Hark The Herald
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Hark The Herald

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"Hardcore Heroes: Hark The Herald"

***Hardcore Heroes: Hark The Herald
Loud bass. Screaming guitars. Crisp vocals. All the things you would expect from a good band. What makes a great band? Diversity. Add a cello to the mix and what do you get? Hark the Herald.

Back in 2004 the band formerly known as “Disco” was planted into Louisville's underground scene. Gaining momentum, fans and band members, the band grew. Later, the name Hark the Herald was added with the addition of new members Robb Strojan (Bass), and Clay Nevels (Vocals). With their debut album “Aurora”, Hark the Herald breaks down barriers and brings a new style of music to the table thats rarely heard (or at least played well). Described by guitarist Zack Pennington as “Post Hardcore for those who know better, and Rock for those who don't” Hark the Herald invites the listener to turn up the music until your car speakers explode.

With heavy bass and screaming, yet amazingly clean guitar, songs like “A Late Night River Bank Deposit”, “Two if by Sea”, “Tombstones and Tiger Lilies” and “Attempting Friendly Fire” shows the band's true talent. Although these songs are heavier, there is zero loss of vocal quality. Clay Nevels wails into the mic in the beginning of “Two if by Sea”,and then dramatically changes to his distinct style of singing for most of the rest of the song. Although the band has lost some members due to school and other circumstances the band still stands strong.

With Zack Pennington still on guitar, the driving riffs that encompass that spot in your head that doesn't let you forget songs, still plays the truly original guitar lines he has always played. Joel Eichenberger takes over the drums for former drummer Jared Woods who had to take off for school, but don't worry, the heart-pounding bass pedal still beats the bass drum ( and your subwoofers ) to shreds in “Attempting Friendly Fire”. Robb Strojan passes the torch to Nathan Rogers for more complex and rolling bass lines like that in “Bound and Gagged ( A Lovely Obituary)”.

Louisville may not be known for its Post-Hardcore underground scene, but that makes Hark The herald that much more unique. Following in the footsteps of bands like Glassjaw, Depeche Mode, and my personal favorite, At the Drive-In, Hark the Herald makes their way to more than one playlist on my Zune.

Out of pure luck, I met Clay Nevels at Van's Warped Tour in 2008, and didn't really think a lot of it. I figured he was just a guy trying to sell me his own brand of music. Handing me these goofy taped together headphones he's says to me “Would you like to hear some music? We're from Louisville, we have Cd's!”. As I recall, he turns on either “Counterpointless”or “On Again, Off Again” both from Aurora. Immediately I fall in love with their unique sound and style. For the last few dollars in my shrinking wallet I pay him and grab my own copy. I listened to a few songs on my way home and liked it even more.

With my newly installed Big Lots Subwoofers in my Ranger, I set my EQ to my own custom setting and popped in the surprise I found under my seat. “On Again, Off Again” starts playing over my Kickers and newly installed Big Lot Specials. It sounds like a song that could get serious airplay. That and almost every other song on Aurora is a masterpiece of originality and passion. You can tell the dedication of Hark the Herald because of their solid sounding music and own original flair.

With a very impressive first album Hark the Herald is the kind of band that will make it to the big time. Everyone will one day be head banging to “Counterpointless”, singing along with “A Late Night River Bank Deposit” as their anthem, and trying to match Nevels' vocals in “Two if by Sea”.

Post-Hardcore may not be your scene, but the originality of the music, and their sincerity toward fans being more like friends, Hark the Herald hopes to establish their place in your life. As a friend, and as a fan.*** - The Jyst


"AP&R Top Unsigned Bands (July 2008)"


HQ: Louisville, KY
NOW PLAYING: Aurora EP
THE STORY SO FAR: Not all dorm resident assistants listen to Dave Matthews. Hark The Herald guitarist Zack Pennington met cellist Charlie Patton when he was an R.A. during the fall 2004 semester at the University of Louisville. "After a small show at the dorm, we decided to push the band further," says Pennington, and they fine-tuned their scream and string-tinged rock, swelling to include vocalist Clay Nevels, guitarist Robbie Strojan, bassist Nate Rogers and drummer Joel Eichenberger. The academics soon began matriculating at local shows as openers for Chiodos and Cartel.
WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Orchestral instruments are nothing new in alternative music, but Hark The Herald make the presence of cello a necessary ingredient in their frenetic, eclectic sound. "Having a classically-trained cellist in band really pulls [our diverse influences] out of us," says Strojan. "It's catchy enough to sing along to, but heavy without being a bunch of breakdowns,"
YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: CURSIVE / EMERY / MURDER BY DEATH - Alternative Press


