TRACK PREMIERE: Yanomano, "No Sympathy for a Rat"

Named after an indigenous Amazonian group known for ritual endocannibalism, Austrialia’s Yanomamö are back with their upcoming releae, “No Sympathy for a Rat”.

The four tracks on offer drip with whiskey-soaked swagger and somehow blends the collective wisdom of Sabbath, Corrosion of Conformity, and Kylesa - the latter especially in the title track, where crushing heaviness collides with psychedelic groove, and it just so happens that we're debuting it today.

Australia may not be first band on people’s minds for ear-decimating metal, but based on the strength of this kind of release it should be. If you are not listening to “No Sympathy for a Rat”, then what the fuck is wrong you?  Stream the title track below, turn it up and watch your speakers die!! Pre-orders are available HERE

ALBUM REVIEW: Drug Cult, "Drug Cult"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/06/2018

Label: Ritual Productions

Drug Cult’s debut album is a confident display of expert riffcraft cloaked in a shroud of mystery. It is highly recommended listening for doom connoisseurs and hints at an intriguing future ahead, particularly if they indulge in their expansive, psychedelic tendencies.

“Drug Cult” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Serpent Therapy

2). Release

3). Reptile Hypnosis

4). The Wall

5). Mind Crypt

6). Slaylude

7). Bloodstone

8). Acid Eye

9). Spell

The Review:

Bands that seem like they were named by selecting two words from a doom bingo card don’t inspire expectations of greatness. Fortunately, the racket Australian quartet Drug Cult create is leagues above the generic tedium of their moniker. Their debut LP may be low on originality but the bands distinct strain of hypnotic sludge is an intoxicating brew.

The spirit of prime Electric Wizard courses through this records veins. Imagine a combination of the concise songwriting of the “Witchcult Today” era with the spite and filth of “Come My Fanatics” and you get a good idea of Drug Cult’s brand of evil. The band have a seemingly bottomless supply of nasty, killer riffs that fuel the likes of “Reptile Hypnosis” and the slowly unfurling bad trip of “Serpent Therapy”. Aasha Tozer’s powerful vocals enhance the bleary, sinister ambience, hitting a darkly sweet spot between melody and grit. The entire production is caked in reverb that gives these tracks an otherworldly hazy heaviness that sets Drug Cult apart from their peers. This is particularly noticeable during the brief guitar solos in “Slaylude” and “Acid Eye”, glorious explosions of untamed cosmic noise that could easily spiral into endless jams into the beyond. 

Drug Cult’s debut album is a confident display of expert riffcraft cloaked in a shroud of mystery. It is highly recommended listening for doom connoisseurs and hints at an intriguing future ahead, particularly if they indulge in their expansive, psychedelic tendencies.

“Drug Cult” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Vomitor, "Pestilent Death"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/04/2018

Label: Hells Headbangers Records

This is metal as it should be: balls to the wall, nasty sounding and with an evil undertone to it all. No wimps. No posers. Vomitor are ungodly and stand as a beacon of satanic light. Welcome to hell, again.

“Pestilent Death” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1. Tremolation (04:19)
2. Roar of War (04:38)
3. Abracadabra (04:46)
4. Manic Oppression (03:48)
5. Tremendous Insane (05:40)
6. Pestilent Death (04:12)
7. Hells Butcher (04:29)

The Review:

Australia's Vomitor plays a kind of death metal/thrash metal/black metal hybrid. Noisy, tough and uncompromising about sums these boys up. This is very much on the Venom-Bathory-Sodom continuum, use that as a starting point and then modernise a bit...

The band, having been plugging away since the 90s and are on vicious form here. This is even better than “The Escalation” album of a few years ago. Better songs, production and mix. Over the course of seven tracks the band batters the listener very convincingly from the opening maelstrom of “Tremolation” to the slowed down and grinding “Road of War” and into the noise fest of “Abracadabra”, the band sets out their stall and invites you to leave if you don't like it.

