By:
Aaron Pickford
Just
as soon as the year 2016 began, the first 31 days was over, but fortunately for
you guys we managed to feature 50 new records.
Indeed whilst they may not be all new releases for 2016, it is safe to
say that some records we have featured during January are undoubtedly early contenders
for album of the year and we are a mere 3 days into the second month. Leaving us in little doubt that 2016 is
proving to be an exceptional year of music thus far.
We
have had the usual assorted of goodies, you name the genre, it is likely we
have featured it and some of my own personal highlight from January, were new
albums by Conan, Garganjua, Egypt, Black Tusk, and lest
we forget the blackened tones of the ever prolific Primitive Man
and their split with Poseidon’s favourite band, Sea Bastard.
But
what is a review site, without a talented bunch writers, so it was to my
surprise and delight that we have been fortunate to have recruited two new
writers and they have been quick to make their mark with high quality reviews,
so welcome Richard Jaspering and Josh Lee.
Anyway,
let’s get back to the matter at hand. The Sludgelord’s ‘Sour 16’ is back, you know the deal, each month, you the reader are unwittingly
compiling a list of the top 16 records of the month, covering all genres of
metal. Is it not a chart, in which
reviewers or contributors extol their opinion about their favourite music. To put it simply, the ‘Sour 16’ are the
records that have been trending the most at Sludgelord HQ and
perhaps which you guys have been most interested in over the last month.
So
here is the The Sludgelord’s ‘Sour 16’ for January 2016. Dig in,
spread the word and perhaps revisit some records you may have overlooked. The results are compiled based on page views
alone and calibrated into the list below. So roll up, kick back, chug
a beer and Hail the riff! All reviews can be viewed by clicking the artwork. (Total
views since their publication are highlighted in red)
16).
= High Priest of Saturn– “Son of Earth &
Sky” (277)
Much
like Tarot's “The Warrior's Spell” from last year the record is a kind of
mixture of stoner/prog/doom/rock/psych. It is not necessarily riff led, or
structured in the conventional sense, but this adds to its charm. It makes for
a dynamic and melancholic listen as the music washes over you. High
Priest of Saturn have written and recorded a superior meeting of styles in this
sophomore release. I highly recommend that you sit back, relax and just listen.
16).
= Cauldron– “In Ruin”
(277)
The
riffing of “Burning At Both Ends” is pure Accept, adding a teutonic
flavour to the Canadians' Brit worship. The reverb soaked drums and higher
tempo of “Santa Mira” is pure 80's metal while the more sombre “Corridors of
Dust” echoes the sounds and hooks of “Chained To The Night”. This is
an homage, pure and simple. Music from the past, being played today and with
modern chops and studio equipment that can accurately create the sound that the
band want to hear. They sit as a dependable and impressive
retro outfit. Kind of the Overkill of retro metal, perhaps? And that is a very
high compliment, by the way.
14).
The Body– “No One Deserves Happiness” (282)
Horns swell as dim, low riffs wash over your mind,
drums vacillate between cold sweetness and strong blows and the stage of chaos
is set by the high screaming voice of unreason, formless yet voluminous and
constant. Static whispers through grating frequencies and primal percussion,
augmented by surprising claps and snaps, urges the dance of a readied, warring
people. The Body’s latest is an opus to ecstatic agony redolent of SWANS
and Neurosis’ output. If no one deserves happiness, I suggest here that it is
earned.
13).
Garganjua– “A Voyage in Solitude” (286)
'A
Voyage In Solitude' bursts through the speakers triumphantly, like a lonely
knight back from the Crusades, suffering, but ultimately glad to be back,
'Extinction' with it's solemn, sobering overtones, lays down meaty slabs of
despair for the listener to indulge in. Some gut wrenching growls are also
presented courtesy of bass player Gaz Owen and with the doom scene becoming a
little stagnant of late, it's good to hear a band brandishing weapons of melody
and having the balls to use them when the situation calls for it. A solid first
album from these lot.
12). Classhole – “Classhole” (307)
Straight up punk rock with super thick guitars and bass
making it more hardcore punk with relentless battery than anything else. All
the songs are short and sweet mostly around a minute and a half and it feels
like the bass is cranked way the fuck up. This whole record reminds me of
Slayer's earlier albums to where as soon as one song ends the very next one
comes ripping through. The entire album sounds like the derailment of a freight
train coming through a republican party parade.
11).
Niche – “Heading East” (319)
In spirit Niche is heavy but in practice they know how
to apply heavy. This means that they have this tool on hand
but don’t always need it. So “Heading East” is slick without drifting too far
from the raw attack they delivered in 2013. Even when Niche dips in and out of
urgent rhythms, they do this with a level of finesse that pushes the lush
harmonies to the surface rather than diving into a riff-fiesta.
10).
Mourning Beloveth – “Rust
& Bone” (358)
For
a band that have been around for nigh on a quarter of a century, Mourning
Beloveth incorporate a surprising amount of experimentation. That said, they
have their sound and are sticking to it. They incorporate death, doom, even
elements of black metal and so on into their sound and deploy them all for
variety across their albums. Although we may have heard the tricks before, the
quality remains high and the band remain inspired with great depth and breadth
to their compositions.
