ALBUM PREMIERE: Swarming, "Primeval Arteries of the Dead"

Today at THE SLUDGELORD I am pleased to premiere the debut release from Swarming entitled "Primeval Arteries of the Sacred Dead". Swarming is a new project made up of underground veterans from bands like Slaves BC, Veiled, Twilight Fauna, and Mevrimna.

Recorded in Pennsylvania in early 2019, Swarming offers mysterious, dissonant and experimental black metal. On this debut cassette release, Swarming bring forth three 10+ minute tracks of diverse sonic experimentation, blending elements of black metal, doom metal and noise. Extremely harsh, punishing and highly emotional.
Limited to 50 sealed cassette copies worldwide through Nihilistic Noise Propaganda you can stream the album in full below and pre-orders are available here

ALBUM REVIEW: Wino, "Forever Gone"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/06/2020

Label: Ripple Music

“Forever Gone” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Forever Gone

2). Taken

3). The Song Is At The Bottom Of The Bottle

4). No Wrong

5). Dark Ravine

6). Dead Yesterday

7). So Fine

8). Crystal Madonna

9). Lavender and Sage

10). Was, Is, and Shall Be

11). Isolation

The Review:

Wino is the rarest of beasts- an elder statesman of a metal genre who is still revered and hasn't faded into irrelevance. It's a testament to his skills as a song writer and his charisma or star quality, if you prefer, that is sadly lacking from the scene these days.

Whether it be his output with The Obsessed (uniformly excellent), Saint Vitus (ditto), Spirit Caravan (ditto), The Hidden Hand (ditto) one off involvements like Shrinebuilder, Place of Skulls and even Probot (again, ditto) Wino is always an engaging aural presence.

We are a decade on from his last acoustic solo album (not counting his records with Conny Ochs) and I listened to “Forever Gone” wondering what type of songs he would present this time. Pleasingly, this feels like a sequel to “Adrift”- Wino has retained the lovelorn and melancholic qualities of that record and they are presented just as starkly here.

Only two tracks feature a full band presentation, the rest are guitar and voice- with some extra instrumentation to compliment the stark arrangements here and there. The title track and the three tracks that follow are wistful and also dark. In fact, it's not until the seventh track, “So Fine” that there are any kind of uplifting vibes to be really heard. A hint at Wino's headspace may be found in the album's powerful closing statement- a cover of Joy Division's “Isolation”. Lyrically, the album is great throughout and Wino's ruminations on the world are worth the price of admission.

If Wino is in a lonely place of dreams where hours turn into years, as “Lavender and Sage” proclaims, then he is gifting us some great music. How many more records there will be we simply cannot know. It's crazy, but Wino started up The Obsessed in 1980. To put this into perspective, Lemmy started Motorhead in 1975, so only five years of activity split the two talismanic frontmen.

You'll certainly wade through dark and murky waters as you listen through this album, but as you might expect, there are hidden depths that are worth investing the time to find here. A natural and worthy successor to “Adrift”, full of sombre reflection and eloquent musings.

“Forever Gone” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Xenoglyph, "Mytharc"

By: Zak McCune

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 17/04/2020

Label: Glossolalia Records

“Mytharc” CS//DD track listing:

1. A Flickering Eternity

2. Mytharc

3. Shades of Illusion

4. Wraith Chamber

5. Repression Regime

The Review:

What is a Xenoglyph?

The year is 2020. One of the most powerful nations in all human history has elected a reality TV show host with a petty and fragile, egomaniacal demeanor for their President and leader. Polar ice caps, integral to maintaining a comfortable ecosystem for human life to survive, are drastically melting as ice sheets which have not defrosted for some 2.6 million years are, now, cool liquid. Nuclear warheads, capable of ending all life on planet earth some 46 thousand times over, are pointed in every direction, and whose red activation buttons are under the thumb of power-hungry morons. A new, wildly infectious disease has spread over the face of the earth. Under governmental decree, people are forced inside, cutting off contact with others including their own family. Businesses have been forced to shut. Travel has grinded to a halt. And dominos of the earth’s economy are colliding, falling one after the other, leaving a supermega dust cloud of uncertainty, poverty and fear.

