EP Review: Hartsbane – As Summer Dies (Self Released)

Hartsbane is the brainchild of Israeli singer and artist, Lev Kerzhner. Their debut effort, As Summer Dies features songs written over a decade and recorded live in front of an audience, in true DIY style.

The EP will be released on April 20th 2019.

Hartsbane’s take on traditional heavy metal is deliciously old-school sounding thanks to the clean vocals, the real strength in As Summer Dies. Giving the five-track EP some real catchiness, it could sound generic but the modern production really helps.

After a solid opening with Tame, it’s Nobody Knows that gets the juices flowing with some extra girth to the riffs and a punchier vocal performance. This is a track that has that extra touch of body-shaking groove that excites.

Then we get Substitute, a fairly innocuous rock tune that gets the head nodding along until we get this wonderful guitar solo near the end that gets the hair standing up on the body. It’s fantastic.

The good feeling that the previous track created continues into the more sombre but just as catchy title track. The power of the vocals once again showcased expertly before Tomorrows Rain reminds us that we are listening to a live recording.

The track, with crowd interaction makes the ballad and acoustic guitar all the more sweet.

Hartsbane – As Summer Dies Full Track Listing:

1. Tame
2. Nobody Knows
3. Substitute
4. As Summer Dies
5. Tomorrows Rain

The EP will be available via Bandcamp and major streaming services. Find out more via Hartsbane’s website, Facebook Page, Instagram and watch their videos on YouTube.