INTERVIEW: Records of their Years with Armed for Apocalypse guitarist Cayle Hunter

By: Aaron Pickford

Wow, where the hell does the time go, eh?  It has been 4 long years since our last Records of their Years feature and you must turn the clock back even further still, to 2013, since we last featured the sludge juggernaut that is Armed for Apocalypse.

The feature, which was published on June 21^st 2013, has stuck with me over the years for a couples of reasons,  firstly, I wrote the article on Fathers day and like today’s guest Cayle Hunter, he is also a family man and knows the struggles of balancing their work and home life against their passion for music and secondly, 9 years later, I am scratching my head and wondering why the hell are this band not huge by now.

People, that time is now, for in the year two thousand and twenty two, the riff gods have answered our prayers.  Armed for Apocalypse are back baby.  Not only that, they have also dropped their heaviest and best album to date in the form of “Ritual Violence” and today I have hooked with my mate, Cayle Hunter to discuss his “Records of their years”.

Before we get into that, remember, when you listen to their new album “One does not simply listen to Armed for Apocalypse, one must listen at maximum volume, to achieve maximum violence”

THE SLUDGELORD: Hey Cayle, thanks for doing this.  Can you tell our readers about your favourite album or albums from the year you were born? 

Cayle: This is a tough one because I’m old as hell, there were a ton of absolute classics that came out during that time, and I’ll bet my answer would have changed several times throughout my life. 

It should also be noted I’m answering your question, my favorite, not “the best”, because I think “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac or The Clash self-titled are probably the best.

My favorite: “Bad Reputation” by Thin Lizzy. 

From the opening gong sound of “Soldier of Fortune” I am completely invested in this record, especially when it kicks right into the signature guitarmonies Lizzy does better than everyone, including Iron Maiden. The title track is a snarling rocker that definitely lands on the darker side of the band’s catalogue, which I love. 

The highlight for me, and what makes it my favorite from this year, is the back-to-back combo of “Southbound” and “Dancing in the Moonlight”. These two songs have been played in our band van hundreds of times. We walk around randomly singing the hooks out loud to each other and it gets a sing-along or a laugh every time. It’s a perfect soundtrack for driving through the open spaces of places you’ve never seen before, and I highly recommend the experience to everyone reading this.

THE SLUDGELORD: Who were some of your musical heroes growing up and how did the shape your musical journey? 

Cayle: My earliest musical heroes oddly enough were rappers. I grew up going to the worst elementary school in my town, but the kids there had great taste in music. My taste in hip hop followed the same arc as my taste in rock: I started light, then gravitated towards the darker or more extreme artists. At the time it was NWA pushing the limits, getting arrested, getting censored and having their music banned. They were so damn cool! Dr Dre is still a hero of mine to this day because the music he creates is so timeless, and Ice Cube scared every parent in America back then. Bad ass.

As I grew and my tastes evolved, I got new heroes. Black Sabbath. Page Hamilton. Bad Brains. Danzig. Pantera. Then I went back to see what music came before my time and found even more heroes. Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder etc. Far more than I can list here.

These heroes shaped my musical journey because of what they have in common. They don’t sound like anyone else, and they don’t want to sound like anyone else. They are independent thinkers who are only interested in sounding like the best version of themselves. That authenticity is my highest aspiration. True expression. We try our best to apply that to AforA.

THE SLUDGELORD: First record you bought with your own money, how old were you and where did you purchase it?

Cayle: Can I throw a little curve ball at this one and give you the first record I stole? Haha! It was “Vivid” by Living Colour, and I stole it from a drug store in Redding, California when I was in middle school. Great record, stupid thing to do.

The first CD I purchased with my own money was “Betty” by Helmet. I’ve talked about this a lot in the past, but that band and that record changed everything for me.

THE SLUDGELORD: An album or albums you bought based purely on the album artwork?