Enter a transmission - nay - an entity from “Super-Earth”, GJ 357 d, taking the shape of a, self-described, psychedelic black metal album whose members’ identities are as equally shrouded as their origins are unknown. Its name? “Mytharc”. The band? Xenoglyph.

All bullshit theatrics and cosmic mysterium aside, “Mytharc” is a massive slab of traditional black metal that possesses continuous movement. From start to finish the all-too-familiar cadence of stiff snare hits striking in between iced-out metronomic hi-hat variations, with continuous double bass drumming, goad the frigid guitar leads while evil breathy screams are buried somewhere toward the back of the mix. The album has an excellent atmosphere. Never pushing too far but never not giving enough, the focus of Xenoglyph is clear. 

“Mytharc” is more than the sum of its parts. Truly, it is not the type of album that has big singular moments nor does it seem interested in bringing the listener to any sort of grand point. Rather, “Mytharc” is presented like one excellent ink-soaked swath of ethereal dread. As any fan of the biggens like Immortal or Arckanum or Dark Funeral or even the ignoble Emperor would come to expect, “Mytharc” builds large amounts of catharsis, not from crescendonic moments, but gradually over longer stretches of melodic time. These weird alien dudes from GJ 357 d seem more interested in leaving you with a general presence than they are trying to convey a specific intent, the likes of which you may get from a long, mapped out journey with a final destination. Perhaps, they are trying to show us earthlings that the chaos we all feel in the time of their visit is less exceptional and something even more terrifying: constant.

“Mytharc” is available HERE

Band info: facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Brimstone Coven, "The Inferno"

Initially featured on the site 7 years ago with the release of their debut self-titled album, Brimstone Coven have had quite the journey.  Signing on with Metal Blade Records in 2014 to release their first two releases as a repackaged full length and following that up in 2015 with their next and final release for Metal Blade Records “Black Magic”, these West Virginia occult rockers  have had set backs, however in 2018 with the independent release of ‘What Was and What Shall Be', Brimstone Coven showed they has lost none of their power

2019 would see the band writing a new batch of songs and enter the studio in early 2020. The result would prove to be Brimstone Coven’s darkest sounding album to date, entitled 'The Woes of a Mortal Earth'. The new year also saw the trio signing a new deal with the venerable label Ripple Music. Despite the foreboding atmosphere of their new album, the future of Brimstone Coven has never looked so bright and today we’re excited to debut a brand new track from album below. 

Check out “The Inferno” below and pre-orders are being taken HERE

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp || Instagram

VIDEO PREMIERE: Deathnoisefrequency, "Chapter III :The Mortician`s Lamenting Dirge"

Today’s SLUDGELORD debutants are Saudi Arabia’s Deathnoisefrequency, a limitless musical experiment with an all-encompassing creepy, dark and depressive atmosphere where noise and death metal are smashed together with reckless abandon.

During the year of conception, they released a single and descended into relative silence. Through that lull, they recorded new songs, two of which will see the light of day on the debut EP: “Horrid Dirge”, set to be released July 17, 2020.

Get ready to be uncomfortable, to be sitting on the edge of your seat, this is not music for relaxation, it is tense and chaotic! The video for the single “Chapter III The Mortician’s Lamenting Dirge” sets this pattern with dark and morose visuals embossing the scathing wall of noise accompanying it. Check it out below and preorders are being taken HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

VIDEO PREMIERE: Lares, "Catacomb Eyes"

Berlin- based, psych blackened doom metal unit, LARES, is set to release their sophomore album on June 26th with Argonauta Records. The four-piece collective, who formed in 2015, combines the elements of post-metal, psych doom, ambient prog-rock and black metal, while adding a unique flavour to their heavily crushing sound. After LARES' critically acclaimed, 2017- debut, followed by an extensive live schedule, the band has been hard at work on their second album titled “Towards Nothingness”. The album has been once again recorded by Jan Oberg (EarthShip/Grin) at the Hidden Planet Studio in Berlin and was mastered by Audiosiege in Portland, OR.  Today were excited to debut the video for the track “Catacomb Eyes”, which you can check out below.  Preorders for the album are being take HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Curse the Son, "Excruciation"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 12/06/2020

