Cherd

Sludge is the word.
The Mound Builders – The Mound Builders Review

The Mound Builders – The Mound Builders Review

“The break room at my real life place of employment has one of those old glass globe candy dispensers. It’s full of candy and only costs a nickel, but it goes largely unused by employees. No, not because millennials have never seen a nickel and the machine doesn’t take Venmo. It’s avoided because some sociopathic agent of chaos filled the thing with a mix of M&Ms and Skittles that are almost visually indistinguishable. Sure, both are independently enjoyable, but something about the idea of accidentally tasting them in combination, or getting one when you expect the other makes people dubious. The new eponymous album by Lafayette, Indiana’s The Mound Builders is the musical equivalent of this conundrum of expectations.” Sketchy candy.

Old Man Lizard – True Misery Review

Old Man Lizard – True Misery Review

“If you’ve been following the Chronicles of N00b, you may remember that the last time I was let out of confinement, it was for a forced march through a symphonic winter wonderland. This, after specific requests to review my preferred genre of doom, nearly broke me (no doubt the point). But for my fifth review, I’ve been thrown a bone. Not only do England’s Old Man Lizard play doom, they play the stoner strain: ur-doom that can trace its origin to the moment Sir Lord Baltimore and Black Sabbath crawled out of the primordial ooze after the mantle cooled on Planet Caravan Metal.” Feel the scales.

A Hero for the World – Winter Is Here: A Holiday Rock Opera Pt. 2 Review

A Hero for the World – Winter Is Here: A Holiday Rock Opera Pt. 2 Review

“I was heating up my standard n00b issue cup of mop water in the break room when I heard a commotion over at the hobo wine station. When I approached, the assembled staff writers fell silent and exchanged knowing glances with Steel Druhm. “N00b 17, how are you, my boy?” he said cheerfully. “N00b 7” I corrected, but he continued without acknowledging. “I have a special assignment for you.” He handed me a promo wrapped in red paper and smelling faintly of pine needles. My “gift” was Winter Is Here: A Holiday Rock Opera Pt. 2 (yes, part two) by power/symphonic metal band A Hero For the World. I could only stand dumbfounded as the writers launched into a drunken rendition of “Jingle Bells” and pelted me with pine cones.” Deck the n00bs.

The Great Sabatini – Goodbye Audio Review

The Great Sabatini – Goodbye Audio Review

“One of the strangest things about entering middle age is that you are now old enough to see the cultural detritus of your formative years scooped up and reconfigured for new consumption. When younger people become enamored with the aesthetics of a prior decade and make new work in that vein, this can enliven the old aesthetic with a contemporary spin, or it can be lifelessly derivative (see: re-thrash).” Collect them all.

Abyssous – Mesa Review

Abyssous – Mesa Review

Abyssous play death doom with an emphasis on the former, eschewing mournful melodies in favor of punishing riffs that oscillate between rapid fire brutality and a leaden, persistent throb. In this way, they’re contemporaries of Temple of Void and Spectral Voice, who each set tongues wagging with their respective albums last year.” Throbbing persistence.