Cayle: This was a pretty normal occurrence for me before you could listen to everything so easily. My biggest hit is an easy one to remember: “Chaos A.D.” by Sepultura. I didn’t think the artwork was especially good, or even that striking really, but it was in the “Metal” section, the name was unique and it kept jumping out at me. I remember thinking it was going to sound industrial or something, which is why I didn’t pull the trigger. But one day I took the leap and was greeted by one of the finest collection of riffs ever assembled. A total classic.

It should also be said, I bought some complete bull shit based on the artwork too but finding “Chaos A.D.” was worth all of the failures.

THE SLUDGELORD: What is your go to non-metal / rock album?

Cayle: Man! These are such tough questions! You keep asking me to be so decisive when I love so much music!

If I have to pick one, it would probably be the blue album by Weezer. To me it’s perfect. It’s pop music played in a heavy way. The guitar and bass tone on that record would put most stoner and doom bands to shame, and there is a melancholy to it that makes it personal and relatable. 

It’s my favorite driving record, and driving is my favorite time to listen to music. 

THE SLUDGELORD: An album from the past or present that disappointed you at the time but you have since grown to love?

Cayle: This is the most embarrassing answer ever, especially coming from a metal head, so please don’t laugh me off the internet: “The Great Southern Trendkill” by Pantera. 

I KNOW!!!!

I don’t know what I was expecting, and to this day I can’t imagine why I didn’t connect with it on the first listen. I do remember going through an artsy fartsy stage at the time and being sort of turned off by the overtly macho side of metal for a while, but that’s no excuse. 

Later, after I got over being cooler-than-though, I gave it another shot and was immediately filled with shame. I had slept on one of the best metal records ever for no good god damn reason. We all make mistakes…

THE SLUDGELORD: Your favourite album of all time or if you prefer, an album or album (s) you’d run back into a burning building to rescue?

Cayle: I do not have a favorite album. I have an upper echelon of records and it’s impossible to pick one. But I don’t want to be a coward and ditch this question, so I’ll say “NOLA” by Down.

This was another record I missed out on, but I didn’t sleep on it as much as I simply didn’t hear about it. I remember my friend telling me one day that Phil from Pantera had a band with the dudes from Crowbar, COC and Eyehategod and I thought he was joking! Then he said, “I heard it’s not that great”, and I didn’t even know what it was called so I didn’t really go dig for it. Then one day he had it in his car and we checked it out. Game over.

The cool part about that record is the more I listened to it the more I loved it. I liked it at first, I love it like an old friend now. It’s like Black Sabbath and tuned-down Lynyrd Skynyrd with Phil Anslemo singing over it, at the top of his game no less. It simply doesn’t get old.

There was a time that I owned four copies of that record. One for my car, one for my house, one for work and one to have in a CD folder to take in other people’s cars in case they didn’t have it. That’s how badly I wanted it around me at all times.

THE SLUDGELORD: What are some of your favourite album (s) of year?

Cayle: In no particular order:

Conjurer, “Pathos”

Fit For an Autopsy, “Oh What the Future Holds”

Cult of Luna “The Long Road North”

Cave In “Heavy Pendulum”

Immolation “Acts of God”

Bloodmoon: I

Undeath “It’s Time…To Rise from the Grave”

THE SLUDGELORD: ..and finally The last album you bought

Cayle: Conjurer, “Pathos”. Always have to support great friends doing great things! 

…and remember

Band info:  facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Mastiff, "Plague"

By: Chris Bull

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/02/2019
Label: APF Records

If the universe implodes, "Plague" would undoubtedly be the soundtrack.

“Plague” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Hellcircle

2). Bubonic
3). Brainbleed
4). Quarantine
5). Vermin
6). Torture
7). Weep
8). Black Death

The Review:

Without sounding too cliché or lacking in imaginative use of vocabulary, 'Plague' by Mastiff is fucking heavy. I mean REALLY FUCKING HEAVY! If the universe implodes, this will undoubtedly be the soundtrack.

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.

