"Whether it's incorporating elements of industrial and nu metal, or shifting their focus from jokey power violence to brutal metallic hardcore, Chicago's Harm's Way have been evolving and perfecting their sound with each consecutive release. Four albums and multiple EPs later, the band continue to refine their sound with their latest album, Posthuman, surpassing all of their previous work.
"The record begins with a pummelling beatdown of grinding guitar chugs and breakdowns on tracks such as "Last Man" and "Human Carrying Capacity," which also feature short industrial breaks in the vein of early Slipknot. On their last record, Rust, Harm's Way focused more on writing slower, industrial-influenced metallic hardcore, but on Posthuman, the band find a nice middle ground between their new style and older sound. Tracks such as "Become a Machine" and "Sink" flit between full-bore aggression and jaw-dropping breakdowns without feeling heavy for the sake of it.
"In the last few years, a substantial number of hardcore acts have been adopting nu metal influences with mixed results, but Harm's Way have managed to tastefully incorporate a groove element into their music. Songs such as "Unreality" and "Dissect Me" intertwine classic nu metal elements with hardcore while avoiding sounding gimmicky or nostalgic.
"With Posthuman, Harm's Way expands on their experimentation in other genres without sacrificing quality along the way. Overall, the record is an impressive display of brute force that keeps its momentum up from beginning to end." -- metal blade
"The philosophy of Harm’s Way is the best offense is as much offense as possible. The Chicago band began as a hardcore group with some powerviolence thrown in, but soon juiced it all up with beefcake breakdowns and got ready to brawl. Isolation in 2011 and Blinded in 2013 injected that hardcore with Swedish death metal while never abandoning their roots. With 2015’s Rust, they swapped the death metal for more industrial and ’90s groove metal influences, essentially creating a hardcore version of Roadrunner Records’ heyday roster like Fear Factory and Roots-era Sepultura, and they continue on that path on their fourth record, Posthuman.
"There’s a beauty to how Harm’s Way throw around such weight like boulders are pillows. It’s difficult to not be in awe of how “Human Carrying Capacity” and “Sink” dispatch punches with efficiency and brawn, where asserting might is the same as breathing, effortless and necessary. Vocalist James Pligge is an imposing figure on stage—he’s a weightlifter who could easily pass for a younger, bulked up John Joseph of the Cro-Mags—and he sounds even tougher and more assured here than before. “Become a Machine” is a string of pummeling breakdowns, an especially muscular performance from a band who defines swole. Even when there’s a lot of reexamining masculinity in hardcore, in music, and across all of culture and politics broadly, there still is value in raw strength.
"While still a hardcore record, Posthuman does tip the balance towards Rust’s industrial flirtations. “Temptation” takes Godflesh’s rumbling, mechanical bass and sets it to a slinking Jesus Lizard groove. There’s a running joke that post-punk is something you get into once you age out of hardcore, ditching your Youth of Today crewneck for an ill-fitting Unknown Pleasures shirt. By “Temptation”’s end, though, Harm’s Way avoid falling into that trap by unleashing a blistering final attack, going harder than ever." - Pitchfork
