This is the debut album from Belgian sludge/post-metal band Predatory Void.
Featuring current and ex-members of Amenra, Carnation, Living Gate, Cobra the Impaler, Oathbreaker, and Aborted, Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being is a 43-minute multifaceted trip into extreme metal darkness. Continue reading “Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being (Review)”
This is the third album from UK sludge metal band Allfather.
A Violent Truth is a 27-minute kick to the head. This is ugly sludge metal played in the way that that it should be played; raw, honest, and brutal. Continue reading “Allfather – A Violent Truth (Review)”
Tithe are an extreme metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Inverse Rapture is a 29-minute cocktail of foul filth made up of black metal, death metal, sludge, and grindcore. Tithe’s sound is grim and dark, yet wonderfully abrasive within this. Their extreme metal style is hard to pin down, and it’s definitely a hybrid of the abovementioned genres. Blackened sludge with a grindcore edge? Something like that. Hell, I’m just going to call this extreme metal and be done with it.
This is the fourth album from US industrial black/sludge metal band Invertia.
When I last caught up with Invertia it was on 2014’s Another Scheme of the Wicked, where they played industrial black metal, complete with remixes of the original tracks. Nine years or so later, the band’s music is darker and uglier, yet also laced with hooks and catchy riffs and beats. Continue reading “Invertia – Through the Black Bubble (Review)”
This is the third album from Finnish sludge metal band Black Royal.
We’ve met Black Royal before, on their 2016 EP The Summoning Pt.2, as well as their previous album Firebride, which made quite an impact. With a duration of 48 minutes Earthbound delivers meaty songs full of nutrient-dense tastiness. Continue reading “Black Royal – Earthbound (Review)”
Ilsa are a sludge metal band from the US and this is their sixth album.
Ever since I first heard – and loved – 2012’s Intoxicantations, I’ve been a big fan of Ilsa. Across another two full-lengths – 2015’s The Felon’s Claw and 2018’s Corpse Fortress they haven’t let me down, and they don’t seem to have done so Continue reading “Ilsa – Preyer (Review)”
This is the third album from Mantar, a German black metal band.
I’m a latecomer to Mantar’s work, but I can tell you that if you’re looking for filthy, ugly blackened metallic punk that’s still catchy as fuck, then they stand head and shoulders above most of their peers. Continue reading “Mantar – The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze (Review)”
Oh my. There has been some very good stuff released this month. Let’s have a look… Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of February 2018”
This is the fifth album from US sludge metal band Ilsa.
Ilsa are well-known around these parts for being prime suppliers of dirty, heavy, riff-driven kicking metallic sludge. 2015’s The Felon Claw and 2012’s Intoxicantations in particular were both huge, crushing records which still get regular rotation from yours truly. Continue reading “Ilsa – Corpse Fortress (Review)”
This is the third album from Brazilian Sludge/Stoner Metal band Monster Coyote.
With a colossal and crushing sound, Neckbreaker holds nothing back. The album is aptly named, let’s just say that.
Living in the same hinterland between styles that is inhabited by bands such as Ilsa, Serpent Eater, Northless, Colombian Necktie and the like, Monster Coyote play heavy, nasty music that’s too upbeat to be Doom, too gnarly to be pure Metal, and too rocking to be Death Metal. It’s somewhat how you might imagine Mastodon would sound if they had fallen in love with heavier, nastier music after their first release, or maybe Clutch if they developed a love of Sludge Metal.
The singer has a formidable roar that doesn’t let up. His caustic, gruff tones are a joy to listen to as the music rumbles and chugs its way through the 40 minutes of playing time.
The music is all about the crushing riffs and relentlessly aggressive heaviness. What separates them from some of their peers though is that instead of fusing this with Doom or Hardcore, they instead choose to fuse it with a Stoner Rock sensibility that means these tracks are all endowed with high energy and furious vitality.
The band know their stuff when it comes to playing and some of the longer tracks give them ample opportunity to develop their art. The drums in particular are a really satisfying listen, all rolls and pounding beats.
Emotive without being weak and strong without being brutish, Neckbreaker is the perfect recommendation for anyone into heavy, aggressive music that knows how to rock the fuck out.
Highly recommended.
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