TOP 16 ALBUMS: The Sour 16 for May 2017

Nightbringer

Yes, it is that time again O ye lover of riffs, “The Sour 16” returneth.  You know the drill by now, each month you the reader are unwittingly compiling a list of the top 16 records of the month, covering all genres of metal.  Is it not a chart, in which reviewers or contributors extol their opinion about their favourite music.  To put it simply, “The Sour 16” are the records that have been trending the most at The Sludgelord Headquarters.

The results are compiled based on the amount of page views the reviews have received and are then calibrated into the list below.  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 the red numbers)

16). Dodecahedron - "Kwintessens” (446)

At 41 minutes, “Kwintessens” is deceptively compact for the multitudes within.  Each track, even the instrumental interludes, displays remarkable prowess while remaining confrontational and almost unbearably anguished.

  

15). Longhouse - "II: Vanishing" (450)

The tone, mix and mood of the album is one of darkness, menace and depression. “II: Vanishing” will terrify your consciousness and haunt your soul into painful contortions

14). The Ruins of Beverast - "Exuvia" (461)

“Von Meilenwald has created a terrible, tremendous and frightening invocation of blight and the invincible progress of erosion and disintegration. More than its component parts, an album to haunt the dreams of Lovecraft and Ligotti alike. Recommended without reservation.”

13). Lord - "Blacklisted" (476)

In a genre often bogged down by soundalike bands, Lord offer a sharp shot of adrenaline in the form of “Blacklisted”. The band’s distinct blend of gnarly thrash and filthy sludge deserves to see them go far.

12). Space Witch - "Arcanum" (521)

The band still sound like a collaboration between Bongripper, Hawkwind and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to create the ultimate sci-fi B-movie soundtrack, but  this latest release sees them develop their cosmic barrage further out into the void., they showcase a leaner, meaner Space Witch that still push the boundaries of heaviness but with a more streamlined attack.

11). Woodhawk - "Beyond The Sun" (522)

“Beyond The Sun, is overflowing with everything one could want from a great stoner rock record, thick, rumbling bass tones, sizzling guitar fuzz and infectious, mid tempo riffage, making this the kind of album that is very hard to stop listening to

10). Craven Idol - "The Shackles of Mammon" (567)

This new album does not disappoint, and capitalizes on a lot of the germinal promise that was present in spades on “Towards Eschaton”: zero bullshit, zero pretence, zero fucks metal.  Vocally it is  truly, truly spectacular and unique. Riffs are dynamic. Bass is deeply discernible and the leads are crazy, fiery and have a tone that reminds that metal solos can be a deadly weapon in the right hands, like a flail made of scalpels and razor blades.

9). Blaze Bayley - “Infinite Entanglement” and “Endure and Survive” (588)

Both “Infinite Entanglement” and “Endure and Survive” are the best work of his entire career, better than Wolfsbane, better than his tenure with Maiden and better than his past solo work.  Blaze's fire is burning brighter than ever

8). Sjelferd - ‘Fortid’ (619)

7). The Cosmic Dead - "Psych Is Dead" (646)

Somehow the band manage to make relentless repetition sound like a captivating journey into the unknown, packed with more subtle detail than a million prog metal odysseys.

6). Ghost Bath - "Starmourner" (686)

From the gentle piano intro of “Astral” to the vibrant and triumphant radiance of “Seraphic”, the tone of the album is pushed ever outward to match the theme of an infinite dream. It’s a theme that weaves its way through the whole album. There are certainly tracks that dive back into blast beats and hyper tremolo picking such as “Ambrosial” and “Elysian”, but the theme always returns to shimmering and heroic major chords.

5). Mouth of the Architect - "Time and Withering" (703)

Each new Mouth of the Architect release is my new soundtrack to oblivion, but revisiting “Time and Withering” is definitely worth your effort.  It has held up over time and is still as big and bold as it was 13 years ago.

4). Gurt - "Skullossus" (868)

This is some quality music that draws from many influences and I feel any metal fan should be able to enjoy it…. possibly even as the soundtrack to their next doom party.

3). Memoriam - "For The Fallen” (1012)

There is no huge introduction needed here. Bolt Thrower may be over, but Memoriam are very much here and ready to take up where Karl Willett's previous troop left off. You know what to expect from the names involved: crushingly slow grooves, like a tank rolling over piles of bones, bursts of thrash tempos and a sound that is thicker than tar.

2). Mutoid Man - "War Moans" (1113)

“War Moans” is fast, heavy and vocally arresting, it is an album that is certain to leave you breathless. 

1). Nightbringer - "Terra Damnata" (1160)

Remarkably, with Nightbringer approaching two decades of existence, they’re pulling off some of the best black metal the country has to offer, with a rabid intensity that, for all its darkness, remains inspiring.

