Welcome to The Sludgelord!
Presenting up to date news, reviews & interviews for riff addicts around the world.
This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
Like the best psychedelic art they explore the bizarre, the
beautiful, the sinister and the sensual all at once and leave your mind
reeling. Strap in, drop out, and follow
the Acid Priest to stoner salvation.
“Drop Out” DD track listing
1. Initiation
2. WarWagon
3. The King Tide
4. Let Go
5. EYEZZ
The Review:
My media libraries seem to be inundated with
odes to psychedelic explorations – the complete Zap Comix line my shelves next
to the midnight movies of Alejandro Jodorowsky abutting mind melting genre
writers and the discographies of prolific drug takers too numerous to
mention. But I have to admit up front
that for all my rhapsodizing about stoner riffs and psychedelic freakouts, and
a less than saintly life in 33 years, I’ve never taken the plunge into
LSD. I’m cripplingly neurotic on my best
days and convinced I’ll step into a nightmare vision out of a Beksinski
painting the moment I drop acid. But after
listening to the warped, fuzzy, oddly beautiful tunes on “Drop Out”, the church of the Acid Priest may find
new lysergic converts.
It’s all about the riffs for these punky metal
rockers. There’s a warm current of Thin Lizzy running through all five tracks of their debut
EP, but intro track “Initiation” is
like a harmonic blast of golden 70s hard rock.
Guitarist Zakk Mild’s riff is so finely crafted, in fact, that it feels
a bit wasted on an intro. No matter,
since there are stellar riffs to spare in the four remaining bangers. “WarWagon”
hinges on a gallop that recalls the early days of NWOHBM – when it still
retained a strong crossover appeal to punkers and heshers alike. Bassist and lead vocalist Spliff Burton
doesn’t reinvent the wheel of classic metal bass playing – he lays it out solid
and thick, with few frills. His unique cadence
as a vocalist is really something – belting out some snarling lines on this one
and sliding into a gothy croon on “Let
Go” and “EYEZZ” that feels like
some desert rock cranked to 11. The
doomy, stoner outro of “WarWagon”
manages to pull of pyrotechnic shreds and ignorant riffs – not an easy feat for
seasoned veterans, let alone guys cranking out a debut. The “King
Tide” is steeped in Cali hardcore but way more headbanging than half that
shit could aspire to. Loaded with hooks
and equipped with a memorable, shouted chorus, it’s no wonder that this was the
band’s first single.
“Let Go” shifts gears
from sheer aggression to weirder, sinister tones. Between Burton’s smoothed out vocals and the
reverb-laden guitar lines of the verses make recalls the golden era of stoner
metal. The shuffling rhythms here are
key; Steve Kunzel’s drumming is jazzy punked out metal precision that would
make Bill Ward proud, and make plenty of modern metal drummers blush from
embarrassment at their own double kick monotony. When the mellow sheen drops, the chaos lurks beneath,
and it’s largely because of this percussive dynamic. The eerie, spacey ending, complete with
spoken word poetry, makes it a memorable and oddly affecting track. The closer “EYEZZ” is another total left field freakout. Layered with sinister organ playing, monastic
chanting, and gothy whispers, I found myself recalling the bizarre Euro-metal
outliers of 80s metal, especially Italian creep-doomsters Black Hole,
before a hardcore break, followed by some evil prog like the bastard spawn of Deep Purple and “Red” era King Crimson.
If the genre shifts, tempo changeups, and mashup
of clean and shouted vocals sound overwhelming… well that’s because it is! But in a remarkably cohesive, rocking way. There’s no gimmick at the heart of this trio,
just strait up headbanging rock indebted to the classics while not playing the
boring game of nostalgia-fueled pastiche.
Like the best psychedelic art they explore the bizarre, the beautiful,
the sinister and the sensual all at once and leave your mind reeling. Strap in, drop out, and follow the Acid Priest to stoner salvation.
An evil and
hypnotic concept album that will have your imagination racing.‘The Island’
is an encapsulating and fascinating release which heeds new reward upon repeat
listens. It is the closest any metal act has gotten to lucid dreaming.
“The Island” CD//DD track
listing:
01). The Great Storm Of
1703
02). Hy-Brasil
03). Monolith
04). The Abyss
05). The Great Race
The Review:
Battered and buffeted by a tempestuous storm, a
privateer ship begins to sink beneath imposing clouds and ravenous waves. Hired
in 1703 to scout out a mysterious island which is believed to host a portal to
another world, Kylver’s
epic new concept album ‘The Island’,
follows the ship’s sole survivor as he explores the alien landscapes of The
Island, having washed up on its ominous shores, with the unnerving feeling of
being followed a constant prickling in his senses.