Label: Ripple Music

“Excruciation” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Suicide by Drummer

2). Disaster in Denial

3). Novembre

4). Worry Garden

5). Excruciation

6). Infinite Regression

7). Black Box Warning

8). Devil Doctor Blues

9). Phoenix Risin’

The Review:

Fuzzed out riffs reign supreme on Curse the Son's fifth release, “Excruciation”.  A monument to the good time hard rock of a bygone time, Curse the Son delivers a fresh spin on a traditional style, taking the classic Sabbath sound and bringing it into the modern era.  The end result is a magical romp through the history of heavy music that leaves “Excruciation” sitting atop the heap.

Mixing headbanging rock and roll tunes with some serious solemnity, “Excruciation” is a solid collection of tracks that covers a whole lot of musical ground. Songs like “Novembre” trudge with a heart wrenchingly heavy melancholy that maintains a churning power that fits nicely with the rest of the album.  Meanwhile, the entertainingly titled opener, “Suicide by Drummer”, plays out like a party doom anthem flush with catchy hooks and a chorus ripe to be sung with a drink held high. At least in the first half that is.

That's another great thing that Curse the Son brings to the table. Multilayered song writing. Songs can begin just about anywhere without any clear indication of where they may end up. Each track is a journey through the warped minds of the musicians, each taking its own winding path to come to a well earned conclusion.  These songs are crafted with care, without a bit of filler in sight.

The albums production is stunning to say the absolute least. The fuzzed out guitars maintain clarity amongst a chaotic wall of noise.  Drums ring out solidly in the mix without ever becoming overpowering. Bass is allowed plenty of spotlight and is right up with the rest of the band in the mix. Vocals are mournful and theatric, with more than enough of that captivating power that the greats had to keep everyone paying attention.

“Excruciation” is a modern classic of the Doom genre.  It checks all the boxes. What more is there to say?  Listen to it! It's a keeper!

“Excruciation” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Pyrrhon, "Abscess Time"

By: Josh McIntyre

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/06/2020

Label: Willowtip Records

“Abscess Time” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Abscess Time
2. Down At Liberty Ashes
3. Teuchnikskreis
4. The Lean Years
5. Another Day In Paradise
6. The Cost Of Living
7. Overwinding
8. Human Capital
9. Cornered Animal
10. Solastalgia
11. State Of Nature
12. Rat King Lifecycle

The Review:

Pyrrhon is a weird band. They’re one of several New York City based metal bands that are pushing the boundaries of heavy music in exciting and refreshing ways, a continuation of the city’s “downtown music” history that has shaped experimental music since at least the 60s. New York’s long passion for making strange and challenging music flows through the veins of John Zorn as it does Sonic Youth and, for today’s metal, bands like Krallice, Liturgy, Imperial Triumphant, and Pyrrhon just to name a handful.

This might be my favorite Pyrrhon album thus far. It feels incredibly focused for having such a messy sound. More often than not the bass, drums, and guitars all dance around each other yet they line up perfectly when the moment strikes, as if they are simply following different paths to the same end. Sometimes it feels like weirdo tech death theatre and the instruments are actors. They talk over each other, they change tone, and they react to one another. Doug, who deserves more credit for being an impeccable vocalist, feels like a narrator to this avant garde play who himself is reactive. His range is incredible, including the deepest growls, very high screeches, shouts, and spoken word sometimes filtered through effects.

The songs are all over the place. They range from a minute long to nearly nine minutes, from being claustrophobic at exhausting speed to miserable and winding at a creep. Even at its most intense, Pyrrhon’s music comes off as moody. They don’t play anything for its own sake, everything has a purpose even if it’s just to pick at your brain. Lyrics here are just as purposeful, conveying the general moods that the pitfalls of the economic and social system that lay bare onto us. Laborers as machines, alienated from their natural states and desires as they struggle under ever increasing living costs, and are deemed animals when they decide not to comply. Pyrrhon not only push forward as metal musicians and artists but they push as human beings expressing distaste for contemporary social structures.

