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Invisible Mountain, the breakthrough debut full-length from North Carolina’s Horseback, took just about everyone, me included, by surprise. An excellent album that falls squarely within the triumvirate of psychedelic rock, stoner metal, and doom, Invisible Mountain, like the best albums from Ufomammut and Earth, was able to combine a minimalist approach with interwoven melodies and harmonies to produce a beautiful album of near epic proportions.

Impressed, I named Horseback the Newcomer of the Year for 2010.

Admittedly, I have a soft spot for well done psychedelic rock, even if such rock only skirts the edges of metal. Frankly, with Half Blood, Horseback have largely excised whatever metal roots that they may have once nurtured, with the exception of the rasped vocals. Instead, Half Blood is a seamless blend of psychedelics, encompassing such bands as Earth, Yo La Tengo, and even folk rock acts such as the Cowboy Junkies.

Toss in vague hints of Kyuss and Ufomammut, and you have Horseback in a nutshell. Notice my comparisons to bands usually not associated with metal, but with psychedelic rock. In fact, were it not for the dirty vocals, though muted, Half Blood could easily be mistaken for a Yo La Tengo album, as both bands are direct descendants of Pink Floyd, particularly from that legendary band’s early albums.

Half Blood has a dual nature that occurs within the album’s seven songs. Three of the tracks are melodic, electro/acoustic numbers built around a few simple melodies and riffs.

The remainder of the album, particularly the latter half, leans heavily upon droning harmonics, a few spoken words, and a soothing beat, a beat sustained by a bass drum and a tambourine, almost as if Horseback spent some time studying the droning cadences of Native American rituals. The result is a masterpiece of minimalism.

For whatever reason, though, Horseback are still associated with metal, but, as with bands such as Earth, Horseback have entered other realms, realms that are appreciated by metalheads with an ear towards psychedelics. I suspect that Horseback are really going to appeal to a niche audience within metal; perhaps an older crowd that grew up with albums such as Meddle and Obscured By Clouds that appeared as regular mainstays on the hi-fi. Regardless, for that audience and more, Half Blood is a near masterpiece.

(released May 8, 2012 on Relapse Records)



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