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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
Tower is a Sludge Metal Band from St. Augustine, FL, USA
The members are:
Chris
Danny
Jason
Will
Tower play a great blend of Sludge Metal mixed with Crust, Hardcore Punk and Doom Metal to hard hitting and brutal effect with great vocals to match.
Tower have just released their superb S/T demo. A 4-song and 35 minute blast of superb Sludge Metal riffs that will pound your soul until the dying seconds.
If your into bleak, down-tempo Sludge Metal with extra elements of Crust, Hardcore Punk and Doom Metal than Tower is the band for you. The songs on show are brilliantly brutal, loud and heavy from the word go. This demo grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the 35 minutes are over.
The demo is superbly produced. You can hear every note played to perfection. The drumming on this release are brilliant on this release. Really impressed me with power and aggression coming through the speaker. Felt like they were in the other room.
The guitars and vocals are superb as well. They have the right blend of anger and aggression to pulverize the listener to.
If your into EyeHateGod, Cough and Sea Bastard then you definitely need to check these guys out now as they are a seriously great band to check out and rock to.
The 4 songs on show are all heavy and bleak as anything you will hear from a demo release. And it’s a brilliant 35 minutes you will be coming back for over and over again.
The shortest track on here is under 7 mins and the rest are on for 9 mins each. So you know your in for an epic ride of sludge greatness.
You can download this brilliant release for Free from BandCamp. So get downloading right now.
Strage are an Instrumental Sludge Metal Band from Durban, South Africa
Formed in April 2011 by Brandon van Eeden (ex Crossingpoint), Jono Harrison (ex Monkey Slutz) and Matt Bedford (Paige of State)
If your into Thorun, Zonderhoof, Pelican and Russian Circles then your going to really dig this amazing band as Strage play in the same style of those superb bands.
Strage do add the odd Post-Rock vibe now and again but they mainly play hard-hitting instrumental Sludge Metal. These guys can rightly be compared to those top-notch bands.
They really know how to play a loud mean Sludge Metal riff. They have just released their superb new album – The Fire In Hell. A 5 song 33 minute blast of hard hitting instrumental Sludge Metal riffage.
I loved this album from the very first listen as I am a huge fan of Instrumental Sludge Metal. And Strage have released quite an amazing album that shows off their great instrumental work to perfection.
Superbly produced and played by all involved this is a brilliant album for everyone to check out even if you’re a fan of the genre or not. You can’t deny how talented these Sludge Rockers are.
This is probably the heaviest Instrumental Sludge Metal album since Zonderhoof classic “HAKKEN” and these two albums share a lot of things in common. They blend a whole mix of genres like Stoner, Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal to superb effect to thrill the senses to.
The band are all superb musicians and prove it time and time again with the 5 songs on show. Especially on the amazing 12 minute “Crawling Towards A Hole”. This song showcases what this great band can do. Blending heavy sludge metal riffs with other genres for a great blast of Instrumental Rock music you never get tired of.
An outstanding album from an outstanding band. This is an album that you will be listening to over and over again.
You can download this brilliant album for free from the following links:
Dead Southern Bishop are a Sludge Metal band from the Douglas, Ga, USA
The members are
Blake Peacock - Lead Vocals
Ben Miss - Guitar/Vocals
Billy Weills - Drums
Dead Southern Bishop play a hard hitting blend of Sludge/Stoner Metal. Taking influences from a whole range of bands but adding a cool down-tempo bleak feedback feel to their music.
These guys are getting a lot of praise all over the place and its not hard to see why. Their superb EP “Hymns Of Malice and Discontent” is a 5 song 20 minute blast of bleak down-tempo low-tuned Sludge/Stoner Metal.
I promised these guys ages ago I would put them on the blog and I forgot all about it. Shame on me as this is a superb blast of top notch Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs.
I am not going to do an in-depth song by song review. All I will say this is a brilliant EP from start to finish which you can download for free right now from BandCamp.
If your into fast-paced down-tempo Sludge/Stoner Metal with a great edge to it then Dead Southern Bishop are the band for you. If your into EyeHateGod, COUGH and Electric Wizard then check this hugely talented band out now.
This is low-tuned down-tempo Sludge/Stoner Metal at its most finest and most raw. The EP is superbly produced and shows what this band is all about. Playing superb bleak Sludge/Stoner Metal until they crush your soul. And boy do they succeed.
Awesome stuff. Get downloading now. Absolutely and Highly Recommended.
Nately's Whore's Kid Sister (NWKS) is an Experimental Sludge Metal band from Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK (My Hometown!!!)
The members are:
Jim Bowmaker
John Edgar
Matt Saxon
Stuart Walkinshaw
Angus W. Mason
NWKS have taken their name from legendary book Catch-22. They play a blend of Sludge Metal that is very hard to categorize and they are one of the most original bands I have had the pleasure to hear in recent years.
NWKS blend of Sludge Metal incorporates Indie-Rock, Drone, and Ambient all done in a bleak pop sensibility.
NWKS are I would call an Experimental Sludge Metal Band as they blend their genres differently and at different times. These guys are loud from the word go.
NWKS are going to be releasing their debut album “Ribs” in May 2012. It’s a 5 song 33 minute of amazing finely tuned well crafted and hard hitting Sludge Metal that will have you begging for more.
These guys have been building up quite a reputation in the last 12 months or so and its hype for once that’s actually justified.
“Ribs” is an epic assault on the senses – Loud, heavy, distorted, dirty, quiet and full of brilliant angry Sludge Metal riffs.
Imagine if Neurosis included Indie-Rock music into their mix this is what it might sound like. Well it’s the closest comparison I can make as NWKS are a hard band to define which is a great thing in my book.
