HARVESTED is a four-piece from Canada that with their new self-titled EP, is getting recognition from fans of SUFFOCATION or CANNIBAL CORPSE. With an old-school Death metal approach and crushing sound, they have come a long way since they started the band three years ago. With each member also taking on other projects, the EP was actually recorded in 2020, but with various setbacks (add a global pandemic to that list!) they are ready for the world to see and hear HARVESTED.

The release opens with your introduction to what you can expect with the drums on the track "Apathetic". Precise aggression is the backbone to the tracks and paired with the vocal stylings of Adam, grab and keep the attention of the listener. You are beaten into submission, but you would have it no other way! The riffs build a tension in this track but are constantly creating and building. The album is said to focus on mental illness as a main topic for much of the lyrics, and that is obvious with the next track "Bludgeoned". The song is credited as the first that was written by the group and deals a lot with schizophrenia and the lack of compassion from society. The track has a heavy melody to it and includes some creativity within the guitars with a headbanger riff, bass solo and guitar solo, that I found to be oddly relaxing for some reason.

"Incognitive" is force-fed into your head and never lets up as the vocals drive the thoughts of inadequacy into your head. This is your, straight to your face, Death metal track that is heavy hitting in every aspect of it. "Delirium" follows suit and is born from the same demonic beast as the last song. It is high energy and forms itself into a classic early Death metal form of chaos. The deterioration of the mind and giving into insanity are captured and put on display by the destructive battering of the drums. The EP finishes up with "Bereavement" which is a crushing combination of riffs and a guitar addition midway through that is a standout in the song and seems to come out of nowhere. The track should get some motion going in the pits.

For an album that was in the works to be released for three years, it was worth the wait as these guys are able to create a thunderous storm of Death metal. The vocals are from a personal perspective and can be relatable to most as the band can whip the song into a frenzy. With this being the first release from the group, it will be interesting if these musicians can have time to produce more material. As of now, they have just begun getting their feet wet on stage as a collective, but this is not a first for these musicians involved.