REVIEW: The Native Howl - Sons of Destruction

Put on your dancing boots and get ready to rock, The Native Howl is coming out with their genre-bending album 'Sons of Destruction' on October 4th. You may know this Michigan-based quartet from their win in season 1 of the TV series 'No Cover', but they’re now signed with Sumerian Records and ready for more. In this 11 track LP, they're here to show us what their own style, which they've coined as 'thrash grass', is all about. We've had a good listen and trust us, you won’t want to miss this.

As if it was looking for a specific genre on an old radio or killing time during a night plagued by insomnia, we come in to changing channels in the start of the first song 'Can’t Sleep'. That is, until we start hearing a catchy melody start to break through the white noise. In no time at all, we’re swiped away in an bluegrass-fuelled fever dream. The explosive banjo start feels like a celebration we’ve been invited to, with the band losing no time inviting the listener into their universe. What is remarkable with this song is how strong all the different instruments are, each having a moment to show unexpected ways to play and merge together. We can quickly feel that everyone’s skill is put forward from the start and comes together to complement one another.

We transition into “Mercy” featuring the wonderful and well-known vocals of Lzzy Hale, from the band Halestorm. Unexpectedly, this comes as the perfect definition of 'thrash grass', and masterfully incorporates a heavy metal aspect befitting to their guest. It's blues, it's jazz, it has a high lonesome sound but also rapid tempo and melody changes. It brings all the best raw and gritty elements of thrash as well, to make something wholly new and enjoyable.

The middle of the album, and most notably 'B.O.G', 'Sons of Destruction' and 'Waco', create the atmosphere you'd find in an outlaw film's soundtrack, which is explicitly mentioned by the band, and work together to build a strong identity and sense of coherence throughout the record. They display strong and well-measured guitar riffs that once again complement other instruments rather than overtaking them. We also get the opportunity to see more of Alex Holycross’ vocal range with great build ups amongst some deeper, heavier parts.

'No True Scotsman' also piques interest as it seems to evoke the origins of bluegrass - which has its roots in traditional English, Scottish and Irish ballads and dance tunes, while still incorporating blues and jazz. The Native Howl honours genres while mixing them all into their unique sound, spinning it out to play those same instruments heavier and at a speed that evokes the finest of thrash. The piece ends up brilliantly marrying something old and something new, whilst surprising us by highlighting what becomes almost a full-on a cappella singing part.

As we get towards the end of the album, we explore songs such as 'In Death' which has a beautiful ballad start that carries out throughout the song, and 'Stockholme Syndrome' that puts a heavy emphasis on melodic elements whilst exploring the dark sides of the human condition. 'Wide is the River' is a beautifully natural song, evoking the wilderness, and brings us back to our roots as fundamentally organic, natural beings.

Contrary to their appearance on 'No Covers', the band have chosen to include one in this album and the penultimate song ends up being their single version of the traditional American folk song 'God's Gonna Cut You Down', most notably performed by Johnny Cash on his posthumous album 'American V: A Hundred Highways'. It's delivered in a noticeably lower register compared to the other songs here, in what could be an homage to Cash's brooding style of singing that he was so well-regarded for. They bring a new spin to this timeless classic, but still leave it with plenty of its original character. 

We arrive at the end of the adventure with the last track 'Devil I've Become'. It begins with an acoustic start, a smooth transition from the previous song. However, the tempo accelerates in the middle of the song and brings back the pace of the first few songs, in a cyclical manner that is intensely satisfying. It gives us the last chapter of the development of the albums own character, meeting us where we started but at the end of a whole journey.

An excellent release that creates a familiar yet wholly unknown universe, carrying a Rob Zombie’s “Devil’s Rejects” movie soundtrack feel. It is an album of beautifully organised chaos, and is a true celebration of life in both its light and its darkness. The only thing you can be sure of is that 'Sons of Destruction' will keep you on your toes, not only at every song but at every note.

'Sons of Destruction' will be released on October 4th via Sumerian Records.

Words: Lysandre Pons

Photos: The Native Howl