On
Life...The Best Game in Town,
Harvey Milk continue along the musical trajectory of their 2006 album, Special Wishes, delivering a tighter and more cohesive collection of sludge metal gems. The signature sound that the band has cultivated over the last decade is intact, with songs that play out like someone driving a steamroller through a flower bed, with gentle, delicate sections that get crushed under a massive wall of lumbering, sludgy guitar. "Death Goes to the Winner" and "Roses" draw the listener in with fragile vocal melodies, only to pull a doomy bait and switch, exploding into shuddering dirges accompanied by Creston Spiers' tortured howl. "After All I've Done for You, This Is How You Repay Me?" is like a CliffsNotes version of the band's sound, beginning as a furious prog metal assault before eventually giving way to a glacial stoner doom/drone riff. On the more uptempo side there's "Barn Burner," a classic rock-influenced scorcher that's reminiscent of
Pleaser-era
Harvey Milk, as well as the band's faithful cover of "We Destroy the Family" by
Fear. The songwriting on this album definitely shows that at this point in their career,
Harvey Milk's biggest musical influence is themselves.
Life... showcases a band that has carefully refined its sound, creating an album that is daring and experimental enough for longtime fans, but accessible enough for anyone looking to discover one of Athen's heaviest bands. ~ Gregory Heaney