ALBUM REVIEW: Vile Creature, "Cast of Static and Smoke"

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 7/3/2017

Label: Halo of Flies |

Dry Cough Records

On ‘Cast of Static and Smoke’, Vile Creature have given us not just a fantastic piece of music, but a truly immersive experience. It’s an experience I encourage you all to let yourself get lost in it, in hopes that you’ll find the journey as rewarding as I have.

‘Cast of Static and Smoke’ CS//LP//DD track listing:

1. Water, Tinted Gold & Tainted Copper

2. Circuits, Bending & Breaking

3. Forest, Subsists as a Tomb

4. Sky, In Descending Pieces

The Review:

I’ve dreaded the prospect of writing about this album from some time now. Not because it isn’t great (it is), but because I feel so woefully under-qualified to write about it. From a purely musical or performance-centric standpoint; the album is very easy to process. ‘Cast of Static and Smoke’ is a gruelling, caustic doom metal album. Its ringing and corrosive chords and thunderous, colossal drumming speak loudly and clearly on its own. But there’s so much more going on that informs and influences the music, and that’s where I know this review will come up short.

In broad strokes, ‘Cast of Static and Smoke’ is an album about sentient machines undertaking an arduous journey through a decimated wasteland in the hopes of exploring the new freedom given to them after an unlikely twist of fate. Of course, there’s a lot more going on within the story, particularly as it relates to how each machine responds to their new freedom, and in turn how their actions speak to the way we as human beings respond to strife, or how we treat people in oppressed groups. But again, there are many better, smarter people writing about the concept behind the album, and can write about these topics in ways I’m simply not talented enough to manage.

‘Cast of Static and Smoke’ is as fully realized a doom album as you’ll hear this year. There’s an outstanding amount of effort that went into the album’s story, written by KW and Vic themselves and edited by Ed Blair and Jack Solar, and also including narration and an audiobook presentation of the story from Erin Severson of sludge band Former Worlds. Everything from the album cover to the illustrations accenting the short story come courtesy of brilliant artist Stephen Wilson of Unknown Relic. There’s plenty to digest before you even press play.

Then there’s the music, which is as emotionally wrenching and unflinchingly earnest as doom and sludge metal can be. Every downbeat feels like forward momentum, though it’s painfully earned. Each chord or plucked note feels like it was drenched in filth and misery and smashed into the pickups of KW’s guitar. Vic’s commanding performance behind the drum kit devastates, with each strike unloading some extra burden, each beat choice feeling carefully considered and tailored to everything it supports. Even the album’s closing riff, carrying something of a more final and triumphant tune as it fades away; it still bears the damage of the machines’ journey with it. Acrid, layered howls sing us into oblivion like a demonic greek chorus and we’re left to reflect on all that Vile Creature have left us to consider.

On ‘Cast of Static and Smoke’, Vile Creature have given us not just a fantastic piece of music, but a truly immersive experience. It’s an experience I encourage you all to let yourself get lost in it, in hopes that you’ll find the journey as rewarding as I have.

You can pick up a digital or LP copy in North America here. In the UK/Europe, you can find it here.

Band info: Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Northless - "Last Bastion of Cowardice"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/11/2017

Label: Gilead Media |

Halo of Flies

Northless’ chemistry has gotten better, and the compositions are much more rich and the effect is nothing less than absolutely crushing.  If you enjoy intelligent sludge, "Last Bastion of Cowardice" is for you.

 

"The Last Bastion of Cowardice" CD//DD//DLP track listing

1. The Origin Of Flames

2. Godsend

3. The Devil In Exile

4. Slave To A Scorched Earth

5. Their Blood Was Always Mine

6. Never Turn Your Back On The Dead

7. Extinction Verse

8. Last Bastion of Cowardice

9. Our Place In The Dirt

10. Rotting Days

The Review:

The National Alliance on Mental Illness notes that one in five adults in the United States experiences mental illness in a given year, while one in 25 will experience a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. We've seen these issues played out again and again on the national stage, often in the form of violence. However, tragedies are only the hint at a much more widespread problem.

Now 10 years into its career, Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Northless has continually captured hopelessness in its blackened, noisy sludge. Their 2011 album "Clandestine Abuse," 2013's "World Keeps Sinking" and the 2016 EP "Cold Migration" gave fans intense, personal and heavy music. Their new album, "Last Bastion of Cowardice," delves headlong into a much darker place, telling the story of a person who discovers the futility of violence.

