Himsa

An illegitimate reminder of a barely legal one-night stand between Slayer and Botch, or the grandchild Judas Priest and Iron Maiden never knew they had, Himsa is frequently lumped into the overpopulated world of metalcore, but these five Seattle sickos have more in common with the best '70s British metal...

By Eryc Eyl

November 18, 2004

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An illegitimate reminder of a barely legal one-night stand between Slayer and Botch, or the grandchild Judas Priest and Iron Maiden never knew they had, Himsa is frequently lumped into the overpopulated world of metalcore, but these five Seattle sickos have more in common with the best '70s British metal than with their trendy peers in Shadows Fall or It Dies Today. Guitarists Sammi Curr and Kirby Charles Johnson -- a heavy-metal name if ever there was one -- churn out unrelenting, interwoven guitar lines with all the grace and melody of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, while drummer Tim Mullen leads bassist Derek Harn through a classic double-bass-drum aerobic freakout. If you tune out John Pettibone's cliched drill-sergeant-in-hell vocals, you can almost imagine Bruce Dickinson's melodic howl filling the club, reveling in the bloody, exhilarating carnage at two minutes to midnight.

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