Black Wing Halo is still experimenting and exploring but it finally has a voice to call its own.
Review by David Feltman
Always ones for experimentation, Black Wing Halo’s previous releases made it hard to put a finger on the band’s identity. The band fearlessly pursued everything from rap-rock to 80s electronic music. On its newest EP, the band’s style wanders from the shoegaze drones of “Bite My Lip” to the reverb packed surf rock rhythms of “Relapse.” Yet these varying styles all seem to be put through a grungy, hard rock filter, giving the band a definite sound.
This sound is inarguably aggressive, with vocals switching between a throaty tenor and a barking snarl. The cover of Nine Inch Nail’s “Wish” only cements the hostile new tone. The band’s version strips away NIN’s industrial noises and replaces it with screechy feedback and fevered rhythms. The result feels right at home with the rest of the EP.
Black Wing Halo is still experimenting and exploring but it finally has a voice to call its own. It’s only fitting that this release would carry the band’s monogram. The EP offers a scant but meaty six track EP that only whets the appetite. One can only hope that a full-length album will soon follow.
You can order the EP and listen to “Wish” at the band’s official website.
