The Sludgelord Exclusive Premiere: GOD MOTHER | ARTEMIS Split 7"

By: Aaron Pickford

Fans of Black Flag, Converge, The Melvins, Gaza, Rotten Sound rejoice, because on the 16 June, a blistering new release will hit the streets.  Coming at you like a disgruntled vigilante, God Mother, strive to create the heaviest and best noise possible, unleashing 3 lacerating cuts on this new release, leaving listeners broken, following their sudden and instanteous assault to your senses. 

The second perpetrator, on this tag team assault, come armed, brandishing grinding axes. grimy bass lines, pummelling drum beats. Artemis trade in chaotic hardcore, an unrefined and energetic cacophony underpinned with off-kilter fury, showcasing a counter attack the likes of which Converge, The Chariot, The Dillinger Escape Plan, are known for.   Released on limited edition vinyl, this seven inch is resolutely and ashamedly furious.  So sit back and check out this fanastic split in full below. Order your copy via Wooaaargh Records  here

GOD MOTHER | ARTEMIS Split 7" track listing:

1). GOD MOTHER - Between Voids (02:13)

2). GOD MOTHER - Loss (02:34)

3). GOD MOTHER - Passa Dig (01:37)

4). ARTEMIS - Nonentity (02:33)

5). ARTEMIS - Absentees (02:17)

Anion - "Fractions of Failure" EP (Review)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 20/05/2016

Label: No List Records

Huge riffs rain down on the listener from all angles, channelling the finest moments of the Hydra Head back catalogue and delivered with the venom of Gaza. The band occasionally pause for breath to allow their spacier side to dominate but these interludes provide brief respite before they lurch back into high gear, a perfect balance of crushing groove and mathematical complexity.

“Fractions of Failure” DD//LP track listing:

1). Gods Day Off

2). Old Wounds

3). The Widower

4). Work Ethic

The Review:

“Fractions of Failure” is the first release since 2013 from Vancouver bruisers Anion. The band have been in existence since 2010 and I’m kicking myself that it’s taken me this long to sample their compelling brand of noise.

From the filthy bass riff that opens “God’s Day Off” to the ear-ringing finale of “Work Ethic”, Anion launch a relentless assault on the senses. Huge riffs rain down on the listener from all angles, channelling the finest moments of the Hydra Head back catalogue and delivered with the venom of Gaza. The band occasionally pause for breath to allow their spacier side to dominate but these interludes provide brief respite before they lurch back into high gear, a perfect balance of crushing groove and mathematical complexity.

This EP marks the debut of vocalist Sean Bouchard and drummer Tristan Helgason, both of whom make a seismic impact here. Bouchard’s aggressive bark lends a paint-stripping intensity to these tracks while Helgason’s frantic work behind the kit provides the solid foundation for the band’s punishing onslaught. The breakneck “Old Wounds” particularly benefits from some stellar drumming. The track edges toward grindcore but dirty noise rock undertones make it a stranger beast, reminiscent of Cult Leader at their most furious.

“Fractions of Failure” is an addictive blast that demands you to press play again before the dust can settle. Hopefully there’s more to come from Anion soon as these four tracks are an enticing glimpse at their powerful potential.  

“Fraction of Failure” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Imbroglio - "For What It's Worth" (Album Review)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/09/2015

Label: Independent

“Vulnerable State” shudders into life with some satisfyingly languid blown-out sludge before Imbroglio really go for the throat. Combining the mathematical complexity of Botch with the unbridled aggression of Gaza, the band launch into an assault that is equal parts smart and savage. Imbroglio hone this combination to perfection over the majority of this release, adding in touches of the broken-glass sharpness of Coalesce for extra impact.  This is easily one of the finest heavy releases of the year so I strongly suggest you download now and give generously.

“For What It’s Worth” DD track listing:

1). Vulnerable State

2). Aftershock

3). Internal Altercation

4). Kintsugi

5). Prohibitive Lessons

6). Snake Charmer

7). Suppressed Repetition

8).  Haunting Cessation

The Review:

Dayton, Ohio’s Imbroglio does not appear to have had the easiest of rides in recent times. The making of new album “For What It’s Worth” seems to have been drawn out by line-up changes and van issues amongst other things. Now this beast has been released into the world, it sounds like all of the band’s hard work has been more than worth it.

