⋘This track comes off of "The Filth" (Housecore Records, 2010), haarp's debut full length album which was released under Phil Anselmo's HOUSECORE RECORDS. It is prototypical of the bands' infamously slow paced and ultra heavy sound; sludge metal at its core, but showing elements of death metal, grindcore, doom metal, and hardcore. This is NOLA sludge at its finest!!⋙

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ BAND BIOGRAPHY & INFORMATION ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Slow, low and thundering, the New Orleans-based band prefers all lower-case letters in their moniker, just as vocalist Shaun Emmons & drummer Keith Sierra did in their old grindcore outfit, rat in a bucket. In haarp's case, it's partly a reaction to HAARP, the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a conspiracy-theory-laden research project funded by the U.S. government, military and the University of Alaska. "Everyone assumes our name is a reference to that", Emmons nods. "But it's not really. In Celtic mythology, the Dagda played a harp that had special powers that allowed him to enchant people or even kill people. haarp is like that to us. It's our weapon".

On August 27, 2005, two of New Orleans' extreme metal bands, manic grind freaks RAT IN A BUCKET & black metal blazers DE CAPA PRETA, were slated to play a show at the now-defunct Dixie Taverne in the heart of the city. Due to "inclement weather" and the threat of Hurricane Katrina making landfall, the bands decided that since many people were evacuating the city, the show could not go on. Hurricane Katrina struck & devastated the Gulf Coast region and affected many aspects of people's lives. The music scene in New Orleans was not spared from this change and many bands, including RAT IN A BUCKET and DE CAPA PRETA, went through several member departures before ultimately calling it quits.

Keith Sierra Jr., drummer from RAT IN A BUCKET, and Grant Tom, guitarist from DE CAPA PRETA, got in contact with each other from their temporary locations and discussed the state of the music scene. After digging up old conversations and ideas they had discussed at various local shows, they decided to return to New Orleans and start a new band. This new band would approach music from a new direction from the speed and chaos of their respective previous bands, and focus more on mid-tempo and slower music. The immediate choice for vocalist was Shaun Emmons of RAT IN A BUCKET, who shared the varied and eclectic musical tastes of Keith and Grant. Several tryouts later, Ryan Pomes of MILKTOAST joined the group and finalized the lineup as bassist.

"To call haarp 'slow' would be somewhat fair, but to say that they're just 'another slow band' would be sacrilege," states Anselmo. "Their music is crushing, resolute, dramatic and conceptually insane. If critics are going to try and lump them into any one genre, than they'd better put the crown on haarp's collective heads once it's picked. This ain't doom metal by any stretch. haarp makes playing halftime sound like an original idea all over again. This music is essential."

The band's first release came in the form of a self-titled EP in 2007, consisting of five tracks; immediately with this release the band solidified their core sound which they would not deviate from much; rather, they would continue to build upon this foundation while simultaneously becoming innovators of the genre with subsequent releases. In 2009, a second EP - entitled "II" - was self-released, along with the band's first and (as of now) only split; the latter goes by the moniker "Reincarnation Prayer" and features one track by haarp and one track by THOU.

Shortly thereafter, haarp was noticed by Phil Anselmo and immediately picked up by his label HOUSECORE RECORDS; the label would re-release the first two EPs and serve as home to the band from that point onward through today. haarp recorded the debut full length "The Filth" in 2009/2010 and Housecore Records released the album later in the year (2010).

Upon the release of "The Filth", haarp began picking up speed and building a solid fan base outside of New Orleans, as they would open for DOWN on several national tours, thus expanding their reach. After touring on and off for about a year, the band went right back into the studio to record a follow up full length; this time, under the guidance of Phil Anselmo, who recorded the album on his own at the University of New Orleans Performing Arts Center, Fountainbleau Room 7011, and Nodferatu’s Lair. The album was mastered by Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed) at Visceral Sound.

This second album, entitled "HUSKS", will see a release on September 18, 2012. The album consists of only three tracks, but spans at OVER forty minutes in length! "Husks" is fucking genius in its scope, intensity, and magnitude; full of depth & utter brutality the likes of which the sludge metal genre has never seen, heard or experienced before! haarp are proving to be one of the most essential acts stemming from sludge metal today, rivaling ANY band out there, both old & new alike. Look for the full SOCIOPATHIC SOUND review of "Husks" on our main site!

{*****SPECIAL NOTE*****}
SOCIOPATHIC SOUND IS SPONSORING HAARP'S FIRST-EVER HEADLINING SHOW IN THE PHILADELPHIA/TRI-STATE AREA! THE BAND ARE ABOUT TO GO OUT ON TOUR WITH DOWN, STOPPING AT THE ELECTRIC FACTORY ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH (ALONG WITH WARBEAST & PENTAGRAM). THEN, THE NEXT NIGHT, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH @ MOJO 13 IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, HAARP WILL BE HEADLINING THEIR OWN SHOW!! MAKE SURE NOT TO MISS OUT ON THIS IF YOU LIVE IN THE AREA, AS IT WILL BE A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!! LOCAL SLUDGE/GROOVE ACT GIVETHEMROPE IS ACTING AS DIRECT SUPPORT, ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER GREAT BANDS, IT WILL BE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!!!

<Band Members>
Shaun Emmons - Vocals
Keith Sierra Jr. - Drums
Grant Tom - Guitar
Bret Davis - Bass

<Discography>
-haarp (EP) (2007)
-II (EP) (2009)
-Reincarnation Prayer (split w/THOU) (2009)
-The Filth (Full Length) (2010; Housecore Records)
-Husks (Full Length) (2012; Housecore Records)

<Contact Info>
Contact the band through private messaging on Facebook; the band's page link is below.