“Plague” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: French blackened sludgecore purveyors ERLEN MEYER debut Coton Cardé

So far this year I have listened to 3-4 great records and I can safely say that the fierce French blackened sludge-core purveyors ERLEN MEYER have arguably released my favourite record of 2018 so far.  Yes it is only 10 days old, but 2019 is going off with a fucking bang and on January, 25^th of 2019 Argonauta Records are on the verge of releasing the best album of their long discography so far.

 On 'Sang et Or', the French-based power quintet’s sophomore continues the experience of a concept that is paying tribute to the dark novels of Agatha Christie and the spine-chilling stories of Alfred Hitchcock. ERLEN MEYER are breaking boundaries of the monolithic and the crushing, mixing the sludge and Hardcore styles it won fame for, to deliver a devastating and utterly captivating record.

Today, THE SLUDGELORD is sharing a brand new video and the opening cut taken from their upcoming album! Watch and listen to the album opening track 'Coton Cardé' below.  Turn it up and watch your speakers die.  Tres bien ERLEN MEYER!!! Coming as CD and Digital Download formats on January 25^th 2019, album pre-orders are now available HERE

Band info: facebook

ALBUM PREMIERE: LOIMANN deliver a crushing and extreme doom metal beast with 'A Voluntary Lack of Wisdom'

Post-Doom Metal unit LOIMANN are about to celebrate the release of their third full length album titled 'A Voluntary Lack of Wisdom' this Friday, November 9^th on Argonauta Records.

Formed in 2001 but under the major influences of desert rock bands alike Kyuss, Fu Manchu or Monster Magnet, LOIMANN's sound evolved over the years for a more doom and heavy psych approach. Recorded at O.F.F. Studios in Torino, Italy, during the summer of 2017 with Paul Beauchamp and Salvo Arico (Marmore/Khoy), the band's new work partially changed into the direction compared to their previous records, with a more direct and easy listening sound while never losing their heaviness. With 'A Voluntary Lack of Wisdom', LOIMANN deliver a crushing and extreme doom metal sludgecore beast with big harmonies to be stuck in your head! Find it out yourself, as today LOIMANN stream their brand new record in its entirely and exclusively with us at THE SLUDGELORD.  Now turn it up and let your speakers die!!

The album is available at Argonauta Records at THIS location

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Sumac. "Love In Shadow"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/09/2018

Label: Thrill Jockey Records

With “Love In Shadow” Sumac take further giant steps into the heavy unknown with glorious results. No-one else comes close to achieving the balance of razor-sharp precision and intoxicating chaos on display here which edges the band closer to being the finest project in these incredible musicians’ illustrious careers.

“Love In Shadow” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1). The Task

2). Attis’ Blade

3). Arcing Silver

4). Ecstasy of Unbecoming

The Review:   

The dust has barely settled from the sensory overload of Sumac’s intense improv blow-out with Keiji Haino earlier in 2018. Now the fearsome trio are back with their third proper full-length “Love In Shadow”. 

This is a dense and initially daunting record. Comprised of four mind-boggling complex tracks, ranging from the relatively brisk twelve minutes of “Arcing Silver” to the massive opening statement of “The Task” which slowly unfurls over twenty-two hypnotic minutes, “Love In Shadow” is not an easy ride but hugely rewarding. Every listen reveals new details of these mammoth compositions and it is easy to imagine more coming to light countless spins down the line.

“The Task” immediately finds Sumac in full flow, negotiating a tumbling noise rock landscape, crushingly heavy with a coarse serrated edge. The track evolves reverse to expectations, beginning with a clanging cacophony then slowly getting quieter and quieter until it reaches its conclusion. This makes for an intriguing journey and finds the band breaking exciting new sonic ground. As the volume and complexity dwindles, the music becomes more captivating as it moves into a sparse one note dirge, led first by Aaron Turner’s crackling guitar then by Brian Cook’s seismic bass. This acts as a backdrop for Turner to take an extended, improvised clean solo that has a disorientating jazz feel reminiscent of the weirder moments of their collaboration with Haino. This is the first instance of Sumac allowing their growing power as an improvisational force come to the fore on “Love In Shadow” to great effect. Just when you think “The Task” has nothing left to give, it moves into a haunting end section comprised of just keyboards and Turner’s lone wounded bark. It is the most affecting moment on the record and brings to mind Harvey Milk at their bleakest.

