666 PACK REVIEW: The Best of the "666 PACK REVIEW" 2019

By: Nikos Mixas

If you’ve been paying attention, the 666 Pack Review is an abbreviated review column mostly focused on very new bands or bands that have submitted demo material to THE SLUDGELORD.  The basic premise is that 6 bands are critiqued using only 6 words and on a scale from 1 to 666.  What you see below is the best of the year 2019 for the “666 Pack Review”.  There were 8 bands that received the highest of ratings so please go show them some love by revisiting their music and their web pages.  We at THE SLUDGELORD hope great things come to them.  Congrats and hails to those bands that made the list!  May 2020 be sludgier and heavier!

January – There were two 666’s! (Does that make it 1332 or 121212?)

ILS “Pain Don’t Hurt” (Portland, U.S.A.)

This band won the Portland trophy. 

Yuxa “Yuxa” (Brighton, United Kingdom) 

If Godflesh kicked the industrial habit…

February

Seed of the Sorcerer, Womb of the Witch “Spell Book I: Ceridwen” (Denver, U.S.A.)

Guitar tone alone worth the 666!  

April

Mireplaner “A Mountain of Saola Hooves” (Finland)

Guaranteed to cardiac arrest old people.

May

Inhuman Nature “Inhuman Nature” (London, United Kingdom)

Sexy thrash ala the Bay Area!

August

Old Horn Tooth “From The Ghost Grey Depths” (London, U.K.)

God-doom fucking-tastic start to the month!

September

MUNT “Towards Extinction” (Melbourne, Australia)

Fucking hate on the barbie mate!

October

Adliga “Kali Paćjače Njeba” (Minsk, Belarus) 

Belarus for the win!  Отлично comrades!

6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD's "666 Pack Review" (August 2019)

By: Nikos Mixas

 

Here’s the August edition of THE SLUDGELORD’s “666 Pack Review”.  What happened to July’s?  Fuck July, it’s in the rearview mirror now.  Yours truly was attending both Brutal Assault and Psycho Las Vegas during August so deal with it.  Most of you probably didn’t even notice anyways.  So, if you’re new to this, each 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 our no one cares themed rating scale below: 

1 – No one cares!  At all!!!  

2 – Only your friends will pay attention to this nonsense. 

3 – Only 5 out of 10 listeners will care…

4 – I think you’ll get some of your Bandcamp followers to care. 

5 – I actually care about this, that’s saying a lot for this column. 

666 – THE SLUDGELORD cares so much that you’re getting a perfect rating.  This is definitely rare and something to be proud of.   

Caveat:  Even though the “666 Pack Review” is meant to offer humorous critique, there are no safe spaces here and your gripes will only make you sound like a bellyacher.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

 

1). Old Horn Tooth “From The Ghost Grey Depths” (London, U.K.)    Rating: 666!

God-doom fucking-tastic start to the month!

2). Phantom Hymn “A Story of Days to Come” (Portland, OR, U.S.A.)   Rating: 4

Not really Sludgelord-y, but good nonetheless.  

3). Stonekind “EP” (Winston Salem, NC, U.S.A.)    Rating: 4

Desert grooves matched with scorching vocals.

4). MAIRU “The Sacred Dissonance” (Liverpool, U.K.)   Rating: 5

Fine example of instrumental doom working

5). The Lightness of Being “Stay” (single track) (London, U.K.)   Rating: 5

Deftones comparisons aren’t a reach here.  

6). Sleeping Giant “Sleeping Giant” (Bendigo, Australia) Rating: 4

Australian stoners out smoke Christian version…

Bandcamp: Old Horn Tooth || Stonekind || Mairu || The Lightness of Being || Sleeping Giant