ALBUM REVIEW: Car Bomb, "Mordial"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/09/19

Label: Independent | 

Holy Roar Records

”Mordial” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Start

2. Fade Out

3. Vague Skies

4. Scattered Sprites

5. Dissect Yourself

6. Xoxoy

7. Hela

8. Blackened Battery

9. Mordial

10. Eyecide

11. Antipatterns

12. Naked Fuse

The Review:

If you are one of those people who went their way to declare the new Car Bomb album "Mordial" as the album of the year as soon as it was announced before hearing a single note, and want to stick to that notion without considering another side to it, I'd advice you not to read this review any further. Said album was released on September 27th to a wide acclaim, and the previous statements flew very broadly and high. Even though I got the album a month in advance, scribing a review took a while since after the first listen, I honestly didn't remember or even want to replay it. Given my expectations were gigantic, as their previous album "Meta" is simply one of the greatest records ever written, I still didn't even consider the possibility to be put off completely the way I was. Not to be overwhelmingly negative, after many, many listens, I can say "Mordial" is a good album, but that's about it.

Car Bomb's output has refined and evolved over the years, apparently hitting their peak with the anterior album, this newest one falling somewhere in the middle. "Mordial" is the kind of record that explores what has fallen through the cracks on the previous albums, and it thrives in just that. There's plenty of material that momentarily brings out the old giggling fanboy in me, but in its entirety, the album feels bland and flat. I mentioned that after the first listen I didn't feel the need to get back to it, and that is what underlines the opinion I have about it for the time being.

The customary, brain-melting and comprehension-meddling rhythms and weird effects dominate the overall scapes of "Mordial" exactly in a way most people were expecting them to do. While tracks like "Fade Out", "Vague Skies" and "Antipatterns" push the boundaries of what can be deemed rhythmical, at the same time they lack adhesiveness. It might sound stupid to say the twists and turns are hard to follow when the band in question is what it is, but few steadier and more digestable parts could've made a huge difference. You know, stuff that you can nod to. The integral chaotic and nonsensical aspect to the band is present constantly, but also feels too controlled this time around. Granted, the band's sound is deliberately mechanical, but that doesn't mean that the human touch should be left out completely. The atmosphere on "Mordial" is suffocated and more unnatural than before, which on it's part surely affects the taste it leaves behind it.

Not so surprisingly, the best moments on the album are those you didn't expect at all. Such things would be the clean guitars in the title track, the black metal-ish tremolo picking/ double kick section in "Eyecide", and the random Metallica influences on "Blackened Battery" for example. "Dissect Yourself", "Xoxoy", and "Naked Fuse" express the most "basic" side of the band, if you can call it that, but also work wonderfully each time. I'm aware of the contradictions I'm making here, but that's just to make my point clearer. There's better and worse sides to everything, but sadly the latter seems to stick with me when talking about this album. I’m also pretty surprised how ”Meshuggah” they went this time. Surely that band has had a huge effect on what Car Bomb is doing, but it’s a bit sad the lines can be drawn so directly to that one particular source of influence this time.

There's also a lot of recycled riffs and rhythms, which also goes to give that "between the cracks" feel to "Mordial". I don't doubt that people enjoy this album, but it feels that its place is somewhere in the middle and between everything. Opinions are prone to change, and I don't feel the need to state things definitively as I might be on the other end of the spectrum a year from now, but currently I feel that Car Bomb didn't reach the standard they ever so eloquently set for themselves with their past doings. 

”Mordial” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

6 NEW BANDS: Nikos Mixas' 666 Pack Review June 2017

The 666 Pack Review

 

It’s the June edition of THE SLUDGELORD’s 666 Pack Review!  Metal festivals are kicking off all over the globe and what better way to celebrate? By listening to…well, you guessed it, more metal!!!  If you’re new to this, each and every month we handpick 6 review submissions and critique them by only using 6 words, then we rate them on a scale from 1 to 666!  Check out our awesome rating scale below: 

1 – Hey, at least you guys are more credible than Five Finger Death Punch at the moment...

