6 NEW BANDS: The 666 Pack Review for December 2016

The 666 Pack Review

Welcome to The Sludgelord’s December installment of the 666 Pack Review!  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 St. Satan’s rating scale below: 

1 – The Sludgelord would rather listen to annoying Xmas carolers instead...

2 - King Diamond says...No presents for Christmas!!! 

3 – This is about as good as Twisted Sister's Christmas album.  Meh.

4 - On blitzkrieg!  (That's the headbanging reindeer's name and they're now a fan, antlers up!)

5 – Expect to see a shit ton of presents from Santa this year...err...I mean Satan!

666 - The Sludgelord places his pentagram of approval on top of the tree for all to see!!!  Deck the Hails!!!

It’s the holiday season and you would think that we would be in the spirit to honor goodwill towards bands.  No fucking way!  To quote Rob Halford, “You got another thing coming!”  Even if a band gets a low score, we strongly encourage you to check them out anyways because you might actually dig them!  The Sludgelord is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

Archelon - “II” (EP) – Sheffield, UK    Rating: 4

For fans of Pelican.  Hail Santa!

Band info: facebook

Forlet Sires - “Journey Towards Ruin” – Winterhur, Switzerland   Rating: 5

The Ghost of Christmas Present digs…

Band info: facebook

Kielkropf - “Step back, I’m ‘bout to dance” - Eisenstadt, Austria  Rating: 3

Deck the amps…with winter sludge!

Band info: facebook

No Trust - “Heavy Hand” - San Diego, CA   Rating: 3

My inner Scrooge says…bah humbug!

Band info: facebook

Keef Mountain  - “Keef Mountain” - Kansas City, MO   Rating: 666

Krampus will love fucking to this!

Band info: facebook

Inverted Cross Cult- “Inverted Cross Cult” – Porto Feliz, Brazil   Rating: 2

The Grinch asks…”What’s that stench?”

Band info: facebook

Archelon - I (EP Review)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: March 01^st 2015

Label: Self Released

I - Track Listing

1.Gaia 03:27

2.Blood on the Sabre 08:22

3.Faint Young Sun 06:57

Members:

Craig - Guitar & vocals,

Adam - Bass & vocals,

Tj - Drums

Bio:

Archelon formed in Sheffield UK in August 2013 when Drummer TJ and Guitarist Craig who had been playing together for some time recruited Adam to play Bass and complete the line-up of their progressive Sludge metal band.

Fusing thier love of such bands as Mastodon, ISIS, Neurosis, Pelican, Russian Circles and many others. Archelon sound like a shifting techtonic mass bludgeoning everything in its path with the raw power of a glacier carving valleys from mountains. Their sound is slow, raw, agressive, groove driven and undeniably heavy.

Review:

Archelon another band that a few of my friends have recommended me to check out and here I am finally checking this great band out. If you're a fan of the bands mentioned in their bio then you should seriously check out Archelon as their debut EP – I – is a damn good indication that this band is definitely worth your time.

Opening track – Gaia – is 3:27 minute blast of Progressive Sludge Riffs with a touch of Ambient Noise thrown in for goo d measure. The vocals are reminiscent of early ISIS/Neurosis with traces of hardcore running through them. It's a shame the song isn't on for a tiny bit longer as it could of done with a further minute or so for the heavy riffs to do more damage. Though the Ambient sounds ends the song superbly well.

Second track – Blood On The Sabre – is pure Progressive Sludge/Post-Metal territory that will offer a few decent heavy thrills amongst the Sludge/Post-Metal crowd. It starts rather quietly before the loud riffs start to appear near the 3^rd minute. The vocals are impressive yet again as they bring an air of intelligence and a hint of anger and fury to give Archelon's overall sound a more primal feel.

The final track – Faint Young Sun – has a more experimental and noisy vibe compared to the other tracks. As Archelon turn the atmosphere into a sombre and cold violent place where fear and oppression is all around you. The vocals have a more disturbing feel to them as Archelon leave you feeling in a depressive state. The riffs are played at a slow pace that gives the band plenty of room to explore and create some sombre Post-Rock ambient style music. Though the heavier Sludge/Post-Metal riffs aren't too far behind.

Archelon have created a stunning debut EP and I recommend you check it out if you want a Post-Metal release that will make you coming back for more punishment. Then this is the release for you. I is available to buy on BandCamp Buy Now Download.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Written by Steve Howe

For More Information

Facebook | BandCamp