ALBUM REVIEW: Unfurl, "The Waking Void"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/09/2019

Label: Independent

”The Waking Void” CD//CS//DD track listing:

1. Ancestral Spirit

2. Ritual of Fire

3. Null

4. Post-Modern Prometheus

5. Void

6. Withering Aeons

7. Black Widow Hourglass

8. Lazarus Reflex

9. Begrudging Lucidity

10. Guest of the Cavern/Mind Altar

11. Blue Rose

The Review:

Unfurl are one of those bands who are flying under the radar way too fluently while they'd deserve all the attention possible from bigger and smaller medias. Their debut full-length "The Waking Void" was released on September 20th and the buzz started only afterwards, given that it's reasonably increasing constantly. Struggling to get press is pretty much a standard today, but it's bands like this that makes all that seem very unfair; after all, "The Waking Void" is amongst the better albums of the year, and one hell of a debut that came from nowhere.

Having enthusiastic music nerds as friends is a benefit, that proved to be worthwhile with this release as well. After being directed to this album by the #lord himself, it proficiently stole my undivided attention for days. "The Waking Void" is a voluble mix of blackened and partly noisy death metal with shoegazey and mathgrind leanings. One of the most interesting creations on the record are the shorter, noisy and mostly electronic tracks scattered throughout, offering brief pauses and moments of ease amidst the intense battering. While the inclusion of such seemingly minuscule tracks might feel out of place at first, they end up being very integral for the narrative of the entire album.

Apart from the interludes, the heart and soul of "The Waking Void" obviously lies in the main tracks. The beating starts on the second track "Ritual of Fire", showcasing the high compositional level and underlying tones quite well right from the beginning. "Post-Modern Prometheus" carries you away into the noisier, black metal-esque end of the spectrum and holds within one of the most breathtaking breakdown of this decade. The production atmosphere is like a tightening grip, but doesn't turn suffocating as the organic feel is cherished with precision and thought. A short intermission leads the listener to "Withering Aeons", grooving like a motherfucker all the way through to what is perhaps the greatest surprise on the album.

"Black Widow Hourglass" is a moment of pure mourning, expressed through clean vocals and guitars, textured with ambient washes and floaty drum beats. Flowing straight into "Lazarus Reflex", this pair represents the band in their best, weaving a plethora of wildly different flavours into each other seamlessly. It's soon obvious that with these tracks, Unfurl kick in a whole new gear. While the first half had it's own strengths, the latter is where the band relies solely on their personal expression, finding a whole new kind of coherency and momentum to themselves.

Towards the end, the tracks progress into more diverse and fascinating ones, and by the time the final piece "Blue Rose" is over, you'll find yourself wondering why Unfurl aren't on every single metal enthusiast's or music journalist's lips, why an album of this caliber was released independently, why you haven't heard about them before. As futile as those questions are by now, they still bear a meaning in today's music industry, underlining the fact that without heaps of green and direct connections to certain persons of interest, a lot of amazing music gets buried underneath the rubble. We can only hope that this kind of material finds its own audience, preferably sooner than later.

”The Waking Void” is avialble HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Møl, "Jord"

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/04/2018

Label: Holy Roar Records

the basic feel of the music is going to be very familiar, but it’s done so well, and with such conviction that virtually no one else, including the biggest names in the style, have the chops to match what Møl does here.

‘Jord’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Storm

2. Penumbra

3. Bruma

4. Vakuum

5. Lambda

6. Ligament

7. Virga

8. Jord

The Review:

I’ve always imagined it being rough, being a band involved in a niche subgenre on the decline after its initial peak. It must have been rough to have been an American-style death metal band in the late 90s. It probably would have been similarly challenging to have been symphonic black metal band in the mid 2000s. And it also seems like it would be difficult to be a post black metal/blackgaze band in 2018. This is all anecdotal on my part, but it feels like if you were to go onto social media and talk up a band using terms like blackgaze or post metal, or post black metal; you’re likely going to be met with some apprehension from friends or followers.