A picture, they say, can speak a thousand words.
But here, through the musical imagery conjured from this band’s unique sound –
one characterised by gigantean, whirling Hammond
organ, droning bass and expressive, artisan guitar work – speaks far more than
that. Though no words are spoken throughout, the cinematic experience which
unfolds, as their progressively lavished doom metal twists and turns like a
writhing beast, is powerfully moving.
‘The Great
Storm of 1703’, at nearly fourteen minutes does more than just set the
scene as it ducks and dives through dynamic peaks and troughs. From Opeth-meets-Mastodon
inspired sections, to demented Deep Purple, surreal psychedelia and beyond,
the canvases they create in your resolutely racing imagination are vast and
vibrant. They work to create an incredibly immersive body of work that not only
follows up their debut offering ‘The
Mountain Ghost’, which helped secure the band a nomination at the Prog
Magazine Awards earlier this year, it proves the band’s class and worth was not
a one time only deal. And in such style too.
‘Hy-Brasil’ is
arguably the record’s most imposing and immediate song. It’s thick, gooey sludge
tones are played out at a rapid tempo with mescaline tripping organ screams
weaving in and out of guttural guitars. The drums carry the thunder of the
opening act into a new setting to great effect, closer ‘The Great Race’ meanwhile an evil and hypnotic song, coming across like
a perturbed Ghost
(BC).
Beautiful and nuanced, their booming sound may
replicate the footsteps of giants and ogres, but the intricacy of the guitar
and keyboard playing helps make this an altogether more wholesome piece. This
is heavy and threatening and elegant
and intelligent. So much goes on across every song, with the band drawing
graciously from such a feast of influences and techniques, it would take an age
to work through this record’s aural treats and surprises in such a methodical
way. Just be sure to know that ‘The Island’ is an encapsulating and fascinating release
which heeds new reward upon repeat listens. It is the closest any metal act has
gotten to lucid dreaming.
Overall, this is a prog album on another level altogether, the songs sweep and soar like a warm breeze on a summer day making you glow and feel wonderful inside.Every song is perfect in its own way.
“Our Oceans” CD//DD track listing:
1. What If 2. Tangled 3. Precarious 4. Lioness' Sunrise 5. Am I Still Here? 6. lluminate 7. Turquoise 8. Let Me 9. Reawaken
The Review:
Every so often an album hits you and makes you think “is this the perfect album?”Our Oceans may well have produced that perfect album.
Netherlands based, the band was started by singer and guitarist Tymon Kruidenier along with two of his Exivious colleagues, Michel Nienhuis and Robin Zielhorst.Providing the beat is Jasper Barendregt from black/prog metallers Dodecahedron whom Michel and Robin are also involved in.And this album is nothing like Dodecahedron, nothing at all.
What is most striking about the album is the feeling of space each song has.The music is like the oceans, it ebbs and flows wonderfully with Tymon’s vocals surfing above sounding eerily like Jeff Buckley.Everything is subtle.Everything is considered.From the drum sound, gently adding the backbone to the songs; the dreamy fretless bass from Robin which immediately reminds one of Japan’s late bassist Mick Karn and that twists around the guitar and drums.The sounds achieved are remarkable even making a guitar sound like a piano.
The music though soothing and warming as it is, is in complete contrast to the lyrics on the album.The songs themselves are a mix of loss, self-questioning, wondering, pain and reflection, as Tymon searches his soul and questions the eternal question of life.The lyrics are pure poerty, simple but sung slowly and soulfully.
Overall, this is a prog album on another level altogether.As the songs sweep and soar like a warm breeze on a summer day making you glow and feel wonderful inside.Every song is perfect in its own way.
Self-described as playing “an amalgamation of psychedelic, progressive and poly-rhythmic discordant music,” this is all about creating atmospheres that, be they lucid and dreamy or viscous and tormented, has seen them create a cinematic work of art.
