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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
“As a live act, MOM are an unstoppable
force, taking the audience on a journey and able to uplift and perplex in equal
measure; with 'The Ties That Bind', they have released an album that captures
their live magic.”
“The
Ties That Bind” DD//LP track
listing:
1. The Darkening
2. Woe Betide
3. Death of All
4. Estranger
5. Legend of the Five Sons
6. As Leaves Fall
7. Persona Non Grata
8. In Our Sacred Skin
9. The Deepest Roots
The Review:
Morass of
Molasses
can stake a claim of being one of the hardest working bands in the UK
with their relentless touring and balls to the wall live performances, 'The
Ties That Bind', their second full length is a testament to this.
After the brief intro of 'The Darkening',
first song proper 'Woe Betide' sees MOM's
trademark sexy doom riffs and non traditional approach to song writing pushed
to the forefront. (Relatively) new drummer Raj Puni is an excellent addition to
MOM,
his fills and runs punctuate the songs and act as a counterbalance to the
bluesy chops as evident on 'Death To
All' and the Stevie Ray Vaughan like 'Estranger'.
Vocalist
Bones is at his soulful best here, sounding almost like a throwback to 90s
britpop before the melodic bellows shine through. While their plentiful riffs
are a powerful weapon in their arsenal, the most potent is their use of melody;
'Legend Of The Five Sons' (featuring
the vocal talents of Alunah's Sian Greenway) and 'As Leaves Fall' sounding like they
wouldn't be out of place on a Jethro Tull album with folky guitar work and
yes, flute creating layers of beautiful musical scenery.
'Persona Non Grata' contrasts the previous
tracks and is the quintessential MOM track with Bones' post hardcore screams
delivering the goods over Phil Williams' trademark stoner/blues/doom licks. The
production is top notch, each element never sounding more than the sum of its
parts but still prevalent in the mix enough to be picked out, this may be most
evident on the stomping 'In Our Sacred
Skin'. As the off kilter drumming and acoustic guitar builds to a 70s prog
freak out, the riffs, creamier than a teenage boy's socks, envelope and hug the
listener before the dark folk tinged 'The
Deepest Roots', which also features Sian Greenway. By far, the most
experimental track, at the halfway point, the musical textures build upon the
tremendous percussion and weaves a musical tapestry unlike anything else.
As a live act, MOM
are an unstoppable force, taking the audience on a journey and able to uplift
and perplex in equal measure; with 'The
Ties That Bind', they have released an album that captures their live
magic. The fact that they are some of the nicest people is an added bonus.
Breathtaking stuff.
'Black Zen Instruction' is a superlative of sorts, used to describe the unearthly,
off kilter song structures and relentless brutality this band bring to the
table.
“Black
Zen Instruction” DD track listing:
1).
4 Combined
2).
Hounds
3).
Pinstripe Grey with Party Welts
4).
Anketell Brewer
5).
It’s A Long Walk to Coney Island
6).
Gutterpunk
7).
The Tent Murders
The
Review:
I'll
admit it; I absolutely love The Air Turned To Acid.
As human beings, they rank highly as some of the most genuine and friendly I've
met. As musicians, they're phenomenally talented and oozing with the kind of
creativity that most bands can only dream of, churning out riffs that will have
guitarists saying 'why didn't I think of that?'
'Black
Zen Instruction' is a superlative of sorts, used to describe the unearthly,
off kilter song structures and relentless brutality TATTAbring to the table. For a
debut album and their 2nd proper release after the 2015 split with Tides Of Sulfur(my band, coincidentally), this is stomach churningly good.
The tempo switches on 'Hounds' and
the ferocity of 'Pinstripe Grey With
Party Welts' makes it hard to comprehend how TATTA, a
band that rehearse only a handful of times a year, can sound so cohesive and
focussed. Vocalist Rich Repper brings a Eugene Robinson like unpredictability,
most notably to tracks like 'Anketell
Brewer' and 'Gutterpunk',
howling, growling, screaming and barking like a man possessed while knowing
when to let the guitar work of Will Saunders and Leo Stuart shine through with
their mathematical view of sludge riffs and jarring disharmonies a key
component of their sound. Just listen to 'The
Tent Murders' and you'll understand why this band is deserving of the
phrase "criminally underrated".
