Outlander – Acts of Harm (Review)

Imagine the following situation: you are at the shore of the Baltic Sea. The weather is slightly misty and the wind is blowing the scent of salt into your nose. You have got your kite in your hand and you are strolling along the beach to find the moment and place for its ascension. Outlander‘s Acts of Harm is the musical background for the searching, the ascension and the flight of the kite.

The hushed beginning of “Bound” guides you gently into this album. To stay in the aforementioned metaphor, you arrive at said beach and take the atmosphere in. The scent of salt slowly but surely fills your nose before the true majesty of the scenery takes you and the riffs set in.

Outlander are masters of their craft in creating songs that are pretty huge sounding but at the same time there is this tranquility that shines through in songs like “Want No More” or “New Motive Power”. ”Lye Waste” is 12 minutes of being high above the ground while natural forces are raging. Personally I felt reminded of the earlier Outlander releases like “Taking Turns” or Valium Machine. Zoning out has never been more beautiful than here.

Acts of Harm is a slow-motion-wellness-treatment for your ears. This isn’t a Post-Rock album of fast and slow, this is an album of descending and ascending. You won’t get surprised by sudden tempo-changes but you will mostly be caught off guard by the out-the-blue-beauty that “strikes” you.