You can hear the influences here; early Slayer, Sodom and so on, but this is more extreme than any of the bands mentioned above. The band has picked up the ball and run with it, Aussie-rules style. The dramatic opening of “Manic Oppression” gives way to an all out thrash attack while the album's epic centrepiece of “Tremendous Insane” makes a truly unholy racket.

Of the final two tracks, the title track is more blackened in approach while the closing horror of “Hells Butcher” is as beastly as the previous album's “Pitch Black”. The record is unrelenting and makes for very uneasy listening throughout. This is metal as it should be: balls to the wall, nasty sounding and with an evil undertone to it all. No wimps. No posers. Vomitor are ungodly and stand as a beacon of satanic light. Welcome to hell, again.

“Pestilent Death” is available on Cassette (HERE), CD (HERE), and Vinyl (HERE).

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Golgothan Remains, "Perverse Offerings To The Void"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 08/02/2018 |

20/04/2018

Label: Impure Sounds

The expansive, noxious sound of the album feels like it may be causing irreparable internal harm, blackening and liquefying your vital organs, but it’s too punishingly satisfying to resist another spin.

“Perverse Offerings To The Void” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Vehemence (Through Pain Divine)

2. From Chaos It Has Come

3. Vile Blasphemy

4. Bone From Dust

5. Phantom Earth

6. Void

7. Timeless Eradicator

8. Looped Depraved Spell

9. Golgothan Remains

10. Flagellation (Torrid Tongues)

The Review:

There’s a particularly haunting chapter of Alan Moore’s redefining run of Swamp Thing... which is saying a lot when there are so many unsettling themes and images in his 40 issue take on the ecological deity that it practically established a whole new set of rules for horror comics.  But in this particular story (Vol. 2, issues 35 & 36) a deranged drifter, nicknamed Nukeface, continually sips on irradiated beers, oblivious to the damage it’s wreaking on his body, and the world around him.  Another homeless man takes a sip and quickly decays into a puddle of goo, teeth loosening and spilling to the ground, eyes sinking into their putrefying sockets.  Nukeface – though his nostrils cave in, his hair sheds in clumps, and his skin cracks and peels off in strips – keeps cackling in pleasure.  He revels in his own toxic nature, as the ground beneath his feet sizzles and dies with each step.  Nukeface doesn’t die at the end of the story, but continues his wretched path across the land in a joyful, poisoned delirium.  As I absorbed the ten malignant tracks on Golgothan Remains debut album, I kept thinking of this singularly disturbing character – seeping venom but blissfully enduring his decay.  The expansive, noxious sound of the album feels like it may be causing irreparable internal harm, blackening and liquefying your vital organs, but it’s too punishingly satisfying to resist another spin.

“Perverse Offerings To The Void” is clearly indebted to classic death metal – from the punky d-beat outro of “Vehemence” to the galloping opening riff of “Timeless Eradicator”, the Australian quartet hits all the right notes and doesn’t push too far into genre hybrid territory.  They generally operate in the two extreme ends of the sonic spectrum: chugging rhythms and piercing high end leads.  Vocalist Matthieu Van den Brande (a.k.a. “C”) bellows out consistently inhuman death growls, often loaded with reverb – like some beast creeping from the depths.  Like many of my favorite bands, they offer up a “theme song” on their debut that is particularly frenetic, energized, and concise.  “Bone from Dust”, starting with a 6/8 intro, is a sick slab of death, with consistent changeups in timing that never drops a beat.  Drummer “M” does some great double kick work on “Golgothan Remains”, as well as my favorite cut, “Vile Blasphemy”.  D’s bass tone is palpable when you blast the record but sometimes sits a little low in the mix.