The Air Turned To Acidare a band who are often overlooked and underappreciated
in today's metal world. By no means is this a slight on them, they out play and
outperform many of their peers and offer something truly different in heavy
music, something that is sorely lacking. Do yourselves a favour; listen to this
right fucking now!
As the hellish screams and guitar scrapes and rumbles give way to the D-beat
infused sludgy groove of 'Hellcircle'
it's clear that this is the type of fairground ride you'd get in a village
fete; terrifying due to its lack of adequate safety and rickety structure. The
ride shudders towards the end of the circuit and then slows down...but it's not
stopping...'Bubonic' and 'Brainbleed' see you taken around the
circuit a couple more times, the safety harness is frayed and coming loose and
it looks like one of the wheels is about to fall off, yet no matter how many
times or how loud you scream for help, all you get is vocalist Jim Hodge
bellowing at you.
'Vermin'
sees sparks coming from the wheels as onlookers stare in terror. As it slows
down, you're consumed by false hope; "please, just let me off the
ride"...but it's no use, 'Torture'
has other plans...the safety harness has completely torn and you're heading
towards the loop-the-loop, all you can do is cling to the bar in front of you.
Tendons are stretched and twisted as the ride hurls you in an upward trajectory
then slams you back into your seat, rupturing your tailbone in the process. As
you begin to weep, you realise that the onlookers are now smiling sadistically,
seemingly enjoying your suffering. As the ride screeches to a halt, the throes
of 'Black Death' ring out,
nullifying your pain as just a part of your existence. As you're rushed to
hospital, battered and bruised, with life altering injuries, you feel a
sympathy with the people who did this to you. Much like Stockholm syndrome, you
feel as though this ride has awakened you to the realities of life. Pain is
inevitable, but everything must end.
Bast have certainly developed
creatively and have released another standout album in the world of heavy music
“NanoÃ¥ngstöm”
CD//DD//2LP track listing:
1. Distant Suns
2. Far Horizons
3. The Beckoning Void
4. Nanoångström
5. A Red Line Through Black
6. The Ghosts Which Haunt the Space Between the Stars
The Review:
When
I heard Bast
had recorded and released their 2nd album 'Nanoångstöm', I knew I was the
right SLUDGELORD
to put my name forward for the review.
4 years have passed since the release of 'Spectres', in my opinion, one of
the best heavy records to be released this century, so Bast face an uphill struggle to
better, let alone match the benchmark they previously set. 'Distant Suns' immediately leaps for the aforementioned benchmark,
with the solemn bass intro, like a lonely astronaut floating through space,
gathering momentum and hurtling towards the epically heavy 'Far Horizons', where the contrasting vocals of drummer Jon Lee's
blackened growl and guitarist Craig Bryant's deep below overlay the Primordial
esque folk tinged black metal. The album ebbs and flows seamlessly highlighting
Bast's
penchant for the epic and enthralling, as 'The
Beckoning Void” and the title track deliver moments of brutality, subtle
tempo shifts and glorious melodies all wrapped up in progressive and finely
crafted song writing.
'A Red Line Through Black' harks
back to 'Spectres' building upon Bryant's moody guitar and vocal work,
through some heavy prog inspired riffing to create a sonic journey full of the
unexpected. By the time 'The Space Between the Stars' opening
tremolo laden riff and blast beats slow down to allow the song the room to
breathe, the unexpected becomes the ordinary as riffs, licks and screams leap
out from all corners, dragging you, towards the black hole they created.
While Bast's influences may be
apparent to some, with nods in the direction of a few of black metal's
proggiest bands, it's the personal touches and subtle nuances that forge the main
body of their sound. Bast have certainly developed creatively and
have released another standout album in the world of heavy music. Whether it
will leave as lasting an impression as 'Spectres' remains to be seen, but
several more spins will go a long way into that decision. Now, where's that
repeat button...
“Lux Tenebris” is absolutely terrifying
in its delivery and atmosphere, by the time the slower riff of “Cupio Dissolvi’
cascades into the ether, you’ll begin to wonder whether you’ve listened to an
EP or been sacrificed to a dark entity.
“Lux
Tenebris” DD//LP track listing:
1).
Vertigo
2).
The Sorrowful Void
3).
Cupio Dissolvi
The Review:
Italians
The Secret
are a band that are difficult to pigeonhole. Equal parts blackened hardcore,
sludgy crust and nihilistic grind, with a pinch of apocalyptic doom for good
measure, they seem to get heavier...and indeed better, with each new release.
