Metallic hardcore warriors Harm’s Way recently released their new Will Yip-produced album Common Suffering via Metal Blade (order yours), and now they’ve made us a list of the albums and booked that influenced its bleak sound and subject matter. The picks range from Meshuggah to Celtic Frost to Godflesh to Camus, and Harm’s Way have provided commentary on how each pick relates to the music on Common Suffering. Read on for what they had to say.
The band is on tour now with Fleshwater, Ingrown, and Jivebomb, and that awesome quadruple bill lands in NYC this Friday (10/27) at Brooklyn Monarch. Tickets are still available. The very last stop of the tour is in Chicago with the reunited Weekend Nachos. All dates are listed at the bottom of this post.
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ALBUMS & BOOKS THAT INFLUENCED HARM’S WAY’S – COMMON SUFFERING
Albert Camus – The Plague
Camus’ The Plague was a book that was re-read during the early stages of the pandemic, coincidentally, when writing essentially began for Common Suffering. Themes from the novel felt more real and applicable than ever on a very personal and global level… even reaching the experience we were having as a band. I wrote down a specific quote from the book that would eventually go on to greatly influence our album title… “All the same, following the dictates of his heart, he has deliberately taken the victims’ side and tried to share with his fellow citizens the only certitudes they had in common-love, exile, and suffering.”
Meshuggah – Chaosphere
Those listening to Common Suffering won’t help but notice a heavier groove and rhythm-oriented sound to the album that was more subtly found on past Harm’s Way releases. Meshuggah’s Chaosphere was a record that was listened to heavily during the later writing stages of Common Suffering, with [guitarist] Nick [Gauthier] finding inspiration from this particular album in the Meshuggah discography.
Gaza – No Absolutes in Human Suffering
This was an album that was revisited and listened to a lot during different stages of the writing process of Common Suffering, leaving its mark on some of the crust, sludge, and light “math” elements found across the record.
Frederich Nietzsche – Beyond Good and Evil
Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil was another text that was delved into during the writing process of the album, having a strong impact thematically for James’ when writing and constructing lyrics. The question around the construction of a universal morality – especially in the face of the absurdity of the pandemic – as well as the internal struggle over quelling one’s internal struggles and desires can be found on tracks like “Denial”, “Sadist Guilt”, and “Wanderer.”
Celtic Frost – Monotheist
Anyone familiar with the Harm’s Way discography is most likely keen on the fingerprints someone like Tom Warrior and a band like Celtic Frost has had on our sound. Monotheist, in particular, is a classic album for us as a band. It is on continual rotation, and it is safe to say that it has built itself into our collective subconscious in terms of approaching certain elements of song writing.
Godflesh – Hymns
Another band that has greatly influenced different albums across the Harm’s Way catalog, Godflesh’s Hymns is a record that is a band favorite. Often recognized as a departure in the Godflesh discography, we experienced Hymns as such a cool and fearless album, indirectly inspiring us to never be stagnant, while also directly influencing a lot of the atmospheric and melodic moments on Common Suffering.
The Soft Moon – Criminal
Criminal was an album that was getting some heavy listening by us as a band leading up to the pandemic, as well as into the writing process of Common Suffering. Elements of Criminal would go on to have a mark on our bassist Casey, who tackles a of our production and programming. This can definitely be heard on the industrial, synth, and other electronic textures found throughout Common Suffering.
Harm’s Way — 2023 Tour Dates
Oct 24: Pittsburgh, PA – Preserving Underground
Oct 25: Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
Oct 27: Brooklyn, NY – Monarch
Oct 28: Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
Oct 29: Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
Oct 30: Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Oct 31: Richmond, VA – Canal Club
Nov 01: Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Hell
Nov 03: Dallas, TX – Studio at The Factory
Nov 04: Austin, TX – Mohawk
Nov 05: Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Studio
Nov 07: Phoenix, AZ – The Nile
Nov 08: Las Vegas, NV – Eagle Aerie Hall
Nov 09: Los Angeles, CA – 1720
Nov 10: San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick
Nov 11: Berkeley, CA – 924 Gilman Street
Nov 12: Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
Nov 14: Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
Nov 15: Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
Nov 16: Kansas City, MO – RecordBar
Nov 18: Chicago, IL – Metro
Oct 18 – Nov 16 w/ Fleshwater, Ingrown, Jivebomb
Nov 18 w/ Weekend Nachos, All Out War, Fleshwater, Ingrown