If there is any criticism I can reserve for “Perverse Offerings…”, it’s that the production is beneath a band of this caliber.  There are fadeouts that hit a bit too quickly, the aforementioned low mixing of the bass and, unfortunately, a consistent midrange murk that sometimes clouds the rhythmic changes.  In a few spots, particularly when the blast beats get extra hectic and the guitars mesh into a sickening wall of death, there’s a tendency to lose clarity.  I love the nasty murk of lo-fi death metal, but I was trying to hear chords and snare hits instead of enjoying the filthy tone.  Thankfully, these spots are few and far between.  The quality of the songwriting, and the committed fury of Golgothan Remains, shines through any rough patches, and establishes the Australian quartet and a nascent death powerhouse.  Crack into their debut and enjoy your own putrefaction – if you can endure it.

“Perverse Offerings To The Void” is available here and preorder for the LP here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Hawkmoth deliver sparse and crushingly dense heaviness on "Godless Summit"

Australian post-metal/doom band Hawkmoth will release their imposing new album “Godless Summit” on December 14th 2017. The album is part 1 of a 2 part opus

Following on from their highly regarded debut, “Calamitas” , the instrumental 4 piece enjoyed support shows with renowned international acts Boris, Pallbearer, Elder, Earthless and Acid King, all whilst developing their latest body of work that sees them take their sound to even more extremes. 

“Godless Summit” will take listeners through the realms of post-metal and doom, whilst conjuring cinematic imagery and atmosphere as well as primal emotive reactions.  From sparse to crushingly dense, a unique heaviness and depth is created by Hawkmoth on “Godless Summit”. 

Recorded & mixed by Jason Fuck-Face Fuller @ Goatsound Studios and Mastered by Brad Boatright @ Audiosiege, the album will be released digitally via Black Bow Records and on limited edition vinyl from the band. 

Today with the release fast approaching we can exclusively reveal the opening and album title track, “Godless Summit” and pre orders for the LP are being taken here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Interview with LINT

Today' guest are another awesome band from Down Under. I am seriously starting to lose count of all the great bands we have featured from Australia. Though you can add today's guests – LINT – to one of the must have bands you need to hear from Australia.

These genre defying Sonic Noise Makers have just released their new album – Existence – which I described as the following:

“The album has a very raw appeal, which is another winning factor why ‘Existence’ needs to be checked out by you all. All the band members are on fine form throughout, laying down as many spectacular riffs as they possibly can. Existence relies heavily on the different moods contained within it. 

If you are into Sludge/Stoner Metal with a twist then Existence is the album for you. It is about 70% instrumental with the other 30% being comprised of vocals and ambient noises. Lint has released a superb album that is definitely a strange and wonderful audio experience to check out.”

Lint have kindly agreed to talk to us here at Sludgelord. So let’s see what they have to say.

Q1 – Hi guys. How are you today. Thanks for doing this. Really appreciate it.

Not a problem, very happy to do it

Q2 – For people not in the know, can you give a brief history on how the band came about and where it is today.

Brad: We all played together in a sort of Alternative rock band many years ago. We all split up and spread ourselves across the world but remained friends. When I had the urge to create some music that was more unconventional, I got together with David and we started making experimental, quite minimalist noise/drone stuff with drums and detuned guitar. When it came time to play live again, CJ was back from his sojourn in the Canadian wilderness, he joined us and we headed into more song-orientated directions.

Q3 – Now congrats on your new album – Existence. Are you guys pleased the album is finally out there for everyone to hear.

Clint: Thanks Steve, yeah we're certainly happy the album is out. The songs had been coming together for well over a year prior to release so it's a relief to have the project finished.

Q4 – How would you describe your sound as you guys include a lot of different noises, sounds and ideas.

Brad: I hear us as more closely related to grunge or the fuzzy 70’s hard rock that eventually became deemed Stoner rock. Even though our songs are long and full of many changing parts, I don’t think we play tight enough or have precise tones like metal or prog bands generally do haha...

Q5 – Was Existence a hard album to record for. And would you change anything about it.

