Sludge – Page 68 – Wonderbox Metal

Fortress – Unto the Nothing (Review)

Fortress are from the US and play Doom Metal. This is their début album.

This is Doom Metal with plenty of heaviness and bite.

Slow, colossal riffs ring out from the speakers, slowly trying to drag you into oblivion. I do like a band that knows how to play at a glacial pace.

The growled vocals sound like a howling daemon rising from the pit to swallow you whole, whilst the marginally less-deep vocals remind of the singer of Cathedral with a rougher voice mixed with the singer of The Meads of Asphodel.

This is Doom with an undercurrent of Sludge running through the waste pipes. There’s a wildness to Fortress that doesn’t need taming; it’s part of their innate appeal.

Feedback-laden, dirty and unkempt; Fortress remind of Grief, only with longer songs, mixed with a band like Conan.

Chunky, heavy riffs power the songs and some of the guitar parts have a Stoner Metal vibe to them. Everything is played at a snail’s pace though, so both Stoner and Sludge influences ultimately get poured into the same drain that’s filled to the brim with DOOOOM!

For quality Doom that’s crushingly heavy and a vibe of total despair and loss, look no further than Fortess.

Favourite Track: Either Lies & Fears; Slow. Heavy. Miserable. Compelling; or The Nothing, with subtle, ethereal female cleans in the background. Haunting.

Piss Vortex – Piss Vortex (Review)

Piss Vortex are a Grindcore band from Denmark. This is their début album.

Piss Vortex play the kind of monstrous, visceral Grind that’s just such a pleasure to listen to. Their brand of mayhem is infused with a healthy wedge of Sludge and the two influences have conspired to create a caustic blend of hatred and venom.

The short, violent tracks on this release are a testament to a band who clearly want to rip out your insides and equally clearly don’t care how they do this.

Blasting, atonal and dissonant Grind is mixed with Sludge’s harsh churn to create tracks that don’t always go the direction you might expect, although every one of them is lethal.

Inventive and interesting riffs are backed up by inhuman drumming and vocals that are aggressive enough to carry a health warning.

Piss Vortex have an impressive amount of ways to kill and maim. Some Grind can fall into the trap of just repeating itself, but Piss Vortex manage to sound fresh, enticing and relatively varied for a band that are essentially harnessing pure anger and rage.

Absolute class. For connoisseurs of violent music.

Process of Guilt/Rorcal – Split (Review)

This is a split between Portugal’s Process of Guilt and Switzerland’s Rorcal.

Rorcal’s contribution to the split is 15 minutes of anguished, Blackened chaos.

On their previous album Vilagvege they had a Blackened element to their sound, with dark atmospheres and Black Metal-laced blasting appearing in places; on this split they appear to have embraced this bitingly harsh side of their sound to a greater deal and these three songs have a much stronger Black Metal influence. Having sampled the whirlwind Rorcal seem to have liked their taste of the darkness.

The Sludge is still here though. Blast beats there may be but they also slow things down to let the listener really feel the despair. At least for a short while.

I like Rorcal a lot and think that no matter whether they play fast or slow they have a talent for sounding both evil and agonised at the same time.

The first half of the split is a triumph then.

Having never encountered Process of Guilt before – what of the second half?

Process of Guilt’s contribution to the split is three tracks of Atmospheric Doom Sludge lasting 17 minutes.

They start with harsh screams that seem to escape from the void of negativity that the band shroud themselves with. They have a good sound that veritably screams for the apocalypse to happen and the hammering guitars combined with the very emotive and atmospheric aura of misery that they perpetuate is a treat to listen to.

Deeper, grimmer vocals share stage with these otherworldly shrieks to create a well rounded vocal package that complements the professional delivery of the band. This is Sludge to fall in love with.

Process of Guilt combine the abrasive, twisting parts of Neurosis, the relentless heaviness of Celeste and the dark, gritty atmospheres of Burning Witch to create 17 minutes of feedback-drenched Hell that any Sludge/Doom fan couldn’t help but fall for.

A 32 minutes split featuring quality bands and songs. What’s stopping you from getting this right now?

Algoma – Reclaimed by the Forest (Review)

Algoma are a Sludge/Doom band from Canada and this is their début album.

Algoma play the kind of filthy, grim Sludge akin to the likes of Eyehategod, Fistula, Buzzov.en, etc.

The riffs are heavy and large and have the relentless inevitability of a slow-moving avalanche. Reclaimed by the Forest seems to be powered by these monstrous guitars, as if they have an energy all to themselves; self-generating and powerful enough to make everything else follow suite.