09).
Mars Red Sky – “Providence” (365)
What makes Mars Red Sky so good, is that they
effortlessly walk the line between heavy as hell and light as fuck. “Shot
in Providence” opens things up with guitars that are heavier than we as fans of
the band are used to and for a band like Mars Red Sky, who excel at writing
fantastic songs that balance heavy and melody, this is a daring step and it
works really, really well.
08).
Egypt – “Endless Flight” (387)
With
an excellent album cover that recalls “Never Say Die”, the band let you know
what they are about- spacey and heavy stoner rock/doom with plenty of Sabbath
and a little Fu Manchu thrown in there. You have a guitar in your left ear, the
bass in your right and drums and vocals in the middle in this wall of sound
type production. If you want some stoner/doom to start the year off,
then this is a fine choice. A great record that you can play all the way
through and just enjoy.
07).
Oranssi Pazuzu – “Värähtelijä’” (391)
Taking
the album “as is”, ‘Värähtelijä’ contains flashes of brilliance, plenty of
greatness, but a general need to be a bit more concise and efficient. It’s not
every idea that deserves five minutes of exploration. In fact, very few ideas
deserve that kind of focused repetition. Still, there’s no doubting that
Oranssi Pazuzu are one of the few truly unique metal bands going in 2016, and
that counts for a lot.
06).
Black Tusk – Pillars of
Ash” (397)
As
per previous records, you get a kind of Southern sludge Motorhead: “God's On
Vacation” roars out of your speakers and then “Desolation of Endless
Times” just levels you. This is visceral stuff and has absolutely every
needle in the red. Truly, the record form thereon in is pretty much
unstoppable. To say that there is anything new here or any kind of left turn
would be inaccurate. It is Black Tusk, more of the same; heads down and flat
out. The new era of Black Tusk should be celebrated as the band have
chosen to push forwards after a most horrendous event. Their life force refuses
to be dimmed, and this record is a shining example of grace under pressure and
as fine a statement of intent as you will find.
05).
Abbath – “Abbath” (471)
Abbath
remains a creature of two minds, willing to both sprint and pace himself for a
marathon, and he continues to produce at a top-tier level, whichever mode he’s
in. Because of the long wait between this album and the last Immortal album,
having new material from Abbath felt like an event, before I’d even heard a
note. This album lives up to that anticipation, provided you weren’t
anticipating “Pure Holocaust: Part II”, or something wildly different from the
albums he’s released over the last fifteen years.
04).
Primitve Man/Sea Bastard
– “Primitive Man/SeaBastard” (644)
“Cold
Resolve” is Primitive Man’s finest hour to date. Maintaining a suitably
crushing tempo throughout its lengthy duration, it’s an intoxicating slab of
misery reminiscent of a more aggressive Unearthly Trance or Iron
Lung slowed down to 3 rpm. Sea Bastard have a knack for constructing
huge tracks that flow seamlessly from one section to the next and remain
engaging throughout. “The Hermit” is another killer cut from a great band who
grow stronger with every release. This split is a fine way to kick
off 2016, two great bands at the top of their game delivering the goods once
more and leaving fans eagerly awaiting their next releases.
03).
Borknagar – “Darkness Drips Forth” (932)
Even
though ‘Winter Thrice’ is firmly rooted in the present sound, I’d strongly
argue that this is the best iteration of their established prog rock-obsessed
extreme metal sound to date. The songwriting is the strongest it’s been since
‘Empiricism’, and the album sounds absolutely fantastic from a production
standpoint. Vintersorg should also be commended for turning in his best vocal
performance to date, which comes from someone who has been a diehard ICS Vortex
devotee when it comes to Borknagar’s vocalists. It helps that the music behind
him lends itself to his strengths, driven by big, ringing chords and some
delicious guitar leads.
02).
Conan – “Revengeance” (1241)
The
song 'Every Man Is An Enemy' has one of the most metal sounding titles I've
ever heard and the violent intentions inherent in the brooding, bruising riffs
put the bands money where its snarling mouth is. 'Earthenguard', the final
track of the 6 on offer, is a song so heavy it has its own gravitational pull.
Its 12 minutes of neanderthalic doom which also swims and swirls thanks to the
phased guitars. It's an odyssey, a massive trek through mountainous chops and
pounding beats that are designed to systematically cave your head in. Have
Conan outdone themselves? Quite possibly.
01).
Megadeth – “Dystopia” (5035)
This
line-up has introduced itself with a battering ram of thrash utopia; the riffs,
the fury and the sizzling lead playing present here stands toe-to-toe with the
bands best 21st century output. It’s a record which
accentuates the bands relevancy in 2016. Masters of their trade just listen to
‘Lying In State’ and tell me they can’t smash shit up with the best of them.
They continue to release music and make the effort to give more content for
their fans to consume. Not many other bands their age can say that.
This
list features reviews by, Chris Bull, Philip Weller,
Richard Maw, Daniel Jackson, Dan Caycedo, Charlie Butler, Richard Jaspering,
Victor Van Ommen
