ALBUM REVIEW: Leechfeast, "Neon Crosses"

By: Stephen Murray

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 30/03/2018

Label: Dry Cough Records |

Rope And Guillotine

Taken altogether, the vacillation between violence and misery is compelling

“Neon Crosses” DD//LP track listing:

1). Sacrosanct

2). Halogen

3). Tar

4). Razor Nest

The Review:

It’s not that I would nail myself to the masochist mast, but I have to admit there is something ritualistically cleansing about laying down in a dark room, depriving all senses except hearing, and shattering that peaceful seclusion with a high volume deluge of grisly, bone-biting aural violence. Despite the horrific grime one is subjected to, the effect is one of paradoxical cleanliness and peace. But for the ritual to work it must be pure; nothing watered down into a thin, homeopathic tincture; it must be something viscous and foul-tasting that lets you know that you’ve been medicined, a spiking that lets you know you’ve been spoken to. If you need this treatment as much as I do, then “Neon Crosses” is your draught.

This is Leechfeast’s first full-length for five years (their second overall), and their first release since the split with New Zealand's now defunct grime lords Meth Drinker back in 2015. Perhaps significantly, this is the first recording since Hans Wubs took over the sticks from Marko Šajn in an otherwise remarkably consistent line-up since their nascence in 2010.

As the title suggests, it cuts an urban path. For Slovenia’s Leechfeast, the children of the night are not wolves, but other predators skulking between the streetlights. They represent the mould growing in the gutters, the weeds pushing through the concrete, blackened foil in the alleys and the screams of victims slapping back off wet brick, steel and glass.

At first harken, I quickly understand why comparisons have been drawn between “Neon Crosses” and the excoriating sounds of Cough and Moss, but it is no carbon copy. Instead, the band manage to steer their sound safely across the ever busier shipping lanes of modern doom, deftly avoiding collision with the other lumbering tankers which seem to be riding in each other’s wakes.

An example of this subtle divergence comes on the second track, ‘Halogen’. Its linchpin riff is like someone heartlessly slinging on a string of Reggie Dixon numbers when you're too goofed to intervene, leaving you to be waltzed through to some dreadful other dimension.

Highlight song, ‘Razor Nest,’ well positioned at the end of the record, opens with gloomily melodic, reverb-washed singing, drawing parallels with 40 Watt Sun, except with all the hope for tomorrow extinguished. Then despair gives way to anger once more and the vocals lash out again, the guitars moving from minors to chromatics, the whole peppered with samples from what sounds to be space age American public information films. The effect is that of a broken emergency broadcast system piping messages exhorting calm which echo through the empty streets of a post-neutron bombed world.

At no point does “Neon Crosses” feel protracted, each of the eight to ten minute tracks is extremely well judged; the bars allotted to the changing riffs and motifs is perfect and the sound achieved in the studio and in post-production is crisp, capturing some of that high-end fizz that gives character to otherwise bass rich guitar tone and slow skin pummeling.

The record invokes that horrid yet splendid feeling of your flesh being torn from you in long, misshapen strips, and then dresses the wounds in melancholic, chant-like singing and single picked guitar lines more apt to surrendering to the darkness than exalting it. Taken altogether, the vacillation between violence and misery is compelling. Would definitely recommend for your next isolation tank session

“Neon Crosses” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Windhand & Satan's Satyrs - "Windhand & Satan's Satyrs Split"

By: John Reppion

Album Type: Split LP

Date Released: 16/02/2018

Label: Relapse Records

This is two bands at the top of their game, producing some of their finest work to date

“Windhand & Satan’s Satyrs Split” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Windhand – “Old Evil”

2). Windhand – “Three Sisters”

3). Satan’s Satyrs – “Alucard AD 2018”

4). Satan’s Satyrs – “Succubus”

5). Satan’s Satyrs – “Ain’t That Lovin’ You, Baby”

The Review:

I was lucky enough to catch Windhand and Satan's Satyrs playing together when they toured the UK at the end of 2017. At the time I didn't quite see the kinship between the two bands, but thanks to this new Relapse Records split release, the connection is now somewhat clearer to me.