In his day job as a social worker, guitarist/vocalist Erik Stenglein mentioned in recent interviews the scope of mental illness he sees on a daily basis. Human suffering an institutional lack of empathy and neglect for people's most basic needs are all far more significant than you might imagine. His experience, combined with today's headlines, offer a poignant backdrop to what is, even stripped down of concept, a savage return for Northless.

Fans of Northless' work will take in its first one-third of the album with a lot of satisfaction. Drummer John Gleisner and bassist Jerry Hauppa concoct a sinister foundation for those first three songs. "The Origin of Flames" opens festivities with a tremendous noise rock/post-punk influence that enhances the sludge base of the quartet. "Godsend" slows the rhythm down as Stenglein's mammoth vocals take center stage. This cut also lets you appreciate Nicholas Elert's guitar riffs and his overall contribution to the band. As you reach "The Devil In Exile," which brings back in a bit more of the post-punk and even hardcore edge to the band, longtime listeners will appreciate the maturation process for Northless. The group's chemistry has gotten better, and the compositions are still more rich. Oh yeah, and the effect is nothing less than absolutely crushing.

Furthermore "Last Bastion of Cowardice" is effective because it weaves stories that are at once topical and still not crack-you-over-the-head political. No shots at bands who can make political music; 2017 has seen many exemplary songs that are socially conscious. Northless just happens to be the strongest at creating a mood and presenting songwriting that everyone can relate to in many a fashion. Without spoiling more of the story, Stenglein and company are faithful to telling their story through the tracks. "Their Blood Was Always Mine" is tightly wound lyrically. If you enjoy intelligent sludge, "Last Bastion of Cowardice" is for you.

"The Last Bastion of Cowardice" is available here and here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Cloud Rat/Disrotted - "Split LP"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Split 12”

Date Released: 02/06/2017

Label: Dry Cough Records |

Halo of Flies

This is an awe-inspiring release from two incredible bands who can seemingly do no wrong at the moment and continue to deliver an embarrassment of heavy riches in 2017.

"Clout Rat/Disrotted" Split DD//LP track listing:

1). Cloud Rat – “Holding the Picture”

2). Disrotted – “Disrotted”

The Review:

Cloud Rat and Disrotted continue their intense 2017 release schedules with a killer split LP of contrasting styles. This split has come into being due to the strong bond between the two bands and while it may seem a strange stylistic pairing in theory it works a treat in practice.

Michigan’s Cloud Rat depart from their usual format of short, sharp bursts of mayhem and deliver one eighteen minute monster. “Holding The Picture” begins in familiar territory, a whirlwind blur of chaotic screamo and relentless grindcore. The volume soon dips and the tempo decreases as the track develops into a slow-burning epic that smoulders with restrained power. This more melodic approach recalls Converge’s calmer moments delivered against a barren dustbowl backdrop reminiscent of Earth. It is a breathtaking achievement to create a beast of such sublime complexity and weighty emotional impact from the band’s minimal set-up of vocals, drums and guitar augmented only by occasional piano. This may not be Cloud Rat at their heaviest but they ably demonstrate that they lose none of their intensity and impact when they push their sound into quieter and more experimental realms.

Disrotted’s contribution to this split is twenty three minutes of slow-motion terror entitled “Disrotted”.  The Chicago trio deal in a potent blend of Burning Witch / Monarch! style drone doom that creates maximum impact from minimal motion. Once the band launch into their sluggish, broken groove of feedback-drenched riffs and primal drums there is no escape from its dark density. The passage of time becomes irrelevant as they subject the listener to an experience that is crushingly bleak yet strangely soothing.

This is an awe-inspiring release from two incredible bands who can seemingly do no wrong at the moment and continue to deliver an embarrassment of heavy riches in 2017.

