Album Type: EP
Date Released: 25/10/2016
Label: Independent
'Brutal Gluttonous Beast' is an unbelievably solid debut EP from Ten Ton
Slug. Absolutely crammed with riffs and the stories behind the songs combined
with the imagery of the beast provide a superb visual accompaniment to their
auditory devastation. Extremely promising beginning for a band that are deeply
rooted in the sludge/groove metal genre and can deliver the goods with
devastating power and magnitude.
“Brutal Gluttonous Beast” CD//DD track
listing:
1). Trollhunter
2). Bloodburns
3). Subterranean
4). Unit
The Review:
Ten Ton Slug are a 5-piece sludge/groove metal band based in Galway , Ireland Dublin ,
Germany and the UK
'Trolhunter' is
the first track on the EP and the onslaught begins viciously. A dual-guitar
riff machine courtesy of Sean Sullivan and Adomas Trakumas provides an
extremely dense wall of sound. The vocal work of Ronan O
'hArrachtain is ideal for this style of music and his range between deep growls
and piercing screams is hugely extensive. This calibre of metal featuring on a debut EP is extraordinary and from the
get-go it sounds as if these guys have been slugging (ha) away for
years and years. Around 5 mins there's a great breakdown and
Ronan incites more carnage before the riff machine takes hold again.
The section at 5:40 where the pace begins to drop is a fantastic
intro into the hell that awaits. The Slug unleash a massively powerful doom
section with some siren-like guitar sounds and it seems like the troll
might have met his demise.
'Bloodburns' follows with a slightly different vibe in the vein of Orange Goblin
except with Ronan putting Ben Ward to shame with his inner monster sounds. It
is an incredibly tight unit and Sean's
brother Micheal Sullivan is a total powerhouse on drums,
allowing the guitars to run riot. Bass player Eoghan Wynne is in charge of the
low-end territory by capturing the deep sludge sound and allowing the two
guitarists to add layers to the crucifying delivery. The breakdown
around 01:30 is another section which is hugely reminiscent of the
artwork and I can't escape the thought of this brutal gluttonous beast slowly
sliming along leaving destruction in its wake. (It'd make a hell of a music
video guys). The tempo changes are rife in this track too
and provides a true appreciation of how diverse this band
can be.
The third track 'Subterranean'
is the shortest on the EP with a run-time of 04:53. For me, this just means
that these guys are gonna squeeze 7 minutes of riffs into a shorter track which
is even more enticing. This tells the story of the Kraken rising from the
depths to carry out some terror upon mortal men. So yes... we now have a
combination of the Slug and the Kraken. There are some utterly filthy riffs
present in this track again, especially in the section around 2min 20secs - it
comes in like a hammer blow and doesn't subside until the Slug deems fit.
The section at 3:15 has a slight Mastodon vibe to it and is
executed with deadly precision courtesy of a ripping lead part. The outro is a
great ending to the track with Ronan's roars of 'Let the Kraken rise!' slowly fading into the deep subterranea.
The final track 'Unit'
is another 7 minute titan. This contains by far my favourite riff from the whole EP. It's the kind of riff bands spend decades
looking for and the Slug lads just blast it out like it's another day
in the office. It's simply a piece of beautiful savagery. This track
was also probably the highlight of their performance on the New Blood stage at Bloodstock
Festival this year which you can find on YouTube. Around 5 mins they
introduce a sweet breakdown which opens up into another monstrous riff
procession. Finally, the last riff at 6:15 is a perfect close to this song and
to the whole EP. It allows each member to really shred out their last drop of
sweat and Ronan's fierce roar slowly drifts away.
'Brutal Gluttonous Beast' is an unbelievably solid debut EP from Ten Ton Slug. Absolutely crammed with riffs
and the stories behind the songs combined with the imagery of the beast provide
a superb visual accompaniment to their auditory devastation. Extremely
promising beginning for a band that are deeply rooted in the sludge/groove
metal genre and can deliver the goods with devastating power and magnitude
“Brutal Gluttonous Beast”
is available now
Band info: bandcamp || facebook