2 – Now that it’s summer, at least your friends will have less of an excuse for not checking out your band.

3 – THE SLUDGELORD made it through the whole song!  Congrats!

4 – You’re good enough to secure a spot right before the touring headliners. 

5 – Not many things are better than going to the beach or having ice cream on a hot summer’s day, but             your band just made that list. 

666 – THE SLUDGELORD thinks your band is so hot; we’re referring to you to Satan himself to keep those temps up in hell!   

Some of the best metal festivals are kicking off this month and it seems like everyone is on tour.  Summer is also prime time to record and submit your demos and THE SLUDGELORD is awaiting them.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

 

Dwoom  - “Pale Mare Demo MMXVII” (Sundsvall, Sweden)    Rating: 666

Modern day Candlemass worship, doom on!

 

Former Worlds - “Photos of Eve IX-XVI” (Minneapolis, USA)   Rating: 4

Epic, spacey and grim with nightmares.

 

Sarattma - “Inner Spaces” (Philadelphia, USA)   Rating: 5

 

Hints of Mastodon, Meshuggah and calculus…

Monoceros - “Space Dungeon” (Canberra, Australia)   Rating: 3

For fans of Sleep and boredom.

Weird Tales - “Weird Tales” (Warsaw, Poland)   Rating: 2

The Polish do black metal better.

Dead Level – “Dead Level” (Belem, Para, Brazil)   Rating: 2

Studied the book of Iommi riffing.

Band info: Dwoom || Former Worlds || Weird Tales

BAND PROFILE: Crushing noisecore crew Canvas reform for one-off Ritual Festival appearance

By: Andy Price

 

Picture the scene… it is 1999, record stores still exist in a real way, everyone was very excited about the Y2K bug, and I was a gangly and uncoordinated youth working a shitty temp job in Nottingham. This was great because it meant I could go walk into the town at lunchtime, go to Selectadisc, my favourite record store, and spend the tiny amount of cash I was making on awesome music.

So, back in ’99, I was finding my way in extreme music. Like a blind man at an orgy, I was carefully feeling my way. I’d done the Nu-metal thing (I’m not ashamed. Well, I’m a bit ashamed), and had pushed into more extreme waters, albeit mostly still pretty mainstream ones. Fear Factory, Machine Head et al were lighting my candle, but not quite fulfilling me. I’d formed a friendship with one of the owners of the store and then one fateful Wednesday lunchtime he beckoned me over and placed a CD in my hand saying ‘Andy, you’ll like this. Trust me. Give it a listen and if you like it, you can pay me then. If not, no harm, no foul’. That album was the self-titled early retrospective by Canvas. I put the CD on for the walk back to work but never made it back; I got half way there, turned around and went and paid the man. The album was a revelation, a desperate, urgent, strangled scream from the underground; a mangled noise of instruments that made no sense and yet also made perfect sense. It was absolutely beautiful in its twisted rage.

I never looked back; I picked up the two splits that followed, even the 7”, despite not having a record player. I bought the follow up album, the masterpiece ‘Lost in Rock’ on the day of its release, and revelled in it. Canvas opened my eyes to the underground; both in terms of metal and hardcore. They are the gateway that got me to Converge, Botch, The Dillinger Escape Plan and significantly my eyes were opened to the UK underground, and bands like John Holmes, Medulla Nocte, Iron Monkey and Hard to Swallow… I devoured all of this music mercilessly; it influenced me massively and still does. I can honestly say that without that first Canvas record, I may never have found the music that I know and love today. 

