Haram: Drescher

One of the best things about

Drive Like Jehu is Rick Froberg's voice, a whiney, slashing snarl that

insinuates itself throughout the band's helix-like guitars and bucking

undertow. Virginia band Haram—featuring members of heralded outfits Pg.

99 and Majority Rule—is one of the most adept Jehu disciples in recent

memory, but there's one thing missing: a Froberg. The funny thing is, with the

recent addition of a third guitarist, Haram sports no fewer than four vocalists

on its sophomore album Drescher—but none of them command much spotlight. Like another of the group's

obvious post-hardcore influences, Dischord's Hoover, Haram lets melody,

dissonance, and rhythm override the singing. The disconnect between brash,

anthemic guitars and diffident human voices is a bit jarring; luckily, it isn't

a disastrous distraction from Drescher's tangled, nerve-wracked songcraft.