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Harbinger was a band from Michigan that kicked around for a few years on a couple of separate occasions, producing a few demos and Doom on You, their only full-length album, which was originally released in 2009. Dying Victims Productions is giving it a vinyl re-release, so let's dig in. If I didn't know better, I'd have guessed these guys were active in the '80s, perhaps at the end of the NWOBHM movement or the concurrent mainland European scene. Their sound is fast, loose, and energetic, more on the ambition than raw talent side. Despite the album name, there's nothing remotely doomy about Harbinger's music. "Iron Rules" (a bonus track on this reissue) has the speed and high, barely holding on to the tune vocals of Tokyo Blade, "Mourningstar" features a lot of echo which is similar to Witch Cross and, of course, the band breaks out the twin guitar harmonies on "The Blood of Heroes," à la Iron Maiden. Harbinger further adds to the '80s feel with a few horror movie quotes and even some dialogue from a PMRC-type press conference featuring instructions on how to prevent your son from becoming caught up in the evils of heavy metal. Doom on You is no lost classic as the music is boiler plate with few interesting hooks and the playing is average though, as I said, the energy level is high. I can't honestly recommend it, but give it a whirl if simple, '80s-style heavy metal is your thing, just don't expect to be blown away.

Additional Information

2022 reissue on Dying Victims Productions reviewed, with one bonus track and a total running time of 40:36.