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Possibly one of the most downright schizophrenic entities in the extreme music scene, Ohio's Harlots drop a stylistic rollercoaster ride to hell with Betrayer. Taking elements of hardcore, noise, ambient, extreme metal and whatever other genres might float their collective boat, Harlots create a mindbending melange of an album that will ultimately leave many listeners scratching their heads in disbelief. While a chaotic take on metallic hardcore seems to be the most dominant part of Harlots' sound, the band refuses to be painted into any single stylistic corner.

Opening track "The Weight Unweighable" starts off with impressive double bass drums and a wash of cacophony only to morph into an undulating beast of a song that juxtaposes sleazy Unsane-esque noise rock swagger with mathy dynamics that evoke vintage Dillinger Escape Plan, all in under two minutes. Four tracks in, things get even more intriguing with "Dried Up Goliathan", which begins as a sublime piece of shoegaze before exploding into all out post-metal crescendo. Here, the band completely forsakes its more scatterbrained tendencies for a flowing, atmospheric approach, only to completely shatter it with the blistering "Building Up An Empire Towards Destruction", another short song replete with pummeling blasts and some wicked tremolo riffs that would make Darkthrone proud amid the stop/start intensity.

Although individual sections of Harlots' songs are well played and interesting in and of themselves, the dizzying approach to composition isn't always engaging. By trying to cram ten different genres into a two minute long piece of music, Harlots lose some of their impact. This is due to the fact that many of the riffs on Betrayer fly by before the listener has a chance to absorb them. The longer tracks, such as the aforementioned "Dried Up Goliathan" and the closing "Suicide Medley" are where Harlots truly excel, as the extended playing times afford the listener an opportunity to fully grasp what is going on. By giving themselves more room to stretch out musically, Harlots make it easier to latch onto the subtle nuances of their ferocious yet multi-layered assault on the senses.

Betrayer is an extremely solid showing that proves the members of Harlots are more than capable of tackling just about any style of music they set their minds to, from ethereal ambient soundscapes to brutal noisecore. However, the album also presents listeners with a band that hasn't quite worked out all the kinks in its approach to songwriting. With a little streamlining and a slightly more focused plan of attack, Harlots could easily evolve into one of the most devastating units in extreme music's current crop.

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Reviewer: Josh Haun Added: December 3rd 2007