There’s a burnout that follows the gargantuan wave and eventual collapse of a hot new subgenre, almost like at a certain point, there’s an unspoken moratorium on new bands in that style. But the truth is that none of that shit should matter. Good albums are good albums. And Møl’s debut full length, ‘Jord’, is a damn good album. Sure you can point to similarities the band shares with certain tentpole bands in the style, but you could also say that Møl is doing more with that style, and in a more compelling way than any other band occupying this space.

The hallmarks are all here: the soaring, effects-drenched leads, the rock-laced drumming choices intertwined with blast beat sections, and of course the harsh, higher-pitched shrieking. And yet Møl is putting these elements in their own unique context by infusing a northern European influence in their riff writing style you don’t run across often in this niche. “Vakuum”, as an example, features a main riff that feels like a Norse take on the rhythm-centric approach of Cobalt’s ‘Gin’. There’s more of a melodic sensibility to it, but it captures a similar energy.

Even the stuff that fits into the genre’s longstanding tropes are performed better on “Jord” than on any album of a similar style in years. “Lambda” is steeped in the sort of airy, wistful clean guitar work that’s been one of the genre’s calling cards since day one. But thanks to some slick, fluid drumming choices from Ken Klejs, and the brilliant craftsmanship of the rest of the band, the song never feels like a lazy rehash of old ideas. Yes, the basic feel of the music is going to be very familiar, but it’s done so well, and with such conviction that virtually no one else, including the biggest names in the style, have the chops to match what Møl does here.

And that’s what the story of ‘Jord’ as a whole. It’s familiar, but brilliant in its own right. Gorgeous in the ways you’d expect, but brilliant in subtler ways you might not expect. Whatever the status of your burnout level is with shoegazy black metal: if you loved the style once, you owe it to yourself to give this album a committed listen. You might just remember what you enjoyed so much about this kind of music to begin with. I have. 

‘Jord’ is available here

Band info: Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Cloakroom - "Time Well"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 18/08/2017

Label:  Relapse Records

The songwriting and arrangements are as distinctive and original as they come, especially for the subgenres Cloakroom claims. You will get treated to plenty that fits a stoner/sludge aesthetic that you are used to hearing. Yet, by the time you reach "The Sun Won't Let Us Go" midway through, chances are you will embrace where the band is heading with all this. But it is nevertheless magnificent.

"Time Well" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Gone But Not Entirely

2. Big World

3. Concrete Gallery

4. Seedless Star

5. Sickle Moon Blues

6. Hymnal

7. The Sun Won't Let Us Go

8. Time Well

9. 52Hz Whale

10. The Passenger

The Review:

Some of the best music defies description and can be defiant in a manner that can be both sublime and utterly enraging. You think you can put a band in a convenient mental category, as we are wont to do, until its members aptly demonstrate you just cannot do so. This fluidity is loved by many music fans. It can also make others completely panic.

Enter Cloakroom. This outfit presents fleeting instances of doom and stoner rock. However, it offers the strongest pop sensibility of any group on which you would otherwise bestow those categories. On its sophomore release, "Time Well," the Northwest Indiana-based band creates an impressive though hard to describe recording.

"Further Out," Cloakroom's debut, received accolades for its quality as a heavier side of indie rock package. It was moody and sorrowful at moments, reflective and tense elsewhere. Truly a promising first outing by most standards, and loved by many critics and fans. You almost have to think so many eyes generates more than a little pressure on this young band to follow through on an equally rich offering.

Fortunately, "Time Well" is an admirable progression from what we heard in "Further Out." "Gone But Not Entirely," the new disc's first track, treats you to a sound you will grow to love across all ten cuts – that kickoff indie swag that summons the Replacements among others making way for thick guitars and a plodding bass. It is real ride at first, because you might expect this is all going one way – and who can blame you, considering metal label Relapse put this out – until your ears get a delightful sonic curveball. But it is nevertheless magnificent.

Other tracks abide by this indie/heavy model, which is nevertheless a great experience. Catch "Concrete Gallery" and "Sickle Moon Blues" among the best of such songs. The songwriting and arrangements are distinctive and original as they come, especially for the subgenres Cloakroom claims. You will get treated to plenty that fits a stoner/sludge aesthetic that you are used to hearing. Yet, by the time you reach "The Sun Won't Let Us Go" midway through, chances are you will embrace where the band is heading with all this. Those mental categories we all seek will disappear for a bit in favor of such a superlative story arc.

