondered how they could possibly play the stuff they play. My deep-seated feelings for the radio have caused our conversations to end in mutual antipathy at best and heated arguments at worst. Therefore, I venture no longer to burden you with my love, my questions, my anger on this subject. I address the radio directly:

Dear Radio,

You have been the father of mass communication. You have spanned generations. When more advanced technology threatened to make you obsolete, you stood strong. How I have loved you, and how I now, dare I say it, despise you. I fear, Radio, your time is near at hand.

You lie now in the comfortable arms of The Record Companies, who forever pump out what they alone deem right and good. But your unflinching loyalty to them has alienated me, my friend. Do you know how it pains me to hear you play whatever they give you, without questioning its value? Do you ever wonder how it makes me feel to hear you abandon greatness in favor of mediocrity, just because your patron The Record Companies tells you to? Do you expect me to believe you when you say that the atrocious noise you spew is actually good new music? No, I can not buy into those lies. Yet, unlike so many others, I am not ready to give you up. I am not ready to let you go. But a change is needed if we are to maintain our relationship, indeed, and more importantly for us both, if you are to survive the storm that is brewing.

Allow me to explain the situation, for it seems you have been blinded. The people are angry, my friend. They are outraged at The Record Companies. They are fed up with paying so much for so little. They lash out on their own. They steal and they burn without remorse. They have forgotten that you are our voice, you are our leader. And, as much at it hurts me to say it, I feel you may have forgotten that too.

There is something that you must realize: you are in a dangerous spot. This battle between we, the people, and The Record Companies will not go on forever. No matter how hard they try to protect their discs, no matter what lawsuits they throw at us, they are doomed to fail. They are outnumbered and out skilled. Their attacks are merely delaying the inevitable. You must change your ways, dear Radio, because they will go down, and when they do, you will go with them.

But hear me, it doesn’t have to be like that. I know you like The Record Companies; I understand. No one wants to bite the hand that feeds them. But I also know that you like our side, at least you say you do. Remember the days when you catered to us and how we rewarded you for it? Please, do not feel like I am making you choose two sides in a war. There is a third way, a way where we can all live in harmony. And that way lies with you.

Now is the time for you to stand up. Now is the time for you to flex your muscles and shake the chains that bind you- the chains of that evil empire, The Record Companies. You have the ability to say no to the sorry excuse for music that they are feeding you. You have the ability to tell them that you will no longer play this mindless dribble. Do not be afraid, we are behind you.

Think of it, the knowledge you have of music can unite us all. Although not at first, The Record Companies will eventually thank you for opening their eyes. When you use your power to force them to put out music that the people want to hear, they will benefit. No longer will they have to prey on our weak and our young, they will be able to please us all, and they will be rewarded for it. And it will all have been because of you; because you stood up for what was good and what was in the interest of us all.

I know you can do it. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers, those who claim you were never good. It will be hard at first, yes, but it is the only course of action at this point. Now is the time to act. Hesitate, and I fear we may never dance to you again.

Yours Sincerely,

The Music Fans

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