David: We really tried our best to jam and figure out specifics per song before heading into the studio. I thought I might struggle a little to get "The Follower" down since it was one of the last songs we wrote, and being one of the more complex to play from my point of view, but it just fell into place. As for changing anything, it's the small imperfections that make the album different and stand out as being a mostly live recording, there weren't any blatantly obvious mistakes so no, I wouldn't change anything.

Clint: I don’t think we'd change anything either, not anything major anyway. If we had more time you would have heard more overdub guitars to thicken the sound a little. I also would have done some more vocal takes and experimented somewhat more with them.

Q6 – What equipment did you use when recording the album as Existence does have a lot of strange and wonderful different noises and riffs. Any particular methods you used when recording the album.

Brad: Mostly our own gear. I geek out on equipment talk so ill keep it simple...For guitar, mostly used my ’98 Les Paul and CJ’s custom Reverend and split the signal to both a JCM 900 and an Orange amp that I cant remember much about. Tons of the album was done live, except for vocals and some solos, which I used an old Fender Bassman for and a shit load of effects pedals set up in a big circle around me in the room. Was quite surreal but captured the spontaneity. Adam, our producer, had it all planned.

David: My own kit, Sonor fairly standard setup, Zildjian cymbals and hats - two 20" crashes, 20" Ride, 19" K custom Hybrid China (Amazing sounding cymbal), Gibraltar double kick. As Brad said though, credit has to go to Adam, the kit sounds pretty awesome on the album I think.

Clint: I used my Fender Jazz Bass, with an Orange AD-200 bass head through an Ampeg SVT 4x10 cabinet. Pretty basic, its old but its good.

Q7 – Have you been pleased with the responses so far you have had for the album.

David: Defiantly, better than I expected.

Brad: Very much so.

Q8 – What is the song writing process in the band. Is it a group collective or is it down to one individual.

Clint: Brad writes the majority of the material, he usually comes to rehearsal armed with a few riffs that he's written in his own time and we start working them into passages with bass and drums. A lot of our arrangements come from trial and error, experimenting with different combinations that we've worked out i.e: no drums here, different drum beat there, full volume, half volume, tempo changes, that sort of thing. Vocals are only there if we feel the song would suit them.

Q9 – What is the whole concept of the album. Or do you want people to find this out for themselves.

Brad: I kind of like the idea of people figuring it out. There’s definitely a concept to me, and it definitely revolves around life and death; of people, organisms, worlds and music. There are songs that CJ is singing about particular things, but could be interpreted in multiple ways im sure.

Clint: The lyrics aren't all consciously related to each other, but I think there are similarities there.

Q10 – Which bands and artists influenced you as musicians.

Brad: Melvins and Baroness, for their unconventional song structures. Also, lots of 60’s and 70’s stuff I heard from my parents that I was embarrassed by as a kid, and have come to really love, like Pink Floyd, Beatles, old blues records...

David: My biggest influence would have to be Dave Grohl for his hard hitting and simplistic style of playing. Again parents. Thanks to my Dad I spent allot of my time learning drums by trying to keep up with Brian Bennett of The Shadows.

Clint: Personally, I'd have to say the Smashing Pumpkins are my biggest influence, really like the diversity of their sounds. Baroness and their kin from Savannah are big influence on us too. Earthless and Elder are great, along with them are some great Sydney bands in Dumbsaint and Adrift for Days.

Q11 – What made you want to become a musician. Any particular group, album or life changing event.

Brad: Only thing I can be certain of was Nirvana and the Nevermind album. Other than that I don’t think there was any definitive thing. I guess starting off we liked playing and listening to punk music as it’s easy and relatable.

David: My Dad originally got me interested in playing the drums, wasn't really a specific group.

Clint: Mum suggested I learn an instrument when I was a kid, I didn't like my music teacher so I quit playing for a bit. I picked the guitar up again when I started listening to more music in my early teenage years. When I was 18, I got a bass and started that too. I don’t play bass outside of the band, at home I just fiddle around on an acoustic guitar.

Q12 – Where did the name LINT came from. Any specific meaning.