“Vulnerable State” shudders into life with some satisfyingly languid blown-out sludge before Imbroglio really go for the throat. Combining the mathematical complexity of Botch with the unbridled aggression of Gaza, the band launch into an assault that is equal parts smart and savage. Imbroglio hone this combination to perfection over the majority of this release, adding in touches of the broken-glass sharpness of Coalesce for extra impact. “Internal Alteration” offers the best distillation of everything that makes this album great, kicking off with a devastating riff that will burrow into your brain and take permanent residence.

Although a full half hour of face-rippers like the brief “Suppressed Repetition” would be fine with me, Imbroglio throw in some changes of mood to great effect. “Prohibitive Lessons” begins in slow, brooding fashion before settling into some dark riffing reminiscent of Pelican at their best while “Snake Charmer” begins as a gently psychedelic instrumental before dialling the distortion back up for a punishing climax.

Currently “For What It’s Worth” is only available via bandcamp on a pay what you like basis. This is easily one of the finest heavy releases of the year so I strongly suggest you download now and give generously. Imbroglio’s future as an active live band is currently in doubt, as is any physical release of this album, so any encouragement to get them back in action and help them gain the attention they deserve is fully worthwhile.

“For What It’s Worth” is available here

FFO: Gaza, Coalesce, Botch, Pelican

Cult Leader - 'Lightless Walk' (Album Review)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 16/10/2015

Label: Deathwish Inc

Cult Leader have created a monster here, a perfect combination of brains and brutality. There’s enough going on to suggest that “Lightless Walk” is just the start of an intriguing journey to the outer limits of heavy music.

‘Lightless Walk’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. Great I Am
02. The Sorrower
03. Sympathetic
04. Suffer Louder
05. Broken Blades
06. A Good Life
07. Walking Wastelands
08. Gutter Gods
09. Hate Offering
10. How Deep It Runs
11. Lightless Walk

Cult Leader is:

Michael Mason | Guitar
Casey Hansen | Drums
Anthony Lucero | Vocals
Sam Richards | Bass

The Review:

Once the cavernous thud and gut churning chords heralding the arrival of opener “Great I Am” have drawn your attention, there’s no escaping the dark gravity of Cult Leader’s sonic barrage. ”Lightless Walk” is the debut full length from this Salt Lake City quartet who count three former members of the fearsome Gaza in their ranks. The naked aggression of their past work remains intact here but the band is now pushing their art further into uncharted territory with spellbinding results. Once this beast has been let loose into the world, interest in previous band associations will soon crumble to dust.

Cult Leader combine furious grind, crusty hardcore, punk grit and the widescreen atmospherics of black metal to devastating effect. The majority of the tracks here are a dizzying breakneck assault on the senses, sounding like a psychedelic Trap Them or Converge set in concrete and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Tracks like “Walking Wasteland” and “Sympathetic” manage to cover more musical ground during their brief duration than most bands do in an album at no detriment to cohesion. The finale of the latter particularly showcases the powerhouse drumming of Casey Hansen, a key factor in the success of this record. While the guitar and bass lock into a punishing one chord groove, the drums become the lead instrument, weaving around the riff and slipping in and out of the beat in sublime fashion. They provide furious velocity when needed throughout the album but demonstrate exquisite control when the tempo drops.

“A Good Life” and “How Deep It Runs” show that Cult Leader can slow things down and apply restraint with no impact on quality or intensity. Both tracks have a hint of the spaced-out post metal of Cult of Luna and provide real depth to this album.

“Lightless Walk” concludes with the monumental title track. Whilst this is the quietest track here in terms of volume it is definitely the heaviest in terms of emotional damage. The band craft a bleak funeral march worthy of the titular final voyage into the beyond, with Anthony Lucero’s low half-sung, half spoken vocals providing the haunting details. Lucero’s ferocious harsh vocals are the perfect accompaniment to brutal chaos, but when he employs his clean baritone here and on “A Good Life” it leads to something unique. As the vocals fade away, the music becomes slower and sparser, evoking an air of weary resignation reminiscent of slowcore heroes Codeine. 