So it comes as no surprise that ‘Lux Tenebris’ the new 3 track EP is a
maelstrom of hell fire and fury.
From
the slow build of 'Vertigo' with its
evil melodies penetrating the methodical black magic ceremony within, it
switches gears as it struggles to contain the raging beast that is 'The Sorrowful Void'. Absolutely
terrifying in its delivery and atmosphere, the track takes no prisoners and the
blastbeat halfway through is almost a respite from the oppressive nature of the
music.
Closer
‘Cupio Dissolvi’ is probably the
blackest and nastiest the band have ever sounded; the tremolo riffs, blasts and
d-beats create a magnanimous and utterly filthy piece of music that stands out
among this year’s releases. By the time the slower riff cascades into the
ether, you’ll begin to wonder whether you’ve listened to an EP or been
sacrificed to a dark entity.
Kurokuma prove once again, that trends in heavy music never last, but creating something unique and personal within the boundaries of heavy music, undoubtedly will.
“Dope Rider” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Dope Rider Part 1
2).
Dope Rider Part 2
The Review:
I'm
always drawn towards bands that tread their own path, so it's rather fitting
that I get to review the phenomenal Kurokuma's latest EP, 'Dope
Rider'. While the concept maybe based on a comic strip from marijuana themed
publication High Times, fans of traditional stoner will be shocked at the lack
of copy and paste pentatonic riffs and banshee wails.
Part
one of this 2 part release teases the eardrums with Joe E. Allen's always
hypnotic, tribal drumming while feedback and droning guitars build slowly. The
verse riff is superb showing just how unique the band are in their approach to song
writing and riff crafting. Driven by Allen's drumming, vocals are traded back
and forth between guitarist Jacob Mazlum and bassist George Ionita to
accentuate the rhythmic flow and as the track draws to its natural conclusion,
awash with gritty psychedelic textures, it's Allen's use of the mighty cowbell
that closes.
Part
Two starts off meatier than a caveman barbecue with devastating, muted riffs
amid drumming that seems off kilter but is nevertheless absolutely on point.
The tremolo riffing caught me off guard and had me gurning and nodding in
definite approval. By the time the most accessible closing riff bleeds out to
some droning, notes, listeners will want to press play all over again. At least
I did...about 6 times...
Kurokuma
prove once again, that trends in heavy music never last, but creating something
unique and personal within the boundaries of heavy music, undoubtedly will.
“Dope
Rider” is available digital here.
Cassette and CD available at www.doomstew.com/store/.
Vinyl coming September 2018.
Sweden's Pissboiler have crafted a brilliant album of terrifying
proportions, creating a sense of tension and foreboding and pummelling the
listener with sledgehammer riffs.
“In The Lair Of Lucid Nightmares” CD//DD track listing:
1.
Ruins of the Past
2. Stealth
3. Pretend It Will End
4. Cutters
The Review:
There
are 3 types of heavy bands; those which employ speed and ferocity, those whose
use of atmosphere creates a tension and sense of foreboding and those who are
slow and forceful, pummelling listeners with Sledgehammer riffs. On 'In The Lair Of Lucid Nightmares',
Sweden's Pissboiler take the latter 2 and craft a
brilliant album of terrifying proportions.
Creeping from the murky chasms, 'Ruins
Of The Past' is 17 minutes of funeral procession-esque death/doom. Vocalist
LG (no, not that LG) produces a guttural roar that sounds like it's bellowed
from the 7th later of hell and the riffs saunter with My Dying Bride
like misery in tow. The production from band member Karl Wijk enhances each
element with each instrument clinging to their own space while bleeding nicely
into others. 'Stealth' comes as a bit
of a surprise with it's lonely jazzy bass riff dripping with chorus and reverb
and, at under 3 minutes, is the album's shortest track by far. The respite is
short lived as 'Pretend It Will End'
is utterly harrowing. Blood curdling growls and piercing shrieks team with
suicide inducing, slow riffs before the bells toll and things take a slight
turn with a riff reminiscent of Burning Witch. A very
disturbing sample from a doctor talking to her patient, sets the tone for final
track 'Cutters'; the atmosphere
builds slowly with cavernous growls and swelling guitar drones and never stops
the barrage of depressive doom. Some harsh screams burst through the bass heavy
droning making for a truly unsettling experience.