Brad: Oh yes. Who wants to take this one?

Clint: This is Dave's thing.

David: haha look up Just Another Story About Skeeter Thompson...

Q13 – How big of a help has BandCamp and the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal community been in getting your music across to fans.

Brad: Great. Easy to use site and since our music isn’t really digestible in ‘singles’ format, we don’t put radio friendly songs up on Youtube, for example, with accompanying videos. Metal people a so varied, so there’s always a niche that says ‘Wow, been looking for this type of heavy music’. Its a small group, very much so compared to say ‘core’ bands who are everywhere and, to me, very formulaic. But niche metal communities are on the whole nice and awesome people.

Q14 – Do you perform many gigs in your home-town or do you have to travel further away to perform live regularly.

Clint: Most of our gigs are in our home town of Wollongong. We play in Sydney at least a few times a year, that’s about an hours drive for us. Australian bands face a tough challenge when it comes to touring. The major population centres are at least an entire days drive apart from one another in most cases (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra). If you want to play Perth you'll be driving for three days across a massive desert, and if you want to play Hobart you'll be crossing the ever violent seas of Bass Straight, its almost biblical haha. It's not easy, bands rarely make money from touring, but it's still the most necessary method of promoting your music.

Q15 – Are you all full time musicians or do you all have full time jobs

David: Full time jobs, I don't see music ever earning us enough to say goodbye to 9-5 work, but never know I guess.

Q16 – In 5 words or less – describe the live LINT experience.

Brad: Um.... Barefoot feedback cymbal crashing noise.

David: Drummers can't count that high.

Q17 – I am a huge fan of the Aussie Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal scene. Tons of great bands to check out. What is your verdict on the scene in Australia. And if you could change anything about it what would it be.

Brad: I don’t mean this is as a bad thing, far from it, but tons of the bands are really hard to categorise. I’ll see bands that define themselves as Doom or Sludge, see them live, or see them get a major support slot on a Stoner/Sludge bill, and either think: ‘There’s no way those two bands sound anything like each other’, or ‘I wouldn’t even consider them Sludge at all’. The tree branches spread and split many times over. Its so diverse, there’s no way someone who likes this sort of metal music cant find their new favourite band here.

Q18 – If you could give advice to someone wanting to start a band. What advice would you give them.

Brad: Playing live is where it’s at. Also, let the accidents and mistakes come through, use your personality to turn them into ideas. Everyone has already done every idea you can think of, we’ll be the first to admit that. It’s how you express your musical ideas thats unique to your band.

Dave: Play as hard as you can, no better feeling that walking off stage after a gig totally wrecked.

Q19 – Finally, Do you have anything to say to your fans.
Thanks for being so dedicated and embarrassing us. They know who they are.

Well guys, thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it. Best of luck with your album. 

Check The Band From Links Below:

Facebook
BandCamp

Interview with LIZZARD WIZZARD

 

Once in a while a band comes along and blows me the fuck away with their album or EP from the very first listen. And makes me an instant fan of their music.

Well I can say that's what happened with the next band I am about to interview. The brilliantly titled – LIZZARD WIZZARD.

This hard-rocking Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal outfit have just released a brilliant début album which is starting to pick up serious heat and praise within the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal scene. It's a stunning collection of awesome riffs that will have you rocking out in no time at all.

This is what I said about their excellent début album: “Ignore the crazy name of the band and the crazy sounding sound titles and worship the awesome riffs that Lizzard Wizzard have in store for you on their début album. Lizzard Wizzard is a hard rocking and hard riffing unit with a talent for playing sublime riffs. Tracks such as Twilight of the Terminator, Chaaaarles, Bong Dive, and Game Of Clones will have you head-banging in no time at all.

If you are a fan of Conan, Traitors Return To Earth, Kyuss, High On Fire and Sleep then you seriously need to check these guys out, as this album will speak to your inner rock-demon. Just like the awesome album, cover which screams at you to play this album at full blast.”