Ankaa CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. Proto (Menura novaehollandiae) (03:29) 2. Main Sequence (Dacelo novaeguineae) (13:00) 3. Red (Laniocera hypopyrra)(10:13) 4. Heat Death (Teratornithidae) (07:27)
The Review:
When your band lacks a singer, often times they lack an extra dynamic that you’re so used to being there; and because we are so used to having a voice at the forefront of music that, in one’s absence there can be something of gaping chasm. For Scale The Summit, ‘V’s’ technicality is impressive but it struggles to engage you – the lack of a vocalist taking away from its lure. It’s all fur coat and no knickers. But Sydney’s Serious Beak would be ruined by the presence of a singer. Just listen to the snaking groove of ‘Red’ as they flit betwixt time signatures like a ghost through walls and tell me you couldn’t get down to this. It’s a cocktail of flavours that reference the likes of Mastodon, Animals as Leaders and a battlefield.
Self-described as playing “an amalgamation of psychedelic, progressive and poly-rhythmic discordant music,” this is all about creating atmospheres that, be they lucid and dreamy or viscous and tormented, has seen them create a cinematic work of art.
Opener ‘Proto (Menura novaehollandiae)’ provides the latter, the offbeat stabbings of syncopated guitars raising the curtain with a bombardment of heaviness. ‘Main Sequence (Dacelo novaeguineae)’ though, which follows, is quieter, more brooding at first and would sound perfect as a film score for some grayscale, tear stained scene, with hints of the epicedium coldness of Alice In Chains. That is until the sharp Mastodon inspired broken chords wade to the forefront of the mix, an air of Baroness in there too, building to a crescendo of a low down guttural groove. It’s powerful. It takes you somewhere other than your living room or that bus that stinks of piss on your morning commute to the daily grind. This is escapism and it’s bloody brilliant.
Each and every song takes unexpected ventures, just as you start to think you’ve grasped the plot there’s a sting in the tail and they invert your expectation with a wry smile. Serious Beak don’t need a singer, they just need your attention. They deserve it. If you like your music having a fine blend of intricacy and balls out bombast, then this is one hurricane of a record you’ll want to be swept up in.
Riffs, groove, cohesion. Wigan noise peddlers
Boss Keloid are “four
dudes focussed on keeping it heavy and interesting,” and make up an
important part of the North West’s truly excellent underground scene. These
parts of Ol’ Britannia play host to hordes of honest sludge, stoner and doom
bands specifically whose filthy noise comes from the heart, but always played
with a stark intelligence and few do this as potently and vigorously as this
Wigan based quartet.
They build on wrecking ball, thick-as-pig-shit
grooves with perfectly bellowed vocals. Sticksman Ste Arands perennially going
hell for leather on his kit. It’s the kind of music that manages to sound
unhinged, loose and wild all the while being deftly constructed and executed
with a grotesque expertise. “We all have different influences and
backgrounds and it’s important to us to bring all that to the fore, without it
feeling contrived,” guitarist Paul Swarbrick explains. “We have no desire to fit into a scene or style of music, but
to play heavy ass music that keeps us on our toes.” Formed in 2010 by Paul and shouter front man
Alex Hurst, Arands later joined the fold ahead of their debut release, the
excellently titled ‘Calming Influence Of Teeth’. As far as opening statements
go, this was bang on the money, wrapping Down/Crowbar styled riffs and grooves
into a Melvins type weirdness, with elements of Clutch, Orange Goblin and
beyond scattered around for good measure. Paul’s brother Adam joined on bass
last year during the writing process for their second release, ‘Herb Your
Enthusiasm’ – which is another great title. This is a band with a sense of
humour that, alongside the music which they take seriously and bash out with a
diehard integrity, works brilliantly. It adds an extra humane and relatable
element. It helps you fall in love with these fuckers.
“In terms of developing
our sound, it’s been an organic and fluid process rather than following a
preconceived idea. We aspire to keep trying new ideas and push ourselves to
sound heavier and more interesting with each release. The Calming
Influence of Teeth had a lot of ideas crammed into it, and in
hindsight possibly too many. With the new album we’ve slowed things down and
worked more melody into the songs, which has actually made the songs sound
heavier and more cohesive. We’ve focused more on tone and giving the riffs more
space to breathe.”
One description Of this band that I love is from
a Metalmouth’s review of …Teeth: "Think Captain Beef Heart
tearing Neil Fallon apart in a maths lesson," and lyrically at least
writer, Coop nails their odd uniqueness when it comes to themes and ideas. So
where does that inspiration come from?