This is one of the reasons why Canvas were important; they started out in that hardcore scene and bridged the gap between metal and hardcore, and kind of opened up everything, especially when they started picking up real media coverage. They were important because they led hardcore kids to metal and vice versa; they are important now because their recordings are seminal. They feel as fresh, exhilarating and powerful as ever, with a level of invention that is still staggering, especially on ‘Lost in Rock’. In hindsight that record started shaping my love for diverse and technical music like Meshuggah; just listen to the groove and dizzying rhythms of the opening track and you’ll see what I mean. If the band had been able to hold it together a little longer, that record would have been huge, and might have helped them break out of the scene they found themselves in. As it was it seemed to sink a little, almost without trace, which is criminal. It’s a labyrinthine and almost uncomfortable listen, but thoroughly compelling and a constant well-spring of inspiration.


It was not long after Canvas split up that I started playing music, and looking back even my earliest bands reflect the influence that Canvas exerted on me, albeit filtered through the prism of the other musicians I worked with, and my own lack of ability. Experimentation, a lack of compromise in sound and wilful abuse of time-signatures were a good example of this; that has never left me and is still very much part of the sound that I bring to Conjurer.


To say that I’m excited that Canvas have come back together for Ritual Festival in Leeds is a massive understatement. Canvas are in the shortlist of bands that I really have never stopped listening to since I bought their records. Some bands fall in and out of favour as tastes change, but that never happened to Canvas. I only caught the band live once, at a show in London at the Water Rats for the “Lost in Rock” release show but it’s a show that still lives in my memory in terms of the sheer chaos of their live aspect. In hindsight, the setlist was perfect although I didn’t know much of the new material that well. The crowd were up for movement and the band were on fire. It’s in the list in my head of formative gig experiences that influences the way that I play live, along with shows by The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Chariot; the energy and, for the want of a better word, the sheer fearlessness of their performance was exhilarating, and I’ve always used that as a template for what I want to bring to the stage.


I’m excited to see how 15 years has tempered the band and their performance; we’re all older and creakier, but the level of experience on that stage now is fantastic. I’m used to the records now too; I expect the live experience to be heavier and darker. That we get to share a stage with them is mind-blowing to me, I’m so excited to be playing the same bill as them. I’d love to see them do more shows, although I’d completely understand if they want to keep it as a one-off. I think that there’s a whole generation of music fans that should hear these songs; especially given that so much of the hardcore / post-hardcore scenes have converged onto some of the same ground that Canvas stamped down back in the day. I hear traces of the Canvas sound in other bands that are around today; chaotic rhythms, progression and naked experimentation has become far more normal. While we’re making a wish list though, I’d like some merchandise and if we’re really shooting for the stars, a pressing of some kind of discography on vinyl. Chaps, if you’re reading this, make it happen please!


I’d be fascinated to hear new music from this line-up too, but I suspect that might be too much to ask for.  I’ve been sharing about my love of the music the band created since the announcement – I’ve had a lot of people ask questions about where to start with the band. Obviously the answer is ‘all of it’ – especially since the band have been good enough to put their back catalogue up for free download on their bandcamp. That said though, ‘Womb Plague’ from the split with Hard To Swallow is an excellent place to start, or ‘Black Shape of the Nexus’ – both versions of that are great but I love the intro of the version from ‘Lost in Rock’. ‘Unworthy of Perfection’ is great too, all grinding rhythms and brutal vocals. I give up on trying to narrow this down; just go and get the whole lot. Your MP3 player and your ears will thank you for it.

The funny thing is that at the time I didn’t really pay attention to individuals in the band – I was never really that interested in musicians at that time, that’s only come after I started playing music myself – and it’s been surprising to find that I’ve actively followed some of the bands that some of the members created after Canvas ended, including Humanfly, Kings and Amplifighters; I’ve spent time with John and Albert, and Paul across various shows and events. Someone actually had to point out that the Sutcliffe brothers were the same ones that drove my favourite underground band; I nearly fell off my proverbial chair. I have only mildly fan-boyed since. Well, probably a bit more than mildly, but I think I got away with it

In the summer of this year I got the logo for the band tattooed on my leg. Partly this stemmed from a conversation with Dan from OHHMS – he’s a big fan as well and got the same tattoo in the same session. We were playing a show together in Leeds and had gotten talking about Canvas, what the band meant and how much they had inspired us – it seemed a natural conclusion at the time. For me, the tattoo serves as a reminder of how I should strive to create with music, to plough a musical furrow that interests me, but also that I should not hold anything back. These are the lessons I’ve taken, and this is the reason that Canvas remain special and a massive inspiration to me.

