Welcome to The Sludgelord!
Presenting up to date news, reviews & interviews for riff addicts around the world.
This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
It is with great
excitement that we're revealing the second headliner to walk the DESERTFEST LONDON stage
next April 29th in Camden, with America's coolest volume dealers CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and
no one but their historical frontman Pepper Keenan at the helm! Icing on this
greasy cake: their sludgy brothers in arms CROWBAR will co-headline the night, for
a "southern special" Friday at Desertfest!
UK's forerunner stoner/doom/psyche gathering DESERTFEST couldn't
reach the milestone of their 5th edition without having cult acts on the bill.
And who could open this special weekend better than one of America's most
inspiring and outstanding bands of musicians in heavy music, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY,
reuniting with their iconic guitarist and frontman Pepper Keenan (also
well-known for founding leading southern metal unit Down). With the recent news
of COC's signing on Nuclear Blast Records and
recording of a new album due out in the fall of 2016, there is no doubt that
this fifth Desertfest London will go down in history
As previously announced and to make it even more
special, NOLA's sludge metal heroes CROWBAR will co-headline the Friday along
with COC, bringing their influential slow-and-low
sound to the masses. Once again this is a first, as Kirk Windstein and his crew
of titans have never played any Desertfest before. A
night dedicated to US sludge and rock heavyweights!
On October 6th the Yankees were eliminated from the
MLB Post Season. It was on this day that New York City band Pigs decided that October had nothing left to offer if they
stayed home, so they booked a European tour with French label mates Sofy Major to support their newest, gnarliest album, “Wronger.” True story.
I caught up with Jim Paradise and Dave Curran of Pigs
during this tour to talk about the band. We had a friendly chat about how the
new album came together, the future of their label Coextinction Records, and
what it’s like to have Pigs be their main
musical focus. You can watch that interview below this article. What struck me
the most was the transition they made from being chilled out dudes during the
interview, to a loud, sludgy beast up on stage.
They opened with “This
Life in Pink” with mixed results. I didn’t get the feeling that the sound
guy was ready for the set to start and the band seemed a little disappointed in
the meager turn out of this Friday night show. That said, by the time the last
chorus blasted out of the PA, I got the impression that Jim certainly had the
attitude to just have fun with it, a vibe that Dave quickly picked up on.
Eventually, the sound guy had things figured out, Pigs were
ready to give it their all, and as a bonus, the meager turn out meant no lines
at the bar. This is the holy trinity of any rock show and we were lucky enough
to witness this. Jim pounded away like a lumberjack and Dave’s vocal chords
were being torn to ribbons as Pigs made their way
through a set comprised of older songs that created a solid foundation for the
songs off of “Wronger,” which
claimed the bulk of the hour they were on stage. I hope for Pigs that they get treated to larger shows further down the
road because a band this loud and this powerful deserve it.
The allure of
the proverbial guest vocalists is the albums biggest draw; however some of the
tracks are nonsensical and lack clear direction. Nevertheless, the ambition and
collaborative spirit has to be commended on ‘Metal Allegiance’ and although not
every track hits the mark, there is something on there to suit most people’s
musical persuasion.
‘Metal
Allegiance’ CD//DD//LP track listing:
01. Gift Of Painfeat.
D. Randall Blythe
02. Let Darkness Fall feat. Troy Sanders
03. Dying Song feat. Philip H. Anselmo
04. Can’t Kill The Devil feat. Chuck Billy
05. Scarsfeat. Mark Osegueda & Cristina Scabbia
06. Destination: Nowhere feat. Matthew K. Heafy
07. Wait Until Tomorrow feat. Doug Pinnick & Jamey Jasta
08. Triangulum (I. Creation II. Evolution III. Destruction)
09. Pledge Of Allegiance feat. Mark Osegueda
Metal Allegiance is:
Mike Portnoy | drums
David Ellefson | bass
Alex Skolnick | guitars
Mark Menghi | songwriter
The Review
A jam session is often the catalyst for new
projects to emerge between musicians, for Metal Allegiance a jam
session has got way out of control. A couple of years ago Mark Menghi gathered a few mates from Megadeth
and Anthrax to get involved in a bass clinic,
which turned into an impromptu jam session. Garnering attention from the likes
of Dave Lombardo, Geezer Butler, Kerry
King and Steve Vai, all star jam
gigs aptly named Metal Masters developed. Under a new name the concept has been
resurrected and interest in the project has been rife with many of heavy metals
finest pledging allegiance.
