Sludge

Unkind – Pelon Juuret Review

Unkind – Pelon Juuret Review

By Alex Franquelli on July 7, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, Finnish Metal, Hardcore, Relapse, Reviews, Sludge, Hardcore, Sludge, 2 comments

“It’s good. No, really, it’s very good. There is everything you are entitled to expect from a hardcore album. And possibly something more. Unkind’s Pelon Juuret is, according to their label, “as if Mogwai made a record of Tragedy covers or From Ashes Rise were influenced by Explosions In The Sky”. Too far from the truth? Not at all. If its predecessor, Harhakuvat, was a discordant symphony reminiscent of early Neurosis and Wolfbrigade, Unkind’s latest effort is proudly not too far from that somehow controversial album. Crust, kängapunk (ok: Swedish hardcore) and sludge all contribute to making Pelon Juuret (literally: ‘the roots of fear’) yet another small gem of beautifully crafted northern violence.” Alex discusses hardcore, jasmine tea and Finnish squats. Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on either.

The Body – Master, We Perish EP Review

The Body – Master, We Perish EP Review

By Alex Franquelli on April 29, 2013 in 2013, 4.0, At a Loss, Avante Garde, Doom Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Doom Metal, Sludge, 1 comment

“As the Assembly Of Light Choir started murmuring its way into the first track on The Body’s magnificent preceding record, all promises of annihilation by the hands of a bearded duo of Rhode Islanders immediately faded into a celestial oblivion. But that was it. No more melodies for the rest of the album: just hints and subtle allusions as to what could vaguely resemble a remote assonance or a discernible musicality.” Join Alex as he takes you on an agonizing journey unlike any you’ve been on before!

Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire – Visceral EP Review

Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire – Visceral EP Review

By Alex Franquelli on August 1, 2012 in 2012, 3.5, American Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Sludge, Sludge, 1 comment

Sludge is not what it used to be. In the 90s, bands would swarm like filthy locusts from New Orleans to bring the density of the bayou, its mud, and its endless drapes of sticky moss to a world living in denial and feasting its way to the end of the century. Happy days. In the meantime, a lot has changed: a new era has dawned on us and things have gone wrong in every possible way, but that strain of extreme music is still there to remind us that, well, things could get even worse. And when they do, it’s bands like Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire who provide the soundtrack.

Trillion Red – Two Tongues EP Review

Trillion Red – Two Tongues EP Review

By Chalimar on January 3, 2012 in 2011, 3.0, American Metal, Reviews, Things You Might Have Missed 2011, Unsigned Bands, Sludge, 4 comments

When a band states that they make “truly unique music” or something to that effect, I’m always skeptical. Most of the time it just means that it a) sucks ass or b) isn’t “unique” at all, but just more of the same. Trillion Red, however, really do have a sound of their own, and it doesn’t suck. While you could just throw them on the huge pile of Neurosis copycats, it really wouldn’t do them justice, because there’s more to their music. It has the typical ingredients of atmospheric sludge, the down-tuned guitars, the huge riffs, the minimalistic drumming, the synths, and, unfortunately, boring and sometimes awkward ambient sections.

Subrosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones Review

Subrosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones Review

By Angry Metal Guy on March 5, 2011 in 2.0, 2011, American Metal, Profound Lore Records, Reviews, Sludge, Sludge, 2 comments

I consider myself a pretty open-minded guy. Sure, I’m angry and a tad dogmatic at times, but I’m certainly not unwilling to engage in new ideas or to follow along with people when they do innovative things. But one trend, or musical movement if I’m going to be polite about it, in the metal underground that I just have never been able to get on board with is sludge or funeral doom. As I’ve said before, I just get bored. My attention span isn’t up for this stuff. There is a mind-numbing simplicity that I think you can only appreciate if you’re really stoned and I, frankly, don’t touch the stuff.

Rabbits – Lower Forms Review

Rabbits – Lower Forms Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 15, 2011 in 1.5, 2011, American Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Sludge, Hardcore, Punk, Sludge, 3 comments

OK. So. Let me preface this by saying that I’m not a huge fan of anything Rabbits is defined as. I don’t really like hardcore and haven’t liked it since I was in high school. And even then I only flirted with the genre and never really got into it. Second, I listen to a lot of music. I get new music every day and I hear new shit all the time. I try to be pretty open minded, but sometimes I just don’t like shit. And I really, really, really don’t like Rabbits – Lower Forms. I’m sure these guys are OK with that, though, because that’s the point of being counter cultural.