“For better and worse, sludge metal has branched out considerably beyond the abrasive and uncompromising early years of the genre, defined by the likes of The Melvins, Eyehategod, Grief, the underappreciated Iron Monkey and boundary busting legends Acid Bath,. Increased diversity and scene saturation has polluted the genre pool, leading to interesting yet inconsistent results and mixed feelings from yours truly.” Sludge is as sludge does.
![Abhorrent – Intransigence [Things You Might Have Missed 2015]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Abhorrent-Transigence-01-1.jpg)
“Generally speaking, brutal and slam death are tough pills for me to swallow. It’s not that my ears are hyper sensitive to the trademark extremity of the style, but rather the cartoonish brutality, often amateurish musicianship and lack of song-writing smarts results in many bands dissolving into a forgettable slop of unrefined mediocrity. Inevitably there are exceptions, particularly when the slam grooves and relentless brutality are attached to memorable, catchy songs and top-notch musicianship.” It’s never too late to realize you missed something.
“New Zealand’s Beastwars popped up on my radar with their excellent Blood Becomes Fire album in 2013. They impressed me with their bruising style of doomy sludge metal, combining the heft of Leviathan-era Mastodon and molten riffage of High on Fire before injecting subtle doses of ’90s grunge, prog and classic rock influences into the mix.” Feast on this beast.
“Goats and metal go together like macaroni and cheese or beer and pretzels. These mischievous grass munching fiends have shared a long affiliation with the dark arts, Satan, generalized evil and of course, heavy metal. Plus they have really cool-looking skulls and boast a strong track record of being paired up with various complimentary descriptors in the metal band name stakes. Sweden’s Goatess is another band raising their horns to goats, returning with their second full-length platter, Purgatory Under New Management.” Don’t rock the goat!
“German duo Mantar stormed the underground, cracking skulls and galloping to glory with their scorching debut album, Death by Burning in 2014. Fusing raucous black metal with spiteful sludge and doomy slogs, Mantar’s punked-up energy, fuck-the-world attitude and an abundance of primal riffs and gnarly hooks kept me gripped and hungry for more. On the back of the album Mantar deservedly scored a deal with Nuclear Blast for the anticipated release of the all important sophomore album. So with the big wigs behind them, can Mantar deliver on the considerable promise they displayed first time round?” So much buzz!
“Despite the general misconception from non-metal folk that our beloved art form is a one-dimensional game, in reality metal in 2016 is as wide-ranging as it’s ever been, offering a bevy of stylistic riches and impressive diversity in both the cultural and genre stakes. Death metal itself has morphed and mutated from its rank beginnings into a myriad of sub-genre offshoots to appease extreme tastes of all kinds.” At the metal buffet, would you find room for Verment on your plate?
“It must be tough carving out a lengthy career within the somewhat narrow and restrictive confines of the grindcore genre and remaining vital and relevant as fresh faced young upstarts storm the scene. This problem hasn’t seemed to halt Finnish stalwarts Rotten Sound, who started their career back in 1993, from delivering consistent, high quality output.” And yet somehow these guys keep it up!
“I often gripe about the general state of the current thrash scene and how it’s stagnating with a lack of cutting edge innovators and general over reliance on rehashing the past. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, however, more often than not I find myself looking back to the past and grabbing an old favorite to get my thrash fix. Already in 2016 old school thrashers have been grinning from ear to ear with the return to form of Megadeth and Anthrax, along with the enduring space-age proggy thrash of the recent Voivod EP. Fortunately there’s a heap of room for new faces to emerge and make an impact on the current thrash scene and show that young pups can be as equally wily as old dogs.” Ready yourself for the latest in pup thrash!
“I can almost hear the collective groans as I break the news that we have another old school death metal band on our hands, hailing from Stockholm, Sweden no less. That horse has been pounded into dust after all and the number of sub-par clones has exceeded the saturation point. Yet being a sucker for old school death I always approach such situations with a glimmer of optimism, particularly when bands like Horrendous and Tribulation have demonstrated that old school death metal can be executed with a degree of originality and innovation.” We review death metal. Deal with it.
“The Mute Gods is the freshly minted project featuring a strong line-up of seasoned musicians from within the progressive music scene.” Spawned from Steve Wilson’s band, The Mute Gods deliver more proggy art rock for your elitist pleasure.
