Black Harvest
White Light Came Down

February 2006
Released: 2005, Oak Knoll Productions
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Asassinkiller

The first thought that came into my mind when receiving WHITE LIGHT CAME DOWN, was that I was about to hear another ultra brutal for the sake of being brutal release. Fortunately I was wrong, cause this release by Oak Knolls Black Harvest may not be a milestone, but it surely is an enjoyable and hypnotic slab of Metal.



All the music heard in this release clearly follows the Opethian school of Metal. It is extremely meaty, heavy like a ten-ton hammer, but at the same time progressive, ever-changing and has an incredible dual vocal attack. These guys show no fear of experimenting in any of their songs, which go from an Ultra Brutal Death Metal Mayhem to a dark rock in no time. But the best part of all, is that these changes truly flow naturally.



The songs in WHITE LIGHT CAME DOWN are more about creating a mood, an atmosphere, than about throwing in a million riffs and ideas just for the sake of it. The band somehow manages to build a great hypnotic feel that flows throughout all the release. “Die, Lavinia” has an incredible clean sung chorus that reminded me of Novembre’s WISH I COULD DREAM IT AGAIN magnum opus. Being the difference that here the vocals are in perfect pitch jejeje. “Let Us Go” is a truly ferocious berserker that explodes from out of nowhere with it’s blast beat dementia, and the funny thing is that when you are about to catch up with its speed, pum, you have this awesome acoustic part that flows beautifully and takes you to another spectrum. The acoustic parts of WHITE LIGHT CAME DOWN are exquisitely written and remind me a lot about MORNINGRISE and ORCHID. Just listen to the beautiful “New Year’s Day” to find out, it could have been in any of the aforementioned releases, no doubt about it.



The more you listen to WHITE LIGHT CAME DOWN, the more you will be embraced by the release. It is a grower. If you like music that takes its time to create a mood give Black Harvest an opportunity. But at the same time, if you love music that is brutal, experimental and very Metal, also get it. And don’t forget to listen to “Apocalypse”, a great cover taken straight out of Tagtren´s demolishing Hypocrisy. Thumbs up to Oak Knoll for this release. Stay Heavy!!!