Vocally the singer has a voice that’s somewhere between a shout and a bark.

The band’s sound is murky and dense, as one would expect from a Sludge Metal group, but there’s a healthy amount of Doom to their style meaning they go slower than some similar bands.

At almost 42 minutes in length it doesn’t outstay its welcome and the infectious nature of the Sludgy guitars mean that it’s a good album to zone out to and become encased in the heaviness.

Each song is a smorgasbord of heaviness, crunchy guitars and bile.

It’s time to let the forest take you.

Trysth – Soulchambers (Review)

Trysth are from Bulgaria and play Atmospheric Doom/Post-Metal. This is their début.

At 51 minutes in length this album takes in all that’s slow, contemplative, expressive and heavy. The band delve into Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal in an attempt to nail down their core sound.

It’s played well, sounds great and the songs themselves are mature compositions simultaneously satisfying fans of the immediate and heavy alongside the slower, brooding nature of this kind of music.

Soulchambers sounds quite apocalyptic and harrowing in places. The slow build/release mechanics that form the core of Post-Metal rub shoulders with the simpler miseries of Doom and the grim edginess of Sludge. The end result is an album of pits and troughs, lows and highs, ebbs and flows; an album that reaches for more whilst strengthening and safeguarding its central identity of desolate and bleak landscapes populated by oases of life and vitality.

The band know their art well and the album is a studied dissection of atmospheric Doom that is remarkable in its completeness. This is especially impressive as it’s the début of the band; such a strong album usually denotes more experienced hands. However, Trysth also share a member with the excellent Blackened Doom band Upyr, so it should come as no surprise really that Trysth should share similar levels of quality.

The vocals are tortured shouts that stop just short of descending into growling territory. These are accentuated by semi-cleans and cleans that are used for added effect and emotive appeal. The singer suits the heaviness of the music and the vocals are used sparingly.

The album cover is a very fitting choice as it visually represents the band’s sound extremely well.

For fans of Neurosis, Cult of Luna, Isis and the rest. Basically, for fans of thoughtful, heavy music. If you like this style then this is a must.

What an album!

The Dead – Deathsteps to Oblivion (Review)

The Dead are an Australian Death/Sludge Metal band and this is their third album.

The Dead are not your typical Death Metal band. This is Death Metal with an added Sludge Metal aspect. This means the songs are longer than normal, (the shortest here is 6:06), very heavy and full of mountainous Sludge riffs that could crush the life from the unwary.

The unholy marriage of Death Metal and Sludge is so complete that it’s truly hard to know how to categorise them – are they Death Metal with a lot of Sludge, or are they Sludge Metal with a lot of Death? It doesn’t really matter of course as ultimately they’re their own beast and one that has created a joyfully miserable album of filthy heaviness.

Glacial riffs and heavy guitars pour out of the speakers whilst pitch-black growls tear through all defences, deep enough to make your ribcage wobble.

It’s not all death and destruction though. The Sludge aspect of their sound means that they get to explore other musical climates that not many normal Death Metal bands get to explore. Here we’re talking about lighter moments, where the band get to ease off the distortion and add more subtlety into proceedings.

This is slow, ponderous music yet strangely carries great nuance with it. These are complex songs in the sense that emotionally they carry great weight in addition to the heaviosity of the more obvious aspects of their sound.

This is a terrifyingly unique blend of Death and Sludge Metal that should be on any Heavy music fan’s to-get list.

Wormwood – Wormwood (Review)

This is the début album of Wormwood who are a Sludge band from the US.

Wormwood play abraisive and caustic Sludge that eats away like acid and is every bit as disfiguring.

The songs aren’t long but they don’t need much exposure to be proven toxic.

Heavy and covered in contagious filth, Wormwood are like the bastard offspring of Today is the Day, Rabies Caste, Khanate and Eyehategod.

It’s ugly, crushing music that’s no good for your health and yet is strangely addictive regardless. The songs infect with their virulent strand of aural disease and you find yourself thinking of them when you least expect, usually when the night is in full swing and the negative thoughts are swirling. Wormwood is the soundtrack to hopelessness and woe.

The songs are surprisingly catchy and their relatively simplistic approach of groove-based, heavy Sludge is tried and tested yet by no means less effective because of it. Eyehategod may have originally wrote the book but bands like Wormwood keep adding pages.