“Cloud Rat/Distrotted” is available here (UK/Europe) & (US/ROW) here

Band info: Cloud Rat || Disrotted

REVIEW: "Moloch/Disrotted" & "Cloud Rat/Moloch" (Splits)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Splits

Date Released: 10/05/2017 |10/04/2017

Labels: Feast of Tentacles |

Halo of Flies

“Disrotted/Molch Split 7”//DD track listing:

1). Disrotted – “Deliquium”

2). Moloch – “Fleshwound”

“Cloud Rat/Moloch Split 12”//DD track listing:

1). Clout Rat – “Sueno”

2). Cloud Rat – “Perdiak”

3). Cloud Rat – “Stench”

4). Cloud Rat – “Baby Sling (Balloon Born)”

5). Cloud Rat – “Biting the Air”

6). Cloud Rat – “Pit”

7). Cloud Rat – “Amber Flush”

8). Moloch – “The Ninth Wave/Bloody North”

9). Moloch – “Lead”

The Review:

2017 looks set to be an amazing year for Moloch. The Nottingham sludge dealers will be spreading their crushing misery across the US in support of Thou in the summer and are about to unleash a cavalcade of new releases. The first two waves in this attack are a couple of mighty splits; an LP with Michigan grind/punk whirlwind Cloud Rat and a 7” with funereal Chicago doomers Disrotted.

I’ve been hungry for more Moloch since their great 2016 split LP with Lich. The new material on offer across these two new records more than lives up to my expectations and sees the band take their sickening racket to new levels of extremity.

“The Ninth Wave / Bloody North” opens the Moloch side of the Cloud Rat split with twelve minutes of unrelenting terror. It begins with lumbering stop/start riffs and harrowing howls that establish a mood of all-encompassing dread from the very first second. The track degenerates further into a bottomless pit of despair, like a mix of Eyehategod and early Swans filtered through a grimy noise rock lens. Just when you think this treacly crawl could not get any more unpleasant, the track drops down to a lone dirty bass and screeching feedback which acts a backdrop for a harrowing sample of indecipherable barked threats and desperate tears. It’s unlikely you will hear a more distressing and powerful track this year.

“Lead” offers some relative respite from this onslaught but still consists of repetitive bludgeoning riffs. It sees Moloch expanding their sonic horizons to take in some unhinged lead guitar squalls and more expansive sounds that bring a hint of black metal to the pounding finale.

The band’s contribution to the split 7” with Disrotted is the most direct of these new tracks. Relatively perky by Moloch’s standards, it’s a hard-riffing no-nonsense sludge assault but still mired in a swamp of feedback and filth.

Moloch’s offerings on these splits see them raise their already impressive game, making them the ones to beat when it comes to ugly, messy, noise-riddled doom. My ears and soul should have recovered from the carnage inflicted by these new songs just in time to enjoy their imminent new LP.

The best part of split releases is getting introduced to killer new bands and Moloch have teamed up with first class partners here.  Disrotted contribute seven minutes of slow motion punishment to their split 7”. The band’s brand of Burning Witch-style torment is a good foil for Moloch’s more aggressive approach, unleashing molasses-thick waves of doom that wash over the listener to create a dense, hypnotic wall of sound. Once you’ve entered the dark cloud of Disrotted’s aural domain, it’s hard to pull yourself free.

Cloud Rat’s ever-shifting blend of high octane grind, crust and hardcore punk is completely captivating and a brilliant contrast to Moloch’s drudgery. “Sueno” kicks things off with a pummelling intro riff that blurs into chaotic screamo mayhem while “Baby Sling / Balloon Born” introduces some spidery, discordant guitar lines that shift into furious d-beat sections that recall the fury of the much-missed Hammers. Every track here is loaded with twists and turns that strike the right balance between complexity and no-nonsense rock fury that results in an addictive blast of cathartic fury. The hints of keyboards throughout these tracks culminate in the glorious curveball of closing track “Amber Fury”. A brooding piece of post-punk synthcore it sounds like Cold Cave being played through a broken radio. The fuzzy lo-fi production only adds to its haunting quality. Somehow this complete change of sound sits perfectly beside the chaos that precedes it and within the split LP as a whole. It demonstrates that Cloud Rat are an amazing band who could turn their hand to pretty much any genre and produce gold.

Overall, these two splits are both essential purchases that showcase three incredible underground bands. Buy now.

