Reviews : Albums : Highgate, "Untitled"

Following in the vein of Burning Witch and Thorr’s Hammer, Kentucky’s Highgate punish us with their one-song, self-titled debut. Nearly 54 minutes of agonizing, heavy, screamed, slow doom awaits and if you’re patient enough, have a penchant for masochism and an ear for scarily heavy sludge/doom/death, you may even get a kick out of the bleakness captured here. Though this may sound like the perfect Sleep fan’s album, it’s definitely not the case. If you’re looking for smooth, stoner-scapes of reverb and oceans of slow, building bridges to somewhere awash in hazy green, get off the fucking bus right now. Highgate are here to punch your ticket to hell and send you on the most painful journey in that direction. This stuff is scary, inaccessible and for me at least, a chore to listen to. The band seems to pull it off fairly well, but to be honest, it’s dark and dreary enough that I don’t think I’d ever reach for this disc for enjoyment’s sake alone.

Peter Johnston