On first listen Windhand’s opener, “Old Evil”, sounds like a track straight off of “Griefs Infernal Flower” (and that’s definitely no bad thing). Further plays however, reward the listener with something that’s actually a few degrees heavier, and tighter than the content of the 2015 album. Essentially it’s like the most Windhand that Windhand have ever been; they are well and truly on point here. “Three Sisters” is built around one simple and massive riff, with added keyboard gloom courtesy of Jonathan Kassilow (of Sinister Haze and former Windhand Split-buddies Cough). The track is staggeringly doomy: lumbering and powerful and miserable, and pretty fucking wonderful overall.

“Alucard A.D.” starts things off on the Satan’s Satyrs half of the record, and it does so in heavy style. Now previously, thanks to their 2015 album “Don’t Deliver Us”, I thought of Satan’s Satyrs as a kind of Glam Punk retro rock kind of band, but that’s not what they sound like here. This is juicy, juicy stuff which reminds more than a little of Electric Wizard’s “We, The Undead”, in the best possible way. 

“Succubus” follows on wonderfully well with a main riff that’s both doomy and kind of cheeky and funny. There’s more than a hint of NWOBHM in the guitar work, and the whole thing just slots together in such a way that, even after several listens, still hasn’t failed to put a smile on my face. Closer “Aint That Lovin’ You Baby” is much more in line with my previous expectations with regard to Satan’s Satyrs. It’s a sleazy 12 bar blues that clicks into double-time half way through before going down in a blaze of Cock Rock guitar solos. Claythanas'/Clayton Burgess' shout of “thank you, goodnight!” is all that’s really missing from the end of this obvious set-closer.

Sometimes these split EPs can feel a bit like filler between “proper” releases; songs that didn’t make it on to the main record, or versions of some work in progress that’s not yet quite come together. That is definitely not the case with this Windhand / Satan's Satyrs release however. This is two bands at the top of their game, producing some of their finest work to date. So much so in the case of Satan's Satyrs that

I’m really regretting missing the beginning of their set back in October.

“Windhand & Satan’s Satyrs Split” is available here

Band info: Windhand || Satan’s Satyrs

REVIEW: Witchthroat Serpent - "Striped Dragon" (EP)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: 7”

Date Released: 16/06/2017

Label: Svart Records

“Striped Dragon” DD//7” track listing:

1). Striped Dragon

2). No Way to Escape

The Review:

Following up debut “Sang - Dragon” with this two track EP is a smart move- riffs pound, organs swirl, vocals wail... business as usual for these French doomers!

A-side “Striped Dragon is a weighty and psychedelic excursion into the realms of Electric Wizard but the band are sleeker and more streamlined. Both tracks come in almost at the six minute mark with lots of overdrive and lots of retro atmosphere.

“No Way To Escape” is just as heavy, but perhaps even more driving in sound. Simply put, if you heard the debut and follow up “Sang-Dragon” then you know what to expect here. Essentially the doom version of Motorhead, I am amazed that the band have not yet written a song called Born Toulouse... but there is still time. This is real fuzzed up doom. Vive Le Serpent!

“Striped Dragon” is available on vinyl here and digitally here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

FFO: Electric Wizard, Windhand, Sleep, Cough

ALBUM REVIEW: Demonic Death Judge - "Seaweed"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/01/2017

Label: Suicide Records

The Finnish quartet deal in a potent blend of filthy sludge-encrusted riffs tempered by hypnotic stoner grooves and nasty gravel gargling vocals. The band conjure up the sound of a bar room brawl between Weedeater and Colour Haze.

“Seaweed” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Taxbear

2). Heavy Chase

3). Seaweed

4). Cavity

5). Backwoods

6). Pure Cold

7). Saturnday

8). Peninkulma

The Review:

There’s nothing better than a boatload of no-frills, weapons-grade riffage to blow away the January blues. Demonic Death Judge deliver the goods in fine style on new album “Seaweed”.  The Finnish quartet deal in a potent blend of filthy sludge-encrusted riffs tempered by hypnotic stoner grooves and nasty gravel gargling vocals. The band conjure up the sound of a bar room brawl between Weedeater and Colour Haze.

“Taxbear” kicks things off in punishing fashion. Gargantuan riffs pummel the listener into submission until they are enveloped in waves of swirling guitar noise and menacing samples. The pure low-end dirt of “Pure Cold” and the dangerously addictive “Heavy Chase” run “Taxbear” close for heaviest track on the LP but quality riffs abound throughout “Seaweed”.

