One of the best things about
Drive Like Jehu is Rick Froberg's voice, a whiney, slashing snarl that
insinuates itself throughout the band's helix-like guitars and bucking
undertow. Virginia band Haram—featuring members of heralded outfits Pg.
99 and Majority Rule—is one of the most adept Jehu disciples in recent
memory, but there's one thing missing: a Froberg. The funny thing is, with the
recent addition of a third guitarist, Haram sports no fewer than four vocalists
on its sophomore album Drescher—but none of them command much spotlight. Like another of the group's
obvious post-hardcore influences, Dischord's Hoover, Haram lets melody,
dissonance, and rhythm override the singing. The disconnect between brash,
anthemic guitars and diffident human voices is a bit jarring; luckily, it isn't
a disastrous distraction from Drescher's tangled, nerve-wracked songcraft.