Mastodon

Horndal – Lake Drinker Review

By Holdeneye on April 11, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Hardcore, Sludge Metal, 9 comments

“Art always has a theme, even if that theme is not having a theme. Consciously or unconsciously, the theme informs the art, and never the twain shall be separated. But sometimes the thematic elements of a piece of art transcend their medium, taking on a life all their own and looming so large that it can be difficult for a critic to properly evaluate the piece. I’ve found this to be the case with Swedish band Horndal. Named for the small industrial town where some of its members were born and raised, Horndal is the sound of a town lamenting its own demise. Their debut album Remains told the story of the closing of the local steel mill and of the devastating and dehumanizing aftermath for the citizens of Horndal, and sophomore record Lake Drinker tackles the struggles created when tech monstrosity Google purchased huge tracts of land near the town in order to build massive server facilities.” Home is where the hurt is.

Dvne – Etemen Ænka Review

By GardensTale on March 19, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, Sludge, 90 comments

“If you ask me, Dvne is one of the greater discoveries of the last 5 years. After sampling them, based on a random recommendation from a random review, I’ve found myself increasingly absorbed by the Scottish band. They are still my favorite out of all the TYMHM reviews I wrote, and they landed a high spot in my end of year list in 2017. Needless to say, my anticipation for this weirdly named sophomore offering of sci-fi prog sludge was sky high.” The riffs must flow!

Sea Sleeper – Nostophobia Review

By GardensTale on February 9, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge, 29 comments

“The nasal, Mastodon-like cleans, oftentimes soggy with vocoder effects, reveal an occasional word or two, but most of it gets lost like foam on a cresting wave. The more prominent harsh vocals hold the middle between screeching and barking and are only distantly related to words. The riffing style is the direct result of running a simulation for simplified old Gojira mixed with simplified old Mastodon with the knob marked for “slamminess” turned to full.” Sea ranties.

Dr. A.N. Grier’s Top Ten(ish) of 2020

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 2, 2021 in Blog Posts, Lists, 111 comments

Doc Grier has a Top Ten(ish) of 2020 worthy of fear. Grab a beer and peer into the unknown.

False Gods – No Symmetry… Only Disillusion Review

By Dear Hollow on October 15, 2020 in Reviews, Ambient Metal, Hardcore, Sludge Metal, 8 comments

“I’m the biggest Eyehategod fan I know, and sludge gets a bad rap. I get it: much like drone, if you just amp up the distortion to an 11/10 and know how to abuse the blues scale, you’ve got it made. Of course, there’s more nuance, like the need for facial hair, flannel, intoxicating substances, a shotgun, and some dark woods in the Deep South, but that’s just pedantic. My point is, you wouldn’t expect Crowbar-esque sludge from some dudes in New York, New York.” Empire expanding.

Calyces – Impulse to Soar Review

By Huck N Roll on October 14, 2020 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, 20 comments

“Calyces’ mastermind is singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer Manthos Stergiou, late of Tardive Dyskinesia. This time around, Stergiou and his bandmates are going for a sound that is heavily influenced by Mastodon, Baroness, and Tool. This has been done to death, so the key to making it work is writing great songs and establishing your own original take on those bands’ sounds.” Impulse to ape.

Somnus Throne – Somnus Throne Review

By Steel Druhm on October 8, 2020 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 5 comments

“The mysterious and unidentified crew that make up Somnus Throne are said to hail from New Orleans, Texas and L.A., and on their eponymous debut they are content to allow their music to make the introductions for them. Listeners can expect to be greeted by psychedelic stoner doom in the vein of Sleep, High on Fire, and Mastodon, heavy on the massive riffage and song-lengths and light on innovation or originality.” Thronesmoker.

Yatra – All is Lost Review

By GardensTale on October 8, 2020 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Sludge, Stoner Metal, 10 comments

“I reviewed Yatra’s debut early last year to a mixed result. Death Ritual was not without promise, but the stoner doom with blackened snarls didn’t quite live up to what it could have been with slightly tepid songwriting. Naturally, I was curious about how their second album, All is Lost, would fare. A year and a half in current conditions is a pretty fast turnaround; the dangers of rushing lurked in the shadows. And that’s when I found out that All is Lost is, in fact, their third album, after releasing Blood of the Night under a different label in January. 8 months gestation, in 2020?! Who do they think they are, Vardan?” Enjoy ov deep stoner sludge.

Empress – Premonition Review

By Carcharodon on October 5, 2020 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge, 17 comments

“Vancouver progressive sludgers Empress originally came on my radar in July, which is when their debut LP, Premonition, was originally due for release. It was delayed until now and, for once, the delay was driven by good news, namely that Empress had been picked up by a label, Petrichor (which seems to be an off-shoot of Hammerheart Records). I guess a bit of time was then needed for the band and new label to get all their sludgy duckies in a row ready for the release.” Ready to rule.

Pale Horseman – For Dust Thou Art Review

By Huck N Roll on July 30, 2020 in 2020, Reviews, Sludge Metal, 5 comments

“Pale Horseman have only been around for eight years, but For Dust Thou Art is the Chicago sludge quartet’s fifth album and their 2017 effort, The Fourth Seal, showed enough promise that I kept their name on my radar. I’m a fan of the (rather typical) influences I could hear on that record – early Mastodon, Neurosis, High on Fire – and thought the band was onto something good despite the overly long compositions. I’ve been looking forward to hearing how they hone their craft for the past three years now, hoping to hear them set themselves apart from what can often be considered a very homogeneous genre.” All we are is sludge in the wind.