AMetal Allegiance
is almost like a heavy metal Avengers, notable ‘superheroes’ such as Randy Blythe, Chuck Billy, Cristina Scabbia,
Phil Anselmo, Troy Sanders, Matt Heafy, Mark Osegueda, Doug Pinnick and Jamey Jasta have lent their services
as guests on the self-titled album. David
Ellefson (Megadeth) Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs) and Alex Skolnick (Testament)
are the core components of the album with project mastermind Mark Menghi being
the principle songwriter.
The luminary status of the guest vocalists that
feature on each track prompts an inherent familiarity even upon first listen, a
game of ‘name that well known metal vocalist’ is inevitable. Though a great
idea on paper the reality of a ‘supergroup’ album is that it unfortunately becomes
a case of too many cooks spoil the broth. ‘Let
Darkness Fall’ (Troy Sanders) is forgettable, even with the posturing
guitar solos towards the end. ‘Destination:
Nowhere’ (Matt Heafy) lacks total direction and literally goes nowhere; ‘Wait Until Tomorrow’ (Doug Pinnick,
Jamey Jasta) is an odd combination of Alice in Chains grunge
and Hatebreedmeathead ferocity unsuccessfully
thrown together.
However, there are some real gems that emerge. ‘Gift
of Pain’ is a punishing chuggy onslaught, with Lamb of God’sRandy Blythe lending his signature
growl to the chaos. ‘Dying Song’
excels thanks to Phil Anselmo’s brooding
vocals, along with sublime guitar hooks. ‘Can’t
Kill the Devil’ is utter Metallica thrash metal
worship and Testament’s Chuck Billy delivers the catchy
vocal hooks, while the guitar solos are executed with technical proficiency.
The allure of the proverbial guest vocalists is the
albums biggest draw; however some of the tracks are nonsensical and lack clear
direction. Nevertheless, the ambition and collaborative spirit has to be
commended on ‘Metal Allegiance’ and
although not every track hits the mark, there is something on there to suit
most people’s musical persuasion.
With so many excellent progressive rock/metal bands
around it is hard to keep track and LEPROUS, I must
confess, had slipped under my radar.
With the Sludgelords prompting I was pointed in the direction of the
Norwegian’s outstanding new release (even though the reviewer on this website
had clearly not listened to it) and after further prompting was “asked” to
review their show in Manchester. An
added bonus was that this was going to be a full night of Norwegian progressive
metal…with varying degrees of epicness!
An interview with LEPROUS’s singer Einar Solberg was
arranged which precluded me seeing most of RENDEZVOUS POINT’s set. I did however catch their last song which was
in excess of 10 minutes which I believe was ‘The World Goes On’. Although
musically in the same universe as Leprous, and the band sharing drummer Baard
Kolstad, their music is suitably epic although a little lighter to my
ears. Gunn-Hilde Erstad’s bass entwining
perfectly with the drums, although Nicolay Tangen Svennaes keyboards were lost
in the mix at times. Their new album ‘Solar Storm’ has got to be required
listening for anyone keen on this genre.
Next up were SPHERE who to me were
more metal than progressive and not really my cup of tea, to be honest. The band had masses of energy and some
serious riffing was undertaken which was appreciated by a good proportion of
the crowd, the bass players red illuminated instrument looked rather cool
cutting through the blue and green lights.
On the other side of the coin, as a photographer I really did enjoy
shooting them as they had a very dynamic lead singer in Isak Haugen. They are currently promoting the release of the
remastered album ‘Primordal’.
Finally it was LEPROUS and what can
only be described as an interestingly choreographed presentation with 4 very
large TV screens at the back of the cramped stage. The videos played were similar in style to
those shown by Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd at their gigs and it matched Leprous’s
music well. This was coupled with a
lightshow that had been carefully thought out, supplementing the house lights
with their own, altogether making this a show not to be missed. Even the barman, who saw them during the
soundcheck, was seriously impressed and couldn’t wait for the show.
And what a performance it was! Musically it was spot on and any complaints
about the new album being a bit lightweight on the guitar front went out the
window. Live, the songs from ‘The Congregation’ had more teeth right
from the starting song ‘The Flood’ and
moving through to ‘Third Law’. As expected the majority of the set was made
up of tracks from the new album. From the previous album ‘Coal’ were ‘Foe’, ‘Chronic’ and ‘The Cloak’ to balance things up. ‘Acquired
Taste’ from 2011’s ‘Bilateral’
was the only really old track so they are certainly pushing the new direction
they are heading in.
Einar Solberg’s vocals cut through the dry ice
perfectly and Baard Kolstad proving he is a superhuman drummer performing his
second gig of the evening although everyone in the band played superbly. A duo of new songs, ‘Red’ and ‘Slave’ closed
out a hugely impressive and musically well balanced set with the encore seeing
a trio of new songs – ‘The Price’, ‘Moon’ and ‘Down’ - all being soaked up by the highly appreciative crowd
before finishing with ‘The Valley’
from ‘Coal’.
Personally I don’t think I have ever seen such an
impressive show combined with such a professional performance in a venue of
this size. This was definitely
one of those “you had to be there” gigs.
Cult Leader have created a monster here, a perfect combination of brains and brutality. There’s enough going on to suggest that “Lightless Walk” is just the start of an intriguing journey to the outer limits of heavy music.
‘Lightless Walk’ CD//DD//LP track listing:
01. Great I Am 02. The Sorrower 03. Sympathetic 04. Suffer Louder 05. Broken Blades 06. A Good Life 07. Walking Wastelands 08. Gutter Gods 09. Hate Offering 10. How Deep It Runs 11. Lightless Walk
Cult Leader is:
Michael Mason | Guitar Casey Hansen | Drums Anthony Lucero | Vocals Sam Richards | Bass
The Review:
Once the cavernous thud and gut churning chords heralding the arrival of opener “Great I Am” have drawn your attention, there’s no escaping the dark gravity of Cult Leader’s sonic barrage. ”Lightless Walk” is the debut full length from this Salt Lake City quartet who count three former members of the fearsome Gaza in their ranks. The naked aggression of their past work remains intact here but the band is now pushing their art further into uncharted territory with spellbinding results. Once this beast has been let loose into the world, interest in previous band associations will soon crumble to dust.
Cult Leader combine furious grind, crusty hardcore, punk grit and the widescreen atmospherics of black metal to devastating effect. The majority of the tracks here are a dizzying breakneck assault on the senses, sounding like a psychedelic Trap Them or Converge set in concrete and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Tracks like “Walking Wasteland” and “Sympathetic” manage to cover more musical ground during their brief duration than most bands do in an album at no detriment to cohesion. The finale of the latter particularly showcases the powerhouse drumming of Casey Hansen, a key factor in the success of this record. While the guitar and bass lock into a punishing one chord groove, the drums become the lead instrument, weaving around the riff and slipping in and out of the beat in sublime fashion. They provide furious velocity when needed throughout the album but demonstrate exquisite control when the tempo drops.
“A Good Life” and “How Deep It Runs” show that Cult Leader can slow things down and apply restraint with no impact on quality or intensity. Both tracks have a hint of the spaced-out post metal of Cult of Luna and provide real depth to this album.
“Lightless Walk” concludes with the monumental title track. Whilst this is the quietest track here in terms of volume it is definitely the heaviest in terms of emotional damage. The band craft a bleak funeral march worthy of the titular final voyage into the beyond, with Anthony Lucero’s low half-sung, half spoken vocals providing the haunting details. Lucero’s ferocious harsh vocals are the perfect accompaniment to brutal chaos, but when he employs his clean baritone here and on “A Good Life” it leads to something unique. As the vocals fade away, the music becomes slower and sparser, evoking an air of weary resignation reminiscent of slowcore heroes Codeine.
Cult Leader have created a monster here, a perfect combination of brains and brutality. There’s enough going on to suggest that “Lightless Walk” is just the start of an intriguing journey to the outer limits of heavy music.
The band is to be commended for making such an engaging and impressive record. A tech-death hurricane of musicianship heroics.
‘Lucid Dawn’ CD//DD track listing:
1). Intro 2). From The Void 3). Digital Shroud 4). That Which Lies Hidden 5). Awaken The I 6). Fleshwalkers 7). Fusion Of Epochs 8). Lucid Dawn 9). Conjuring 10). Temple Aflame
Arkaik is:
Jared Christianson | Vocals
Ivan Munguia | Bass
Alex Hernandez – Best | Drums
Greg Paulson | Guitars
Miguel Esparza | Guitars (lead)
The Review:
Ah, tech death, where would my weekends be without thee?! After geeking out over the Death discography over the last week, I thought I would venture into the modern age. I'm glad I did, as album number four by these Californian garage and basement dwellers show that they have been doing their practising.
The intro sets the record up nicely before ‘From The Void’lets you know what you could have achieved if you had stuck at playing every night instead of wasting your time with videogames, drinking and, you know, relationships and stuff. Joking and humour aside, this level of proficiency would have been unthinkable in the dark days at the start of the genre- it is just incredible how bands like Arkaik and Eschaton have taken the ball and run with it. “Seven Churches” this is not. It is brutally precise, with that bouncy pro-toolsy production that you really need with this type of stuff (you won't hear much of what is going on otherwise). In fact, the band creates a kind of ‘Digital Shroud’, appropriately enough, that allows them to really flex their muscles with their beastly playing.
I love this type of stuff, and when the bass break comes around the three minute mark... it's just fantastic. Naturally, the drums are hyper fast and hyper accurate, the guitars shred with convincing abandon and the vocals shred vocal chords just as effectively. Of course, it will be very difficult to explain to the layperson what drives musicians to do this: to get this competent and be able to record like this (much less play live convincingly) takes serious dedication and I take my hat off to every musician in this band for it. These guys really do this for the love. It sure as shit isn't the money or any other tangible reward, of which there is very little. It is niche, even within a niche genre, even within a niche larger genre. Tracks which ‘That Which Lies Hidden’ features as many twists and turns as you could hope for, complete with squeals and super cool soloing.
The rock solid blasting that heralds in ‘Awaken the I’(with semi-quaver bass drums underneath) is exactly the kind of move that the band can pull off effortlessly and exactly the kind of thing that most people have no idea how much practice it takes to do (every night, hours a night, for some years and then you have it!). Any fool can learn some “beats” and “play drums, like, er, pretty well” but not many can do this stuff accurately with power and control. I raise my Janus twin kick long board pedals in salute, sir. Take a bow Alex Hernandez-Bent (whose CV reads very impressively indeed) you have delivered a death metal master class.
‘Fleshwalkers ‘takes us over the half way mark in some dramatic style and plenty of substance. Interesting quasi classical breaks too- again, this would have been unthinkably ambitious even 15 years ago. ‘Fusion of Epochs’recalls Schuldiner in its ascending/descending opening but becomes a more brutal affair with stop start riffs and labyrinthine time changes. The title track ramps up the riff quotient considerably- ultra tech, ultra impressive in its musicality. ‘Conjuring’ again features a classical motif to start and then brings the ascent/descent again before dropping into a rather atmospheric and synth laden breakdown type section. Sense of foreboding duly created, the band then proceed to pummel your ears with razor sharp changes.
‘TempleAflame’ finishes this deathly delight of an album in precise style.. And includes an extended outro, complete with voice samples and what have you. Your interest in this type of stuff may well be dictated by your interest in more straight ahead death metal and/or your appreciation of any one of the instruments involved (of course, there will always be some nobhead saying “well anyone could do that if they practised enough...” which is kind of the point; “anyone” doesn't and that is why they can't). If there was any justice in the world, then those at the top of their chosen craft would receive commensurate rewards. For the likes of Arkaik, though, praise from fools such as me will have to be a substitute. Believe me, this is very impressive stuff and exactly what I wanted to listen to this fine Sunday afternoon. The band is to be commended for making such an engaging and impressive record. A tech-death hurricane of musicianship heroics.