"Heroes of the Flood"

"Chastity Cutter of Fond du Lac
This note of appreciation is for four young men of the "Hark the Herald" music group, who I see as heroes. Although their deed was not done in Fond du Lac County, for us stranded senior citizens who were trying to get home from Oshkosh during the evening of June 12, they are true heroes.
We attended a farewell dinner for some co-workers and within an hour of our arrival were unable to get out of the restaurant parking lot (due to floodwater). After finally planning a route to get home, we were required to leave Highway 41 in Oshkosh at Highway 21. We were unable to travel south or west. The Holiday Inn Express was filled, as was the La Quinta Inn. The desk clerk at the Holiday Inn Express (also a hero) was very kind and allowed us to hang out in the lobby and offered to get us blankets.
As we were sitting in the lobby and watching the weather on television, a young man came up to us and asked if we were without a room. We said that we were. He said he was with a band whose show had been cancelled due to the rain and that they are used to sleeping in the van or on floors, so we were welcome to have their room.
One of the fellows was already sleeping in the room, but cheerfully got up and along with the rest of his group, slept on couches, straight chairs in a row, and on the floor, while we slept in comfort.
This is a band from Kentucky that recently began its first tour and published its first CD. When I purchased one of their CD's, the young man said that it may be "a little harder rock than you'd like." It may be, but I have enjoyed playing it from time to time, and it really gives me an opportunity to be grateful that young men were so willing to give their room to older folks.
Information on this group is available at www.harktheherald.net. They have written and recorded their music." - The Reporter (Fond Du Lac, WI)


"What I'm Listening To Now"

Hark the Herald is a five-piece band out of Louisville who caught my attention because they credit a cellist. A cellist! On a hardcore album! And not as a guest musician, but as a full-fledged member of the band! How sweet is that?

Ok, my little geek out is over, come on back. Aurora is the debut album from Hark The Herald. I suppose this sound is called post-hardcore or melodic-hardcore or some such, but I think most of those really specific labels are used by music writers as a crutch, so I try to avoid them. The sound is definitely screamy. In fact, it skates right along the line at which I get frustrated with an album because I can’t understand the lyrics. Aurora manages not to devolve into unintelligibility because there’s a ton of melody on this album and it blends with the screaming such that the hardcore elements don’t feel superfluous. The band only credits one vocalist, Clay Nevels, so I assume the guy does both the singing and the screaming, and if that’s the case he’s got remarkable range. His melodic pieces are delivered with conviction and real ability. In addition to the cello, played by Charlie Patton, there are some truly excellent guitar pieces on the album. Aurora focuses on faster numbers that really show off the interplay between the vocals and musicianship.

Hark The Herald is also pulling a Radiohead on their website, where you can purchase the album for as little as $1.00 or as much as $100.00. It’s up to you.

Standout tracks are “At Capacity,” “Tombstones and Tiger Lilies” and “1. An Unfortunate Error.” - A Face In The Crowd


Discography

"Aurora" (LP) 11 tracks, released April 2008. Available on iTunes as well as many other popular outlets.

Photos

Bio

Hark The Herald formed in Fall of 2004 in a dorm at the University of Louisville, when I, Zack (as a Resident Assistant) and two of my residents (former drummer Jared Woods and cellist Charlie Patton) decided to jam for fun. After a few practices and a small show at the dorm we decided to push the band further eventually adding Robbie Strojan on bass and Clay Nevels on vocals. Jared, Charlie, and Robbie all had to leave the band because of school and work. We found comfort in our new drummer, Joel Eichenberger, and our new bassist Nathan Rogers. We went from playing in a dorm lobby to opening for bands like Chiodos, LoveHateHero, and Cartel. We were fortunate enough to be on the front page of Purevolume.com in February and a top unsigned band in the July '08 issue of Alternative Press. We've been touring full-time since May of '08 and plan on touring well into the fall. We will be spending the winter months demoing for our next release and then hitting the road again in the spring.

Our music is catchy enough to sing along to, yet it's heavy, without being a bunch of breakdowns (although there are a few). We all like very different music, although there is some overlap. Having a classically trained cellist in the band in combination with recording with producer Joey Sturgis who is primarily known for recording metal bands (The Devil Wears Prada, My Children My Bride) really pulls all of that diversity out of us.