Tag: sludge
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Black Tusk – TCBT
A bit of a new look for Black Tusk on this one, as this Georgia trio puts out its first new record since replacing the late Johnathan Athon with ex-Kylesa bassist Corey Barhorst. But while the lead singer might have changed, the song largely remains the same—despite some slight variations, their brand of thrashy, sludgy…
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Primitive Man/Unearthly Trance split
With both of these Relapse sludgy doomsters known for their droning, drawn-out numbers, I’m surprised this split between Primitive Man and Unearthly Trance is under 45 minutes. Each band gets three songs, with the opening track “Merging” serving as a mysterious one-minute collaboration between them both. Actually scratch that, Primitive Man’s A Side only has…
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Horehound – Holocene
Pittsburgh has been a pretty solid, low-key player on the doom scene ever since Dream Death first coined the term “sludge metal” by blending doom and thrash in the 80’s. Continuing the tradition of bands like Penance, Argus and Brimstone Coven, Horehound is currently shopping its second album, Holoscene, to like-minded labels. This six-track, 44-minute…
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Weed Demon – Astrological Passages
Now, I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but when the band’s name is Weed Demon, their logo looks like a pot leaf, and they’ve got some crazy spaceship action happening on the record sleeve…it’s gonna be pretty hard for me NOT to dig it. This Columbus crew’s debut has just…
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Loggerhead – Depths
Muscle Shoals, Alabama is a town with a rich musical history—FAME Studios, The Swampers, Lyrnyrd Skynyrd… but nautical post-sludge metal is probably the last thing that comes to mind. Until now. This local outfit is basically Alabama’s answer to Isis—and they’ve made Depths, their debut album, available for free download on Bandcamp. (Good luck finding…
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Ancestors – Suspended in Reflections
It’s been six years since we’ve had new music from Ancestors, a proggy post-sludge outfit that’s apparently gone from a quintet to a three-piece in the process. Not only have they slimmed down their lineup, but they also seem to have trimmed the fat. While 2012’s In Dreams and Time featured six tracks spanning 66…
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ASG – Survive Sunrise
Now, I don’t think that “sludge pop” is actually a thing, although I might have seen that term used in a Torche review or two. It could also possibly apply to ASG, a Carolina outfit that often mixes catchy hooks with heavy, distorted riffs. It’s been five years since their last album, Blood Drive, which…
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Grave Lines – Fed Into The Nihilist Engine
Like Mogwai meeting Black Sabbath, this is music that mines dark inner depths. The music is given a chance to breathe, to surge and fall, like a painting composed of monochrome darkness. I felt ‘the Nihilist Engine’ the album refers to could be the modern world we live in, a world that crushes hope if…
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Heron – A Low Winter’s Sun
This Sludgelord Records signing outta Vancouver namedrops Isis, Sleep and Corrupted in their Bandcamp bio, so you know it’s gonna be heavy. Heron’s debut full-length album features six tracks clocking in at just under 40 minutes, with shades of all the aforementioned. The awesomely titled “Of Gods and Goats” kicks things off with a slow,…
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Limb – Saboteurs of the Sun
It’s always great to hear a band progress and grow organically. Limb’s song-writing has improved massively. Saboteurs of the Sun (a fine title by the way) has excellent catchy songs that form a cohesive and complementary whole as an album. Limb have moved to territory previously occupied by Hawkwind, Monster Magnet and Mastodon, displaying imagination and…