For a fairly unknown band to create something this comprehensive (and very
impressive) goes to show the talent that lurks in the darkest corners. If Sunn 0))) had released this, it would make the top 10 end
of year lists of several well known publications, but for those of us who judge
things on merit, it will most definitely be a contender, regardless of their
standing.
“In The Lair of Lucid
Nightmares” is available here
'Awaken' is a tour-de-force of genre
hopping doom. It should see the band gain ground on their contemporaries and
even surpass them.
“Awaken” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. A World Unseen
2. Astray
3. Foreshadowed
4. Awaken
5. Withering
6. The Sparrow
The Review:
Gothenburg's
Agrimonia
have always been a difficult band to pigeonhole; partly epic and expansive
doom, partly crusty, blackened death metal, they seem content to don the cap of
each of the aforementioned genres whenever the mood is befitting. It should
come as no surprise then that 'Awaken',
their 4th full length, slithers and writhes with venom and bile in tow.
Opening with the majestic 'A World
Unseen', a track that owes as much to Primordial as it does Dissection, Agrimonia put as much into one
nine minute epic as some bands do on entire albums. It's an opening statement
that implies that further surprises lay ahead...and lay ahead they certainly
do; from the Paradise
Lost with blast beats of 'Astray'
to the haunting melodic intro of 'Foreshadowed'
and through its Dismember
style death metalisms, there's very little for the casual listener not to
enjoy!
The title track sits at the centre of the album and, despite its mesmerising
melancholy, and the fact it is a 3 minute instrumental, seems oddly juxtaposed.
'Withering' gets back on track with
13 minutes of captivating death/doom before final track 'The Sparrow' weaves a sombre tapestry before triumphantly
galloping headstrong towards the album's shimmering, sobering conclusion.
'Awaken' is a tour-de-force of genre
hopping doom. It should see the band gain ground on their contemporaries and
even surpass them. For this, you're going to need to pack spare clothes and
snacks, for this musical journey is truly epic.
From the opening drum fill that leads
to some face ripping riffage of 'Black Hole, White Teeth' all the way through
to the creeping, crescendo of 'Burial Shroud', it's a tour-de-force of
extreme music.
“Cognitive
Erosion” CS//DD
track listing:
1).
Black Hole White Teeth
2).
Of Flesh And Worship
3).
Entropic Decay
4).
Burial Shroud
The Review:
To
start with the most random pop culture reference here; do you remember the short
lived WCW
wrestler Glacier? He was a complete Sub Zero (of Mortal Kombat fame [yep, that's
a 2nd pop culture reference]) rip off. He was hyped, full of promise and
ultimately failed to deliver. 'Cognitive
Erosion' from Denver's
Glacial Tomb
is the polar opposite (excuse the pun); it's no bark and all bite.
The 4 tracks on this EP are chocked full of scathing, blistering, HM-2 worship
and while crusty grind is the meat and potatoes, Glacial Tomb season the tracks
with some crushing sludge/doom when the time is right.
From
the opening drum fill that leads to some face ripping riffage of 'Black Hole, White Teeth' all the way
through to the creeping, crescendo of 'Burial Shroud', it's a tour-de-force of extreme music. Sure, the
guitar sound suffers from an almost digital sound, but this is enough of an
appetite whetting to have me hungry for a full length. I'd love to hear these
guys let loose on an analogue studio; the results would undoubtedly double the
effects of global warming.
71TONMAN absolutely
bludgeon the listener with hammer blows of relentless doom
“Earthwreck” CD//DD track listing
1.
Lifeless
2.
Negative
3.
Phobia
4).
Zero
5).
Torment
6).
Spiral
The Review:
Subtlety
isn't something usually associated with sludge/doom, realistically, why should
it? Poland's 71TONMAN, the latest to signing for Jon
Davis' Black Bow Records, show no sign of straying
from the well trodden path with 'Earthwreck'.
'Lifeless' sees 71TONMAN
let you take a deep breath before absolutely bludgeoning with hammer blows of
relentless doom. The death growl vocals make the songs reminiscent of Winter but have more in common with the likes of Dismember and Entombed with the way
they echo into the psyche. 'Negative'
has more to offer melodically than most doom bands do on entire albums, without
losing the malicious, pummeling heaviness. 'Phobia'
toys with the sensibilities of the traditional doom fan; this is extreme metal
chump, save your talk of pentatonic scales for the millions of Kyuss/Church Of Misery rip offs! The sheer weight of the
track makes you hyper aware of gravity and just when you think you can nod your
head to the groove, they mangle the formula and have you gurning with glee.