Wormwood lack Eyehategod’s Southern tinge of course, and theirs is a sound that shares aspects of Today is the Day and Rabies Caste in particular, as mentioned above.

A warm, yet musty, analogue sound coats all of the songs like a soft, ripe, fleshy exterior. It sounds good.

At only 18 minutes in length this is a release that doesn’t outstay its welcome; one to definitely keep returning to.

Highly recommended.

Inter Arma – The Cavern (Review)

Inter Arma are from the US and this is their latest EP. Although calling it an EP is a bit of a stretch; at almost 46 minutes it’s pretty much an album.

Oh and did I mention that the entire running time is comprised of just one track? No? Well I have now.

I’ve not heard Inter Arma before, although I’m aware of them by reputation, so this is something that I was eager to listen to.

It starts off gently, with almost 3 minutes of soft, acoustic sounds, before the heavy guitars hammer down like Thor’s own wrath. Inter Arma play a highly talented form of Sludge/Post-Metal/Doom Metal. Ultimately it’s a Doom behemoth that takes in a variety of different genres and subgenres throughout the length of the song.

The Cavern is a very involving and captivating listen that has been masterfully put together with lots of thought to the weaving of the different elements into a complete tapestry of sounds.

Vocally, we get pretty much everything; cleans, semi-cleans, shouts, screams, growls; it’s all present and correct.

The song transitions through various phases and it’s complex and endearing. The band have invited a plethora of different guests onto the EP which only enhances the feeling of something truly special unfolding in front of your very ears. The guests all add something different, (female vocals, violins, synths), and their contribution is valued and integral.

The pacing and dynamics of this song are just astounding. This is the kind of Progressive Metal masterpiece that you always wanted Isis, Neurosis or Cult of Luna to do.

As the song progresses it takes in all available moods, from slow and despondent to psychedelic and expansive, to subtle and coy, to raging and tumultuous. This is an incredibly detailed journey into foreign soundscapes and as tour guides extraordinaire Inter Arma are well placed to blow your mind with their shockingly good display of songwriting. The performance and musicianship is flawless too.

Inter Arma take the Post-Metal template of the masters, (Isis/Neurosis/Cult of Luna), combine it with the extra-dimensional quality of Mastodon, layer it all in their own unique personality, add lots of individual flourishes and quirks and serve up scalding hot; The Cavern is here and it’s a delicious treat.

Stunning.

Baptists – Bloodmines (Review)

Baptists are from Canada and this is their second album. They play Hardcore.

The band combine violent Hardcore, abrasive Punk and Noise Rock into just over 25 minutes of emotive music.

The vocals are savage and raw, perfectly capturing the intensity and feeling that Baptists wish to convey.

Bloodmines is drenched in feedback, so much so it’s sometimes like listening to Sludge sped up and fed through the Punk grinder. In fact, the Sludge influence/similarity also bleeds through to the band’s sound as it’s dirty, filthy and downright unhealthy. The slower songs cement this feeling.

This is a dark album that does fast, straight-to-the-bone as well as slow-and-malevolent and does them both equally well. Or, if anything it’s the slower tracks that come off even better than the high energy faster ones as the band’s sense of creeping moss-covered horror realises its apogee.

Heavy riffs are the bedrock of this album and there are some juicy dark melodies located among the granite-hard guitars.

This is a very strong release from a very enjoyable band. Baptists are onto a winner here.

Cold Blue Mountain – Old Blood (Review)

Cold Blue Mountain are from the US and this is their second Sludge/Doom album.

This is expressive and expansive Sludge that combines elements of Doom and Post-Metal with scything screams and heavy atmospheres.

Moments of Post-Metal timidity and fragility combine with the wall-of-guitars approach of Sludge and the outright slow and heavy assault of Doom.

The result is Old Blood which reeks of despair and an almost tangible sense of lost hope. This is the soundtrack to broken dreams and wasted potential.

Of course, that doesn’t apply to the band themselves though as they have huge potential and see it realised across these 5 tracks.

The immense riffs combine with the caustic screaming to create fields of heaviness the likes of which most bands will never see.

Old Blood is a dark affair, powered by pain and driven by angst. It’s emotionally charged and the band don’t let up the mood for a minute. Whether it’s heavy or light, fast or slow, Cold Blue Mountain are here to remind you of the things you wish you didn’t know and the things you wish you hadn’t done. But there’s no catharsis, only regret.

Take the time out of your day to contemplate the horrors of existence. Take the time out of your day to listen to Old Blood.