Opium Lord and Under are both sludge metal bands from the UK and this is a split release from them.
Opium Lord, (who feature an ex-member of Sealclubber), deliver one song – Sherpa – lasting almost 6 minutes.
The song begins quite gently, at least until the piercing screams start. Very quickly the heaviness kicks in and it reminds me of something Soilent Green might have done if they had focused more on their doomy sludge side. The song gradually picks up energy and aggression as it develops, until it reveals an atmospheric aspect that’s sinister and menacing. The song ends in a crushing sludge fest that seems to crawl with malevolent intent ever closer to the listener, before stopping abruptly and with great finality.
I very much liked this song from Opium Lord, and I’ll keep an ear out for them in the future.
Under give us one song – The Ref – which lasts just shy of 6 minutes.
The Ref starts all angular and heavy. It’s a charismatic and idiosyncratic collection of heaviness and varied vocals – screams and cleans and all manner of other vocalisations. It has a relentless quality to it that’s captivating. Roughly halfway the textures change, offering snippets of melody and a greater percussive presence. I especially like the way that the drums and bass seem to collaborate, and in the last couple of minutes this only seems to intensify, before returning to its initial lurching stomp. The song reminds me of a mix of parts of bands such as Kowloon Walled City, Melvins, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Torn Apart.
Under’s non-standard and characterful approach to music is as enjoyable as Opium Lord’s, albeit in quite a different way.
This split is a great way to introduce yourself to two quality UK bands. Make sure that you check this out.
Find out more here.
Wonderbox Metal 