“The lyrical themes we
delve into range from life experiences, everyday occurrences, frustrations with
society and the media, bad trips, good trips, insatiable ladies of the night,
cuddling amputees, liquorice fanatics, to name but a few. We try not to take
ourselves too seriously. Humour is very important in this band. We try to have
fun with our song titles which are often not related to the content of the song
at all.”
And what about having two brothers in the band?
With my own band, Prognosis, it can be a rollercoaster – that eternal love/hate
brotherly aesthetic sometimes grating on the band but more often than not
lifting us onto another level almost, such is the closeness of our bond. So I
know how it can be, but Paul’s response looks at things a little differently.
“Without sounding trite,
it’s like having four brothers in the band. We’re all very close and the
dynamic works great. There is a bit of bickering and challenging of ideas but
this makes for stronger results musically. At the end of the day we all have a
lot of fun in this band and ultimately that’s what it’s about. Myself and Adam
are Swarbrick in namesake only, but we are brothers of the sonic (soiled)
cloth!”
A band who have been going for quite a while
now, and album number three on the way, how would the Boss Keloid of today
compare themselves with the one that first started writing songs in 2010? Do
they feel you've grown as both musicians and people at all?
“Depending
on how you look at it, Herb Your Enthusiasm will be our second
album proper. We see our first release Angular Beef Lesson as
an EP that was written and recorded with haste and not representative of where
we are today. We have definitely grown as both musicians and people, without a
doubt. The collective ethos hasn’t changed but the music and vibe definitely
has. We want each album to be a level above the previous one. We are very
critical of ourselves and the music we’ve previously created. In the eyes of
this band, if you can’t better your previous work on a production and song
writing level then you have failed. We had a full album’s worth of material
which we scraped a year ago as we weren’t comfortable with the music. It was a
wise move as the new material is a big step forward from our point of view.”
The new record is being recorded at Skyhammer
studios with big name producer Chris Fielding.
“We’re really excited to
be involved with Chris and Jon at Skyhammer,” Paul
enthuses. “We’re confident they can help us achieve
the sound we are after and really do these new songs justice. Getting the right
tone and clarity of production is going to be crucial and we know what Chris
has delivered with other bands, so the new album is in good hands. Production
values are of high concern to us and we’re very critical of what we have
recorded before. We know which areas we need to work on with this new
recording.
“The new songs have a
slower, heavier, sludgier but more ‘melodic’ feel to them compared to those on The
Calming Influence of Teeth, which have a more technical, chaotic and mathy
vibe. The new songs still have unconventional time signatures and odd phrasing
that is apparent in our previous work. This is something that comes fairly
naturally anyway through our playing and writing styles. The collective guitar
and bass tone on the new album is far superior, much more balls and warmth, and
hopefully we’ll capture this at Skyhammer.
“We all have a wide range
of musical inspirations which we naturally draw from. Alex is a massive reggae
fan as well as liking the heavier side of music but also loves the works of
Mike Patton, which I think comes through in his vocals and use of effects and
phrasing. Ste listens to a lot of prog, jazz and blues, bands like Genesis and
Snarky Puppy, which influence his approach to writing and playing drums. My
personal inspirations are bands such as Keelhaul, Melvins, Neurosis, Kyuss,
Botch, Om, Sleep and The Carpenters to name but a few. Adam enjoys a wide range
of music but his main worshipping temples are Bongzilla, Weedeater and
Dopethrone which has influenced his horribly heavy but beautiful bass tone.”
I know, dear reader
that at this point your imagination is going ape-shit, trying to concoct sounds
in your brain from the collage, the amalgamation of those varied and innovative
influences. The thing with Boss Keloid which you have to admire is their
ambition. They’re strict on themselves to be better with every step, and for
every one of those steps to be going forwards in direction, pulling inspiration
from everywhere they can, from a plethora of mind sets and twisted thought
patterns. The new album promises to push the band many more paces that way and
they deserve everything positive that comes their way. They really do.
“We begin recording Herb
Your Enthusiasm at Skyhammer in August for an early 2016 release,” Paul
concludes. “We may release a single or a split
release late 2015 too. We’ll be playing Riff Fest 2015 at the Alma in Bolton at
the end of August, which promises to be a cracking day with a very high calibre
of bands such as Raging Speedhorn, Trippy Wicked, Slabdragger, Ten Foot Wizard
and The Hicks. Cleopatra Records in California will soon be releasing a boxset
called ‘Stoner-Box’ and have kindly asked us to contribute a song to it which
is pretty exciting. We have a number of things going on in the pipeline which
we’ll hopefully be able to announce in due course. 2016 could be an interesting
year for us all going to plan.”