Demonic Death Judge demonstrate that they don’t need to rely on constant hard-riffing to be effective. The title track begins the introduction of more melodic elements into the mix with suitably aquatic effects-laden guitars providing a hazy calm before the storm of the band’s arrival at full bore. “Cavity” sees the band explore this relaxed side further to achieve powerful psychedelic results while the brooding first half of closer “Peninkulma” creates an almost post-rock slow-burn before being crushed under one final tonne of leaden riffage.

“Seaweed” is a killer effort from Demonic Death Judge that strikes a good balance between no-nonsense sludge and minor excursions into more tuneful territory. In an often overcrowded genre, the band stick out by rocking hard while bringing their own distinct character to the fore. 

“Seaweed” is available here

Band info: Official || Facebook || Bandcamp

FFO: Cough, Dopethrone, Weedeater, Colour Haze

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Tomb - "Black Tomb"

By: Stiq

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/10/2016

Label: Graven Earth Records |

Hellas Records

“Black Tomb” CS//DD//LP track listing:

1). Under the Pine

2). Eyes at Midnight

3). Swine

4). Mortuary Rites

5). Draped in Flesh

6). Lust and Saturn

7). Turning Worm

8). Church on the Hill

The Review:

Black Tomb will bring the darkness out of you. Stomping though the muck of an empty soul. A once innocent Doom/Stoner child left rotting in a sludgy old church basement with his warped Electric Wizard records and beaten mercilessly with raw electric power from an old musty amp caked in depravity.

               

The mind can’t help but get lost in powerful riffs drenched in the fumes of hatred and despair while the fuzz shakes your core and vibrates the cavity causing all vital organs to hit the floor with a splat, while you bang your head against the wall from sheer madness. This is certainly something you’re going to want to listen to very very loud and with little regard to your own mental stability.

Hailing from New England, Black Tomb has brought to the table their debut self titled release just in time for the Halloween season. Now you can keep all the candy for yourself by scaring away all

those pesky trick-or-treaters, while leaving a bad taste in your neighbors mouth.

               

This album is going to be a staple for your record collection and will be released on double disc vinyl for your listening pleasure soon enough. Until then, feel free to rot what’s left of your already decaying brains by listening to them here

p.s. Drug use is highly recommended while ingesting this noise.

“Black Tomb” is available digitally here and on cassette here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

FFO: Graves at Sea, Cough, Electric Wizard, Fistula

The Sludgelord "Sour 16 for July 2016

By: Aaron Pickford

As we talk stock at The Sludgelord, that we achieved the milestone of publishing 4000 articles and over 2000 album reviews this week (n.b. Steve Howe’s contributions cannot be understated), our commitment to offer you many more magnificent riffs is unwavering, therefore it is time cast our minds back upon the month of July and digest the 16 albums that would become July’s sacrilegious ‘Sour 16’, the finest and most profane riffs around bundled together into a premium sized sonic soufflé.

You know the drill, each month; you the reader are unwittingly compiling a list of the top 16 records that we featured in July, covering all genres of metal.  Is it not a chart, in which reviewers or contributors extol their opinion about their favourite music.  The ‘Sour 16’ are the records that have been trending the most at Sludgelord Headquarters.

The results are compiled based on page views alone and calibrated into the list below. So kick back, with a cold one and let the power of the riff compel thee! All reviews can be viewed by clicking the artwork and we have included album streams wherever possible. (Total views since their publication are highlighted in red)

16). Graves At Sea – “The Curse That Is” (303)

The album opener and title track drops the anchor to establish the length, tone and rhythm this 76 minute voyage is about. An unpredictable, violent haze of amplifier worship, “The Curse That Is” is a strong candidate for one of the top 10 albums of 2016.

15). The Human Condition – “Pathways” (308)

This is a classy album, full of doom and melancholy. The band are great live and boasts some of the North West's most enduring doom talent from such luminaries as Unsilence, for instance. The band play a blinder throughout and front man Nathan Harrison really captures the feeling of powerlessness so prevalent in the lyrics and themes here. Harrowing stuff indeed.

14). The Order of Israfel – “Red Robes” (330)

Titled "Red Robes," their sophomore album is a crushing slab of classic doom. Twin guitar harmonies permeate the arrangements; slow, lumbering beats intermingle with high-energy, uptempo passages; stark vocals deliver creep out lyrics; all in support of their almighty neck breaking riffs.