“Disrotted/Moloch” is available here and “Cloud Rat/Moloch” is available here and USA

Band info: Moloch Facebook || Disrotted Facebook || Clout Rat Facebook

Rorcal - "Creon" (Album Review)

By: Chris Bull


Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 25/03/2016
Label: Halo of Flies |
Unquiet Records | Lost Pilgrim Records |
Bleak Recordings | Division Records

'Πολυνείκης' leads the way with its jagged, maelstrom of a riff, 'Ἀντιγόνη' washes over you with its 'Criminally Insane' like drum intro. Blast beats are plentiful as the hellfire riffs spew lava in every direction. The intro of 'Αἵμων' draws you in with its brooding, darkness before it rages violently into oblivion with nods to the older gods and 'Εὐρυδίκη' phlegmatic in its delivery, is a chunk of pure bludgeoning darkness.  This record is that good, I'm willing to go out on a limb and call it an album of the year contender. Much like the Hivelords last year; Rorcal have pushed their own envelope further and further into the realms of possibility and although they may dwell in darkness, the future is bright.

“Creon” CD//DD//LP track  listing:

1). 'Πολυνείκης'

2). 'Ἀντιγόνη'

3). 'Αἵμων'

4). 'Εὐρυδίκη'

The Review:

'Creon' is the newest album from Swiss post black/sludge outfit Rorcal and is indicative of the violent, evil forces of Mother Nature. Each element combines to form a torrent of acrid, yet melodic sound.

'Πολυνείκης' leads the way with its jagged, maelstrom of a riff. It slowly builds through a resplendent cacophony, complete with stabbing cymbals and hypnotic guitar layers into Altar Of Plagues like pummelling. The barrage continues with plenty of subtle nuances but without rest. You're already consumed by the tidal pull and gasping for air by the time 'Ἀντιγόνη' washes over you with its 'Criminally Insane' like drum intro. This time, the build up is short; Yonni's vocals churn in the blackened waves. Some Norwegian Second Wave riffs bare their teeth for a few moments among the intelligent song crafting. The song dissipates into some melancholic shredding, destroying its structure before rebuilding into a furious storm.

The intro of 'Αἵμων' draws you in with its brooding, darkness before it rages violently into oblivion with nods to the older gods. The intro riff is once again the jumping off point for the song as it takes a slightly more frantic turn. Blast beats are plentiful as the hellfire riffs spew lava in every direction and nearing the song's end, the notes are left to cling to the smog filled air. 'Εὐρυδίκη' phlegmatic in its delivery, is a chunk of pure bludgeoning darkness. Something inherently nefarious lurks beneath the intricate melodies and machine gun drumming, almost as if something has forced their hands. By the time the track's twelve plus minutes have elapsed, you will feel like Pliny the younger, surveying the city of Pompeii after Mount Vesuvius erupted.

This record is that good, I'm willing to go out on a limb and call it an album of the year contender. Much like the Hivelords last year; Rorcal have pushed their own envelope further and further into the realms of possibility and although they may dwell in darkness, the future is bright.

“Creon” is available here

Band info: facebook

Primitive Man/Northless - "Primitive Man/Northless" Split LP (Review)

By: Hunter Young

Album Type: Split LP

Date Released: 04/03/2016

Label: Halo of Flies

Dirty like water from a flophouse drain. Like your sludge blackened and charred? Here you go guy. Revel in this muck. Choke on its abrasive grit, and let it close about you head. Let it absorb you.

“Primitive Man/Northless” DD//LP track listing:

1). Primitive Man – “Empty Husk”

2). Northless – “Deleted Heaetstrings”

3). Northless – “The 10,000 Year Wound”

4). Northless – “Wasted Breathe”

The Review

From the moment you hit play, you are now in their territory and Primitive Man opens with the thudding “Empty Husk”, running at 15 minutes, it could be a 7" by itself. It drags an axe behind it, slowly, inexorably chasing you to the ground, as you hear and see the sparks from the concrete shower from the weapon they wield. Bands of this caliber usually thunder, or bludgeon the listener, but PM simply brings a rasp and some time, to wear away, patiently, the walls of your mind. They have one of the most hideously discordant sounds I am aware of, but it just rolls so naturally, like a blanket made of distortion, all the while bloody clowns beat you with the drums. Vocally, it’s just a tormented soul wailing with a throat filled with viscous liquid, telling you everything you've ever done wrong. They have crafted one of the bleakest standalone tracks ever, and it's both wondrous and frightening as to how good it feels....

In more logical words, they play with zero upbeat energy. It is completely scathing, a bleak opus to the missing part inside us all. The guitar tones alone have no give, they simply pull tight as steel cable around your lungs, and pull taught, while the rhythmic portion simply crashes into you, just as hard as if you were standing right in front of the kit. They play very physically on this track, and let their vocalist, for this could never be in the same hemisphere as actual singing, simply put a torch to your expectations. It's literally the same hopeless feeling that you have when you see something crashing at you, unstoppable, and unrelenting. It's a truly crushing track.

