“I have fond memories of Ashbringer’s third record, Absolution. Now, in part, this could be put down to the fact that I wrote the review while sipping an ice cold beer by the river in the picturesque city of Hội An, Vietnam. It could also be because Absolution got me my first Record o’ the Month back in June 2019, a victory that I naturally ascribe entirely to myself, rather than to the fact that Ashbringer wrote a great, progressive black metal record.” Ash fanciers.
“Belfast, Northern Ireland sludge trio Slomatics have been plying their trade for almost two decades now. Their seven previous full-lengths have been released in fits and starts, with their most consistently productive period being 2012 to 2016, during which window they released a trilogy of records, culminating in Future Echo Returns, the first of their records to grace these pages.” Low and slo(matic).
“There’s no right way to honor your own ancestry, especially when so much of what you could know about the ‘right way’ has eroded. Such is the plight of many Indigenous or other disprivileged peoples in North America, even in areas like Oklahoma where the concentration of descendants of many Tribal Nations remains high. Medicine Horse hails from these lands choosing to honor themselves and their chosen traditions the way that comes most naturally—heavy fuckin’ metal.” Take your Medicine!
“Welsh oddballs Spider Kitten have been out there for over two decades now, dealing in their super eclectic brand of sludgy, stoner, groovy doom, heavily laced with prog, folk and more. With numerous releases to their name, you never know quite what you are going to get from Spider Kitten. You kinda know the ballpark but precisely what sport will be played in it is anyone’s guess from record to record.” Kitchen sink-core.
“Phoenix, Arizona’s Thra start with that syrupy death metal reduction and ask themselves, “How can we make this even uglier and stupider?” The answer: with sludge, of course. Yes, the one metal form even less concerned with hygiene, boasting the highest aural density and the lowest dynamic range.” Where the sludge live.
May Day is upon us, in July! Join us as we demonstrate what focused spring/early summer Filter cleaning can accomplish when you have motivated technicians.
“Diving headlong into the promo sump, I decided to take a gamble on the debut album from Portland, Oregon’s raucous Viral Tyrant and their debut LP, Vultures Like You. Formed in 2018 the fiery four-piece have a lone demo and single behind their name, before arriving at this first foray into full-length territory. Being that sludge is a notoriously grimy, seedy back-alley style, let us dispense with the pleasantries and determine whether Vultures Like You is any good.” Sludge is a disease.
“Those familiar with Somnuri’s previous work can expect a similar Cobb salad of influences from early Mastodon to Helmet to savage NYHC. Somnuri and Nefarious Wave occasionally added passages of straight sludge doom in the vein of YOB, and the removal of these marks the largest shift in sound evident in Desiderium.” Sludge as a lifestyle choice?
“I think it’s fair to say that the planet we inhabit has seen better days. It’s hot and getting hotter. Not insignificant portions of it are actually on fire and other, still larger parts will soon be underwater. It is packed with rubbish that will outlast all of us, even as we expand exponentially to fill the ‘space’ left behind by all biodiversity we have, directly or indirectly, wiped out. And on its debut, Philadelphia quintet Quiet Man (formerly God Root) would like to draw your attention to this dire state of affairs. Their message? We’re all fucked. Their chosen medium? Psychedelic sludge, noise, and drone.” Loud quietus.
“An existence spanning over twenty years in the Japanese underground brings an unsurprisingly bleak atmosphere to Kokyou De Shinu Otoko. From the grim blackness of the cover art to the translation of the title—roughly A Man Dies in His Hometown—Seek doesn’t bring even the smallest shred of happiness to the table.” Hometowns kill.