“Abscess Time” sounds like feeding the weirdest parts of Gorguts into an Albert Ayler machine and seeing what comes out. Sometimes bits of noise, ambience, and hardcore are thrown in as seasoning. There are plenty of ‘normal’ moments (tech death normal anyway) with riffs and some parts even sound like Deadguy. Still, these parts are laid out in an atonal swarm that rips the senses inside and out. This album is a prime example of a metal band challenging itself and the genre. The diversity makes every second of the album worth it, too. Every idea has merit to it, riffs have interest to them, and the longer songs evolve throughout quite organically.

On a personal level, listening and enjoying this record is a mixed bag of emotions. I was supposed to see and play with Pyrrhon in Philadelphia before COVID-19 hit. They’ve long been a band that I’ve admired and wanted to catch at a show. Both beyond and including the pandemic, the socio-economic status of the world and especially the United States, my home, is uncertain. The naked gears of a horrid political machine are apparent. Pyrrhon is one of several voices that shriek at the status quo, whether it be musically or socially. Somehow that gives me a little bit of hope.

“Abscess Time” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Winterfylleth, "The Reckoning Dawn"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 08/05/2020

Label: Candlelight Records |

Spinefarm Records

“The Reckoning Dawn” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Misdeeds of Faith
2. A Hostile Fate (The Wayfarer Pt. 4)
3. Absolved In Fire
4. The Reckoning Dawn
5. A Greatness Undone
6. Betwixt... Two Crowns
7. Yielding The March Law
8. In Darkness Begotten

The Review:

Winterfylleth are certainly my favourite British black metal band and are becoming my favourite black metal band generally. It's a genre I only dip into, but there is something about Winterfylleth's hymns to nature that resonates with me strongly. I loved “The Hallowing of Heirdom” back in 2018 as a dark-folk detour, and I loved “The Dark Hereafter” prior to that, and “The Mercian Sphere” and... well, you get the picture.

Firstly, it's the sound and speed that grab you. Opener “Misdeeds of Faith” is immense in its velocity and size. I have no information about where this was recorded (Foel Studios), but I am wagering it was with Chris Fielding (it was) at the helm- I'd know that cavernous tom sound anywhere! The almost Gregorian backing vocals are a neat touch and the riffs and pacing confirm that the band are back to atmospheric black metal with a vengeance.

As the band has developed a recognisable sound over time, that sound is very much honed to perfection here. The songs are of course lengthy, so over the course of eight tracks each song can blur into the next. That's no criticism as Winterfylleth develop soundscapes as much as songs.

There is a continuation of “The Wayfarer” saga in “A Hostile Fate”, acoustic beauty and righteous musical fury on “Absolved In Fire”, a Sabbath -esque acoustic interlude “Betwixt Two Crowns” and classic Winterfylleth styled black metal on the title track. It's all played and delivered very convincingly and the organic sound combined with the fiery performances make this a superb entry into Winterfylleth's canon.

Where this will sit in their discography I am not yet sure- I like all of their albums and it is hard to rank them- “Threnody of Triumph” was the first one I heard, so perhaps I would pick that as my favourite? Or maybe “The Divination of Antiquity” as I listened to that one a great deal on release and it has been one I keep going back to. Pointless lists aside, I can confidently say that the band has never made a bad or even average album- it's all at least good. “The Reckoning Dawn” follows that excellent track record and it's to the band's credit that they have delivered such a convincing black metal record after they branched out so widely last time around.

The band are at their best on this record. It is an absolute masterpiece of black metal brilliance. With several tracks over eight minutes and beyond, it's hard to write about standout songs or tracks, but if push came to shove I may have to pick the aforementioned “Absolved In Fire” (that riff at six and a half minutes!) and “Yielding The March Law”- they both encapsulate what is great about Winterfylleth both in 2020 and in years prior. The band are on their way to becoming as timeless as the lands they revere and are only improving with age. My worship at their green cathedral has been reinvigorated and it's a joy- albeit an often bleak and melancholic one- to listen to.