“Attis’ Blade” kicks off in classic Sumac fashion with Turner clanging out a driving one chord attack that sets the tone for a pummelling rhythm section accompaniment. The band’s focused onslaught is interrupted by a shift into a passage of electrifying free-form molten improvisation. Throughout all of their albums to date, the superhumanly tight musicianship of Sumac as they navigate labyrinthine riff constructions has been almost terrifying to behold. This is still evident throughout “Love In Shadow” but it is the uncanny almost telepathic connection between these three players as they destroy conventional forms that yields the records highlights. Nick Yacyshyn somehow manages to lay down rhythms that work as a solid foundation for Aaron Turner’s wild unhinged guitar outbursts while simultaneously shifting and lurching to their own unpredictable tempo. Brian Cook operates in the middle ground between these two mighty forces, relishing the freedom to lay down a thick layer of restless low-end carnage. The track shifts back into a menacing noise rock grind as it winds its way to its conclusion, all the more effective in contrast to the roiling din from which it was born.

Cook’s relentless one note riff jerks “Arcing Silver” into life, an uneasy, menacing groove that somehow manages to keep building up tension throughout the majority of its duration. When it finally breaks into furious blastbeats and feral roars at its climax, the effect is exhilarating. This demonstrates Sumac’s ability to judge when it is best to take a direct, bludgeoning path rather than opt for the more torturous route. Another example of this is in “Ecstasy of Unbecoming” when Turner’s searing solo fretboard meltdown is mowed down by the band ripping into their approximation of driving dumb punk rock. 

With “Love In Shadow” Sumac take further giant steps into the heavy unknown with glorious results. No-one else comes close to achieving the balance of razor-sharp precision and intoxicating chaos on display here which edges the band closer to being the finest project in these incredible musicians’ illustrious careers. 

“Love In Shadow” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: LLNN, "Deads"

By: Mark Ambrose


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/04/2018

Label: Pelagic Records

 

Whatever discomfort mounts when you listen to “Deads” there’s always a filthy, churning riff or shouted chorus to tug you back towards the joy of top notch music that will probably be blasting through your speakers for the next decade

 

“Deads” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Despots

2. Parallels

3. Armada

4. Civilizations

5. Appeaser

6. Deplete

7. Structures

8. Deads

 

The Review:

            

It was over a decade ago that I first listened to Deadguy’s “Fixation on a Coworker” – one of the most apt distillations of workday despair I’d ever encountered.  Nihilistic, acidic, indignant at the situation everyone grinding their lives away in corporate America, the sole full-length was already a decade old.  Yet with the 2008 financial crisis on the horizon, my time at college done, and my life consumed by a middling, frustrating job, it felt like it could have been created mere weeks before for an audience of one.   Listening now is both a nostalgic, infuriating experience, because it seems just as prescient over two decades from its inauspicious debut.  If anything, the only marker of “Fixation on a Coworker” that makes it the odd product of the pre-impeachment Clinton 90s is the personal, rather than global, politics of its running obsessions.  Yet no band had as succinctly captured capitalism-gone-haywire nightmares as Deadguy… at least until LLNN’s “Deads”.

A cinematic, ambient introduction sets up an auditory sucker punch from track 1, “Despots”.  Vocalist/guitarist Christian Bonnensen snarls invective like a bedraggled street prophet: “Walk through life with a single purpose. Shirt collar tightens like a fucking noose.  True purpose lies in never punching out.”  For those who have checked work e-mail during a midnight piss, or a vacation, or major life crisis, the words feel equally sympathetic and accusatory.  The rhythm combo of Rasmus Furbo’s monolithic bass and Rasmus G. Serjensen’s drum work convey hardcore ferocity and metal technicality.  On tracks like “Parallels”, there’s a really interesting dynamic between Bonnensen’s guitar and Ketel G. Sejersen’s synth work – it’s hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.  It’s obvious when Sejersen goes off on an interlude (“Civilizations”) or incorporates sampling into “Armada,” but the heavily processed tones of Bonnensen’s guitar make it sound like a dual synth line, while the distortions on the synth push the instrument to its heavy extremes.