No pressure lads.

The Canvas discography is up on bandcamp as pay what you want/free here and Ritual Festival tickets are still up for grabs here with the full line up of the festival included below. 

THE 16 MOST POPULAR ALBUMS OF 2016: The Sour 16 End of Year List 2016

The Sour 16 End of Year List 2016

Whatever is going on in the world, in our personal lives, at work and at home, music is a constant source of escapism and as one year ends and another begins, the prospect that 2017 will bring another batch of fantastic releases is a mouth watering prospect. 

So, with that in mind, today we present the culmination of our efforts from 2016 and present “The Most Popular Albums of 2016” for your viewing pleasure.  I hope you had as much fun checking out the new music as we did presenting it to you. I’d like to bestow an immeasurable amount of gratitude to the contributors, who made this year so awesome. 

The results are compiled based on page views alone and 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 red). 

16). Gozu - "Revival” (1753) 

At their core, Gozu is a bad ass American rock band. They’ve got heavy riffs in tow and bang out tunes loud enough to piss off the neighbors. But Gozu is more than this. Gozu is a songwriting machine, one that is able to churn out eight loud, hard hitting compositions without sacrificing the meaning behind the songs or the band.  Gozu’s “Revival” is gruff and dirty when it needs to be just as it’s swift and soulful when the time is right.

15). Slomatics - "Future Echo Returns" (1818)

When a band's guitarist has their own signature fuzz pedal, it's a safe bet that they can cut through solid rock with their riffs; when both guitarists have an alternate version of the same pedal then prepare your eardrums for some serious, rock crushing heaviosity. The towering heaviness of the riffs and the images of the infinite, shimmering darkness of space is executed and captured perfectly. An amazing album worthy of any and all praise it will undoubtedly receives.

14) Rob Zombie - "The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser" (1935)

Rob Zombie hits a home run with each gnarly cut, keeping the fire hot throughout. Pastor Snow was right. Rock n’ roll has a great beat. And that evil feeling you feel when you sing it? It’s a good feeling to feel!

13) Conan – “Revengeance” (1964)

The song 'Every Man Is An Enemy' has one of the most metal sounding titles I've ever heard and the violent intentions inherent in the brooding, bruising riffs put the bands money where its snarling mouth is. 'Earthenguard', the final track of the 6 on offer, is a song so heavy it has its own gravitational pull. Its 12 minutes of neanderthalic doom which also swims and swirls thanks to the phased guitars. It's an odyssey, a massive trek through mountainous chops and pounding beats that are designed to systematically cave your head in.  Have Conan outdone themselves? Quite possibly.

12). Neurosis - “Fire Within Fires” (2056)

As this decade has yet to close, it's difficult to define what Neurosis are...but herein lies their beauty; you define who and what they are to you. After 30 years, these guys know what needs to go into a Neurosis record and will continue to do so until the music is finished with them.

11). Periphery- "Periphery III: Select Difficulty" (2137)

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?

 

10). Asteroid - "III" (2159)

It is a hugely diverse record and shows the advanced musicianship between the band, blending all kinds of stoner rock and fuzz. This is a band who are firmly on the rise to the top and know exactly how to get there. One of the best releases of 2016 without a doubt.

 09). Dunsmuir - "Dunsmuir" (2341)

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.

08). Wretch – “Wretch” (2673)

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.

07). Subrosa- "For This We Fought the Battle of Ages" (3040)

If you love really emotionally charged hard hitting music, give this record a listen. I had very high expectations of this record, and those expectations were met and then exceeded.