“The Reckoning Dawn” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Ulthar, "Providence"

By: Zak McCune

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 12/06/2020

Label: 20 Buck Spin

“Providence” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Churn (2:09)

2. Undying Spear (5:22)

3. Providence (4:42)

4. Through Downward Dynasties (5:24)

5. Cudgel (5:09)

6. Funace Hibernation (4:12)

7. Narcissus Drowning (5:04)

8. Humanoid Knot (4:34)

The Review:

It has been two years since the angular death metal trio Ulthar released their debut album, “Cosmovore”, which enveloped listeners in the maw of cosmic insanity by shredding traditional elements of black metal, death, and doom only to sow more chaos, track-by-track, with their own brand of thudding d-beat and wretched progressive vistas of an - to use their own words “Infinite Cold Distance”.

With Ulthar’s sophomore release, “Providence”, the same cosmovoric annihilation is supplied, but something is different. It is tighter, angrier, and exhibited with less astonishment and more fury. At onset, Shelby Lermo’s (Extremity, Vastum) riffs continually lurch towards the conventional yet suddenly shift into aggressively cool prog-oriented scales only to be viciously broadsided by Justin Ennis’ (Vale, Void Omnia) massive wall of thudding drums, and the tracks’ momentum pivots into something even more crushing and bizarre than what came before. It is bewildering and exciting to hear this sort of controlled experimentation and Ulthar’s frenetic curiosity of ‘can we make this as disorienting as possible without just pummeling the audience with volume or blast beats?”

With each aggressive track on “Providence”, rhythms are constantly locking into and, then, unpredictably dislodging themselves from the previous, while Lermo’s and bassist, Steve Peacock’s (Pale Chalice, Pandiscordian Necrogenesis), horrific shrieks spill out over top. Ulthar delves into weird genre places that either no other band can or is smart enough to even try. Very early on with “Providence”, we can tell that Uthar has shifted their gaze for this record. Away from the greater unfeeling coldness of absurd and voidic space, they’ve returned. Plummeted back to the surface of a hellish planet. “Providence” digs deep into a wellspring of chronic human perception wherein nothing is sacred and all is permitted, twisting meaning and nature and purpose into abject nonsense while mutated unfitting pieces of this organic maelstrom whiz by and deafen all trapped inside of it.

You can pick up these 8-tracks of agonizing shred by Ulthar from 20 Buck Spin, as well as streaming “Providence” on all digital platforms.

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Wolftooth, "Valhalla"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/05/2020

Label: Ripple Music |

Cursed Tongue Records

“Valhalla” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Intro – The Lamentation of Frigg
2. The Possession
3. Firebreather
4. Valhalla
5. Fear for Eternity
6. Scylla & Charybdis
7. Molon Labe
8. Crying of the Wolves
9. The Coven
10. Juneau

The Review:

Wolftooth's sophomore release arrives at a fortuitous time. I've been savouring their debut since I reviewed it back in 2018 and I have craved more of this metal mixed with stoner mixed with tales of fantasy and heroism. “Valhalla” thus arrives right on time- two years after the debut and hopefully hints at an Overkill-esque work ethic in years to come.

The debut essentially took what was great about The Sword's first three records and distilled it. “Valhalla” is NOT the sound of Wolftooth abandoning their fan base and making a more mature record. In fact, though the arrangements of “The Possession” are undoubtedly more complex with layered guitars and vocals, the identity of the band remains firmly intact. The atmopsheric intro of “The Lamentation of Frigg” sets us up nicely for a delightful metal album which mixes a lot of the best of trad, stoner and a little doom.