The Vintage Caravan is a new one for me, only having uncovered them on their third full length release, yet I am impressed from the first notes of ‘Last Day of Light’to the last riff of ‘Winter Queen’, the album impressive.
Formed in 2006 (they were 12, 12 people!) they practiced their arses off before emerging in 2009 and releasing their first album in 2011, followed by ‘Voyage’in 2014. With a European tour already under their belt, 2 shows at the Roadburn Festival and their 2 previous albums, the young band have already achieved so much
The thrumming beat introducing ‘Last Day of Light’is almost animalistic, simple yet sublime with clean presentation reminiscent of tribal drums, it hammers gently requesting permission to enter before the guitar riffs grab a hold of the lugholes and refuse to let go.With a groovy 70’s twist the vocals kick in smoothly completing the threesome with aplomb.With a guitar solo a third of the way through that quite frankly leaves me in a pile of drool, the start of the caravan journey is a good one.
‘Monolith’is second up, full of groove, swagger and heavy chords, it is simply immense.So easy going, yet interesting and leaving no room for boredom, just piling on the riffs, delivering a constant thrum through the strong drums and Logi’s vocals keeping the intrigue level cranked up until the end. The song writing here, with many of the other songs, is impeccable.
I flow through the album on a delicious, hazed, prog journey; images of flower filled meadows and gnomes hiding behind toadstools, emerging straight from the pages of an Enid Blyton novel. The songs hold strong, fast paced in the middle, slower in the beginning and at the end, each and every one is wrapped seductively around a clean structure with regular tempo changes to ramp up the interest.
‘Crazy Horses’ is a filthy beast; from the start a dirty riff that strikes to the very core, the monotonous drums giving a sludge tinged edge backed by the earthy bass to begin. And then; a ramped up Logi enters, bringing the energy and buzz of a 2 year old on a sugar high with classic rock vocals resplendent in simplicity, yet exudeelegance that will have you boogying round the kitchen in no time. A stand out track for me and one that is like a fine wine, it gets better with age and as with all good songs, it also gets better the more times you hear it, marking this one for a future classic.
‘Carousel’ is dripping with potential, and easily a contender for the next Bond film there is the underlying acid trip, yes, but mingled with that prog/classic touch they do so well. The bass solo alone is worth a listen as Orn leads us onto a fantastical, aurally complex and ultimately rewarding trek of the senses, leaving one dribbling in the corner and rocking slightly.
‘Winter Queen’ brings the album to an epic 8 minute conclusion, rounding up everything that is fantastic about a band and has made them on to this writers list of firm favourites. A relaxed rocker effort, it is perfectly timed with a creeping build up and meticulous solos that astound the senses and leave an imprint that, happily, nothing will erase.
This trio of immensely talented musicians seem to have sprung fully formed, instruments in tune and ready to astound, from the womb, musicality and talent ooze from their pores and infect their aura. Every single one of them is immensely skilled, the ability to express such emotion is not taught, you either have it or you don’t and they do…in spades.
Bringing to the fore the likes of Paul Gilbert, Eddie Marcolin and Billy Sheehan, not for comparison or similarity, purely for their insane talent and incredible artistry.
This delightful trio appeal to every part of my music loving heart and soul, their bluesy classic rock, their psychedelic leanings, their prog and doom twists and slants, all of it works harmoniously with a heavy enough sound even for the metal head in me to rejoice.
Following the release of 2012's debut album "Out Of Reach", which was produced by Rhys Fulber (Paradise Lost, Fear Factory, etc…) and garnered some highly enthusiastic reviews, French heavy-rock trio Lizzard are now prepared to release their second full-length “Majestic”, without a single doubt their most focused and accomplished effort to date.
Produced by the band, mixed Sylvain Biguet (Klone, Trepalium), “Majestic” sees them taking the approach of their debut album, offering ten tracks full of heavy rhythms, beautiful and engaging melodies. Lizzard provide an intense, emotive listening experience with “Majestic”, and its dark and strident alternative rock sound will surely surprise fans of Tool, Karnivool, Deftones and other artists of that ilk.
