Tuesday 29 March 2016

Matriarch - “Magnumus: The 44th Scribe and Lorde of the Hallucinaunts” (Album Review)

By: Eric Crowe
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 20/04/2015
Label: Self released
 
 
This is really an amazing release, from start to finish. It took me a minute to catch the feel of the album, but once it hits home, it really hits you. Tons of tone and texture, beautiful and unrelenting and a complexity these guys have really tapped into. This is recommended for fans of Buried At Sea, FULCI or Sea of Bones. Give it a solid listen, support these guys and tell them The Sludgelord sent you their way!
 
“Magnumus: The 44th Scribe and Lorde of the Hallucinaunts” DD track listing:
 
1. Moonburn
2. Bathed In Blue Light
 
The Review:
 
This 4 piece hailing from Denver, CO delivers one heavy and diverse slab in just 2 tracks. Described as “no frills caveman dope sludge, delivered via a pants-shitting wall of sound at a catatonic, gravity-bending crawl”, I would have to agree on all accounts. Made up of a lot of ex-members from a variety of awesome bands, including, Rebreather, Low Gravity, Garthok & Siamese Royalty, it all comes together perfectly here, but that’s enough talk about what you
 
can read online, here’s what’s in the music…
 
The journey begins with “Moonburn” with a sonic washing of tonal build and feedback, before breaking into the first riff, which has a light airy feel to it, comparable to early Pelican. The riffs have a lot of movement and progression within them, not just generically recycled over 32 measures, but there is a continuous flow to them and the song. Right around the 3 minute mark, perfectly grimy vocals charge in, adding another layer of filth in this ever evolving track, which turns for the heavier at this point. The vocal parts are sparse and not too wordy, but well spaced to keep it interesting. The delivery is mid ranged and throaty and once you start to feel the hypnotic effect and flow of the riff, it totally drops out to a deeply mellow place, keeping you in a light float; executed with excellence, and this is where “Bathed In Blue Light” takes over. Such a seamless transition in tracks, I love it.
 
Building and playing off of one another, that light floating feeling begins to sink, and the drones and absolute heaviness of the tone begins to pull you under. So slow and weighty, just simply go with it and enjoy where the journey takes you. Vocals keep flowing in and out at intervals, just slightly keeping you grounded. Within the drifting drones, added layers of solos wash in with perfect taste and don’t get all noodley and distracting. Then with beating the last bits of life out of the final riffs, it comes full circle with a minute of feedback and tonal washing.
 
This is really an amazing release, from start to finish. It took me a minute to catch the feel of the album, but once it hits home, it really hits you. Tons of tone and texture, beautiful and unrelenting and a complexity these guys have really tapped into. This is recommended for fans of Buried At Sea, FULCI or Sea of Bones. Give it a solid listen, support these guys and tell them The Sludgelord sent you their way!
 
“Magnumus: The 44th Scribe and Lorde of The Hallucinaunts” is available here
 
Band info: bandcamp