13). Wytch Hazel – “Prelude” (343)

If you have any interest in Tull, Ash, Lizzy, Sabbath et al and yearn for a band to come along and play like those heroes of a bygone era, Wytch Hazel are definitely worth your time and money. They are a great band and one that is doing something unique- out are occult tropes and devil-ish imagery, in are song-writing, medieval sonics/themes and enthusiasm rather than cynicism. A triumphant record on every level.

12). Bleak – “No Light No Tunnel” (350)

From the jagged intro of “Teeth” to the guttural barks that bring “Fuck Your God” to a close, Bleak do not let up for a second. Every track here is a potent blend of Converge’s nastiest moments and the crushing attack of Coalesce brewed in a vat of filthy, thick sludge.  “No Light No Tunnel” is not pretty but makes for a horribly captivating listen. Few records this year will match the vitriolic onslaught Bleak deliver here.

11). Adolyne – “Of Ash/Of Shit/Of Shame” (363)

The whole album feels like it’s teetering on the edge of collapse which lends a real thrill and urgency to proceedings. This is felt most strongly during epic closer “Brawler’s Fracture”. Intense, restless riffing akin to Keelhaul is swallowed by a buzzing swarm of squealing guitars that threaten to consume all. Just before chaos fully descends, the track breaks into a crushing slow-motion finale.  “Of Ash/Of Shit/Of Shame” is a skilfully constructed visceral journey. Adolyne create a unique noise, a captivating damaged racket that will enrapture those with a taste for uneasy listening.

10). Wo Fat – “Midnight Coment” (400)

Stoner, psychedelia, doom and classic rock all coalesce here with massive results. Only one track under five minutes, the rest sprawling languidly well over that mark. Hendrix jamming with Fu Manchu and Sabbath¸ simply put, this is storming stuff; wrought from the heaviest of iron and the lightest of air. Massive.

9). Ghold – “PYR” (444)

“PYR” is an exceptional release from Ghold that really cements their position as the finest heavy act in the UK right now. It is the sound of a band who exist in a world of their own, above and beyond our plane of existence and drifting ever closer to the outer limits.

8). Reproacher – “Nature’s Bastard” (475)

Huge, awkward riffs dominate the landscape, their ugly, discordant racket is reminiscent of Converge at their nastiest.  This is a mighty offering, a captivating combination of savage intensity and considered dynamics.

7). Cough – “Still They Pray” (507)

6). Solothus – “No King Reigns Eternal” (748)

An encompassing album with an unforgiving heaviness, "No King Reigns Eternal" sees Finns Solothus’ improve on their debut album, and release one of the heaviest doom releases so far this year. Instilled with death metal elements and no signs of calm, it is a harrowing album full of weighty monolithic riffs and a murky atmosphere.

5). Wormed – “Krighsu” (953)

Krighsu’ is ten tracks of unrelenting tech-death, set at a warp speed that has no intention of ever slowing down.  Space is infinite, and it seems WORMED’s ability to create jaw-breakingly heavy music is just as vast.

4). Cold World – “Autumn” (1033)

Börner writes and creates music that should appeal to both purist and tourist alike. Not because he haphazardly smashes the pieces into each other, like a child with their toys, but because his instincts and strengths do so organically.  “Autumn’ is flush with atmosphere and overall is a cohesive and brilliant listening experience.

3). Wretch – “Wretch” (1877)

This is a fine debut and a much needed shot of trad doom, with actual songs, - in an era of obsession with amps and pedals (but without, you know, actual songs and stuff). It is a triumph for this intrepid trio and surely there are great things to come for the band. Make no mistake, Wretch are here and Wretch will bring you real doom or throw you out of the bar if you don't like it.

2). Periphery – “Periphery III: Select Difficulty” (2009)

Experimental metal bands like Periphery will (hopefully) never settle for sticking to one particular groove.  Constantly innovating, this adds to “Juggernaut”, jumping off from that platform and diving into dark, unexplored depths.  Music should surprise and inspire, and “Periphery III: Select Difficulty” does both with eye-opening results.  Just watch out for unexpected face-melting, okay?

1). Dunsmuir – “Dunsmuir” (2021)

Dunsmuir, manages the uncanny trick of amounting to the sum of its parts. The record's players have some serious pedigree and none if it is wasted. Vinny Appice is as powerful as ever, with a beastly snare sound, while Bone and Davis are a formidable strings team. Fallon puts in a hardworking and uniformly stellar shift as per usual.  Simply put, if you like Clutch and Dio-era Sabbath, you will be right at home here. If you are a fan of Fu Manchu, there are sounds for you here as well. This album rocks, it’s that simple.

