As far as sludge bands go, Grime is aptly named. These Italians play a dirty, gritty blend of downtuned doom, taking the foundation that Eyehategod built, and making it even more unpleasant. Case in point: their sophomore album, which boasts a title even more offputting than its artwork. Curiously enough, the song titles seem more like brutal-death ballads, but between the undecipherable vocals and lack of lyrics, I’m not sure if these bros even know English.
Mind you, “Get Immortal,” which properly opens the album (following a three-minute intro), makes you wonder if they’re really after Abbath. Its blackened-sludge barrage might be a bit more bass-heavy, especially on its Crowbar-sized breakdowns, but it’s crafted from the same raw viscous ooze as Norwegian true. Then they quickly bring the tempo down to a crawl; “Verge of Wrath” coming off as the guy from Lord Mantis singing for EHG through a Valnott pedal. “Decay in Hades” sounds like more Midwest death/doom, while “Sulpherous Veins” is somewhat akin to Apostle of Solitude playing in a dank, dingy basement with maggots crawling from the vocal mic.
Hey, at least their song titles aren’t entirely misleading. Now, about the name of that record…
