Born from the ashes of the UK's criminally underrated stoner metal outfit Taint, HARK are definitely a name worth knowing in the current metal landscape. Led by the inimitable Jimbob Issac, who is an accomplished artist (see: Machinations' cover art) as well as a killer musician, HARK has landed tours with some of hard rock's biggest and best acts, including the mighty Clutch and Black Tusk, in their short five years as a band, and their 2012 debut Crysyalline was easily one of the best albums of that year. It's been a grueling three year wait, but HARK have at last returned with their sophomore effort Machinations, a record that sees the band building upon their rock-solid sludge/stoner foundation and adding a welcome dimension of accessibility and experimentation.
Any fan of the now-defunct Taint knows just how much of a guitar god Jimbob Issac is, and the addition of Joe Harvatt on lead guitar makes a strong case for these two being some of the best on the current scene. There's so much creativity and diversity in the riffs found throughout both Crystalline and now Machinations, but in the case of the latter, the leads are what will keep the listener coming back for more. Jimbob and Harvatt shred their way up and down the fretboard, not unlike greats such as Page and Iommi, and each song contains a blazing solo that could inspire an entire legion of air guitarists. Any stoner album worth its weight in reefer will be driven by a slew of badass riffs, and Machinations delivers, and then some.
It doesn't hurt that rest of the band rules too. New bassist Tom Shortt likely made it easier to pull off ragers such as "Speak in Tongues" and "Son of Pythagoras," and the Bonham-like ferocity of drummer Simon Bonwick keeps things interesting in the rhythm department as well. It's obvious that Jimbob takes a cue from one his heroes, Clutch's Neil Fallon, in the vocal department, but the results aren't just mere imitation; Jimbob has developed impressively as a vocalist since his days in Taint, and it's safe to say that in addition to some of his best musical performances, Machinations features his best vocal performance to date as well.
While the album is chock full of sludgy bangers that could easily be played on modern rock radio (that is, if the radio dared play music this good), the high point of Machinations comes with its final two tracks. "Comixant 30" is an airy-instrumental piece whose southern-tinged, squealing guitars lead perfectly into the epic closing track, "The Purge." Simply put, this song is eight minutes of pure stoner metal bliss, with an energizing, fist-pumping, headbanging build-up and payoff that comes halfway through and rides out until the very end. This is the kind of jam that demands to be blasted while cruising down the highway on a mean hog.
Where HARK succeeds most is in the clashing of the old and the new. They play rock n' roll like a band from the '70s, not giving a crap about trends or what's "in," but they do so using a refined blueprint that's been informed by modern sludge and stoner bands. HARK isn't trying to outdo anybody or be any band other than HARK, and with Machinations, they've written what is likely to be one of the best, most kick-ass rock records of 2017.
Score: 9/10
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