Well, what a year 2013 has been. Since I joined The Sludgelord over 18 months
ago, there have been many changes, both in terms of contributors and the
overall attitude towards the music we feature.
As I am sure you are aware the variety of music we feature has grown, as
The Sludgelord has grown. Put simply if
we feel it is good enough and deserves your attention, we will share that
music with you; whether it gets one view or 100 views. We like to think there is something for
every fan of metal, cept Djent maybe, ha-ha!!
Based around the solid commitment from
Steve Howe, who probably averages around 5 reviews a week, The Sludgelord
wouldn’t be what it is today. I work along side Steve to keeping this juggernaut steaming
along, have reduced the work I do in terms of reviews, focusing mainly on the
social media side of things, keeping the facebook page active with regular
update (now nearly 3150 like) and also talking crap on twitter, oh and we have recently added a instagram account.
I do write the occasional review, of
which some will feature in my Top 25 end of year list. Other highlights of which there are many,
include the many interviews I have done, my first live review, (Nails at
Manchester), watching Conan at their gig in Sheffield in front of 30 people and
hooking up with the guys from Tombstones in Nottingham and obviously raising
over £600 through our Eyehategod auction, bittersweet moment, for obvious
reasons. Very cool!! So many highlights, there are too many to
mention, but to cap it off for me, getting to hear new Slomatics, was a
personal highlight. Watch out, it is
stunning!!
We now have an amazing team of
contributors and every person who has contributed something, I am grateful to
you. It is a bit of cliché, but there is
no ‘I’ in team and I have to give special mention to the dedicated team members
I have worked with specifically, given that I post their reviews on a weekly
basis.
Richard Maw, Matt Fitton, Chris
Markwell, Phil Weller, Dominic Walsh and
Lucas Klaukien your contributions this year cannot be under estimated, no one
gets paid for this, but your dedication and commitment is the reason Sludgelord
is what it is today. Cheers guy!! It is a pleasure reading your reviews and a
publishing them, so thank you. Also
hearty mentions to our resident Bostonian contributor from Gozu, big Gaff
himself. See you a Roadburn, big
guy. Anyone I have missed, your
contribution was no less appreciated and everyone who has contributed
something, I am grateful. Finally,
Steve, you the man!!
Now, the music is what it all
about. So, here is my Top 25 Records of
2013. When I say records, some of these were
not full length albums, hence the reference to records. Personally speaking, I didn’t want to focus
on a specific genre or genres of metal, this is my list based specifically upon
enjoyment, amount of times played and just an overall vibe I got from the
records. It is by no means a definitive
list, but these records moved me in some way and it is all about
subjectivity. The hardest part for me in
compiling this list was the fact I have not listened to many records on repeat,
but here it is. As always, show your
support to these bands, whether it is buying a shirt, DD, CD or vinyl. Cheers and see you on the other side. Aaron. Ps I cheated a little by having a few
bands sharing a specific placing, so I really have more than 25.
25). All Pigs Must Die – Nothing Violates
This Chaos
For me the
best release by Southern Lord this year.
It is a rager from the outset and blisteringly heavy.
24). Mutoid Man – Helium Head
Cave In and Coverge members = catchy, heavy, poppy, hook laden and just a
brilliant listen. Watch out of the
brilliant cover of The Manimals too.
Genius.
23). Crypt
Lurker - Baneful Magic, Death Worship
and Necromancy Rites Archaic
Recommended
following a brief twitter conversation.
Listened on Bandcamp. 5 minutes later bought the vinyl. Slow, crippling sludge doom. Easily the best release of it’s kind this
year.
22). Beastmilk
– Climax
Thought I would
hate it, yet this record is seriously addictive and is a record of the highest
quality. Post whatever you wanna call it, but it has swagger and serious
attitude. Ones to watch for sure.
21). Blackout – We Are Here
Putting the R
in riff and D in doom. Art work says it
all. Can’t recommend it enough.
20).
Warwolf – Crushing The Ways of the old
Just fucking
pissed off and heavy.
19). Gozu – The Fury of a Patient Man
Not as riff heavy as their debut IMO,
but with a vocalist as talented as Gaff who turns in a stellar performance,
shitloads of groove and fuzz , it deserves your attention. 2014 brings the vinyl edition and their debut
European Shows.