Cloakroom succeeds as a one-of-a-kind sort of group. You have to admire its members' courage at stepping out of bounds, and for breaking the sophomore slump with a release you will not soon forget.

"Time Well" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Ancient VVisdom - "33"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/10/2017

Label: Argonauta Records (CD) |

Magic Bullet Records (DD) |

DHU Records (LP)

Like the morning star it praises, Ancient VVisdom is more deceptive than you realize. It heralds that section of the genre that is far darker than even the loudest bands while doing a style you don't recognize is nearly this cursed. "33" is going to live on for quite some time.

“33” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Ascending Eternally

2. Light of Lucifer

3. In the Name of Satan

4. True Will

5. The Infernal One

6. Summoning Eternal Light

7. Rise Fallen Angel

8. 33

9. The Great Beast

10. Lux

11. Dispelling Darkness

The Review:

Metal music has since its dawn been preoccupied with the visage of Beelzebub. Whether it was Ozzy Osbourne conjuring the idea of Satan's love in "N.I.B." or mainstream heavy rock like Ghost calling out to the "old one, master," Satan has been that ultimate taboo in music. For metal, the Devil has also been the totem of rejecting all convention. And though there have been many incursions into popular culture, it would seem metal music's fixation with the sinister and demons may always be part.

So when a recording comes across that embodies some of that dark spirit, it almost feels like splitting hairs to argue how it qualifies as metal. In Ancient VVisdom's case, it indubitably does.

The Austin-based trio formed in 2009 and have three releases – 2011's "A Godlike Inferno”, 2013's "Deathlike" and 2014's "Sacrificial" – as well as a rather infamous 2010 split disc with incarcerated mass murderer Charles Manson on their resume. Its first full length in three years, "33," is alternately inspired by a variety of meanings for the number, including the birth year that Jesus Christ was crucified. The horrific vibe never quite goes away from there.

If you have not heard the group prior, Ancient VVisdom is metal in the first-wave death rock or the folkloric styles you may recall rose to prominence in metal in the early 2000s. "33" is thus largely rooted in acoustic music, without drum and sparing electric guitar. The focus of Ancient VVisdom is Nathan Opposition, vocalist and songwriter. He's crucial, because Ancient VVisdom is nothing if not a lyrical act whose songs and stories are its reason for being.

To be clear, Ancient VVisdom has magnificent instrumentation. Whether it is the guitar, synths or hints of percussion, the minimal nature of "33" means all of it has to count even more than the average band. However, Ancient VVisdom's Satanic verses drive the music for the most part. Indeed Nathan Opposition's vocals set up much of the art that is here. "Ascending Eternally" opens like a hymn, while "Light of Lucifer" begins the release smoothly out of that hymn into a chord that you might hear around the fire at a church's summer camp. However, this is no revival.

Songs like "Summoning Eternal Light" and "The Great Beast" musically deliver the crunch you might more expect from metal, whereas "Rise Fallen Angel" is Ancient VVisdom's closest foray into heavy rock. These selections and a handful of others are not ultraviolent songs. They're musically savvy, but as with other cuts, the imagery of the occult, Lucifer and the great unknown are the true canvas.

Like the morning star it praises, Ancient VVisdom is more deceptive than you realize. It heralds that section of the genre that is far darker than even the loudest bands while doing a style you don't recognize is nearly this cursed. "33" is going to live on for quite some time.

"33" is available digitally here, CD here and eventually on vinyl here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Spotlights - "Seismic"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 06/10/2017

Label: Ipecac Recordings

Be it the album’s title, the heft of the cascading guitar riffs, or the thick atmosphere the band creates, this is a serious release that’s here to make a statement.  “Seismic” is an album that’s easy to get lost in, which judging by the depth of sound, is exactly what Spotlights set out to do.

