HALDOL "Negation" Gatefold LP
Play Alone Records, 2021
https://haldol.bandcamp.com/album/negation
"Love in the Time of Corona " Haldol's latest offering NEGATION. (Review by Richard Brown of The Proletariat)
Under normal circumstances the writing, recording and production of an album is at once exhausting and exhilarating/ wish fulfillment and catharsis. To record an album in 2020, in a time of pandemic, heightens this dichotomy and incorporates elements of isolation, self doubt and the feeling that you're playing in a vacuum. In addition to being stud musicians, Haldol fearlessly tackle these obstacles with ease and precision. Shifting from Pornography era Cure to Miami era Gun Club within a single song ( Taphonomy) they totally blur the concepts of punk, post-punk and goth until none of them matter, till none of them can lay claim to the song. Taphonomy is the best song I have heard this year and has replaced Universal Leash as my favorite Haldol song of all time. The mid song drum break that sends Taphonomy careening into another direction is brilliant.
Despite the difficult times, or maybe in stark contrast to them, I find Negation to be less dark ( not necessarily lighter ) than previous Haldol releases. Bull's Blood uses vivid religious imagery to describe the end of a relationship. Once the facades are removed its easy to see why the break up occurred and why it serves as a release.
Because I adore the band, I have tried to be as objective as I could possibly be. Given the material, given the musicianship, given the times we live in...I find Negation to the perfect tonic. 95/100. -Richard Brown, The Proletariat