Northless give none at all, after the crawl through barbed wire that PM give you, with 3 tracks coming at you faster and just as heavy. A much angrier sound, instead of a forlorn howl, Northless unleash a very punked up sludge sound, with a clearer delivery musically. They simply come at you with a hammer, and a metric ton of energy, giving you a long and deep earful of pure, spiteful aggression. They have that lovely crunch in a typically progressive sound, with tons of bends and chords. It's a delightfully constructive chaos to the ear. It's the jangle of a mob getting ready to break pretty much everything at hand, and getting really excited for it.

Northless are a bit like a slower, methodical Brutal Truth or Napalm Death, and I really like their attack in three parts, “Deleted Heartstrings”, “The 10,000 Year Wound”, and “Wasted Breath”. It comes at you fast, pounding as the uniform steps of a conquering army would; heavy, without pause, and simply heralding the end. Northless will grind you into dust and leave you to smoulder where you fall. 

This split has you choose between the abyss and the spears at your back, and you will love either death you choose first. 

 “Primitive Man/Northless” is available here

Band info: Primtive Man || Northless

Cloud Rat - ‘Qliphoth’ (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/05/2015

Label: Halo of Flies

‘Qliphoth’ LP//DD track listing:

1. Seken

2. Botched

3. The Upper World

4. Raccoon

5. Daisies

6. Bloated Goat

7. Rusting Belt

8. Udder Dust

9. The Killing Horizon

10. The Boar’s Snout

11. Hermit Interstice

12.  Live Wake

13. Thin Vein

14. Bolt Gun

15. Rouge Park

16. Friend Of The Court

17. Chrysalis

Cloud Rat is:

Adrian | Drums

Brandon | Electronics

Madison | Vocals

Rorik | Guitar

Review:

‘Qliphoth' is a very different album. Not just in that it blends genre elements you don’t often hear together in one place, but it’s also moving in a way that a lot of albums aren’t capable of. Even stranger still, its ability to affect a listener doesn’t require knowing what Madison’s words are. All you have to hear is the pain and the urgency in the utterly harrowing screams on display over the course of the album. When paired with the gut-wrenching, miserable musical performances offered throughout ‘Qliphoth’ as well, your day is bound to be irrevocably altered. That’s not to say that getting some context and insight into the album wouldn’t enhance the experience. It absolutely does (to that end I recommend Kim Kelly’s excellent interview with Madison here). But the aural devastation on its own, stripped completely of any and all context, is more powerful than just about anything you’re likely to hear this year.

‘Seken’ sets the album in motion with a bit of misdirection, sounding dreamy and full of hope. The droning guitar part feels cozy, Madison’s voice is pleasant, and the overall vibe is similar to the feeling you get from some warm, nostalgic summer memory. The moment is fleeting, though. You’re viciously ripped away from it and thrown straight into the maelstrom and given precious few moments of respite from then on. The album shifts from unmerciful and chaotic grindcore and powerviolence to lunging hardcore to unhurried, layered, and saturated noise rock. It all flows nicely for as seemingly disparate as these styles might sound on paper. It’s that same unpredictability that makes ‘Qliphoth’such a captivating listen for the entirety of the album’s forty minutes; a demanding run-time for a grindcore album, especially one this emotionally intense. The peaks and valleys of the album, both in terms of speed and intensity, never feel forced, for the sake of an album with variety. Each musical pivot feels necessary, for the sake of listener and performer alike.

‘Qliphoth’

kept me at arm’s length on the first couple of listens. Even for a grizzled metal veteran such as myself, who listens to Napalm Death, Nasum, Pig Destroyer and Wormrot among many other grind bands regularly, this took a period of adjustment. This also takes into account how much I listened to the previous album ‘Moksha’. While ‘Moksha’ has much of the same cathartic savagery,

‘Qliphoth’ is caustic in a way its predecessor is not. Certainly, there are parts that are catchy and instantly memorable, but in no way is this album an easy listen. If you’re like me, you’ll find the extra effort immensely rewarding.

Words by: Daniel Jackson

You can pick up a digital copy here and a CD/LP copy here.

For more information:

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