“Seismic” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Seismic

2. Learn to Breathe

3. The Size of the Planet

4. Ghost of a Glowing Forest

5. Under the Earth

6. A Southern Death

7. The Opening

8. What is This? Where Are We?

9. Hollow Bones

10. Hang Us All

11. The Hope of a Storm

The Review:

New York- based, husband and wife duo Spotlights wants nothing less than to be taken seriously on their Ipecac Recordings debut album, “Seismic.” Be it the album’s title, the heft of the cascading guitar riffs, or the thick atmosphere the band creates, this is a serious release that’s here to make a statement. Everything is mapped out; there are no false steps, no room for improvisation, just a hefty slab of post-metal-whatever rock music. And you know what, it’s damn good!

Musically, Spotlights has a few obvious influences – I’m looking at you Deftones and ISIS – but that shouldn’t be a surprise considering the label the band is on. Luckily, Spotlights uses these two bands as just that, influences, and prevents the band coming across as a watered down band confined to a particular time and genre.

It’s the layers that make Spotlights what they are. They hit loud and hard at face value and that’s great. The guitar riffs are crunchy and slow and the drums are in your face. Everything is turned up real loud, which is exactly how the album should be listened to. Once the volume is turned up and the listener sits back, that’s when Spotlights really starts to unfold.

Spotlights is able to put all the tools at their disposal to good use. Be it in the way the synthesizers accentuate the tenderness in the fat riffing or how the sound of strummed guitar strings deep in the mix help round things out, “Seismic” becomes a release that’s as tall as it is wide. The hour plus run time might be a touch on the long side of things, but when there’s so much mood and atmosphere, an album’s run time becomes insignificant pretty quickly.

Understanding “Seismic” means understanding the layers. The songs are there and the sound is big. Spotlights make their presence known with these elements. Then the accents are found; the synthesizers are well placed and the vocals provide just that bit of necessary breathing room. “Seismic” is an album that’s easy to get lost in, which judging by the depth of sound, is exactly what Spotlights set out to do.

“Seismic” is available here

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Mindkult - "Lucifer's Dream"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 20/09/2017

Label: Transcending Obscurity

Don't wonder. Go listen. Mindkult's alchemy is in blending in forces that probably would not otherwise really work well together, to beget a release that is one of the most prepossessing in the genre,  reshaping what we consider tradtional doom in spectacular ways.

"Lucifer's Dream" CD//DD track listing

1. Drink My Blood

2. Nightmares

3. Behold the Wraith

4. Infernals

5. Howling Witch

6. Lucifer's Dream

The Review:

How many of us think about The Cure on a daily basis? Now, for those of a certain age, you may ponder the 1980s new wave trailblazers more than someone born in the mid-1990s. However, safe to say even then considerations of the Robert Smith-fronted group are rare occasions. However, The Cure has been a bigger influence in varied genres of popular music than you might at first know. Relevant to metal, extreme music and Mindkult is the shadow The Cure casts over gothic, post-punk and shoegaze. In the early 1980s, The Cure helped forge the sound and look. Today, Mindkult uplifts that downtrodden tradition in a way that reshapes doom in spectacular ways.

Mindkult is a one-person performance piece that conveys some of the classic sensibility as well as a new philosophy to doom and stoner rock. "Lucifer's Dream" comes on the heels of Mindkult's debut EP "Witch's Oath." That release scored positive reviews for its genre-bending nonchalance. Psychedelic jams slammed into a doom ethos and haunted lyrics. With its return, Mindkult offers this surprisingly irresistible slosh, and more.

The recording begins with "Drink My Blood," which is a largely instrumental (the first three of eight minutes have no vocal) blues-infused rocker. "Nightmares" is the shortest track, and follows the opener's rhythm with a churning doom energy not unlike mid-golden era Black Sabbath. It is the sort of song you might share to get a friend into Mindkult; it is catchy, with strong songwriting and thick grooves. "Behind the Wraith" is another cut you might introduce new listeners to Mindkult with. There are a ton of excellent metal inspirations herein, and yet Mindkult makes the air all its own.

But back to The Cure. There will always be a strand or two of goth in doom. Truly hard to say how that necessarily came to be. One might be able to trace it back to the emergence of the post-punk movement, where early metal found some adherents, and a unique subculture that arguably impacted death metal and some extreme music subgenres. Nevertheless, the musical tempo is unmistakable. Mindkult flashes more shoegaze, which has its own history with post-punk or goth, and it towers over the interpretations you may hear elsewhere. "Infernals" and "Howling Witch" are the zenith of this avenue. The arrangement is just right, and while the vocals across this release are superlative, there is a charisma in these songs that is magnetic.

