If there is one thing that can be said for London Tech Death outfit Harbinger, it’s that they don’t wait around at all. Only in 2016 did they have their début shows, and in seemingly quick succession signed to Basick Records and released their début EP, Paroxysm; a release that showed plenty of promise, if still showing that the band needed to undertake a lot of work to stand out from the crowd.

Come present day and not only have they followed up with a new EP, Human Dust (also Basick) in less than twelve months, but they have also shown immense growth and stature already.

While still far from a ground breaking effort; Human Dust ticks all the boxes you’d expect from a technical Death Metal release but it feels leaps and bounds further on from their previous release in terms of song writing and ideas. This is evidenced on opener ‘The End Of Time’, which instantly erupts; Human Dust’s song craft is just that… more immediate, and with so many more hooks and mosh fodder melded with plenty of technicality. There is more dexterity throughout as well, particularly in the vocals which, whilst yet again proving far from original, do show a greater range, varying from clean passages and showing an increased palette for growled deliveries.

Whilst still not a game changer to unseat the likes of say, Decapitated by any means, what could have proven a cliché-ridden exercise actually showcases a band truly building on previous success, vastly improving in every fashion, and doing so with heart. A short and sweet exercise in formidable Tech Death which once again shows brighter things to come, with the added knowledge that they aren’t afraid to rest on laurels.

6.5/10

CHRIS TIPPELL