6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD'S "666 PACK REVIEW" (THE 6(66) OF 2018)

By: Nikos Mixas

If you’ve been paying attention, the 666 PACK REVIEW is an abbreviated review column mostly focused on very new bands or bands that have submitted demo material to THE SLUDGELORD.  The basic premise is that 6 bands are critiqued using only 6 words and on a scale from 1 to 6(66).  What you see below is the best of the year 2018 for the 666 PACK REVIEW.  There were only 6 bands that received the highest of ratings so please go give them some love by revisiting their music and their web pages.  We at the THE SLUDGELORD hope great things come to them.  Congrats and hails to those bands that made the list!  

1). Estuary Blacks, “Estuary Blacks” (Swansea, Wales) (March)

Pelican meets Elder meets amber ale.   

2). Morpholith, “Void Emissions” (Reykjavík, Iceland) (April)

Really digging the vocals. Hails Iceland!

3). Magik Black, “Magik Black” (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) (June)

Dumb name but shaddup and listen!

4). Ritual Earth, “Demo” (Philadelphia, U.S.A.) (September)

Shoe in for Psycho Las Vegas.

5). LMDA “Darkest Days and Rituals” (Strasbourg, France) (October)

Powerviolence, soundtrack to destroy things to. 

6). Vandampire, “You will be the bones” (London, United Kingdom) (November)

This is THE SLUDGELORD, you lost?

6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD's "666 PACK REVIEW" (November 2018)

By: Nikos Mixas

It’s the November installment of THE SLUDGELORD’s “666 PACK REVIEW”!  Can you believe that we’re almost finished with this fucking year already???  There are been some winners (but unequivocally more losers…) that have scored a 666 rating just about every month during 2018.  November bands, don’t fail us now!  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 cold and dreary rating scale below: 

1 – With the lack of daylight hours and listening to your submission, we’re totally feeling this rating of miserable.

2 – We liken your band to when you wake up to shit ton of snow outside.  It blows.   

3 – Some holiday music can elicit feelings of meh, just like listening to this.

4 – We’re likening this submission to hope.  For example, spring is only 5 months away kind of hopeful.

5 – This is real good.  And we mean real good like going on a vacation to some warm weather island for the holidays kind of good.

666! – THE SLUDGELORD’s highest rating is bestowed up you along with an imaginary bottle of whiskey and cauldron full of whatever makes you happy! 

The 666 PACK REVIEW is meant to offer humorous criticism and is not meant to hurt feelings, however, there are no safe spaces here.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

1). Red Usurper, “The Sphere of Time” (Saint John, Canada)     Rating: 3

Digging the tunes, vocals need work.

 
2). Leroy, “Leroy” (Dublin, Ireland)     Rating: 1

First prize for WORST VOCALS EVER.

3). Gaping Maw, “The Big Fuck-Over” (Cincinnati, USA)   Rating: 5

Noisy, angry and cool bass lines. 

 
4). CTRL+All+Delete, “CTRL+All+Delete” (Sacramento, USA)   Rating: 5

Do NOT CTRL+Alt+Delete this fine sludge!

5). Raskolnik, “Dissenter” (Norrköping, Sweden)    Rating: 2

Guitars lessons AND vocal lessons needed.

6). Vandampire, “You will be the bones” (London, United Kingdom)   Rating: 666!

This is THE SLUDGELORD, you lost?

Band info: Red Usurper || Gaping Maw || Ctrl+All+Delete || Raskolnik || Vandampire