06). Meshuggah - "The Violent Sleep of Reason” (3065)

Trying to describe Meshuggah’s sound is a challenge.  The only way I can put it is that they’re a musical cascade: a never-ending barrage of sound and heaviness pounding down upon you. Don’t expect or ballad or moments of levity here, this is a relentless tide which you will not escape from.  Tracks like ‘MonstoCity’ and ‘Our Rage Won’t Die’ are pummelling tracks of new material which can easily be slotted in to their live setlist and not seem out of place.  In fact, the same could be said for any of those songs on display here: like a chain forged by Vulcan, there’s not a weak link present.  It all hits, and hits hard.

05). Gojira - "Magma” (3156)

‘Magma’ is a record that envelopes you with its overtly dark drama, but within its haze, its crushing catharcism makes it one of the most special metal records to be released in some time.  It may not be the relentless assault many fans wanted from the album – and that’s not to say it is barren of those moments – yet, as a vehicle for emotional cleansing, as a eulogy and an obituary for a woman who shaped the personalities that drive this act, it is staggering.

04). Suicidal Tendencies - "World Gone Mad" (3326)

It flows in a virtually flawless manner and I do believe “World Gone Mad” will be remembered as one of their best records, ever.  This one’s a home run with a bullet. 

 

03). Blood Ceremony – “Lord of Misrule” (4006)

If you are new to Blood Ceremony, this album is as fine a place to start as any. If you have heard any of their previous albums and enjoyed them, your enjoyment of this one is guaranteed. This is as good an example as any of a band looking to the past both in terms of musical and folklore tradition to create fantastical and occult inspired music.

02). Megadeth - "Dystopia" (6616)

This line-up has introduced itself with a battering ram of thrash utopia; the riffs, the fury and the sizzling lead playing present here stands toe-to-toe with the bands best 21^st century output.  It’s a record which accentuates the bands relevancy in 2016. Masters of their trade just listen to ‘Lying In State’ and tell me they can’t smash shit up with the best of them. They continue to release music and make the effort to give more content for their fans to consume. Not many other bands their age can say that.

1). Alter Bridge - (20,702)

If you have any interest in the more commercial end of the rock and metal spectrum i.e. Metallica, Maiden, Soundgarden and so on then this album could be a fine intro to the band. If you are a fan already you will enjoy this one immensely. Alter Bridge are leading lights in modern rock and may well be the last of a dying breed.

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  September’s “Sour 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Theron Moore, Dan Brownson, Jake Wallace, Phil Weller, Chris Markwell, Chris Bull & Victor Van Ommen

ALBUM REVIEW: Car Bomb - "Meta"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/10/2016

Label: Independent

It is rare to hear heavy music that sounds genuinely original in 2016.  Imagine Will Haven playing Meshuggah and you get a strong approximation of the mathematical rage on display here.

“Meta” CD//DD track listing:

1. From The Dust Of This Planet
2. Secrets Within
3. Nonagon
4. Gratitude
5. Constant Sleep
6. The Oppressor
7. Black Blood
8. Sets
9. Cenotaph
10. Lights Out
11. Infinite Sun

The Review:

When listening to Car Bomb’s new album, “Meta”, it is often hard to comprehend that this music has been played by human beings. The reality that this record was played by four guys from Long Island seems less plausible than the possibility it is the product of a group of psychotic malfunctioning robots with time-distortion capabilities. 

From the crushing opening of “From The Dust Of This Planet” to the parting shot of “Infinite Sun”, “Meta” is a whirlwind onslaught of unpredictable machine gun chuggery, insane octopus drumming and sharp detours into warped, melodic worlds. Imagine Will Haven playing Meshuggah and you get a strong approximation of the mathematical rage on display here.

Whilst insanely complicated, Car Bomb manage to avoid sounding clinical. Everything is played with an unhinged energy and intensity that adds an element of chaos and human fallibility to their music. This separates them from bands that place technique above all else and sound like a soulless guitar shop/drum clinic performance.

