Sludge

Gavran – Indistinct Beacon Review

By Cherd on December 4, 2022 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge, 22 comments

“Submitting a new metal record for review in December is a hard row to hoe. The List Industrial Complex is gaining critical velocity, which means folks in our position are re-listening to the albums that most impressed us over the last 11 months and catching up on the highly regarded albums we haven’t yet heard. Unless you’re bringing your A game – or maybe the A game of a better band than yours – there’s a really good chance your album is going to be underwhelming by contrast. Dutch sludge doom band Gavran boldly present their sophomore full-length Indistinct Beacon this first week of December, the official start of EOY activity.” Indistinct scheduling.

Armed for Apocalypse – Ritual Violence Review

By Twelve on October 19, 2022 in Reviews, Sludge, 11 comments

“Ah, sludge. The heaviest and slimiest of the fuzzy metals—or so I’ve been told. This actually isn’t a style I venture into at all. So then, why am I reviewing Armed for Apocalypse, described by their own promotional material as an ‘uncompromising sludge juggernaut?’ Boredom, maybe. Curiosity, perhaps? We may never know.” Sludge uphill.

Coffin Torture – Blennoid Review

By Kenstrosity on October 7, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Sludge, 12 comments

“South Carolina duo Coffin Torture deal in an especially heavy and deadly brand of sludge—reminiscent of the slower cuts from High on Fire, and Dopethrone minus the blues influences—and specialize in the art of The Riff™. In fact, I daresay the band injected a fair amount of straight-up death metal into Blennoid, such is the devastating nature of its groove and verve.” If the coffin’s a-rockin’…

Harvest of Ash – Ache and Impulse Review

By Cherd on October 3, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Sludge, 7 comments

“Salt Lake City, Utah’s Harvest of Ash have made the four stages of a migraine, prodrome, aura, headache (also called attack) and post-drome, the underpinning concept of their debut album Ache and Impulse. Fittingly, their preferred mode of delivery for songs about constant pressure and oppressive pain is a particularly chunky brand of sludge doom. Will Ache and Impulse split your skull in the best possible way, or will it make you want to lie down in a dark room until the pain stops?” Not tonight, honey.

Greber – Fright Without Review

By Thus Spoke on September 14, 2022 in Reviews, Powerviolence, Sludge, 28 comments

“A drum kit, a bass guitar, two throats, and an unflinching look at life. Such components make up Greber, the unapologetically unhinged grind/sludge two-piece responsible for Fright Without. In their near-15 years of existence, the pair have constructed a fair number of audial slaps in the face, both alone and in numerous splits with the likes of Minors and Anthesis. With one half (Steve Vargas) coming from sludge act The Great Sabatini, and the other (Marc Bourgon) from grind group Fuck The Facts, Greber have always blended these two unfriendly styles.” Greber, baby.

Might – Abyss Review

By Thus Spoke on August 30, 2022 in Reviews, Sludge, 16 comments

“Take a look at that incredible Beksiński art, and tell me what music you think it represents. Did you say stoner and sludge-infused alt-rock? I didn’t think so, but that’s what Might serve up in their sophomore record Abyss. The duo have certainly branched out from their more overtly sludgy eponymous debut, switching from stoner, to crust punk, to black metal, to prog rock, and to post-metal both within and between tracks.” Horse of a different void.

Chat Pile – God’s Country Review

By Cherd on August 1, 2022 in Reviews, Noise, Noise Rock, Sludge, 162 comments

“Hopelessness is both a universal and local phenomenon. It’s always the same handful of pressures that cause it; resource inaccessibility, environmental/health factors, power held by the unscrupulous, etc, but every place has its own particular aesthetic of hopelessness. Despondency in, say, Guangzhou, China will look, sound and feel different than it does in the American Midwest. Sludge/Noise band Chat Pile call their debut album God’s Country “Oklahoma’s specific brand of misery,” and indeed their name itself comes from the piles of toxic waste, left over from an unregulated lead and zinc extraction industry, poisoning towns in the Sooner State.” American nightmares.

Mantar – Pain is Forever and This is the End Review

By Saunders on July 13, 2022 in Reviews, Sludge, 28 comments

“After smashing out three albums and gathering loads of momentum over a five-year period, Mantar have remained quiet on the recording front, aside from a collection of cover songs. Pleasingly, Mantar return with their anticipated fourth offering, boasting a cool album title and minimalistic cover art. Can Erinc (drums) and Hanno (guitars, vocals) muster the creative energy and belly fire to deliver a knockout punch?” Moretar!

HUSH – The Pornography of Ruin Review

By Cherd on June 27, 2022 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge, 17 comments

“Sludge metal has been a frequent bedfellow of serious, art-y post rock almost since the beginning of the genre. I’m not exactly sure why, but as a product of multiple art schools myself, I can confirm that I and other likeminded insufferable wanks folks are generally drawn to the resulting aesthetic thanks to its confrontational formal elements. Seminal groups like Neurosis and Isis built a template of harsh elegance decades ago that many contemporary bands, Cult of Luna, for instance, are happy to follow. Meanwhile, acts like Vile Creature, The Body, et al up the esoteric factor by injecting drone, noise, or electronics for downright disconcerting sonic textures. New York’s HUSH fall somewhere between these two approaches.” Suave sludge.

Axioma – Sepsis Review

By Grymm on June 22, 2022 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge, 14 comments

“The one-sheet accompanying the promo described Sepsis as “dark metal,” a term usually thrown around with great ease by Century Media Records in the late 90s and early 2000s to describe practically all of their roster. However, Sepsis owns that adjective, because this shit is dark. The frantic fills and percussive abuse by Jon Vinson on, well, every song here punctuates the howling-from-the-abyss Eyehategod-like vocals of bassist Aaron Dallison, who seemingly channels his rage and disappointment in humanity from a neverending well.” Consult a physician.