{"id":318234,"date":"2025-08-04T22:17:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T22:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/318234\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T22:17:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T22:17:11","slug":"harvested-dysthymia-review-angry-metal-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/318234\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvested – Dysthymia Review | Angry Metal Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Despite a waning stigma, mental illness remains an oft-closeted topic, as those suffering from it struggle not only to cope but to discuss their struggles with others. Here to shed some of their death metal light on the matter are Canadian upstarts Harvested<\/strong>, with their independent debut full-length Dysthymia, which, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, is defined as a long-lasting form of mild depression. Touching on topics ranging from submitting to one\u2019s long-bottled-up \u2018shadow self\u2019 (\u201cRepressed Neurosis\u201d) to the gluttonous way humans abuse the earth (\u201cUnanchored\u201d), something Harvested<\/strong> consider a form of mental illness, they\u2019ve dialed back the lyrically gorier aspects of their eponymous 2022 EP to intensify the focus on their chosen theme. As evidenced by the beautifully rendered CJ Bertram cover art, which main guitarist Mitchi Dimitriadis says depicts \u2018an individual in great mental turmoil\u2019 and represents \u2018the abstract visualization of the chaos that is the human brain,\u2019 it\u2019s clear that Harvested<\/strong> are committed to the subject. The only question left to answer is whether it\u2019s worth reaping what Harvested<\/strong>\u2019s Dysthymia hopes to have sown.<\/p>\n

Nostalgically anchored in 1990s and early 2000s death metal, Harvested<\/strong> also incorporate modern elements of slam and tech-death into the mix to achieve Dysthymia\u2019s goal. This is one brutal fucking record, and from the get, you realize Harvested aren\u2019t messing about, as Dysthymia mashes the potatoes and pulls the meaty steaks off the grill, a muscle-bound manifestation of their Cannibal Corpse<\/strong>, Suffocation<\/strong>, and Deicide<\/strong> (\u201cHarvested,\u201d \u201cThe Infestation\u201d) influences. Dimitriadis\u2019 and Vitto Oh\u2019s guitar harmonics are pinched harder than Grier<\/strong>\u2018s butt cheeks at an enema convention, ensorcelled by viscerally blistering riffs, technically proficient leads, and tornadic, swirling solos. Jacob Collins\u2019 drums crack skulls and pummel sternums with whirling fills and destructive double-kicks while Eric Forget\u2019s bass lines remember everything necessary to keep things rumbling along. Adam Semler\u2019s vocals, primarily an homage to George Fisher\u2019s chesty aggression and Glenn Benton\u2019s demonic discernibility, also share elements with Cattle Decapitation<\/strong>\u2019s Travis Ryan at his most high-pitched and raspy. For such a young band, Harvested<\/strong> have planted a flag on the death metal scene, and Dysthymia is the wind through which that flag furls, filled with exuberant, energy-filled performances and solid songwriting.<\/p>\n

\ufeff\ufeffDysthymia by Harvested<\/a><\/p>\n

With highlights aplenty, Dysthymia demands attention by way of its genuine songcraft and near flawless execution. I found myself stank-faced and sweaty through many a listen, whether basking in the glow of galloping riffs and percussive bass on \u201cUnending Madness\u201d or taking in the detailed technicality of the Soreption<\/strong> and The Zenith Passage<\/strong> influenced \u201cDesigned Dilemma,\u201d a song that chugs so hard through its last ninety seconds I nearly gave myself whiplash. My favorite track, \u201cGathered and Deluded,\u201d is a Cattle Decapitation<\/strong>-tinted slammer with pinched harmonic progressions that have been living rent-free in my head for weeks as Forget\u2019s bass marches in flurrying lockstep with Collins\u2019 robotically precise drums, and Selmer channels his best inner Travis Ryan. Harvested<\/strong> is one tight-knit outfit, belying their relatively brief existence and sounding like a band that\u2019s been together much longer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019d argue the efforts of Harvested<\/strong>\u2019s \u201csixth member\u201d <\/strong>deserve as much credit for the success Dysthymia should garner as the band themselves, and that is the excellent work Joe Lyko performed from the booth at Darkmoon Productions. Lyko\u2019s mix and master slathers Dimitriadis\u2019 and Oh\u2019s guitar work in a tone that, for me, defies obvious comparison, as bright and bouncy as it is deadly and devastating. Like a calculated throat punch, it was the first thing that hit me when album opener, \u201cHarvested,\u201d launched, holding my rapt attention all the way through to \u201cThe Infestation,\u201d an excellent close to Dysthymia\u2019s very manageable thirty-two-minute runtime. Each instrument exists within its own space, breathing freely and intertwining with high-definition clarity, thereby topping this auditorily successful sundae with a big, fat, juicy cherry.<\/p>\n

Lyrically poignant, brutally heavy, and bursting with engagingly twisted, hook-filled instrumentation, Dysthymia is a helluva debut, and one Harvested<\/strong> should be proud of. As poetically as I have waxed, I still believe there\u2019s room for Harvested<\/strong> to grow. God help those who might lay their ears on a sophomore effort from this line-up, should they remain intact. Rest assured, I\u2019ll definitely be watching and waiting. For now, however, I wholeheartedly recommend you spend some long-lasting, quality time with Dysthymia.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: 3.5 \/ 5.0
DR<\/strong>: 7 | Format Reviewed<\/strong>: 320kbps mp3
Label<\/strong>: Self-Released
Websites<\/strong>: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram <\/a>
Releases Worldwide<\/strong>: August 1st, 2025<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:\n<\/p>\n