Single Review: Haest – EP #1

Haest are a kind of DIY punk supergroup, amongst their number are members of Matilda’s Scoundrels, The Barracks, Wizard Fight and The Dead Anyways. You might think that looking at the individual members former outfits that Haest are going to be one of those bands that are an amalgamation of the members better known outfits, if that is what you’re thinking that you’re in for a surprise as Haest‘s debut release, the simply titled EP #1 that is now available via One Step Outside Records, is a blast of hardcore punk rock.

From the crushing riff of I Didnt Throw A Single Stone And Still I Got Pissed On onwards it would seem that there is no link to the members primary outfits, but close examination reveals each of their DNA buried deep in Haest. With the exception of the sludgier tracks, Hustler White and This Tired Ship Is Sinking, this is an EP of brutal punk rock that is accompanied by the recalibrated heavyweight riffage of Wizard Fight to impressive effect, the end product is an EP that weirdly, given the roots of Haest, resonates with the attitude of the primordial US hardcore scene.

Haest are a product not of inactivity by the members core acts, but of familiarity and a love of punk rock, each of their band’s have played regularly together, and even shared split singles in the case in The Barracks and Matilda’s Scoundrels. There would no point in any of the band members creating a side project that resembled their primary outfits, and with Haest the four members have combined their love of all things punk and produced a dark heavy slab of hardcore that stands alone.

EP #1 can be streamed and purchased via One Step Outside Records here

Haest‘s Facebook page can be found here