Neurosis

Myopic & At The Graves – A Cold Sweat of Quiet Dread Review

By Akerblogger on March 15, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 7 comments

“Collaborations between artists are usually a tantalizing prospect. In recent years we’ve had a handful of high-quality collaborations: Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas, Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle, and Spectral Lore and Mare Cognitum the cream of the recent crop. Collaborations can be tricky, especially in the age of the supervirus and restricted travel. Communication of ideas is vital. A collaboration can either sound like a blissful mesh of an artist’s best traits or a haphazard collision of distant sound. Ben Price, the sole member of doom/sludge project At The Graves, has buried himself in a casket with the sludge/black/death/you-name-it three piece Myopic. A Cold Sweat of Quiet Dread is their first collaborative full-length.” Blood, sweat, graves, and bad eyesight.

Sarin – You Can’t Go Back Review

By Huck N Roll on February 4, 2021 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 17 comments

“For post-metal fans, the big release this week is the Cult of Luna EP. But other bands are working hard in this genre as well, one of which is Canada’s Sarin. Their third album You Can’t Go Back drops this week, and while they don’t have the marquee name to go with the release, that doesn’t mean they should be thrust to the side as we all rush headlong into The Raging River.” Breathe deep.

Yashira – Fail To Be [Things You Might Have Missed 2020]

By Grymm on January 16, 2021 in Things You Might Have Missed 2020, Sludge, 10 comments

It’s difficult to bounce back after a massive loss. Jacksonville’s Yashira were riding high on not only an excellent debut album in 2018’s Shrine, but also via fervent word of mouth about their abrasive live shows (including a coveted spot in that year’s Welcome to Rockville), and a split with metalcore legends Zao. However, with the tragic death of drummer Seth Howard later that year, you’d be forgiven if you expected Yashira to call it a day.” Failing upward.

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.

Yer Metal is Olde: ISIS – Celestial

By Carcharodon on July 26, 2020 in Yer Metal Is Olde, Post-Metal, Sludge, 25 comments

“ISIS were a gateway band for me and they, along with a handful of others, are largely responsible for shaping my musical ‘tastes’ as they exist today. Originally introduced to ISIS by way of their unfuckable-with sophomore album, Oceanic, I then discovered that the fundamentals of ISIS‘ iconic, oft-copied-but-never-bettered sound were already fully formed on their debut LP, 2000’s Celestial.” Star breakers.

DDENT – Couvre-sang Review

By Dear Hollow on July 2, 2020 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Instrumental Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 30 comments

“DDENT is a French post-metal group from Paris, formed in 2013 and having released two full-lengths and an EP. Sporting a Pelican or Omega Massif vocal-less style, complete with post-rock dynamics, pummeling sludgy riffs, and a stunning sense of beauty within its uncompromising sound.” Post posts.

Mountaineer – Bloodletting Review

By Huck N Roll on June 7, 2020 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Shoegaze, Sludge, 16 comments

“Back in 2018, Mountaineer’s brave concept album Passages checked all the right boxes. The captivating mix of post-metal, doom, and shoegaze was offset just so with an alluring sense of adventure, as the band threw in some odd instruments and bleak, cathartic progression in the songs. In fact, the mighty El Cuervo claimed Passages was one of the few post-metal albums he still went back to. High praise from our deliberately contrary Brit.” Mt. Buzz.

The Ditch and the Delta – The Ditch and the Delta Review

By Huck N Roll on April 26, 2020 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, 11 comments

“The furious, enraged opening salvo of “Maimed,” the lead track on The Ditch and the Delta’s eponymous second album, is probably an accurate representation of exactly how nearly all of us feel right now – especially up here in bunghole Alberta, where it simply won’t stop snowing (not that we’re allowed to do fun things outside anyhow), which only adds insult to injury.” Sludge therapy.

Calligram – The Eye Is The First Circle Review

By Dear Hollow on April 10, 2020 in 2020, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Doom Metal, Hardcore, International Metal, Prosthetic Records, Punk, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 41 comments

“How can music communicate the feeling of dread? While all styles are able, metal’s inherent darkness fits like a glove. While it’s easy to provide aural bludgeoning or emphasize excess, the discipline of restraint takes time and effort. From the post-metal dirges of Neurosis, the avant-garde buildups of Eryn Non Dae., the spiraling doom of Swallowed, the blackened payoffs of Cultes des Ghoules, and the death metal environs of Desolate Shrine, it revels in darkness, plays with menace, but most notably, waits patiently.” Waiting in the darkness.

Dwaal – Gospel of the Vile Review

By Cherd of Doom on March 5, 2020 in 2020, Dark Essence Records, Doom Metal, Norwegian Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Sludge, 6 comments

“Dwaal is made up of six full-time members, a lot for this genre, and they spring from the sludgy post landscape founded by Neurosis. A close contemporary in sound and style would be Amenra, with both bands adept at slow building tension, but there are moments, especially in closer “Descent,” that indicate they are very much down with Why Oh Bee (yeah you know me).” Sludge hammer.