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  May 2017’s “Sour 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Daniel Jackson, Andre Almaraz, Mark Ambrose, Charlie Butler, Conor O’Dea, Phil Weller, Josh Nichols & Ben Fitts

ALBUM REVIEW: Longhouse - "II: Vanishing"

By: Andre Almaraz

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 14/04/2017

Label: Independent

The tone, mix and mood of the album is one of darkness, menace and depression. “II: Vanishing” will terrify your consciousness and haunt your soul into painful contortions

“II: Vanishing” DD track listing:

1). Hunter’s Moon

2). Vanishing

3). Blood and Stone

4). No Name, No Marker

5). The Vigil

The Review:

Longhouse is a three piece doom outfit from Ottawa, Canada. On April 14th of 2017 they released an album of five new songs which is titled “II: Vanishing.” Here is my review of said album….The opening track, “Hunter’s Moon,” creeps in like a thief in the night who is determined to steal your reason for existence. Eerie guitar swells and fades arouse your senses before the whole band joins in to bombard your ears with an extremely grim dirge of epic proportions. The first six minutes of the song are completely instrumental because they need to be in order to put you in the proper state of mind and set you up for the death blow as the vocals finally kick in to terrify your consciousness and haunt your soul into painful contortions for the closing two minutes of the song.

Second track, “Vanishing,” comes in like a rabid lioness on the hunt. Its raw energy and strategic prowess, attack with vengeful aggression right from the opening blast. The heaviness and groove are the driving force that grabs you immediately and does not let up its grip for over six minutes until the very last note is played. This song is the highlight of the album for me, with the opener being a close second. Third track, “Blood and Stone” sounds exactly like its title. It is grimy, slimy, barbaric, and ugly. Some nice guitar soloing elevate the song to the next level which the preceding groove and harmony had already come close to achieving on their own. 

Fourth track, “No Name, No marker,” is another nonstop drive fest. As with the previous track, this one has all the groove and harmony but with a noticeably more melancholic delivery. The end of the song breaks into an intoxicatingly heavy chug riff which eventually fades us off into the netherworld. With the final track of the album, “The Vigil,” the band pulls out its secret weapon; the game changer that are the clean vocals. The sombre beginning breaks into a quintessential classic metal riff in which the clean vocals immediately jump out of the speakers at you completely unexpectedly. Throughout the song we get a great mix of clean and gruff vocals without ever using either one in excess. This is a truly remarkable feat of a perfect combination that very few bands in the history of heavy metal have been able to pull off in my opinion, yet Longhouse seems to be able to execute this very task with minimal effort and I think it was a stroke of genius to wait until the last song of the album in which to do it.

I really enjoyed listening to this album. It feels to be the perfect length and displays a good amount of musicianship, especially with the guitars. The soloing and overlaying of harmonies are exquisite throughout the entire album. The tone of mix and mood of the album are above all dark and brooding, depressing, and bolstered with a straightforward and ever driving rhythm section. I can detect hints of bands like Pallbearer, High On Fire, and even some Type O Negative, all mixed together with an abundance of the vast Canadian outback which I was more than happy to stir well and swallow down, and I am very much looking forward to hearing what this band does next.

“II: Vanishing” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM PREMIERE: Ottawa, Ontario's Longhouse deliver a hybrid of heaviness with "Longhouse II: Vanishing"

Ottawa, ON's Longhouse came into being in 2013 when guitarist Marc Casey and bassist/vocalist Joshua Cayer turned their long-standing song-writing partnership into a full band with drummer Mike Hache to complete their circle of dark, riffy, heavy textured doom metal. They released their debut album ‘Earth from Water’ in 2015, a spiritual odyssey into the perseverance of the human spirit and the lessons we can learn from the natural world.

With a sound that takes cues from bands such as Cult of Luna, High on Fire, Neurosis, Khemmis and Unearthly Trance, Longhouse are not a band that fall into any one category, instead they take influences from said bands and have fashioned their own unique identity. 

Following the  release of their debut Longhouse returned to Wolf Lake Studios in November 2016 to record with Mike Bond (Loviatar, Norilsk, Arms of the Girl) once again and the recording session would go on to form the basis of their sophomore album entitled "II: Vanishing". The album continues the pleasing progression of their debut while retaining the band’s core sound of heavy, intricate riffs, splashed with a touch of post-metal to guide you on a dark and visceral journey spanning nearly 40 minutes over five tracks.

“II: Vanishing has a logical evolution that is evident in the composition, as well as production. I also think that fans should take a moment to reflect on some of themes that are threaded throughout the album.” says vocalist / bassist Joshua Cayer. “The bulk of my ideas musically and lyrically come from exploring Indigenous ways of knowing. I am Algonquin First Nations. My family’s community is Kitigan Zibi, outside of Maniwaki, QC. However, I grew up in the city, mostly detached from my culture. As a father, I have been trying to immerse myself in the stories, wisdom, and strength of our Elders, knowledge keepers and story tellers, so that I can pass that on to my daughters. Because this takes up so much space in terms of who I am, and who I am becoming, it plays a very large part in terms of influences I draw upon.”

Those influences can be heard in Longhouse’s first single "No Name, No Marker", a song written for the voiceless Indigenous children who were abused and died while forced to attend residential schools in Canada and were buried in unmarked graves.  This album is raw, tranquil, oppressive and emotive but is always of the highest quality and we’re delighted to present the album in full for your listening pleasure.  So if you’re in the mood for a hybrid of heaviness drawing comparisons and influences  from the likes of Cult of Luna, High on Fire, Neurosis, Khemmis, Unearthly Trance, we set our Sludgelord dial to stun because this album is spectacular. 

"II: Vanishing" will be unleashed digitally on April 14th via their Bandcamp with physical cassette release June 2017 (date to be determined) via Sunmask Records. Check it out in full below

Band info: facebook || bandcamp