Shortcuts: 7 Recent EPs, Singles, and Splits of Note
Ok – I’m busy. You’re busy. So let’s cut the shit and talk bad-ass tunes, specifically, some recent noteworthy non-LP releases that are more…
sludge
Graves at Sea – The Curse That Is
The first full-length from Graves at Sea isn’t just a long time coming, it’s a long time, period—eight tracks spanning 76 minutes! I guess…
Lord Mantis – NTW EP
With an infusion of new blood from now-defunct Chicago outfit Indian, you might be expecting something slightly sludgier from this Midwest blackened doom troop…
Bardus – Stella Porta
When I think Philly, I don’t usually think noise rock, but French label Solar Flare Records, home to the likes of Sofy Major and…
Dream Death – Dissemination
Dream Death’s 1987 debut Journey Into Mystery is one of the great lost metal classics of all time. On their debut album, this Pittsburgh…
Black Shape of Nexus – Carrier
This German sludge sextet returns with Carrier, their first full-length since 2012’s oppressive 80-minute effort Negative Black. This one’s considerably less lengthy, but equally…
Low Flying Hawks – Kofuku
After a while as a writer you come to rely on certain PR companies and labels to deliver the goods seemingly without question. In…
Black Cobra – Imperium Simulacra
Another sludge band coming out of the woodwork after a considerable recording hiatus; Imperium Simulacra marks Black Cobra’s first release since 2011’s Invernal. That…
Seven Sisters of Sleep – Ezekiel’s Hags
I have not heard from this L.A. sludge crew since their self-titled debut in 2011. Seven Sisters of Sleep have put out another album—and…
AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: SLEEP @ The Phoenix, January 22, 2016
Seeing Sleep at The Phoenix wasn’t just another gig–it was a religious experience. Let’s just say there might have been more than one bearded dude bowing down to the almighty riff last night. And when the whole band came in at the beginning of “Dopesmoker,” everybody up front started headbanging in unison, like a buncha drugged-out monks.