Cult Leader have created a monster here, a perfect combination of brains and brutality. There’s enough going on to suggest that “Lightless Walk” is just the start of an intriguing journey to the outer limits of heavy music.

‘Lightless Walk’ is available here

FFO: Converge, Gaza, Swans, Trap Them

Band info: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Cult Leader - Nothing For Us Here - EP (Review)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 15/4/2014

Label: Deathwish Inc.

Cult Leader – ‘Nothing For Us Here’ CD/DD/LP track listing:

1). God’s Lonely Children 01:39

2). Flightless Birds 02:19

3). Mongrel 02:37

4). The Indoctrinator’s Deathbed 02:10

5). Skincrawler 02:53

6). Driftwood 06:06

Bio:

Cult Leader are the next evolutionary leap forward for three-quarters of Gaza, arguably one of the best metallic bands of the last decade. After the early 2013 dissolution of the aforementioned band, remaining members Michael Mason, Casey Hansen, and Anthony Lucero were joined by bassist Sam Richards to form this brand new beast.

"Nothing For Us Here" is a complex crusher as you would expect. Brilliantly heavy, technical musicianship complimented by Anthony Lucero's new found brutal vocal delivery (previously he played bass in Gaza). All of it coming together as an unconventional tangle of metal/hardcore/punk wreckage. Proving that even in their primordial state, Cult Leader are capable of standing as contemporaries Converge and Coalesce as new monsters of the aggressive music genre.

The Band:

Michael Mason

Casey Hanson

Anthony Lucero

Sam Richards

Review:

Utah’s Cult Leader have been hurled at me like a flurry of sludge-tipped arrows on a defenceless hippy encampment.  Formerly known as Gaza, Cult Leader have had to reshuffle their line-up and have, like all the best warriors, gotten back up and re-entered the fray.  With new album ‘Nothing for Us Here’, this quartet have created something which is dark, riveting, and scary as hell.  No wonder the first time I listened to it, it felt like a sneak attack of sound… but when you’ve re-armed and readied yourself for another metal attack from this album, it will reward you with a magnificent sludge-bellowing battle that will leave your ears ringing and your pulse pounding. 

If you were to cut any one of these four gents, I’m finding it difficult to believe that blood would pour from them.  Actually, I think it’d be much more plausible that feedback would instead gush forth from their veins, they are so at one with it.  Their sound is a grinding, slithering mass of anger: part Slipknot, part EyeHateGod, all aggression, these six tracks are an outpouring of guttural emotion.  Anthony Lucero (formerly the bassist of Gaza) has stepped up to the plate as vocalist and hit a veritable home run with his brutish, wall-demolishing throat. 

‘The Indocrinator’s Deathbed’ is a primo example of Lucero’s banshee-shouts, coupled with Casey Hansen’s rollicking drums and the snarling, punch-drunk guitar and bass violence emanating from Mike Mason and Sam Richards respectively. 

With each track there’s this weird percussive vibe, almost as though Cult Leader are always just inches away from hitting something with their fists.  On album closer ‘Driftwood’ – the longest song by a fair margin – it sounds as though these guys have reached the end of their tethers and are smashing, breaking, crying out against the world.  It is a song of dark regret, a masterful blend of feedback, riffs and rage distilled into a fine, heady wine of noise. 

With its sinister, glowering opening riff and Lucero’s rasping statement of ‘I am a loyal dog’, ‘Mongrel’ pounces on you with ragged claws and a mouth full of rabies.  Mike Mason slinks around the fret board with a base cunning, each thumping note hitting you square in the chest with a bruising intent.  Of all the tracks on offer here, this is my favourite: for it’s simple, uncompromising march of a riff and its barking, wild lyrics.  Better put on a grimace and let ‘Mongrel’ sink its teeth into you. 

Cult Leader is a band that has been through some crap in the past, but has certainly put it behind them.  These guys are looking to the future, and ‘Nothing for Us Here’ is a big ‘fuck you’ to past bullshit and a big ‘fuck yeah’ to new horizons and new possibilities.  Become part of a brighter metal cause: follow Cult Leader.

Words by: Chris Markwell

You can get it here

For more information: 

http://deathwishinc.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-for-us-here

https://www.facebook.com/CultLeaderMusic