18). True
Widow – Circumambulation
Just a
breathtaking record, hypnotic and fuzz laden.
17). Primitive Man – Scorn
Two words. Face Melting.
16). Scientist – S/T
Ex Yakuza man,
Eric Plonka delivers what I think is one of the best instrumental metal record
of the year.
15). Carcass
– Surgical Steel
Nearly 20
years since Heartwork and this is as good, if not better. Comeback of 2013.
14). Secrets
of the Sky – To Sail Black Waters
Black metal,
sludge, doom, post metal, mix it together and you get a stunning debut.
13). Clutch
– Earth Rocker
All killer and
no filler. Putting them back on top where
they rightfully deserve to be.
12). Sadgiqacea
– False Prism
A massive
sounding duo, fusing black metal, sludge, doom and so much more.
11). Armed
for Apocalypse – The Road Will End
A stunning
return after a 4 year absence, filled with riffs Kirk Windstein would be proud
of.
10). Vista
Chino
Creating a new
era for themselves and delivering an album that we all hoped they were capable
of. Not immediate by any means, but you
invest the time and this record delivers in spades. Garcia never sounded better.
09).
Avatarium – S/T
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Who needs Candlemass when you get an
album like this. This record delivers on
every level. Did I mention the vocals
are amazing.
08). We
Are Knuckle Dragger – The Drone
This record
will totally divide opinion, with its unrelenting discordance, but It is just
brilliant.
07). Tombstones
– Red Skies and Dead Eyes
Tombstones
return with a warmer and heavier sounding record. Again if you like your doom laden with bass
and fuzz, this is the best of its kind this year.
06). Cult of
Luna – Vertikal
A Masterpiece and
arguably their best work to date.
05). Voivod –
Target Earth
Took me by surprise just how good this
record is. Not for everyone, but people
who know the band, cannot fail to love it.
Refreshed, rejuvenated and arguably a career best nearly 30 years on
04) =. Goya
– 777 & Curse The Son – Psychache
Goya - This
band came to my attention from nowhere and completely blew me away. Shit, Electric Wizard are not making records this
good. Recorded live with few
overdubs. Fans of Electric Wizard,
Sleep, you need this band in your life.
Curse The Son
– I could not pick these two record apart.
Expect a monumental vinyl release from STB Records next year and it is
well deserved. Quote from the bandcamp
page says, “guitar tone and the rhythm
section just smashes your bones”.
Couldnt agree more. Get
downloading
03). = Conan/Bongripper Split 12” & Kowloon Walled City /
Battilus Split 7
Conan / Bongripper Split - Released to
coincide with their UK dates, two of the heaviest bands on the plant do not
disappoint. In the words of Spinal Tap,
turn up to 11.
Kowloon Walled City / Battilus Split 7 –
I literally received this record a few days ago and I must have played it ten
times back to back, hell I even exposed my kids to it. Cover songs are often a lottery, sometime
bands go for a like for like interpretation and others, such as Type O
Negative, covering Black Sabbath, reinterpret the music completely, with a
varying degree of approval. Anyway, this
split is up there with the best I have ever heard. Godflesh and Ministry are the bands being
covered and goddam do both bands nail it.
Swapping vocalists for each track to add a cool twist on this project,
for me the highlight is Batillus covering ‘Lava’ by Minsitry, that is not to
take anything away from KWC, because their track is killer, but Batillus own this
track, bucketloads of head nodding grooves and a definite floor filler. Make no mistake if you like both of these
bands, you won’t be disappointed.
02). Batillus
– Concrete Sustain
Taking the
best eletronica from Ministry, fuse with sludgey as fuck riffs, with bleak
snarling vocals. Concrete Sustain is a
must have. Oh and it has a shit ton of
groove too.
01). Phantom
Glue – War of Light Cones
You may be thinking Phantom Who? But this band, really are worthy. The record kicks off with one of the best
riffs of any record this year and it just carries on delivering. Noise rock meets sludge. This record pulverises. FFO Old Man Gloom, Zozobra,
