LISTEN: Sugar Horse’s “Ex-Human Shield” Is Refreshing Alt-Metal With Palpable Melodies

A lot of people take the name Sugar Horse to be a drug reference. I suppose that’s fitting for a band that sounds like the last hours of a three-day binge. Darting wildly between dark/light, pain/bliss, sacred/profane, Sugar Horse is unpredictable and unrestrained.

Formed in what is now considered to be the utopian dreamscape of 2015, the band grew slowly at first, far from fully formed, but steadily gaining limbs, heads, and vital organs. Finally, 2019’s DRUJ, swiftly followed by 2020’s DRUGS, saw them hit a relentless stride of eclectic releases that simultaneously confused and entranced audiences. Now, with two albums under their belt, Sugar Horse prepares to release Not a Sound in Heaven via the band’s own Fat Dracula Records on April 10. 

“Ex-Human Shield,” one of the lead singles from Sugar Horse’s upcoming release, introduces the nuances of this undeniably refreshing alt-metal act. Enter a genre so deeply rooted in tradition and spinning it into something they can call their own, Sugar Horse is far from another metal act grabbing at nostalgic tropes to find a sonic personality, and the subtle experimentation of “Ex-Human Shield” proves this sentiment. With throat-scratching vocals that manage to hit you in the chest while maintaining a subdued presence and a warping arrangement that slides into atmospheric bliss just as easily as it enters heavy, searing metal, the band’s latest is an immersive listen to say the least. With the power of unpredictability and an innate individuality, Sugar Horse crashes through your screens with a colorful, aggressive preview of Not a Sound in Heaven, an album that is shaping up to be a landmark release for the band.