On perhaps my favorite track, “Appeaser”, LLNN wrests free of my Deadguy comparison by imbuing their personal politics with global dread.  The apocalyptic scream of “Skies fall and the fire cleanses in its wake / Run amok / The world is yours to take,” is chilling in ways both sublime and terrifying.  The slow ramping up of dread, the tightening of musical tension, makes “Appeaser” a truly devastating masterpiece.  And for all the cinematic, intellectual, or political subtlety on display, the closer “Deads” reiterates the simple power this four-piece can wield with a quiet/loud dynamic and pummeling guitar riffs.  Whatever discomfort mounts when I listen to “Deads” – capitalist existential dread, political despair, the fear that humanity is teasing out its final days destroying the planet – there’s always a filthy, churning riff or shouted chorus to tug me back towards the joy of top notch music that, like “Fixation on a Coworker”, will probably be blasting through my speakers in a decade… barring any catastrophes to match LLNN’s lyrical horrors.

“Deads” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Iron Monkey, "9-13"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 20/10/2017

Label: Relapse Records

"9-13" offers a shredding sludge attack and is a violent rejoinder of why Iron Monkey got its reputation as a doom/sludge vanguard. All these years later, Iron Monkey remains gritty and uncompromising. Predictions for a return were invariably high. "9-13" does not blow those expectations out of the water. Nor does Iron Monkey disappoint. For that, there's much to smile about.

“9-13” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Crown of Electrodes

2. OmegaMangler           

3. 9-13

4. Toadcrucifier - R.I.P.PER

5. Destroyer

6. Mortarhex

7. The Rope

8. Doomsday Impulse Multiplier

9. Moreland St. Hammervortex

The Review:

Sterling though it is, Iron Monkey has a name circulated mostly through lore. Its 1996 EP and 1998 full-length, honestly, came out when a fair number of metal fans were children. Of those consciously watching sludge metal at the time, scores of acts have since surpassed Iron Monkey and its sparse output. Yet the notoriety of the band has lingered. Its brash and unfiltered metal through the lungs of vocalist Johnny Morrow was, for many, that blending of punk and metal that ensembles like Crass or 45 Grave were for fans in respective decades previous. Not that the UK crew gained those levels of recognition, or are anywhere the same, but you get the idea: something with an appeal that set it apart from others. After Iron Monkey faded with the untimely death of Morrow in 2002, you could assume the boys from Nottingham would be little more than a faded memory or trivia at a punk club's quiz night.

Not so fast.

Following a nearly 20-year break hastened by the death of its lead singer, Iron Monkey return to take up the accolades the group never received in its heyday. Implausible though that comeback might be its new release, "9-13," rolls up to make a claim for the throne.

Returns like this can be a controversial business at times. Here, founding members Jim Rushby, on guitars and vocal duties, and bassist Steve Watson are back in place, but original drummer Justin Greaves has bowed out. The new Iron Monkey has opted to go it as a trio, replacing Greaves with Scott Briggs, one of the former drummers of Bristol hardcore legends Chaos UK. No Greaves and no original singer may prompt some gnashing of teeth from the outset. Yet having Bushby and Watson, who were nevertheless architects of the band's grimy sludge metal clatter, may keep you curious enough to give "9-13" your full attention.

With the opener, "Crown of Electrodes," you are left with the clear impression that Iron Monkey is rejoining us largely as a punk act. No bones about it that there's plenty of sludge and grind in this corybantic gruel. Still, in what could be Briggs' influence or a new direction decades on, there is irrefutably a hardcore tension in the All Pigs Must Die vein here. Some might criticize Iron Monkey for this or the vocals, which tend to be an echo of Morrow. However, all things change and, to tell the truth, this may be the first real introduction to Iron Monkey a lot of people have had. You can judge this on the strength of "9-13" alone and step away gratified.