The sound is once again tight and organic- wonderful tom sound- with a burly mix. It's not as aggressive as, say, High on Fire, or even The Sword's early work but it grooves well and there are great riffs and choruses played by a solid band in all aspects. As Wolftooth hail from the same state that gave us the mighty The Gates of Slumber, Apostle of Solitude, Thorr Axe and Throne of Iron, it might be reasonable to expect more of a doom flavour to the songs here, but if anything this is closer to traditional metal than even the debut. There is almost a hard rock vibe to the likes of “Firebreather” and even the title track even of the subject matter and component parts are totally metal.

It interests me to note the fairly uniform song lengths- 4-5mins- and also that despite this the material is not formulaic. There are stylistic traits throughout, such as the aforementioned  layered vocals of the choruses, but it's not boring. Quite the opposite. It's an album to play all the way through. There are some really heavy tracks here, too; “Fear For Eternity” is pure sword and sorcery in Conan style wrought in metal. Each song offers up light and shade, whether it be “Molon Labe” or the pretty catchy “Scylla & Charybdis”.

As the album reaches the closing stages, “Crying of the Wolves” offers up a track close to Dio-era Sabbath (yes!) and rocks hard down the back stretch. “The Coven” offers up a late album highlight with its absolutely hard-as-iron riffing and melodies. “Juneau” finishes the album strongly with... more of the same; fuzzed bass, heavy riffs, reedy/Ozzy-esque vocals and some big slabs of groove.

If the debut made many metallers take notice, this should push the band over the top and hopefully bring them over to the likes of Desertfest, Damnation Festival in the UK and Keep It True and Courts of Chaos etc on the continent. This is for fans of any of the bands mentioned in this review. It's heavy, it's metal and it's quite superb.

“Valhalla” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD'S "666 Pack Review" (April 2020)

By: Nikos Mixas

Well, it’s been two months since THE SLUDGELORD has been in quarantine and it fucking sucks as bad as Ozzy’s latest attempt to make music…The good news is that the music you guys send in is still better than that atrocity.  But in all seriousness, no live shows, festivals, zip, nada, diddly squat for the unforeseeable future is the worst part about all of this and we know that we’re preaching to the choir here.  However, the “666 Pack Review” is here for the bored masses.  BTW, if you’re new to this, each and every month we handpick 6 review submissions and critique them by only using 6 words, then we rate them on a scale from 1 to 666!  Check out our all shades of Ozzy rating scale below: 

1) This is the score we would give any of Ozzy’s most recent decade’s worth of albums without even listening to them.  Whatever we just heard just now is worse than all of them combined.

2) Remember Ozzy’s hair and clown garb during “The Ultimate Sin” era?  This is the score we gave that shit.  Your band is just as ridiculous. 

3) When Ozzy recruited Zakk Wylde and he made pinch harmonics a thing, well…it was kind of cool and kind of not.  Yup, same thing for this band.

4) A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away, Ozzy relieved himself on The Alamo and bit the heads off of live animals.  That’s legit.  So is this band.     

5) “Diary of a Madman” and “Blizzard of Ozz” kind of glory starting to happen right here. 

666) Let’s get fucking crazy!!!  We love you all!!! 

Caveat:  Even though the “666 Pack Review” is meant to offer humorous critique, there are no safe spaces here and your gripes will only make you sound like a bellyacher.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

1). Starspawn of Cthulhu “Yog-Sothothery” (Vicenza, Italy)    Rating: 3

If Candlemass went full death metal.

2). Gavran “Still Unavailing” (Rotterdam, Netherlands)   Rating: 5

Shoegazey and progressive, yet not pretentious.

3). Phe “Glooming Dawn” (Helmond, Netherlands) Rating: 3

Oh my!  Another stoner rock band!!! 

4). Vulture Neck “Mountain Giant” (Stockholm, Sweden)   Rating: 2

St. Vitus riffage with constipated vocals. 

5). Hypnochron “Hypnochron” (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.)   Rating: 5

Groovy. Fuzzy. Heavy. Composed. Instrumental. Interesting.

6). Maussade “INSIIPIIIDE” (France) Rating: 666!!!

Sharon!!! What the bloody hell!! - Ozzy

Band info: Phe || Vulture Neck || Hypnochron || Maussade