The title track ends the six-song trip, and it touches on both effects of shoegaze and doom. You might read that suggestion and wonder how it works. Don't wonder. Go listen. Mindkult's alchemy is in blending in forces that probably would not otherwise really work well together, to beget a release that is one of the most prepossessing in the genre.

"Lucifer's Dream" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Low Flying Hawks - "Genkaku"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/08/2017

Label: Magnetic Eye Records

Low Flying Hawks come at you with a chugging, thick mélange of sound you will not soon forget, there's an aesthetic through this release that makes their  second foray sound quite breathtaking.

"Genkaku" CD//DD//LP track listing:

1.) Smile

2.) Uncool

3.) Virgin Witch

4.) Space Wizard

5.) Hallucination

6.) Twilight

7.) Sinister Waves

The Review:

Sporting a bond to sludge metal icons the Melvins is never a bad thing. And such a relationship is all the more noteworthy when your bag is self described as ambient metal, known otherwise depending on who you ask as drone metal. In the case of Low Flying Hawks, they're even closer to the Washington State legends than throwaway words in a press kit. As Low Flying Hawks features Crover's peerless stylings as well as Melvins' producer Toshi Kasai and guest vocals from King Buzzo himself.

Do not come to the recording expecting the Melvins' crunch, though. On its successor to the 2016 debut “Kōfuku”, Low Flying Hawks instead come at you with a chugging, thick mélange of sound you will not soon forget.

"Genkaku" (Japanese for “hallucination” or illusion”) is a mind-bending journey. The swirling guitars and indecipherable words in "Uncool" are indicative of that trip – dreamlike, or nightmarish, paths lain bare with Crover's pensive drum duties. A song such as "Hallucination" has almost a shoegaze feel to it, even though it is most decidedly doom in nature. The discerning listener will find a bit of a psychedelic rock influence in several tracks. Although you may hear such especially in our sludge metal friends, prototypical notions of 'Melvins side project' this is not. Rather, there's an aesthetic through this release that makes Low Flying Hawks' second foray sound quite breathtaking.

At the same time, the release is punishing when it needs to be. As in “Kōfuku”, the sophomore recording takes plenty of toilsome turns. The big sound is present and accounted for, complete with multilayered instrumentation and riffs that build to impressive arcs throughout. You have to appreciate the King Buzzo-fronted track "Space Wizard" for its pacing in this regard, as well as that of "Virgin Witch," which is one of the most Melvins sounding songs, in all of the best ways, on this recording. All in all, Low Flying Hawks exceeds the anticipation one might have about its members' histories. The band also gets you thinking about how they can expand past that.

"Genkaku" is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Ontario stoner shoegaze trio Familiars debut "The Gardiner's Coming Down"

By: Victor Van Ommen

We have covered Familiars a couple of times over here at The Sludgelord. In case you missed those reviews, it’s not too late to catch up!

Familiars spend their time stomping around the Toronto area by way of hazy, low hanging guitars that are as much a wall of noise as they are drenched in melody. A sturdy groove runs the show, but never really breaks a sweat. This is music for those late nights with the lights dimmed low.

On Sunday, March 12, Familiars is releasing a new 7 inch (order it here ) and we have the honor to premiere the B-Side of this release. Press play below and check out this short interview we did with these Canadians.

Sludgelord: This is your third short release in as many years. What are the accomplishments/milestones Familiars have achieved in these years?

Jared: It feels great to all be on the same level, ironing out our live show, writing, and finding our sound has been really rewarding. And of course getting some wax out there is another big one for us. We're all vinyl guys so it's been a goal to put out a 7 inch since day one.

Sludgelord: The sleeve for the 7 inch is hand made. This gives the product a very personal touch and in doing so, bridges the gap between the listener and the band. Yet in this time of streaming and digital music, the idea of presenting a product sometimes gets left by the wayside. Can you tell us a little about the process of adding this personal touch to the 7 inch? What did it involve? How did you realize this idea? What drives you guys to want to do this? 

Jared: We did as much as we possibly could ourselves on this release.  The artwork and layout, silkscreened the covers and even carved our own stamps to mark each side of the vinyl. When buying something we appreciate knowing it was made with care by a person that has pride in the product, so hopefully when people get this in their hands they're going to feel that as well.

In a lot of ways we're just doing what we'd want to get from a band.  As much as everything is trending towards streaming and digital, there is still a demand for a physical unit.

Sludgelord: The release date for your 7 inch is Sunday, March 12. That's this month's full moon. Is there any relation between the release date and the full moon, and if so, what is the relation? What makes this date so special to the band?

Jared: Anytime we can get something to align with a full moon is a positive.  I wouldn't say we're really superstitious, but we do like the idea of them and rituals.  

I think the full moon stuff came from Neil Young, he only records on full moons. So it's partly a homage to Neil and partly because writing and recording on those days just seem to have a little more to it. 

Sludgelord: So, a full length. About time, right? Can you let us in on any tasty details about the album?

Jared: It's coming. We are writing it now.  We're all excited by the songs and writing.  

Our sound has evolved in a way, we flow a lot better with each other & the songs seem to reflect that.

Sludgelord: What record were you just now listening to? Which musician - living or dead - would you recommend it to and why?

Jared: We've had the new All Them Witches album on repeat.  As to whom I'd recommend it to… I think Neil would dig them, but he's strange so who knows.

And finally

Sludgeord: You've been offered to tour the world with none other than Nickelback! The contract states specifically that your only compensation would be limited to hotels, food, and drinks. Do you jump at the opportunity or do you send your Canadian brethren alone out on the road?

Jared: We'd do it, hopefully they'd be taking us to the UK. We wouldn't have to listen to their set each night would we?  Besides, I'm sure we could eat and drink our way into making it worth it. 

Anton would do it just for the free food.

The End

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

2016 ALBUMS IN BRIEF: Alcest- “Kodama”, Cobalt- “Slow Forever” & Mortichnia- “Heir to Scoria and Ash”

By: TJ Kleibhan

Alcest- “Kodama”

Shoegaze-Metal pioneers Alcest were back this year with “Kodama”, an album that found lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Neige electing to implement more vocal harmony rather than his usual black metal screeches. “Kodama” has frequently been compared to Alcest’s debut, “Souvenirs d'un autre monde” by way of the new album’s fierce guitar riffs drenched beneath swirling delay effects. Also similar to the debut is the way “Kodama” bounces between moods which ranges from uplifting to dark and personal. Neige frequently stated he was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke during the album’s creation. “Kodama” is every bit as lush and blissful as a Miyazaki film, but also includes the harrowing darkness that Miyazaki’s protagonists typically overcome. This is one of Alcest’s strongest releases and should come especially welcome to fans clamoring for a record closer to black metal than Alcest’s past two efforts.

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Cobalt- “Slow Forever”

After a seven year hiatus, Colorado black and prog metal act Cobalt returned with “Slow Forever. The album was created during the most tumultuous time in Cobalt’s history. While creating their first double album, lead singer Phil McSorley was replaced with ex-Lord Mantis vocalist Charlie Fell. Multi-Instrumentalist Erik Wunder did not miss a beat during the whole process. “Slow Forever” features twelve tracks, most of which eclipse the 6 minute mark, that showcase massive riffs, creative drum fills, and aggressive melodies that all feature an influence of Cormac McCarthy-like western wilderness blues. Fell’s vocal performances are varied, but every note he screeches and roars works effectively. Rarely does a band replace their lead singer and get better, but “Slow Forever” could be the peak in Cobalt’s oeuvre.

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Mortichnia- “Heir to Scoria and Ash”

Mortichnia come from Ireland and they’re here to crush all the happiness out of your life. Produced and recorded by Altar of Plagues’ James Kelly, the black/doom metal five-piece’s debut record is perhaps the most punishing release of 2016. The atmosphere of “Heir to Scoria and Ash” is sickening and claustrophobic. Even when the well-crafted riffs are not punishing the listener, there is seemingly no way to escape the droning, the harsh vocals, or the pounding double bass drum kick. Gluttons for punishment in their metal releases look no further.

Band info: bandcamp || facebook