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
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