There are a few near missteps. "Toadcrucifier - R.I.P.PER" opens with 30 seconds of pointless guitar feedback – although feedback starting "The Rope" is equally unlistenable. Fortunately enough, Iron Monkey makes up for it by delivering a crushing cut that pours on the aggression. The title selection before it uses the same feedback affectation, but similarly the trio redeems itself by serving up a whip tight track of metal-infused punk. In fact, the guitar feedback bit is used on several more songs; it can be cute for the new high school metal band, but gives "9-13" an 'out of ideas' vibe that is unnecessary. In fact, Iron Monkey's layoff has not left members bereft of passion or ideas. The group feels potent and ready to meet both new fans and skeptics. You just wish these small things did not detract from such a dexterous and forceful performance.

"9-13" offers plenty for veteran fans, such as "Doomsday Impulse Multiplier," a shredding sludge attack and the closing, "Moreland St. Hammervortex," which is a violent rejoinder of why Iron Monkey got its reputation as a doom/sludge vanguard. All these years later, Iron Monkey remains gritty and uncompromising. Predictions for a return were invariably high. "9-13" does not blow those expectations out of the water. Nor does Iron Monkey disappoint. For that, there's much to smile about.

"9-13" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Mastiff - "Bork" (EP)

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 31/08/2017

Label: APF Records

The abrasiveness of the tracks is exceptional. Whatever you call it, this follow up to their 2016 debut "Wrank" is uncannily brutal. Cuts like "Nil By Mouth" and "Everything Equals Death" are chainsaws of sound, ripping into your head in ways you did not expect

"Bork" CD//DD track listing

1. Agony

2. Nil By Mouth

3. Everything Equals Death

4. Threats

5. Tumour

6. Eternal Regret

The Review:

There is so much to appreciate of artful metal and extreme music with a vision. Literally dozens of metal albums in 2017 have come to you with a message, a profound social commentary or literary and/or historical concept at its core.

Kingston Upon Hull, UK's Mastiff are not one of those bands. Mastiff lowers the sonic boom with angst and decibels. And it will give you a new appreciation for the sheer levels the band takes both.

On their new release, "Bork," the British group, which bills itself as doing an aggressive form of sludge, drills you with a sound so fierce that you just do not hear often, even in metal. You may not be sure where the sludge notion came from because "Bork" is as far from it as you can find. "Bork" is as methodical as any sludge classic in this sense. However, the sophomore recording by Mastiff feels more like an especially nihilistic form of thrash or hardcore. The abrasiveness of the tracks is exceptional. Whatever you call it, this follow up to their 2016 debut "Wrank" is uncannily brutal. With During the opening "Agony" and throughout this record, vocalist Jim Hodges and the band are inconsolably anguished. You hear fury and pain in every note.

Extreme music takes vocalists to limits few of us could even imagine testing our voices. Hodges is truly spectacular, literally killing each song with his inconsolable wail. At every turn, he seems to be giving everything he can to every note, and one has to wonder if there is a breaking point. However, Mastiff can offer range beyond growling. A song like "Eternal Regret" is a departure that Hodges simply outshines almost any other metal vocalist on. He's the centerpiece of this black orchestra, though the players all make it a happy torture throughout.

Mastiff's sound could seemingly only be this loud with two guitarists, and Phil Johnson and James Andrew Lee fulfill their roles with aplomb. Cuts like "Nil By Mouth" and "Everything Equals Death" are chainsaws of sound, ripping into your head in ways you did not expect. Mastiff has gotten a live reputation for its volume and the heaviness of its music. "Bork" does a great deal to confirm those reviews.

Fortunately enough, Mastiff is expected to hit the road in the near future. A performance of the songs on "Bork" done live is assuredly going to be a flailing and fun experience.

"Bork" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook