VIDEO PREMIERE: Herod deliver oppressive heaviness with "Fork Tongue"

Recently voted album of the week at THE SLUDGELORD for their forthcoming album “Sombre Dessein” Herod are a juggernaut of bulldozing riffs that represent the next evolutionary step for the band and will see the band attain the respect they deserve, as one of the foremost purveyors of oppressive face melting heaviness.   “Sombre Dessein” will released on 15th February via Pelagic Records and today to whet your appetite we’re premiering the video for the track “Fork Tongue” below and you can read the bands thoughts about the video too.  Crank up the volume and watch your speakers die!!

"When Michael Pilat (Vocal/gtr) and Pierre Carroz (founder/gtr) worked on the lyrics, they came up with a concept made out of ideas and punch lines Pierre had been collecting for a few months. At that time Pierre was reading the works of a French philosopher (Michel Onfray) who introduced him to the idea of the inescapable end of our civilization as a Greek tragedy. We all have studied the history of ancient civilizations that have collapsed at some point, but it is like we cannot face the idea that we might reach the end of our civilization that started about 2000 years ago. After brainstorming, they decided to build the lyrics with the concept of the rise & fall of a dictator, which is also a tip of the cap to King Herod. 

Design-wise, Pierre had the idea of the « Shipbreakers" when he saw the documentary "Freightened" (https://www.freightened.com) that talks about the cargo freight which ships 90% of what we consume in social, economic and environmentally disastrous conditions. 

The artwork and the video clip are made up from footage of “Shipbreakers”, people who dismantle huge container ships which end up mooring to die on Indian or Bangladeshi shores. HEROD create a strong musical and visual image of the abysses of the human consumption project, which turns out to be hell on earth for these people whose every day work involves constantly risking their lives to feed their families. And we’re all concerned.

The idea behind the lyrics is the acceptance of the situation, the confrontation of our denial and the quest of a certain « tragic wisdom » in order to find the light where it is.

While opening 35 shows for Carcass in 2015, we were delighted to see Sir William Steer playing every night. He’s such a inspiring and thrilling guitar player as well as an humble gentleman. During the recoding process we ask him to record a solo on « Fork Tongue » and we couldn’t believe he accepted.

Herod will also be touring Europe in March + April with The Ocean:

13/03 - DE, Stuttgart - Im Wizemann

14/03 - CH, Geneva - PTR/ L'Usine

15/03 - FR, Lyon - CCO

16/03 - FR, Toulouse - Rex

17/03 - FR, Marseilles - Les Pennes Mirabeau

18/03 - FR, Colmar - Le Grillen

19/03 - FR, Bethune - Le Poche

20/03 - UK, Birmingham - Mama Roux

21/03 - IR, Limerick - Dolan's Warehouse

22/03 - IR, Dublin - Voodoo Lounge

23/03 - UK, Glasgow - Audio

24/03 - UK, Leeds - Brudenell Social Club

25/03 - BE, Antwerp - Trix

26/03 - NL, Den Haag - Paard

27/03 - DE, Cologne - Club Volta

28/03 - DE, Leipzig - Werk 2

29/03 - PL, Poznan - U Bazyla

30/03 - DE, Bremen - Tower

31/03 - DE, Hamburg - Logo

02/04 - SE, Stockholm - Fryhuset, Klubben

03/04 - SE, Gothenburg - Tradgarn

06/04 - NO, Stavangar - Folken

07/04 - NO, Hamar - Gregers

08/04 - DK, Copenhagen - Vega

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: LLNN, "Deads"

By: Mark Ambrose


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/04/2018

Label: Pelagic Records

 

Whatever discomfort mounts when you listen to “Deads” there’s always a filthy, churning riff or shouted chorus to tug you back towards the joy of top notch music that will probably be blasting through your speakers for the next decade

 

“Deads” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Despots

2. Parallels

3. Armada

4. Civilizations

5. Appeaser

6. Deplete

7. Structures

8. Deads

 

The Review:

            

It was over a decade ago that I first listened to Deadguy’s “Fixation on a Coworker” – one of the most apt distillations of workday despair I’d ever encountered.  Nihilistic, acidic, indignant at the situation everyone grinding their lives away in corporate America, the sole full-length was already a decade old.  Yet with the 2008 financial crisis on the horizon, my time at college done, and my life consumed by a middling, frustrating job, it felt like it could have been created mere weeks before for an audience of one.   Listening now is both a nostalgic, infuriating experience, because it seems just as prescient over two decades from its inauspicious debut.  If anything, the only marker of “Fixation on a Coworker” that makes it the odd product of the pre-impeachment Clinton 90s is the personal, rather than global, politics of its running obsessions.  Yet no band had as succinctly captured capitalism-gone-haywire nightmares as Deadguy… at least until LLNN’s “Deads”.

A cinematic, ambient introduction sets up an auditory sucker punch from track 1, “Despots”.  Vocalist/guitarist Christian Bonnensen snarls invective like a bedraggled street prophet: “Walk through life with a single purpose. Shirt collar tightens like a fucking noose.  True purpose lies in never punching out.”  For those who have checked work e-mail during a midnight piss, or a vacation, or major life crisis, the words feel equally sympathetic and accusatory.  The rhythm combo of Rasmus Furbo’s monolithic bass and Rasmus G. Serjensen’s drum work convey hardcore ferocity and metal technicality.  On tracks like “Parallels”, there’s a really interesting dynamic between Bonnensen’s guitar and Ketel G. Sejersen’s synth work – it’s hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.  It’s obvious when Sejersen goes off on an interlude (“Civilizations”) or incorporates sampling into “Armada,” but the heavily processed tones of Bonnensen’s guitar make it sound like a dual synth line, while the distortions on the synth push the instrument to its heavy extremes.

On perhaps my favorite track, “Appeaser”, LLNN wrests free of my Deadguy comparison by imbuing their personal politics with global dread.  The apocalyptic scream of “Skies fall and the fire cleanses in its wake / Run amok / The world is yours to take,” is chilling in ways both sublime and terrifying.  The slow ramping up of dread, the tightening of musical tension, makes “Appeaser” a truly devastating masterpiece.  And for all the cinematic, intellectual, or political subtlety on display, the closer “Deads” reiterates the simple power this four-piece can wield with a quiet/loud dynamic and pummeling guitar riffs.  Whatever discomfort mounts when I listen to “Deads” – capitalist existential dread, political despair, the fear that humanity is teasing out its final days destroying the planet – there’s always a filthy, churning riff or shouted chorus to tug me back towards the joy of top notch music that, like “Fixation on a Coworker”, will probably be blasting through my speakers in a decade… barring any catastrophes to match LLNN’s lyrical horrors.

“Deads” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: LLNN deliver "Appeaser", a monolith of monstrous dimensions

Copenhagen's LLNN burst onto the international scene with 2016's critically acclaimed debut album “Loss”.  After a split EP with LA's WOVOKA in the summer of 2017, LLNN now return with their sophomore album, “Deads”, an erosive, abrasive, dystopian, apocalyptic monolith of monstrous dimensions: more compact, yet more complex and organic all at the same time.  Released on the 27^th April 2018 via the celebrated Pelagic Records, today you can check out a brand new video for the track “Appeaser” and the band offer the following insight below. You can preorder here

"We are fascinated by how the human mind tends to interpret random images, or patterns of light and shadows, as creatures and structures.  A psychological phenomenon called “Pareidolia”. And how music and visuals can evoke certain emotions in us and let our imagination unfold into abstract storytelling.

These are the thoughts behind the music video and the album artwork of “Deads” (with photographs by drummer Rasmus G. Sejersen).  The overall album theme of “Deads” is about births and downfalls of civilizations in other worlds throughout the universe.From creation to final decay, the depletion of the host - scenes which inspired the music video. All the footage is filmed mostly with macro lenses to create the extreme close-ups in combination with a few wide shots.  Created in a minimalistic setup in our parents home. (Combined with some heavy Halo Reach 2v2 gaming. Come get some!

LLNN + BISON Live Rituals

22.04.18 NL ROADBURN
23.04.18 DK Copenhagen
25.04.18 NO Oslo
26.04.18 SWE Stockholm
28.04.18 DE Hamburg
29.04.18 NL Utrecht
30.04.18 DE Karlsruhe
01.05.18 DE Wiesbaden
02.05.18 BE Brussels
03.05.18 CH Bulle
04.05.18 CH Porrentruy
05.05.18 F Paris
06.05.18 UK DESERTFEST (London)
08.05.18 CZ Prague
09.05.18 AT Vienna
10.05.18 CR Zagreb
11.05.18 RO Cluj
12.05.18 RO Craiova
13.05.18 RO Bucharest
14.05.18 HU Budapest
15.05.18 PL Krakow
16.05.18 PL Warsaw
18.05.18 DE Kiel
19.05.18 DE Berlin (PELAGIC FEST)

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE: Lausanne's Abraham declare its a "Wonderful World"

In my day job as a social worker, the buzz word in terms of good practice, is the ability to be good at reflection.  In life, whether we’re at work or whatever the situation may be, we need time to consider what we have done and the reasons why, because although our actions at the time may have been the right one specific to that situation or circumstance, once we reflect,  we may reach a different conclusion and in turn our actions may be different in the future.  

Today’s featured band, Abraham emerged from the flourishing Swiss music scene of the past decade. During their 8 years of existence and through festivals and tours supporting Cult of Luna and The Ocean, the band have forged their reputation as one of the top bands in Europe, however when you consider it has been 6 years since their last full length, consider this and let us pause for a moment and reflect, what have done in this time, what have you achieved and would you have made the same choices?  Now over the last 6 years, I have had three kids, sold a house, bought a house, changed jobs and it just so happens that 2018 is my six year anniversary at THE SLUDGELORD, now there may be many things I would have done differently, but being part of this blog is not one of them (I love my kids btw),

Now Skid Row once said we’re “Slaves to the Grind”, so what better way to take a much needed break and listen to some killer tunes, all I am asking of you is 4 minutes of your time.  After 6 long years, the beards of Abraham are back, their new record is finally here and it really is... something else.

 “Look, Here Comes The Dark!” is, simply put, a concept album about the end of times: a classic post apocalyptic dystopia and today at THE SLUDGELORD, we’re delighted to be able to debut a brand new track entitled “Wonderful World”.  Released on May 11^th via Pelagic Records, the album is divided into four consecutive periods, one for each vinyl record, throughout which the story of the disappearance of all life on Earth is told. Each section is defined by a unique approach in terms of style, song writing, and degree of experimentation and choice of instrumentation.   Check out “Wonderful World” below and don't forget to reflect, haha.   Preorders are being taken here

Band info: facebook || homepage || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Rosetta - "Utopioid"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/09/2017 | 12/01/2018

Label: The Anaesthete (CD//CS//DD) |

Pelagic Records (LP)

“Utopioid” is beautiful, challenging, at times catchy, and more emotionally resonant that a great deal of music I hear in a given year.  But if you’re measuring for sheer heaviness – aural, conceptual, even spiritual – “Utopioid” is heavy as a dying star, and just as terrifying in its beauty.

“Utopioid” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Amnion

2. Intrapartum

3. Neophyte Visionary

4. King Ivory Tower

5. 54543

6. Détente

7. Hypnagogic

8. Qohelet

9. Intramortem

The Review:

We’ve all heard that anecdote that the Eskimo have a huge number of words for “snow”, supposedly for each subtle variation only people surrounded by frozen tundra would notice on a regular basis.  If only there was a similar glossary for types of “heaviness” that could serve as a sort of musical Esperanto for metal enthusiasts.  We tend to flatten out the term so much that it becomes kind of meaningless – the tri-tone opening of “Black Sabbath”, the breakneck shred of Converge’s “Concubine”, and the menacing rainfall of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” are all quintessentially “heavy” moments in metal music.  It can be an easy shorthand in some cases, denoting dissonance, harsh vocals, or low end guitar riffing, but by boxing “heavy” or “metal” into some confined structure, we’d eliminate some truly haunting, melodic, beautiful, but undeniably heavy outliers.  Case in point: Philadelphia’s Rosetta, who have been crafting “metal for astronauts” for over a decade.  On their sixth release, “Utopioid”, Rosetta push the emotional limits of melodic post-metal without abandoning their heavy bona fides, albeit in ways that may be so alien to some metalheads that they’ll flatly reject the metal tag whatsoever.

               

Make no mistake, Rosetta lurks at the periphery of metal orthodoxy.  Interludes and codas like “Amnion”, “54543” and “Intramortem” are more Sigur Ros than Neurosis.  The clean vocals, in both their register and placement in the mix, almost subsumed by mirrored guitar harmonies at some points, are akin to the earlier waves of emo – I was consistently thinking of Christie Front Drive, Mineral, and Sunny Day Real Estate.  But just when the pathos threatens to turn sour or twee, the progressions often turn sour, introducing dissonance, minor chords, or gut-wrenching screamed vocals.  “Intrapartum”, in particular, vacillates between ethereal and eerie, with a gang vocal closing that is intense and triumphant.

               

The prevalence of vocals on “post” anything can be a barrier to entry for some enthusiasts, but the members of Rosetta seem to be keenly aware of economy and the qualities of a voice as an instrument – the majority of the hour-plus album is dominated by guitars and effects, while even the screamed vocals seem precisely “composed” within the strictures of each track.  Each ragged syllable seems a part of a symphonic whole, while the guitars often track the clean vocal progressions, especially in verses.

               

The whole “metal for astronauts” tag feels kind of silly, but it’s remarkably apt.  The reverb-laden, echoey feel of everything screams “space”, while the emotional heft feels outside of temporal concerns – there’s something almost spiritual (I found myself writing down “cinematically cosmic”) at work in the balance between angelic singing and primitive shouts.  Maybe it’s just the sheer amount of time and exploratory leeway Rosetta grants their respective components that feels untethered from gravity.  Occasionally the explorations veer off unsuccessfully, like the meandering ambient coda of “Hypnagogic” that is begging for a triumphant reprise.  But then a track like “Qohelet” crashes through a finale as effective and thrilling as any I’ve heard in 2017 and the whole experiment works.  Particular praise has to be given to the rhythm section of Dave Grossman and Bruce McMurtrie Jr., whose precise bass work and drumming, respectively, anchors the band through numerous space rock outbursts.  Without steady hands at the wheel, the dual guitar lines of Eric Jernigan and Matt Weed could meander into incoherence – instead of the near transcendence they achieve on track after track.

               

Of course, the drawback to any “post-metal” album is the tendency to overstay its welcome, and “Utopioid” does that for exactly seven minutes and fifty-three seconds on the final track, “Intramortem”.  It isn’t a bad number, per se, but has the distinct disadvantage of following the natural climax of the record, “Qohelet”.  The resulting ambience and repeated builds has a lot of potential but never has that moment of resolution that makes the piece worth sticking around for.  Rather, it feels like a neat bonus track that should be absorbed well after you’ve caught your breath from the remarkable ending of “Qohelet”.

               

So is “Utopioid” a “metal” release?  I can’t say for certain.  It’s beautiful, challenging, at times catchy, and more emotionally resonant that a great deal of music I hear in a given year.  But if you’re measuring for sheer heaviness – aural, conceptual, even spiritual – “Utopioid” is heavy as a dying star, and just as terrifying in its beauty.

“Utopioid” is available digitally here via bandcamp (CS//DD//CD) here and LP here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: "Akte VI" by mysterious doom conquistadors B R I Q U E V I L L E

Briqueville is a band shrouded in mystery. On stage, they create an instrumental mantra of spooky guitars, modified field recordings and eerie sampled chants. These meditative build-ups, based on the perseverant element of repetition, are contrasted with and ripped apart by sudden, unforeseeable outbursts of the purest and sheerest heaviness.

Upon release of their debut album in 2014, the band buried 20 copies at various locations across the country, and gradually released the coordinates on their facebook page, animating fans to dig them up from the soil. The idea was met with great enthusiasm among their quickly growing fan base, and will be revisited and extended for the release of Briqueville's mesmerizing 2nd album, appropriately titled “II“, which is to be released on September 29^th via Pelagic Records and today you can check out the new video for the track "Akte VI" below. Preorders are available here

Band info: facebook ||bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE: YLVA debut crushing sonic leviathan with "Metadata"

What is it about the might of the riff, the fuzz of a distortion pedal and overwhelming volume that continues to move us?  Often simple, sometimes complex but for those that love heavy music particularly, we are unequivocally passionate and devoted it. To the wider populous heavy music is  only perhaps interpreted as noise, and angry noise at best, but like any great art, it is really only appreciated by those who understand it and that leads us nicely onto today’s SLUDGELORD debutants, Melborne, Australia’s YLVA. Drawing influences from a deep well, YLVA have created a fantastically challenging, deeply moving and overwhelmingly crushing sonic leviathan of an album, and further proof that as an art form heavy music continues to be at the forefront of the most innovative and challenging music on the planet.

With riffs driven by sonic slabs of sludge and the back beat of metronomic drums, YLVA have manufactured one of the stand out albums of the year, if you’re a fan of Neurosis, Cult Of Luna, Old Man Gloom and Pelican, get ready to meet the new masters of progressive forward thinking metal, YLVA have arrived and today it give us great pleasure to deliver your first taste, as we premiere “Metadata” lifted from their forthcoming debut "Meta” which is set for release via Pelagic Records on November 17^th (preorder here).  Check out this awesome band, like there page and buy there merch.  Bask in the riffs and but prepare to be crushed.  

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Bison - “You Are Not The Ocean, You Are the Patient”

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 07/07/2017

Label: Pelagic Records

“You Are Not The Ocean, You Are the Patient” is an amalgamation of everything that Bison does well. If you love anything in the realm of sludge or stoner metal, this is a must for you.

“You Are Not The Ocean, You Are the Patient” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Until The Earth Is Empty
2. Anti War
3. Drunkard
4. Kenopsia
5. Tantrum
6. Raiigin
7. Water Becomes Fire

The Review:

Bison return with their first offering since the “1000 Needles” EP. It is an album of seven well-crafted, riff-heavy tracks that borrows a little bit from each era of the band.

The album starts with “Until the Earth is Empty“and “Anti-War”; both very punk tracks reminiscent of the “Quiet Earth” days of the band. Immediately, the listener is hit with the fastest paced Bison music that has not been heard in years. Matt Wood’s vocals on “Anti-War” are a welcomed contrast to this song. The band reminds the listener that their youthful spirit from their earlier records is still there.

The album then moves to “Drunkard”, “Kenospsia”, and “Tantrum” which are in line with the “Dark Ages” and “Lovelessness” era of the band. The slower/more brooding tones mix well with signature guitar grooves, thick bass tones, and pummelling drum fills that transition the record smoothly. Where the album really kicks off is in the closing final tracks; “Raiigin” and “Water Becomes Fire”. These songs contain some of the nastiest riffs every written by the band. “Raiigin, in particular, has a riff at the end that is heaviest thing they’ve ever written.

“You Are Not The Ocean, You Are the Patient” is an amalgamation of everything that Bison does well. If you love anything in the realm of sludge or stoner metal, this is a must for you.

“You Are Not The Ocean, You Are the Patient” is available to preorder/buy here



Band info: facebook

FFO: Mastodon, High On Fire, Baroness, Black Tusk



TRACK PREMIERE: Vancouver sludge practitioners Bison debut "Water Becomes Fire"

With  “You Are Not The Ocean You Are The Patient”, the impending new full-length from Vancouver sludge practitioners BISON nearing release on 23/06/2017, today at The Sludgelord we offer up latest single "Water Becomes Fire" for public consumption

After 2012's “Lovelessness”, the four-piece's last album for Metal Blade Records, the band was joined by Shane Clark on bass, former lead guitarist of 3 INCHES OF BLOOD. The EP “1000 Needles”, released in 2014, already hinted at what to expect from their 5th full length album: a thundering opus of epic filth and splendor

BISON are set to make a devastating return with their brand new album

"It was important that the songs fit together to tell a bit of a story“, guitarist and vocalist James Farwell explains. “A story of a new life and escaping the city, while still being tethered to it. Life is a constant fight, and though I have taken the fight to a more natural and beautiful place, that struggle still persists. This is an album of daily living. It is for everyone."

BISON's “You Are Not The Ocean You Are The Patient” was captured in the band's hometown with longtime friend Jesse Gander at Rain City Recorders. The record will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats and is available via Pelagic Records here.   Check out "Water Becomes Fire" below

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

VIDEO PREMIERE: Copenhagen's LLNN return with wavering drone synths and raw hardcore driven darkness on "The Guardian"

Copenhagen's LLNN draw comparisons to Converge and Love Sex Machine but filtered through the visionary mind of cult sci fi movies, LLNN’s attitude to their compositions is one of devotion to embracing a variety of genres but melding them into their own unique and outstanding personality. Their album “Loss” which was released last year via Pelagic Records attained the band critical acclaim throughout the Europe and now they're back with new material “The Marks” which forms their part of an upcoming split album  with Wovoka.  Written before “Loss” the first crunching riff of opening track “The Guardian” debuted below, trudges along the simple and relentless drums until Christian Bonnesen's truculent vocals take the song to the next level of blackened intensity, making it 100% clear that this material is in no way any less mature than the debut'. Much like on “Loss”, the wavering drone synths that are effortlessly merged with a raw hardcore-driven darkness define the subtle idiosycratic nuances of LLNN's very unsubtle, painfully overwhelming sound.

Belgian artist Ammo was commissioned to create the stunning artwork, which perfectly reflects the music on this release. The vinyl version comes with a hand-numbered 5-colour screen-print. Limited edition on brass & black wax, which looks like an impact crater.  With the release scheduled for the 16/06/2017, today you can check out the breathtaking new track “The Guardian”, which further reinforces our belief that LLNN are one of most promising bands on the scene.  Check it out below and you can Pre-order CD:  here and the VINYL:  here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW & FULL ALBUM PREMIERE: Hyenas - "Deadweights"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 10/03/2017

Label: Pelagic Records

Deadweights” is an exciting opening salvo from Hyenas, it is an exhilarating hit of chaotic hardcore, metal fury and punk’n’roll that takes me back to the early to mid-2000s

“Deadweights” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Noise
2. Crooked Tongue
3. Ambiself
4. Crossbearer
5. Self-Adjusting
6. Homeostasis
7. Verminious
8. Smooth Talkers
9. Displaced
10. Live // Live
11. Nothing

The Review:

Hyenas debut LP fills me with a warm nostalgia for the recent past. “Deadweights” is an exhilarating hit of chaotic hardcore, metal fury and punk’n’roll that takes me back to the early to mid-2000s. Bands like Minus, Beecher and Norma Jean released killer albums that had an indelible effect on my heavy tastes and Hyenas bring this sound kicking and screaming into 2017.

“Noise” eases the listener in gently with a minute of ominous calm before the Nuremburg quartet lurch into the noise rock rumble of “Crooked Tongue”. From here the band launch into a series of high octane hell-raisers like “Crossbearer” where complex noisecore riffs and straight-ahead heavy punk rock combine to powerful effect.

“Verminious” takes up the clean guitar figure introduced in “Noise” and expands it into a moody, post-metal indebted burner. This provides a refreshing change of pace at the album’s mid-point and demonstrates Hyenas skill in tackling different elements without compromising on intensity. “Displaced” sees the band unexpectedly tackling a pared down ballad. Using only a clean guitar and vocals, the track is surprisingly effective and manages to avoid being jarring and cloying in contrast to the surrounding carnage. It also provides a welcome breather before the raging parting combo of “Live // Live” and “Nothing”. The former is one last reminder of Hyenas at their feral best which segues into the latter, a menacing slow-motion riff that slowly unravels into glorious chaos.

“Deadweights” is an exciting opening salvo from Hyenas, a brief burst of caustic racket that bodes well for a noisy future.

“Deadweights” is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

FFO: The Chariot, Norma Jean, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan