By: Aaron Pickford
So here is the The Sludgelord’s ‘Sour 16’ for
October 2015, the 16 records you’re most looking forward too or are currently
checking out. Dig in, spread the word and perhaps revisit some records
you may have overlooked. The results are compiled based on page views
alone and calibrated into the list below. So without further ado,
enjoy the ‘Sour
16’. Roll up, kick back, chug a beer and Hail the riff! For
more info click on the artwork. (Total views at the time of
publication highlighted in red)
16). Zillah – ‘Serpentine Halo’ (210)
I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying that ‘Serpentine Halo’ is easily the band’s most accomplished work to this point. If forced to give an easy reference point, I’d say that this is a blend of ‘Whisper Supremacy’-era Cryptopsy along with very early Mastodon and a dash of Gorguts at their most disjointed and jarring. If that sounds as appealing for you as it does me, you should be in good hands with this album.
15). Seahag – ‘The RX Epidemic’ (220)
Metal never sounded so good and I’m
glad these dudes woke from their slumber to produce this powerful and chaotic
release. So many elements woven together with immaculate structure creating an
intense ride that keeps this in constant rotation for me.
14). Suma – ‘Ashes’ (233)
It's a masterpiece of post metal
tinged doom. The riffs are straightforward but able to smash through concrete
with the volume and vehemence of which they're played. The guitars are layered
heavily to allow them to invade your consciousness and claim your brain. If
you're reading this and have yet to listen to this album, stop wasting your
time and listen at full volume!
13).Great Falls – ‘The Fever Shed’ (236)
Right
from the first note of “Dressing the Saints”, there is nowhere to hide as the
band assault the listener with an abrasive opening salvo of shards of metallic
noise. Even when the volume dips during sparse minimal sections, there is
always a taut menace to proceedings which feels like it could give way to chaos
at any second.
12). Goblin Rebirth – ‘Goblin Rebirth’ (235)
If you want something that is out
there, entertaining, and from a legendary band, look no further than Goblin
Rebirth's self titled debut. Bend your mind, but only to the best of beats with
these Italian masters of the reptilian beat!
11). Ravens Creed – ‘Ravens Krieg’ (239)
Once again, it is all about the riffs-
Steve Watson managing to accurately mimic the sound of tanks rolling through
your town and laying waste to it. What you get is thirteen tracks of
spiteful fury as the riffs and songs rage by. If you like metal, you
really should like Ravens Creed, being as they present the genre in its purest
form: riffs, aggression, adrenaline and pace all combine to make a satanic
racket of biblical (ha!) proportions. Uncompromising, extreme music
from an island of festering resentment. Hail The ‘Creed
10). Drowning Horse – ‘Sheltering Sky’ (246)
I am
brought back to why I listen to this kind of dirge: it taps into the static,
that universal thrum, and serves as a meditation, a reprieve from the chaos and
noise surrounding us. A job extremely well done and I’ll have my eye
on Perth’s Drowning Horse going forward, hoping that they continue to
churn out the catharsis
9) = Graveyard – ‘Innocence & Decadence’ (247)
All in all, “Innocence and Decadence”
could be viewed as a polarizing record. Graveyard may lose fans, or they could
very well gain them. They’ll probably always have older fans pissing and
moaning over “the good old days,” but it’s also likely that, regardless of the
extreme reactions people may have against this album, Graveyard will remain one
of the most top notch bands around today.
9) = Hyne – ‘MMXV’ (247)
They show off groove without being
flashy, talent without being full of themselves, and honestly which puts many
bigger bands to shame. If we can see more of this, I am going to have to get
more hours in my day! And listen for that little Sabbathian charm!
7). Bastard Grave – ‘What Lies Beyond’ (255)
From the opening of ‘From The Depths’,
you know exactly what you are getting; feral death with a punk sensibility.
This continues right the way through the album, I am pleased to say. Each song
fits nicely with all the others. No melodies here; straight forward
Entombed/Dismember/Grave worship- chainsaw guitars, meaty but rough and ready
drums and that bass sound you love are all present and correct. For
fans of all the bands noted along with Entrails and any other sons of Northern
darkness you care to name. Ripping stuff!
6). Grim Van Doom – ‘Grim Love’ (273)
I can tell from the off that run of
the mill stoner/doom this most definitely is not.
'Goddamn This Love' has your doomy qualities but with an Unsane edge to it (without being too obvious an influence). Vocally I'm reminded of Stephane Azam from French avant-sludge troupe CROWN, and Fade Kainer from Batillus. 'Snowfields' is straight from the Abominable Iron Sloth/Will Haven school of riff writing, jagged and angular but at the same time, round and smooth. This band has set a high standard for whatever they follow this up with, can they do it? I'll be waiting to find out
'Goddamn This Love' has your doomy qualities but with an Unsane edge to it (without being too obvious an influence). Vocally I'm reminded of Stephane Azam from French avant-sludge troupe CROWN, and Fade Kainer from Batillus. 'Snowfields' is straight from the Abominable Iron Sloth/Will Haven school of riff writing, jagged and angular but at the same time, round and smooth. This band has set a high standard for whatever they follow this up with, can they do it? I'll be waiting to find out
5) Terzij de Horde – ‘Self’ (283)
As someone who has been listening to
black metal for nearly twenty years, I’m thankful that there are bands out
there like Terzij de Horde challenging black metal’s standards, to keep it from
losing what made it special to me in the first place. Beyond being one of this year’s
finest albums, ‘Self’ is important because the beliefs and mindset that gave
this album life are as purely black metal as it gets.
4). Clutch – ‘Psychic Warfare’ (311)
It’s the precise interplay in each of
these songs that make “Psychic Warfare” – dare I say it – a competitor for
album of the year. Be it the way Maines bridges Gasters swing with
Sult’s stiff blues in “Quick Death in Texas,” or how the chorus in
“Firebirds” only works because of the foundation provided by the verses,
“Psychic Warfare” is a mature, well-written album.
3). All Them Witches – ‘Dying Surfer Meets His Maker’
(320)
Groovy and slow like the rocking back
and forth of a fishing boat on a quiet lake seems to be the state of mind, but
it’s not a lazy album. The free falling jams are certainly laid back and the
songs are no different, such as the case with “Open Passageways,” a prime cut
that tells a bizarre story while being guided by a wonderful string section
that takes this song to a whole new level.
2). Girra – ‘Girra’ (329)
Girra plays a gothic form of blackened
doom, and they play it effectively. Their tones, bleak and unflinching, wash
like a tide with their almost clanging rhythms, over a very melancholic flat
sounding drum beat. It sounds like the beating of a rotted gourd made into an
instrument.
1). Horrendous – ‘Anareta’ (439)
There’s so much to enjoy and unpack as
I listen to this album again and again, because every song offers a new wrinkle
to the formula or another compositional element that most bands wouldn’t think
to use. It’s so fucking rich and dense. To put a finer point on things,
‘Anareta’ is the sort of album that lifts death metal as a genre up. It’s
everything I could ask of a death metal album in 2015 and there’s virtually
nothing in metal as a whole that’s in Horrendous’ league right now
The
‘Sour 16’ features reviews by, Chris Bull, Eric Crowe, Hunter
Young, Dan Jackson, Richard Maw, Mike
Wilcox, Victor Van Ommen, Charlie Butler & Eric
Sugg