The EP starts off with a 7 minute crunching brilliant track – “Just Below The Ribs”. This starts off like a melancholic indie folk rock song. But wait till the 3rd or 4th minute when all hell breaks loose. And the chaos reigns in supreme. This is where the loud heavy riffs kick in to blow your world apart. And it never stops till this brilliant album ends.
Things do get bleak at times with the wonderful vocals and lyrics on show. There are no hardcore death grunt growls at all but some outstanding vocals you would hear on a Folk/Indie Rock Band. And RIBS is anything but.
“Babies” the next track is a great 6:42 minute blast of pure heavy pounding riffs driven along by a powerful bass-line. You can hear shades of Neurosis and ISIS on this superb tack. And like those great bands when things start getting heavy they get heavy.
These guys do add a bleak sense of humour to their songs as well. None more so on my fave track “Man outside Cumberland Arms, Byker, 11-07-11”. An 8:15 minute epic which is mainly instrumental. This song includes actual haunting narratives from a real pub/bar from my neck of the woods that the guys actually recorded.
What they did record is a work of insane genius. I did find myself laughing to this track as it shows there are some total idiots around when you’re trying to have a good time with friends when socialising. This song is the perfect soundtrack to the worst night you have ever had in your local home town. It captures the bleak mood brilliantly well.
The other two tracks are equally superb. Showcasing this amazing bands talent of blending all of their relevant genres into something truly original that you will not hear anywhere else.
NWKS are a thought provoking and forward thinking band that will astonish you with their blend of top-notch experimental metal.
Ribs is superbly produced and you can hear every wonderful loud bleak moment to perfection. Just put this album at full blast and lose yourself in the world of NWKS. It’s a world that’s very hard to escape from. And you know what. I don’t want to escape.
Simply brilliant by one of UK’s most original Sludge Metal Bands.
Buy this amazing release when it comes out in May 2012 from BandCamp.
Osmium play a great style of Groove/Sludge metal which incorporates elements of Grunge, Thrash and Stoner into their superb blend of music.
The band have just released their outstanding 2nd album – The Misery Harvest. A 10 song and 53 minute blast of Groove/Sludge riffs that uses the best elements of Grunge, Thrash and Stoner Metal to great effect.
The artwork was designed byVance Kellywho designed the artwork for such great bands as Down and The Sword
So you know these guys have to be good if they can get someone of that calibre to design their album cover.
And I am happy to say that these guys are a great band to check out. Their new album simply superb from the offset. If you’re into Groove Metal, Stoner, Sludge, Thrash and Grunge then this album is for you.
Osmium play a great mixture of them all and then some. The Misery Harvest has countless riffs you lose yourself in over and over again.
These guys know how to lay down a mighty great riff that will have you head-banging in time. The album is full of potential hit songs that would go down a storm in the live arena. The album is superbly produced from start to finish. And you can hear every lean mean note played superbly well.
There are no hardcore based vocals just good old fashioned clean vocals to match the superb music on show. The guys have written a truly great collection of songs that pay homage to great bands past and present such as Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Metallica.
Especially on tracks like “Forsaken City”, “Better Off Dead”, “Forever Damned” and many more as well. You may think you have heard all this before on your first listen. I will admit I did. But give it a few listens and these guys will win you over with their great blend of hard-hitting riffs.
Osmium are getting quite a reputation in their native New Zealand. And it’s not hard to see why. Hopefully this reputation will cross over onto the international stage as I would love to see these guys play to a bigger audience as possible. They would go down a storm on any of the major league metal festivals.
Osmium play great honest no thrills Sludge/Groove Metal music that we all need time and time again. It might not win awards for originality. But for a great head-banging and fists in the air rocking time then Osmium win on all counts.
All in all this is a superb album that is highly recommended by ourselves at Sludgelord. I urge you all to check these talented rockers now.
Attack! Vipers! Hail from Southsea, England and play an impressive brand of Chaotic hardcore/punk with a post-metal edge.
They are made up of the following members.
Joe - Vocals
Ben - Guitar
Tom - Bass
Mark - Drums
Let's be honest , there are a lot of bands who peddle the Hardcore sound but don't stand out. Attack! Vipers! have no such problem combining a range of influences to create a diverse album.
At their most ferocious they bring to mind the fury of Converge with hard hitting tracks like "Reverse Heart Attack" and "Raised by Wolves", but there is another more gentle side to Attack! Vipers! A post-rock leaning on the instrumental "You Were Hope" and "Untitled" reveal an instrumental side reminiscent of Pelican or even Mogwai. Though the latter gives way to a furious hardcore song, it shows real ambition and originality.
There is also the soft female spoken word parts to the slow burning "Out in The Dark" to further add to the mix.
Furious at times, reflective in parts an excellent release that will stand up with any of the genre's releases this year. This album is available on usual formats from Specialist Subject Records check it out on the links below and more on the band.
Pjsludge.
Taking a range of influences like Electric Wizard, St.Vitus and Joy Division , Verdun are set to make their mark in the Doom/sludge world.
They have managed to create a brilliant mixture of massive doom riffs, tortured vocals,and atmospheric moments on this three song ep.
Each song here is around the 10 minute mark , combining different elements of above genres .
The production and musicianship is superb, adding plenty of textures not just a one riff per song. Containing some real melodic moments ,bringing to mind at times great bands like The Atlas Moth or Rwake, it is constantly evolving
My favourite track here is probably "Last man standing", starting with a devilishly catchy riff, screamed vocals leading to an atmospheric mid-section before building again and just when you think it can't take any other turns the opening killer riff swings back , truly compelling stuff.
Verdun have made quite an impression with this E.P, and I for one will be checking out any future releases.
This is available to stream via Bandcamp, but a CD release is being put out by Head records as well as a collectors tape on Throatruiner records . Check it out , however you choose on the links below.
Pjsludge.