“Gratitude” may be the surprise highlight of the record and is the closest thing here to a traditional song, albeit one smashed to pieces and roughly reassembled into a fractured reflection of its former self. This track sees the band bring their melodic side to the fore while still incorporating their trademark piledriver riffage. Passages of intricate math-rock in the vein of Minus The Bear are interrupted by outbursts of violent distortion before giving way to a sky-scraping chorus reminiscent of Deftones and Torche. There is a disorienting woozy feel as tempos and pitches shift, like listening to a record at an ever-shifting speed while it melts in the sun.

It is rare to hear heavy music that sounds genuinely original in 2016. Although it feels like there are some obvious influences on Car Bomb’s sound, the way they bring all of the individual elements together in their unique style makes “Meta” sound like an alien transmission from another dimension. Wherever this noise is coming from, I want to go there right now.

“Meta” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Polish progressive death metallers Youdash defy the laws of physics with "Astral Anxiety"

Deformeathing Production is pleased to announce that they will release “Astrophobia”, the debut album from Polish extreme metal titans YOUDASH. While the band do not conform to any one genre, the overall sound is firmly rooted in death metal and recommended if you like Gorguts,  Meshuggah, Dillinger Escape Plan, Mr. Bungle

The album’s official release date is on December 16 2016 and today at The Sludgelord we are premiering the stunning track “Astral Anxiety” which you can check out below. 

“Astrophobia” track listing:

1. Astrophobia (Intro)     

2. Celestial Phenomena    

3. Hunting Among The Stars  

4. Deathstar       

5. Devouring Cell

6. Astral Anxiety

7. Force Guide

8. Strip Tease (Acid Drinkers cover, feat. Uappa Terror)

Band info: facebook

THE SLUDGELORD PRESENTS: The Sour 16 for September 2016

By: Aaron Pickford

 

 

It is that time once again people to cast our minds back, and digest the 16 albums that would become September’s most viewed albums and form the basis for our 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 September, 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. 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). Worshipper - "Shadow Hymns (475) 

Musically, with this being somewhere between Black Sabbath (Dio era in particular), Monster Magnet and anything from Witchfinder General to Angel Witch I feel that there is something for most metal fans to enjoy here. Throughout the eights tracks there are lots of ideas, lots of riffs and uniformly great performances from the band. This album surprised me with its scope and approach, so please lend your support and check Worshipper out as this is a rewarding and well crafted album.

 

15). Thou - "Peasant" (2016) (536)

 

14) Usurpress - "The Regal Tribe" (651)

This album is an album, in a profound, coherent and meaningfWorshiul way. It is heavy, dripping with dynamic and interesting, organic changes. The sound is warm but never suffocating, and it is brutal both when holding back (“The Mortal Tribes”) and unleashing (“Behold the Forsaken”). I hate to use the word genre-defying, but whatever fusion of death, doom, stoner and black metal Usurpress have evolved into, it is their voice, it is seamless and mature, and displays no sense of affectation.

 

13) Lesbian – “Hallucinogensis (656)

“Pyramidal Existinctualism” sounds like Mastodon after their drinks have been spiked with LSD and “Kosmoceratops” is epic fist-pumping thrash that takes a left turn into weird, uncharted territory. “Labrea Borealis” and“Aquilibrium” contain more melodic passages that expand the band’s horizons further into cinematic grandeur before crashing back to Earth for further, wild fretboard explorations. Overall “Hallucinogenesis”sees Lesbian achieve a perfect balance of labyrinthine complexity and headbanging simplicity.

 

12). Tardive Dyskinesia - “Harmonic Confusion” (677)

From cellos to righteous crescendos, this song album plumbs the depths of heavy prog and, weirdly, allows the listener to reach new heights as a result. Paradoxical? Sure. Bloody invigorating? You better believe it, buddy. 10 tracks of heavy, expressive, expansive music, just waiting to show you just how mythical Greek metal can be. Pray to the Old Gods, and seek salvation in‘Harmonic Confusion’.

 

11). Brant Bjork - "Tao of the Devil" (703)

In short, “Tao of the Devil” isn’t much different than Brant’s other albums in that it’s both a look back and a step forward. And like his other solo albums, this one can stand alone as a prime example of what Brant Bjork does best.

10). Asatta - "Spiralling Into Oblivion" (768)

This is cracking stuff and a worthy addition to the ever expanding doom canon, "Three Dials”is Crushingly heavy and really fucking noisy, "Lapse” features some swinging grooves to go with the slothful doom sounds, “She Died Long Ago” is a slow trudge through the darkest of doom- and echoes Candlemass rather than Conan in its approach. A fine debut then and an indication that there are great things to come from Asatta, who have positioned themselves up there with modern doom's elite.

 

09). Mouth of the Architect - "Gates of Flesh" (815)

“Path Of Eight”is a fine demonstration of a band evolving their sound without losing sight of what made them great in the first place. Mouth of the Architect have come into their own with this record and hopefully it will gain them some much deserved attention.

 

08). Khemmis – “Hunted” (891)

Overall, ‘Hunted’ is an extremely solid follow-up to their critically acclaimed first album. It is a melting pot of some hugely powerful styles of heavy metal music and the flawless coalescence between cataclysmic doom and melodic prog is a truly impressive feat. Khemmis are a band on a mission and so far, they’re doing it all right.

07). Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - "Y Proffwyd Dwyll" (928)

“Y Proffwyd Dwyll” is a celestial voyage of crushing density. “Valmasque” sets the tone for the album, establishing a towering wall of sound built from huge lumbering riffs, set against a backdrop of swirling space noise and sci-fi synths that enhance their attack and swell their sound to a galactic scale. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard have struck gold here with their distinct brand of spaced-out carnage.

 

06). Trap Them - "Crown Feral" (1035)

...the tracks that are strong, like “Hellionaires” and “Revival Spines” in particular, really need to be considered the best stuff Trap Them has ever written. And while opening track “Kindred Dirt” didn't immerse me in the album in the way I'd hoped, by the time we reach “Twitching in the Auras”,there can be no doubt that Trap Them have made a definitive and impressive move forward on all fronts. The sound is overall excellent. Lyrics are angry and powerful and riffs are deep and plentiful. Strongly recommend, and an excellent reason to continue to follow this excellent band closely.

 

05). Giraffe Tongue Orchestra - "Broken Line" (1362)

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra have forged a sound that is unlike any other and more than just the sum of all its parts. “Broken Lines” is, in all, diverse and thrilling and one of the most unpredictable records you’ll hear all year.

04). Meshuggah - "The Violent Sleep of Reason" (1529)

Trying to describe Meshuggah’s sound is a challenge. The only way I can put it is that they’re a musical cascade: a never-ending barrage of sound and heaviness pounding down upon you. Don’t expect or ballad or moments of levity here, this is a relentless tide which you will not escape from. Tracks like ‘MonstoCity’and ‘Our Rage Won’t Die’ are pummelling tracks of new material which can easily be slotted in to their live setlist and not seem out of place. In fact, the same could be said for any of those songs on display here: like a chain forged by Vulcan, there’s not a weak link present. It all hits, and hits hard.

 

03). Ayahuasca – “YIN” (1631)

Throughout, nothing ever quite sits right, like a jigsaw with a few missing pieces: The spasmodic guitar work of ‘Dark Matter God’ is a fitting example of this. Yet they find, upon that uncomfortable platform, a way to drill into your psyche excellently. It may be weird, but it has an uncanny way of selling itself to you.

 

02). Neurosis - "Fires Within Fires" (1674)

 

1). Suicdial Tendencies - "World Gone Mad" (2363)

It flows in a virtually flawless manner and I do believe “World Gone Mad” will be remembered as one of their best records, ever. This one’s a home run with a bullet.

 

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  September’s “Sour 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Theron Moore, Charlie Butler, Chris Bull, Victor Van Ommen, Philip Weller, Conor O’Dea, Jake Wallace, Chris Markwell & Jay Hampshire