Well as usual we had to find out more about this great band and I am happy to say they have agreed to talk to us at Sludgelord. So lets see what these mighty followers of Lizzards and Wizzards have to say to us.

Q1 – Hi guys, How are things with you today. Thanks for doing this.

Hey dude, no thank you! It beats working.

Q2 – Can you give a brief history on how the band came about to where it is today.

I think the band started as an idea maybe 2 years ago after Nick and I saw Cough at Doomsday festival here in Australia in 2011. They blew us away, after that we started writing ideas and demos and probably a year later we asked our friends Stef and Luke to join on bass and Drums. That was it.

Q3 – How would you describe your overall sound. Stoner, Doom or, Sludge or a mixture of everything.

Yeah, Stoner Doom works pretty well to describe us.

Q4 – Now where the did the awesome name came from – Lizzard Wizzard. What inspired to call yourselves that.

I wish there was a cool story here, but like most things in this band I think it started as a joke then just stuck.

Q5 – Congrats on your new album. It's a great album you have recorded there. Are you happy with the final version that you have released or would you change some things.

Thanks dude! We are incredibly happy with how it turned out. Everyone in the band has little things we would like to change if we could go back, but in the grand scheme of things we are really proud of the album.

Q5 – Was it an easy or hard album to record for. And would you change anything about it.

It was too easy! We did all the instruments in 3 days and spent the last day laughing and doing vocals. For me, at least, it easily had the best recording “vibe” that I have been involved with. Mark Perry at Empire Studios did an excellent job, and if you're from Brisbane you should record with him.

Q6 – I take it from the album and certain song titles your influenced by Sci-Fi and Fantasy Genres. Well Game Of Cones and Twilight Of The Terminator seem to suggest that. Or am I looking to much into the song titles themselves and not the brilliant riffs they contain.

No, we are definitely huge nerds. Actually the song Twilight Of The Terminator came from a trip we all took to the planetarium in Brisbane. Right now the idea for the next album is the “battle album” and it’s just songs about our current D&D campaign.

Q7 – Who designed the excellent album cover as it's one of my favourite album covers of the year. That's what intrigued me about the album.

That would be one of our best friends Iain D. (DMQK.tumblr.com) He also did the “game of cones” shirt on our bandcamp page too. Ridiculously talented.

Q9 – Which bands and artists influenced you as musicians.

Besides the obvious like Sleep and Electric Wizard, we really like Conan, Bongripper, Weedeater, Melvins and a ton more that will definitely lose us doom metal cred.

Q10 – How big of a help has BandCamp and the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal community been in getting your music across to fans.

BandCamp Rules. It was a no-brainer for us. We have used it in other bands and its damn near perfect for a band to do an online release.

Q11 – The album is receiving a lot of praise from fans and critics alike. Are you pleased with the responses so far.

Blown away, Lizzard Wizzard has always been jamming riffs we liked and writing lyrics that made us laugh. It’s crazy to us that dudes around the world are getting into it too.

Q12 – What is the songwriting process in the band? Is it a group collective or is just down to one individual

It’s a collective effort, everyone has a say on everything.

Q13 – Do you perform many gigs in your home-town or do you have to travel further away to perform live regularly.

So far we have only played 3 shows all in our home town Brisbane. Now after the release we're looking to play interstate next year. Overseas would be a dream.

Q14 – Are you all full time musicians or do you all have full time jobs

We all work part-time / full time. Labor of love baby.

Q15 – In 5 words or less describe the Lizzard Wizzard live experience.

Loud riffs , good vibes, laughs

Q16 – I am a big fan of the Aussie Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal Scene. Lots of great bands starting to make their mark. Adrift For Days, Aver, Dumbsaint, CLAGG, We Lost The Sea amongst many others. Is it hard to get your music across within the Aussie Music Scene. Do you have to rely on international audiences more or is it slowly starting to build up.

