Tag: sludge

  • In the Company of Serpents – Ain-Soph Aur

    In the Company of Serpents – Ain-Soph Aur

    With everyone from Steven Tyler to Jimmy Bower to David “Morbid to the Core” Vincent gone country these days, I guess it was just a matter of time before country doom actually became a thing. In the Company of Serpents describe themselves as “between sludge metal and sprawling spaghetti western scores,” but if you came…

  • Hark – Machinations

    Hark – Machinations

    Hark now hear the second record from this heavy-ass Welsh outfit! They may not sound like a choir of angels, but these Swansea slammers bring the riffs for 47 minutes on the follow-up to their 2014 debut Crystalline. And hey, their lead singer’s name is Jimbob, and he used to be in a band called…

  • Forming the Void – Relic

    Forming the Void – Relic

    Now, I gotta say, I’m a pretty big fan of NOLA-style sludge metal. (EHG FTW!) But while Lafayette, Louisiana might just be a couple hours away from New Orleans, these native sons are several more miles removed from Crowbar or Eyehategod—while still clearly inhabiting within the stoner/doom subgenre. The second record from Forming the Void…

  • Unearthly Trace – Stalking the Ghost

    Unearthly Trace – Stalking the Ghost

    NYC doom dealers Unearthly Trance have returned from a seven-year recording hiatus—one that gave us a pair of Serpentine Path records, mind you, as they joined up with Tim Bagshaw of Electric Wizard fame. But now the original trio’s back in business, with their sixth album, out this month on Relapse Records. You can expect…

  • Mountain God – Bread Solstice

    Mountain God – Bread Solstice

    Brooklyn is probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think post-sludge. Me, I’m thinking Oakland, maybe Portland, definitely Chicago of late… But this trippy trio is coming straight outta Williamsburg on Bread Solstice, their debut LP, serving up six tracks in just over 40 minutes. Mountain God’s Artificial Head debut Some…

  • Rozamov – This Mortal Coil

    Rozamov – This Mortal Coil

    I actually saw this Boston trio in Toronto last summer, when they played the basement of the Smiling Buddha with Moon Curse and Ol’ Time Moonshine. And with all due apologies to said moon units, Rozamov was definitely the heaviest band on the bill. I half-expected my old landlord to come down and tell ‘em…

  • Sithter – Chaotic Fiend

    Sithter – Chaotic Fiend

    Now, Japan has produced some pretty solid stoner and death/doom bands over the years, from Coffins to Corrupted, Eternal Elysium to Chuch of Misery… not to mention Boris, who practically deserve their own category. But when it comes to straight-ahead Japanese sludge, I usually come up empty. So when I heard that Sithter, a band…

  • Backwoods Payback – Fire Not Reason

    Backwoods Payback – Fire Not Reason

    I last heard from Backwoods Payback about five years back, when they released their Momantha record on Small Stone, a pretty decent dose of southern-fried heavy rock from a band outta Pennsylvania. In the years since, they’ve switched a few things up, dropping from a four-piece to a trio before releasing this album independently. Most…

  • Fistula – The Shape of Doom to Cumm))))

    Fistula – The Shape of Doom to Cumm))))

    Seems it wasn’t so long ago that I was reviewing Longing for Infection, the last album from Cleveland crusty sludge crew Fistula. After that stellar sludge record came out in July, they’re back again already with another seven-track effort, although this one is almost more of an EP, clocking in just over 25 minutes. Judging…

  • Cokegoat – Drugs and Animals

    Cokegoat – Drugs and Animals

    Cokegoat first caught my ear over three years ago with their debut album Vessel. This Chicago sextet (three guitars, one keyboard) brings the sludge, brings the doom and a bit of black metal, too. And could there possibly be a better, more fitting album title? Sophomore effort Drugs and Animals starts off with some unassuming…