Tag: sludge
-

Black Sheep Wall – I’m Going to Kill Myself
Harsh. Caustic. Slower than molasses dripping off a tortoise’s nutsack. These are all terms to describe the new Black Sheep Wall album, which isn’t anywhere nearly as friendly as its cover might suggest…though tis certainly more befitting of its title. Lemme put it this way: there’s this one riff on “Metallica,” the cheekily named, 34-minute…
-

Goya/Wounded Giant split
Less than a week into 2015 and what will likely be the year’s best – or at least heaviest – split has already sold out. The split LP from Goya and Wounded Giant sold out in less than eight hours upon its release January 3rd at noon. I had my eye on the Die Hard…
-

Astrakhan – A Tapestry of Scabs and Skin
The second release from these young Vancouver sludgesters Astrakhan combines the two tracks from their previous The Pillarist 7” with a couple new numbers on this 25-minute EP. “Cupid’s Fist” comes swinging out of the gate, a djenty piece of post-sludge with breakdowns aplenty. Vocals are clean and atmospheric for the most part, but they…
-

Downfall of Gaia – Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay
Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay is in many ways similar to Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes, the last album from Germany’s Downfall of Gaia. It’s also heavier in sound and less immediately accessible. Thus, the record is less memorable and cohesive-sounding as a whole but as equally rewarding with repeated listens. The slight…
-

Dune – Aurora Majesty
There’s some mighty good shit coming out of Scotland. At least in so far as this review is concerned. The shit (with horns up of course) of note is Aurora Majesty, the two-song EP by Edinburgh’s Dune on newly minted Scottish label Sea of Corruption. Dune’s previous effort, Progenitor sounded to this writer like aggressive…
-

Full of Hell – Full of Hell & Merzbow
Over the past four years we have seen Full of Hell release many full lengths and eps but now, with the edition of Masami Akita (aka Merzbow) legendary Japanese noise master, they clearly want to make a bolder, more focused statement in the world of noise music. The band consists of Dylan Walker (vocals, electronics and…
-

The Body / Sandworm split
I still have fond memories of the one and only time I’ve seen The Body live. The local promoter had a hard time finding a venue that would accommodate their awesome amplitude, and they ended up being double-booked with some indie-rock band at The Shop, a pre-fabricated Parkdale punk-rock dive. After the respective local openers…
-

Pig Destroyer – Mass & Volume
When one of the biggest grindcore bands of recent years drops a two-song, 26-minute doom-metal album, you can certainly colour me intrigued. Pig Destroyer actually recorded these two tracks back in ’06 but, understandably, they took some time to see the light of day. “Mass & Volume” takes up 19 of those minutes, starting off slowly with…
-

Greber: hanging out, playing riffs, losing money, making noise
There’s a new album out from Greber. Check it out. And while you’re checking it out, check out what Greber bassist/vocalist Marc Bourgon (who you may also know from Fuck the Facts) has to say about the band, their music, and other related awesomeness. The basic info: Who’s in the band and what is each…
-

Today Is the Day – Animal Mother
Let’s be honest here. Today Is the Day is mainly the life’s work of one man, Steve Austin, with a rotating rhythm section that changes every album or two. That said, he usually finds musicians that are well-versed in the genre… I guess you could call it post-hardcore? For album number 10, it’s drummer Jeffrey Lohrber…