Australia has some fucked good doom bands hey? The “scene” is very supportive. Having people into your music from anywhere is cool but it’s the locals who make an effort to come and see you play, it’s definitely good here.

Q17 – What are your views of bands using websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to fund their new album releases. Some people and bands are for it. Some are not. Would you consider doing some thing like that yourselves.

I think it’s a cool way of doing things. I’ve pledged towards a few, I can see it’s not for all bands though. I think you have to be wary about giving stoner bands lots of money. Ha.

Q18 - What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band? Obviously, the reality of how expensive it is being in a band could be considered as a negative aspect.

Gear is really heavy!

Q19 - What pisses you off most in music. Or do you not let the bad things in music stop you from performing and writing songs

We try not to let anything harsh our mellow.

Q20 - If you could provide words to wisdom for people wanting to start a band – What would they be.

Just starting playing with people you like if it’s going to work out, it will.

Q21 – What is your ultimate dream or wish for the band.

Roadburn!

Q22 - Finally do you have anything to say to your fans.

Thank you so much to everyone who has listened to or downloaded the release.

Well guys, thanks for doing this. Best of luck with your new album. Hope to hear more from you guys in the next few years. And I hope you manage to play Roadburn one day.

If you haven't heard this awesome album yet. What you waiting for. Headover to BandCamp and download this now!!! - You won't be sorry.

Check The Band From Links Below

Facebook
BandCamp

CLAGG - Gather Your Beasts - Album Review

Clagg is a Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal band from Melbourne, Australia

The members are:

Scott Williams
Anthony Viccars
Tim Byrne
Dav Byrne
Dase Beard

Clagg have released a string of acclaimed albums during their time together. They are perceived as one of Australia’s finest Doom Metal outfits with their harsh blend of Doom based Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs. It has been 4 long years since the last Clagg album- Lord Of The Deep

But now Aussie’s finest Doom Metal band are back with their eagerly awaited new album – Gather Your Beasts.

Gather Your Beasts is a heavy based masterpiece from start to finish. Clagg may have written their finest album to date. The 5 tracks on offer here show that Clagg have lost none of their heavy magic. Clagg can now be considered elder statesmen of the Aussie Doom Metal Scene.

The album cover shows what to expect from the album for the next 46 mins or so. Mainly top-notch doom and gloom riffs with Clagg on fine demented form through out. First track – Five Curses – is an almost 12 minute epic showing nothing much as changed in the realm of Clagg from their last album.

Vocals are screeched at you with demented twisted passion that we come to expect from this great band. It is still good that Clagg throw in some excellent groove based riffs from time to time and to prove they are not all about the darkness. They are mainly about heavy doom based riffs for you will instantly lose control over. If you have not heard of Clagg before then where have you been over the last decade or so? Now is the best time to introduce you with this great band. Imagine a heavier and more dangerous version of Conan or Church Of Misery and that is what you get with Clagg.

The band lay down some of the finest riffs of their career on the excellent title track. 8:22 minutes of furious pure riff-laiden greatness here folks. I couldn’t get enough of this track as it mixes the heavier elements of Clagg’s Doom/Sludge Metal riffs with the more groove based and laid back Stoner Metal riffs, that gives this track the perfect balance of good Vs evil.

Clagg carry on this superb style of riffs through out the remainder of the album. Even though the album is very dark in places, you cannot but help rocking out to it. This is due to the excellent blues/hard rock vibes Clagg include on the albums later tracks.

If you are a long-time fan of Clagg, you are going to love this album as I did. The band should be proud of this album as I feel it is their best album to date. Just sit back and enjoy the awesome riffs that Clagg have delivered here. Gather Your Beasts is a truly stunning album from Australia’s Premier Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal band.

Clagg have never sounded better than they do on this album. The production is immense through out. Gather Your Beasts is another outstanding album from this truly great band.

Awesome stuff. End Of

Thanks to the band for sending me a promo copy to review. Gather Your Beasts is available to buy from BandCamp now.

Check the Band from Links Below

Facebook
BandCamp