Northless is a Post-Rock/Doom/Sludge Metal Band from Milwaukee, USA
The members are:
Nick Elert - guitar
John Gleisner - drums
Jerry Hauppa - bass
Erik Stenglein - guitar/vocals
Band Biography
Formed in 2007 by Erik Stenglein, Northless is a reaction to the erosion of the future. Drawing from influences such as Neurosis, Eyehategod, Drudkh and Khanate, Northless has placed a boot firmly in the realm of sludge and doom.
In 2013, Northless will release what promises to be their densest, most heartaching piece of music yet, in the form of a double LP called "World Keeps Sinking". This work will be released in Fall 2013, and promises to showcase the heaviness that Norrthless is known for, along with an expanded showcase of tones heretofore unexplored by the band.
NORTHLESS - WORLD KEEPS SINKING
Northless hail from Milwaukee, and play a pretty epic and searching variety of Sludge, all the while not skimping on the heavy. This is well played and fairly technical stuff, best consumed at the highest of volumes, and possibly states of mind. Their latest opus is called 'World Keeps Sinking', and it's pretty damn righteous to say the least.
Album opener 'Last Of Your Kind' has a frankly exceptionally constructed intro to it's name. Full of promise and sweet building layers, it escalates with some classy deep and sludgy licks, and it then delivers on all the promise it used to ease you into it when the heavy shit truly kicks in. Discordant and crushing while still retaining that degree of craftsmanship alluded to, it totally breaks down into speedy hardcore riffs, before alternating back to a more conventional degree of sound. The whole thing is an exercise in badass.
The title track sounds like a more pissed off Baroness. The riffs battle between high end pitch and low end drone with absolutely ZERO effort, and the percussion rolls nicely. It'll knock your head backwards like a lead weight to the nose at times.
'Communion' is the first of two longer pieces on the record, this one brings the slow drone feel with a bit of a more pummelling central riff having been utilised to do the honours on your earholes. It's a contemplative kind of heaviness though, not at all mindless. Nothing on this record is left to chance, everything has a reason for inclusion. The second of the longer tracks to which I referred just is the more calming 'Passage'. It's light and ethereal and is the first time that the band shows their flair for the melodic in any real way. They do it well too. It sounds like floating on the edge of the planet's atmosphere, and carries a feeling that you are aware that there is no oxygen, but you're so happy just being there that you don't really care. It does of course descend into the sludgy mire again, and you'll be on fire crashing back down to Earth with a smile on your face.
The entirety of this new record is well planned and executed, and with astonishing flair. A true example of the almighty power of the riff (and how it compels us), it's varied enough to be challenging while retaining some of the more meaty elements to make it instantaneous, and very accessible. Brilliant stuff.
For a band name that would hint at a lack of direction, the reality could not be farther from the case; Northless are most certainly going places.
Written By Matt Fitton
Thanks to Bariann from The Black Birch for sending us a promo to review.
World Keeps Sinking will be released via Halo Of Flies and Gilead Media on August 23rd 2013.
PREORDER:
HALO OF FLIES
GILEAD MEDIA
PRESSING INFO:
Labels: Halo of Flies / Gilead Media
Double LP.
180gram vinyl.- 600 pcs.
200 on clear, 400 on black. Heavy full color gatefold jackets, download card.
Check The Band From Links Below:
http://northless.bandcamp.com/
http://www.northless.com
http://www.myspace.com/northlessmilwaukee
http://www.last.fm/music/northless
http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?i...
