“Belfast, Northern Ireland sludge trio Slomatics have been plying their trade for almost two decades now. Their seven previous full-lengths have been released in fits and starts, with their most consistently productive period being 2012 to 2016, during which window they released a trilogy of records, culminating in Future Echo Returns, the first of their records to grace these pages.” Low and slo(matic).
Black Bow Records
Slomatics – Canyons Review
“Since 2005, Belfast based space-sludge juggernauts Slomatics have scoured the cosmic plains for doomy inspiration. The universe is a vast place, and with their seventh album set to be released in 2019, Slomatics haven’t run out of inspiration. Every Slomatics’ record tells a story. Their 2016 release Future Echo Returns was an earthy beast, dense and direct. Bone-rattling heaviness in the form of fuzz-laden doom was the main tool used on that record; in my review of that release I desired more tenderness, more humanity. Canyons is more expansive, an exploration of the far reaches of the universe.” Star sludge.
Pale Horseman – The Fourth Seal Review
“With 2017 wrapping itself up nicely like a present to your loved ones, changes still occur that can throw one for a loop. Whether they are sudden visits by loved ones, finding a sweet deal on that thing you wanted for so long, or (in my case) landing a new job in a whole new career, last-minute shifts can make or break you. Take Chicago’s Pale Horseman, as their fourth album, The Fourth Seal, was initially set to be released independently until the band got signed just a week before the album was supposed to drop, pushing it back a few weeks.” Fourth Seal of approval?
Subservience – Forest of the Impaled Review
“Subservience’s Forest of the Impaled, on the other hand, is a violent war waged through the militaristic practices of Grave, Vader, Dismember, and Hypocrisy. I know what you’re thinking: not more Swe/Poland–death. Legitimate complaint. But, while Forest of the Impaled isn’t the most engaging or original of releases, it has just enough going on for it to avoid being the discharged aftermath of their predecessors’ lustful ways.” You picked the wrong forest…again.
Pyreship – The Liars Bend Low Review
“Samples in music have been a controversial point throughout its history. Their use ranges from the occasional embellishment to set the mood, to incorporating it into the lifeblood of the music, which was part of the origins of hip-hop. Detractors claim it to lack creativity by definition, because it means using someone else’s work. Defenders argue that the application of existing work in a different context is what makes it creative. No matter what your position, the fact is that plenty of metal bands have made use of them, from political voices in Megadeth to horror movie samples in Mortician.” A sampling of doom.
Slomatics – Future Echo Returns Review
“A blanket of smoke and incense billows from an attic-bedroom conversion as Electric Wizard makes a rare appearance from his occult abode to make a sandwich or to record an episode of Most Haunted. Conan sits in the garage and uses his sharp fingernails to shape mythical creatures out of wood, sporadically bellowing songs of war into the night, begrudgingly quieting down when his mother threatens to take away his copy of The Silmarillion. Slomatics is the younger brother of the two aforementioned doomsters. He spends his time gazing into the stars, reading Frank Herbert, Philip. K. Dick and H.G. Wells, and exploring the Moog that his father found for cheap at the car boot sale.” At home with the Slows.
The Bendal Interlude – Reign of the Unblinking Eye Review
“Reign of the Unblinking Eye, the debut full-length from British groovers The Bendal Interlude, couldn’t have come at a better time in my life. Between the stress of watching (and partaking in) the complete clusterfuck that is the American Presidential election where, as a general whole, the candidates proceed to make asses out of themselves.” Everybody sucks 2016.
Un – The Tomb of All Things Review
“Once again, it’s that awesome moment when you’re given a band whose name isn’t exactly search engine-friendly. Joining the ranks of Voices, Satan, Hell, and Tomb of Finland, we have… Un. Not the easiest name to google for a band.” When naming sessions go awry.