Sludge Metal

Glassing – Spotted Horse Review

By Dear Hollow on May 17, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Brutal Panda Records, Mathcore, Noise, Post-metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Black Metal, Mathcore, Noise Rock, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 56 comments

“During my short tenure at AMG, I’ve discovered the magical terror that is the Promo Bin. While it is a World War I-esque no man’s land of one-man black metal carpet bombs, awkwardly rumbling deathcore tanks, nu-metal mustard gas, and experimental drone-doom PTSD, you can find some gems in the trenches while the good Lord Himself picks us, contributors, off one by one. It’s a trve and rvthless battle of good vs. evil, light vs. dark, Jedi vs. Sith, Kramer vs. Kramer, power metal vs. actual metal. It’s all about balance, after all.”

Cities of Mars – The Horologist Review

By GardensTale on April 11, 2019 in 2019, Doom Metal, Reviews, Ripple Music, Sludge, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 75 comments

“Attending a concert with an exceedingly small crowd has something bittersweet about it. On the one hand, you don’t have to deal with other people. On the other hand, audience dynamics are half of what makes concerts fun, and no one wishes minute attendance upon a band they like. I’ve seen Madder Mortem perform amongst less than 20 people, despite their lengthy career and overall high quality, which is just incomprehensible to me. It’s a little easier to understand in the case of today’s subject, Cities of Mars, who have only been at it for a few years, but my fiancée and I made up two-thirds of the crowd last time we saw them and I think we can all agree that’s a little bit fucked up.” Unmanned shows and unpopulated planets.

Waste of Space Orchestra – Syntheosis Review

By Roquentin on April 3, 2019 in 2019, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Drone, Experimental Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Svart Records, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Experimental Metal, Sludge Metal, 134 comments

“A certain thespian poise dominates throughout Syntheosis, the piece originally commissioned for Roadburn Festival 2018 and then turned into a proper studio recording. Highly conceptual, Waste of Space Orchestra narrate a quite demented story somewhere between magical realism and occult horror. The album develops intently and purposefully, tracing the lines of an imagined ritual and its performers, three mysterious creatures that aim ‘to open a portal that will suck them into a different reality of brain-mutilating color storms and ego-diminishing audio violence.’” Waste not, want more.

Herod – Sombre Dessein Review

By Lokasenna on February 14, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Pelagic Records, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Swiss Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, 65 comments

“Real talk: most of the time the intros for these things are the hardest part. Grueling, even. This is probably obvious, given how often they’re rambling and off-topic, but it’s the truth. It’s even harder when resounding apathy is the limit of what one can muster after a week of listening to something, and that’s where I am. The band, Herod, has got some talent, and are looking to make their mark with debut record Sombre Dessein, but the result is very mixed, unfortunately. A Swiss quartet of death/sludge progsters should be pretty engaging, at least in theory, so what went wrong here?” Rutting.

Seer – Vol. 6 Review

By El Cuervo on February 12, 2019 in 2019, Artoffact Records, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Sludge Metal, 50 comments

“Trve followers may notice that this is the third review for Vancouver’s unheralded Seer at this site. Vol. 1 & 2 opened 2016 with a whimper which at least betrayed some potential for proper impact, and said impact was felt with 2017’s Vol. III & IV. 2019 has arrived and with it comes a rejection of Roman numerals and a reversion to integers in Vol. 6. ‘But wait!’ I hear you cry; ‘What happened to Vol. 5?’ The honest reason that I didn’t cover it was partly that we didn’t receive the promo but principally that I didn’t have much inclination to buy and review a record simply to say that it’s average. You may consequently note that my views on Seer are reasonably varied. What, then, is the verdict for this release?” _Insert joke about being able to see the future here._ (Wait, is that the joke or should we insert one?)

Sönambula – Bicéfalo Review

By Holdeneye on January 4, 2019 in 2018, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Xtreem Music, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 94 comments

“Before hearing Deathhammer by Asphyx a few years ago, I didn’t think that death/doom was something that I wanted or needed in my life. Its combination of crushing heaviness and blistering extremity immediately grabbed me. I love that album so much that I named one of my favorite workouts after it. “Deathhammer” is what happens when I go out to my garage, put the title track on repeat, and beat a giant tire with a 20 pound sledge until I can no longer breathe. You can imagine my glee upon finding out that my latest promo counts the mighty Dutch juggernaut among its primary influences.” Hammer time.

Exit…Hall Left: The Weenie Metal Round-Up [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Dr. Wvrm on December 27, 2018 in 2018, Alt-Metal, American Metal, Black Metal, British Metal, Chinese Metal, Doom Metal, Dutch Metal, Epic Metal, German Metal, Hard Rock, Israeli Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Synthwave, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Alternative Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Doom Metal, Epic Metal, Hard Rock, Melodic Black Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Non-metal Metal Things, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Synthwave, 68 comments

“Not everyone can be BRUTAL ENOUGH!!! Some of us are hobbits; diminutive, folksy, averse to Camo™ and Camo™-derived accouterments. Maybe you just want to smell the flowers, despite your allergies. That’s ok. We’re here for you.” Hello, weenies.

Thunder Horse – Thunder Horse Review

By Huck N Roll on December 11, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, BC/TX Records, Doom Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Sludge Metal, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Rock, 40 comments

“I’m going out with a bang on my last review of the year. Well, maybe more like a cannonball fired into a vat of molasses. This eponymous debut from southern sludge band Thunder Horse packs a wallop, kind of like being struck on the side of the head by, oh, I don’t know, a Crowbar?” A Thunder Horse of course, of course.

Kosm – Cosmonaut Review

By Eldritch Elitist on December 7, 2018 in 2018, Canadian Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, 73 comments

“Kosm market themselves as a sort of cross between Mastodon and Tool, and between the burly power chord progressions and dark undercurrents of hammer-on riffs, this seems like a wholly appropriate comparison. Perhaps the band isn’t proggy enough to be dubbed henceforth as “Mathstadon,” but an over-reliance on rhythmic acrobatics may have very well ruined Kosm’s weighty, catchy grooves.” Dogs in space.

Shallow Grave – Threshold between Worlds Review

By Angry Metal Guy on December 5, 2018 in 2018, New Zealand Metal, Reviews, Sludge Metal, Sludgelord Records, Sludge Metal, 27 comments

“Doom is inescapable. Fear of the known is the constant background buzz of human existence, in its way as strong as fear of the unknown. The knowledge of one’s doom can be a chain too heavy to bear. It’s the curse of reading your future chiseled in granite, holding a crayon. Auckland, New Zealand’s Shallow Grave make their malevolent hay with that fear.” Fear the known.