The Band:
Mathieu Ricou (guitar, vocals)
Katy Elwell (drums)
William Knox (bass, vocals)
Review:
Often when you see bands list prog-metal titans like Tool/Karnivool/Deftones as influences, they either fall flat or sound absolutely nothing like these bands whatsoever, leaving you wondering why they listed themselves as sounding like them at all. Thankfully, LizZard does actually pull of this sound and a very heavy “Sound Awake” era Karnivool influence permeates LizZard's second album “Majestic” as it successfully hits the right sound as it moves through its ten tracks. Not to give the impression LizZard is copying these groups, but this is not an easy type of music to play much less write and not many people can play this flavor of prog and write coherent songs.
The songwriting LizZard displays is pretty fantastic throughout and the second track “Aion” is a great example of this as it begins with a tapped section and moves into a very Karnivool “Goliath” sounding bass line, then moves into territory that distinctly belongs to LizZard alone with some strong unison melodies. The juxtaposition of the simpler riffy melodies with the more advanced tapping section really grabs your attention and displays a fully mature sense of song writing.
The vocals throughout “Majestic” shade towards the clean end of the spectrum and move from solid to exceptional throughout, the dual vocalists compliment each other very well and a minor critique is I would like to hear a little more harmony in future outings. Katy Elwell on drums, deserves a solid nod as well her drumming is very reminiscent of Aaron Harris' from Isis/Palms drumming on Isis' seminal “Panopticon.” Slow burning with some very tasteful jazzy hits, she has a hypnotic pulse especially on the more atmospheric sections of the album. Her rolling beats at the beginning of track seven “Circles” in particular is instant smile inducing, and her subtle change into the chorus is absolutely perfect.
The mix on this album is a little odd, the tones are good throughout but it sounds very uncompressed and is a bit quiet. All this really means is you have to turn it up a bit more than usual to get the full experience, but when you consider how compressed everything is nowadays our ears are conditioned to it, so this actually serves to make “Majestic” sound really different. That being said, all the instrumentation is clearly audible and the levels are perfect throughout, overall they did a fantastic job recording this album. The bass tones in particular are pretty crushing and it's nice to hear them so up in the mix, when you have a talented bassist it's nice to hear him once in awhile!
This is a pretty slick album with some more mainstream influences than what I've normally reviewed here on The Sludgelord. That being said where LizZard really triumphs is in keeping the hooks with uncompromising song writing and a clear and unique artistic vision. When I listen to “Majestic” I hear a band that is on the cusp of something really big and if anyone has the opportunity to see them live while they are still playing small clubs now is definitely the time. Go check it out, you'll like it.
Chris Pitman | additional synthesizer on "Third Eye
Review:
As a body of work, ‘Lateralus’ is always hailed as progressive metal band Tool’s shining moment. The record is constantly praised for its ambient flowing soundscapes and its unmatched flow which transports the listener like a lost dreamer through a wave of mad, weird and in some cases cerebral moments which weave together seamlessly.However, the album which I think captures the band at their most awe inspiring is their preceding work ‘Ænima’
The album is everything that makes the band so great in one 77 minute burst. Containing some of the bands best work self contained, with the likes of the crushing ‘Hooker With A Penis’, the soaring ‘Stinkfist’ and the Scientology bashing title track in which front man Maynard James Keenan delivers one of his most powerful and rapid vocal performances of his career. But ‘Ænima’ was also the point where the band began their expansion into the progressive metal behemoths that they soon became, with the likes of ‘Pushit’ being a hint at were the band were preparing to head musically and the majestic closing track ‘Third Eye’ which features excerpts from the late great Bill Hicks.
Even though the album contains more expansive work than their previous album ‘Undertow’, the riffs from that album certainly made the journey over to Ænima. The likes of ‘Jimmy’ contains some of the filthiest, crushing and most punishing riffs that guitarist Adam Jones has ever written and in turn stopped the album becoming too stale.Bringing the record back to crowd in between the bizarre sound effect laded interludes, featuring such things as a crying baby and an angry voicemail message.
Overall, “Ænima” to me is everything that my favourite band is capable of in one place. Sure ‘Undertow’ arguably has better songs and ‘Lateralus’ and ‘10,000 days’ have more to offer from a musically stand point, but it is “Ænima” that put the band on the map and show cased everything the band could do and how well they could do it.
Words by: Dan O’ Brien
Album Details
Ænima is the second full-length studio album by Tool. It was released in vinyl format on September 17, 1996 and in compact disc format on October 1, 1996through Zoo Entertainment. The album was produced by David Bottrill. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart upon its initial release, and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on March 4, 2003.