'Zero'
offers brief respite as the industrial noise is penetrated by clean guitars and
syncopated drums before going whole hog with devastating riffs. 'Torment' makes great use of atmosphere
to season the heaviness and 'Spiral'
chops at your ear drums with its tremelo picking before smashing the weighty
yet wonderfully catchy, riffs. Excellent stuff.
I don't like to write negative points about bands, and I'm not going to here,
my only mild criticism would be that with 6 songs lasting 9 minutes each, the
slog can be difficult to manage. Luckily there are plenty of intricacies
throughout to keep your attention. I had the fortune of playing with these guys
in Warsaw a few weeks back and I can confirm that they absolutely slay. A
gem of a release.
There
are few bands to which the phrase 'criminally underrated' is aptly applied as Unearthly Trance. Arguably spawning the 'blackened
sludge/blackened doom' genres, they remain a hidden gem in extreme heavy music
that only certain individuals appreciate.
7 years have passed since the superb 'V' with breaking up, 2 Serpentine Path albums, a few Howling Wind
releases, a few other projects, a reunion, fatherhood, Thralldom
reforming and releasing music coming in the meantime. The question that needed
to be asked; will all this time dampen the creative fires that burn within the
trident?
Fear not! As 'Into The Spiral', the album's premier track goes straight for
the neck muscles with its pulsating, blackened groove, it's a superb start to
the album and adds an element of optimism. 'Dream State Arsenal' is more about
the gravity; crafting a ludicrously catchy, yet so crushingly heavy riff
punctuated by Darren Verni's always exceptional drumming, it's a definite pick
up point to where 'V' left off. 'Scythe' crawls like a venomous
snake, before striking and infecting your blood stream with its glorious riffs
and stop/start rhythm and I'm reminded a little of 2006's 'Electrocution' in
stylistic delivery.
Anyone who has heard 'Famine' will know how thick and
heavy the guitar sound is, with Ryan Lipynsky's unique riffs sounding
apocalyptic yet crystal clear. I heard 'Lion Strength' on a YouTube video
of UT playing live, to me it sounded like some
of their earlier work...but on record, it's a natural progression from 'V',
with Lipynsky providing both the throaty, melodic vocal passages, echoey
whispers and his traditional gnarly growls. 'Invisible Butchery'
starts with some atmospheric noise before the death growls bellow out like lava
spewing from a cavernous volcano. It's the slowest song on the album and will
please the doom heads with its subtle nods to Winter
and Autopsy. The Penultimate track 'The
Great Cauldon' is a 9 minute epic which sweeps through several genres,
starting out with head swinging trad-metal and descending into blackened doom,
albeit melodic and calculated. As the track travels along, it bares
similarities to 'The Scum Is In Orbit' with Lipynsky's trademark croons and
guitar solo near the song's conclusion. Excellent stuff. 'In The Forest’s Keep' is
the final song and is more of an atmospheric outro than a full song with
melancholic guitar passages played over a harsh rumbling before a sample is
heard, with added delay over the top. It's a fitting finale to this beautifully
crafted album.
To say I had been eagerly anticipating this album would be an enormous
understatement; UT are one of my favourite bands and they have rarely, if ever,
put a foot wrong along their path. Hopefully, this album will garner the
attention and success they deserve. A triumphant return? That and then some.
By: David Majury, Curtis Dewar, Philip Weller, Chris Bull & Richard
Maw
Decades Apart
The idea of Decades Apart is pretty simple. I’ll choose 5
different albums from 5 different decades and I’ll share a little information
about them and hopefully you’ll check them out if you haven’t already. Today
is 1972,
1982,
1992,
2002
and 2012. Whilst some these albums may not all be
considered classics, they’re certainly amazing records. So be sure to check it out.
Deep
Purple – “Machine Head” (1972)
Fate
is a Deep
Purple fan. It moves in mysterious ways, but its actions made a
devastatingly big mark on the history of heavy music. What might have happened,
you wonder, had a Frank Zappa concert on 4th December
1971 not ended in the burning down of the Montreux casino in which they were
due to record? What would have happened if that fan-lit flare hadn’t been fired
into the building’s roof? Would the record have sounded the same were they not
forced to relocate, and indeed, what effect would it have had upon on the
lyrics of ‘Smoke on the Water’,
which were directly inspired by the whole drama?
That
juddering four note riff echoes through the ages of time, it’s inspired
thousands of young souls to learn the guitar and crowned what would become the
band’s most successful record, topping the charts across the world. It became a
definitive moment, not only in Deep Purple’s career, but in heavy music as a
whole. It turned so many people onto heavy music. So many of these people would
then go on to become greats in their own right, the likes of Iron Maiden and
Metallica,
to name but two, owing so much to the song. With that riff, Deep Purple
forged a legacy. Yet it could have all been so different had that fire not
happened.
Through
Ian Gillian’s inimitable introduction on ‘In
Rock’, their sound had gotten hairy, lairy and beastly. But with 1972’s ‘Machine Head’, they learnt to tame
their monster.
‘Highway Star’ the rocket fuelled, gas-guzzling
opener sets the tone of the album. With its breathless rapidity and
scintillating duelling solos courtesy of Ritchie Blackmore and the late, great
Jon Lord, they sounded deadly. Quickly followed by the tumultuous stomping riff
of ‘Maybe I’m A Leo’ and ‘Pictures of Home’, a song powered by
Ian Paice’s thunderous drums and boasting some gorgeous, soaring melodies, this
was their finest moment. ‘Lazy’ is
drawn out, ethereal and savage all the same, ‘Space Truckin’’ packing gigantean, insurmountable grooves. Every
song on the record is gold.
And
the rest is history.
Twisted
Sister – “Under The Blade” (1982)
1982
saw the release of what is perhaps one of the most underrated albums in the
history of heavy metal: "Under the
Blade" by Twisted Sister. While many modern day metal
fans take a look at the band's heavy make up/transvestite image and
automatically think "hair metal", the actual truth is that they were
much closer to Judas
Priest and even AC/DC in sound. While Twisted may have never reached
the stellar heights of those two bands, the quality of "Under the Blade" (and later
albums) cannot be denied. The album contains track after track of classic songs
like "What You Don't Know (Sure Can
Hurt You)", "Run for your
Life", "Shoot 'Em
Down" and "Sin After Sin"
that definitely give other classic albums such as "Screaming for Vengeance" and "The Number of the Beast" a run for their money.
If
you're one of those who never bothered to check the band out due to the 'glam'
metal image, I highly recommend that you start with "Under the Blade" and then proceed to listen to the rest of the
band's discography.
Darkthrone – “A Blaze in the Northern Sky” (1992)
After
the release of the solid yet unspectacular 'Soulside
Journey', Darkthrone
embraced the flourishing black metal scene that was sweeping through the fjords
and recorded 'A Blaze In The Northern
Sky'. While many believe 'Under A
Funeral Moon' and 'Transylvanian
Hunger' to be the pinnacle of the band's corpse painted output, it was on 'A Blaze...” where they were at their
coldest.
Starting with the ceremonial drums of the epic 'Kathaarian Life Code', a song which opened my eyes to the wonders
of frost like atmosphere, Darkthrone laid down the blueprint that they
would follow for years to come. While they had a few death metal riffs left
over ('Paragon Belial' in
particular), at the core is a dark and grim heart that bleeds the purest
blackness. The guitars may sound like a swarm of wasps, but that was their
intention on this, to make it as lofi and "necro" as possible.
Floor – “Floor” (2002)
Inspirational
records don't come along very often. The Stooges "Funhouse" was one when I first heard it around the late '80s,
"Nowhere" by Ride
around 1990 was another and "Bullhead"
by the Melvins
changed things again about a year later. I didn't play guitar when I first
heard those records, but I did by the time I heard Floor's self titled album.
If
Floor
had just played that opening riff for the duration of the record it would still
be one of the most magical records ever recorded, but of course they were/are
way better than that. Every song is just loaded with riffs that other bands
would kill for, only Floor would throw three of them into a two
minute song. There was no indulgence at all, no filler, no need to repeat
anything to fill space. This album is a template for how to use dynamics in
heavy music, but what sets it apart from every other ‘tuned to z’ band is the
melody.
Although
I’ve grown up with Black Sabbath and all the rest, I’ve always
loved melody in a song. The cookie-monster death grunt thing never appealed to
me, and I’d been listening to bands like The Pixies a lot more than any heavy music for
years. Suddenly here was a band with the heaviest riffs ever, but welded
together with unbelievable melody and heart-wrenching vocals. One listen to “Tales of Lolita” was enough to
completely change how I wanted to play music forever, and I suppose I’ve spent
the last ten plus years with Slomatics trying vainly to even get close to
what Floor
did so effortlessly on this record. Add to all this, the fact that the band
were almost completely unknown, that every live picture I could find of them
was playing to a half-empty tiny pub, and that they’d never even been out of
the States and I was hooked.
What
a legacy to leave for the then-defunct band. I’ve a friend who has a theory
that in every city there is a band somewhere, whether in a practice room or
playing one of those half-empty tiny pubs, which would absolutely blow your
mind. Floor
were that band for me, and although they are now deservedly much more well
known, at the time the very fact that they had existed and had written that
beautiful record was enough inspiration for me to do what I’ve been doing
since, and will never stop doing.
Dragged
Into Sunlight –
“Widowmaker” (2012)
In
a time when everything is known about everyone and there is no sense of mystery
about anything, Dragged into Sunlight are
a dynamic blast of fresh/fetid air. Indeed, nothing is really known about the
band- what is mentioned is mostly conjecture. Let it be said: this is a good
thing. The band retains anonymity and lets the music speak for itself.
When first reading about the new piece of music from Dragged into Sunlight some time ago it
was described as a single track lasting 40mins plus. Indeed, the promo copy I
have had on rotation is in this format. Research on Amazon indicates three
tracks of 14.51, 11.47 and 13.10 in length respectively. I have found
that the record works best when viewed as a single track- 40 minutes of
tortured paranoid hate and despair. If that sounds like your kind of thing...
Welcome aboard!
‘Widowmaker’ reveals
itself as a very different record to ‘Hatred for Mankind’ from
the first listen. What takes time is the depth of what is on offer therein to
reveal itself. From the first ominous twang of a clean yet eerie guitar the
sound is bleak and sets a mood that is unrelenting- even when the music employs
dynamic shifts and all kinds of instrumentation. Four to five minutes in
there are two guitar tracks building up an atmosphere that is the aural
equivalent to watching the first series of Lynch's Twin Peaks.
There is even a piano around the six minute mark. The first sign of any
distortion comes at 8mins 20secs. An almost folk feel is created by cymbals and
violin- and by that I do mean the good kind of folk. Think the feel of the
seminal film The Wicker Man and you have the right idea. The
samples of the first record are echoed over the first fifteen minutes but that
is the only real comparison I can draw.
It
may sound strange, but the first fifteen minutes fly past- the atmosphere,
tension and feel of the record is introduced leads the way to what could be
termed the second part of the album. A monolithic riff and the first scream
herald in the next movement. The familiar horrific vocals over the music create
a cacophony that is in stark contrast to the almost ambient first part of the
record. A low death growl is introduced after more samples, creating another
aspect and tonality for the listener. Just after twenty minutes an
ascending/descending riff is introduced with other instruments buried low in
the mix. The pounding double kick drums that were a great feature of their
debut for me are back here. On headphones the whole thing sounds
masterful and suffocatingly dense. There is even an almost stoner rock, Karma to Burn-esque feel around the twenty
three minute mark. It doesn't last long, though, and instead gives way to a
groove which in itself abruptly twists into doomy sludge, heralding in the
third and final part of the record.
‘Part
III’,
beginning as it does with very slow sludge, is different again to the previous
two parts. The bass, ringing out alone around thirty minutes in, offers up a
kind of distorted mirror of ‘Part I's atmospherics, indeed the record
almost feels as if it doubles back on itself. The band take us back to cleaner
guitar tones but five minutes from the conclusion the riffs, distortion and
crashing chords are back. The samples reach an apex for me as thirty eight
minutes rolls past- you'll have to listen to it for yourself to find out what
is said! After some frantic playing and vocals the whole thing dissolves into
howling feedback and there the journey ends.
It
is rare that a record of forty minutes feels this short. I can only conclude
that a lot of work went into making this piece of music- the pacing, peaks and
dynamics are all very well judged. It is an expertly paced soundscape that
should be viewed as a whole. If you do this and invest the time in it you will
be glad you did- the rewards are rich indeed!