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  February’s “Sour 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Daniel Jackson, George Parr, Charlie Butler, Chris Markwell, Doza Hawes  & Gerardo Pacheco

Cough - "Still They Pray" (Album Review)

By: Gerardo Pacheco

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 03/06/2016
Label: Relapse Records

“Still They Prey” CD//DD//LP track listing

Haunter of The Dark (7.50)

Possession (10.24)

Dead among the Roses (10.46)

Masters of Torture (7.54)

Let It Bleed (9.36)

Shadow of the Torturer (10.34)

The Wounding Hours (6.37)

Still They Pray (4.09)

The Review:

With this release, Cough barely breaks the decade span career-wise. Formed back in 2005 in Richmond, VA, as a trio originally, It didn’t take them long to write and record their first EP, “Kingdom” (We Are The Label, 2006), followed by their debut full-length, “Sigillum Luciferi” (Forcefield Records, 2008) which garnered the attention of Relapse Records. Their second full-length “Ritual Abuse” (Relapse, 2010) was widely well received by critics and their cult-like following. Sanford Parker (MINSK, Pelican, Indian) was behind the board for the aforementioned LPs.

It seems almost ironic then that Jus Oborn is heavily involved in this affair. After drawing Electric Wizard comparisons well over the course of their career, it seems only fitting that they asked him to produce and record this time around. On the other hand, Garrett Morris’ involvement seems like a natural move given Parker Chandler’s other gig, that band being none other than, Windhand. We can bitch about Cough taking so long to put new material out, and one can only assume and attribute it to Chandler’s band juggling. But in hindsight, “Reflection of the Negative” (Relapse, 2013) allowed us to witness the magnitude of his musicianship holistically and established him in the pantheon, or graveyard if you will, that is the Demons [gods] of Doom. On a separate note, coming up with material such as what is presented, you need to acknowledge the fact that they did not put this record out to fill their pockets and run.

Let’s just get something off the table to boot. While their previous efforts clocked in at 56 and 53 minutes respectively, “Still They Pray” runs for 68 oppressive, slow burning, mind-bending minutes. Just about the same length as your regular black mass. To begin this ritual, in true Cough fashion, feedback drips from David Cisco’s rig, before full riff utopia bursts out, with swirling kaleidoscopic antics weaving seamlessly throughout opener “Haunter of the Dark”. Slowing things down a bit, Chandler shows us a glimpse of his heavy bass tone, not before he falls into full despair mode to carry on with the regular Cough M.O., in which they hit us with back to back 10+ minute tracks in “Possession” and “Dead Among The Roses”, the LP’s 2^nd released single. Speaking of that third track, the song writing made me nostalgic, as it sounds like 90s grunge had sampled some Indica-laced blunt. Here, it is undeniable that Brandon Marley really joins the fray to provide some much appreciated dual-guitar melodies. To close off the first leg of the record, we are slapped with some of the sludgiest and darkest riffs in “Masters of Torture”. That is, until they pick up the tempo quite considerably for one of the most memorable head banging moments up to this point.

“Let It Bleed” really sets the tone for the 2^nd half and serves as a bridge between the concepts that the band intend to marry in unholy matrimony, namely the psychedelic with the doom. If you have not been partaking in some sort of leaf hailing by now, “Shadow of the Torturer” is as good a time as any to do so. A 10+ minute sonic attack of instrumental, fuzzed-out groove galore, going from sweet southern rock to an overwhelming wall of sound. There, the record’s 1^st single, “The Wounding Hours” kicks in. Its painfully obvious how this would be the 1^st single out, as it presents Cough at their pinnacle. The organ is a new wrinkle on the recording, haunting the mix, complemented by solid, fat riffs along with Joey Arcaro’s dominating and hypnotic drumming. The vocal work conveys such misery that it is beautiful in its own tragic way. Which brings us to the title track and album closer, “Still They Pray”, which presents an acoustic madrigal. This may be a shot in the dark, but its apparent to me how this track ties the entire record together, revealing the band at their most vulnerable.

Don’t sleep on this; I can assure you it’ll be included on a bunch of best of, end of year lists. Abuse your speakers and play it fucking loud!

“Still They Prey” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook