ALBUM REVIEW: Orange Goblin, "Science, Not Fiction"

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: July 17^th, 2024
Label: Peaceville Records

“Science, Not Fiction” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine
2. (not) Rocket Science
3. Ascend The Negative
4. False Hope Diet
5. Cemetary Rats
6. The Fury Of A Patient Man
7. Gemini (Twins Of Evil)
8. The Justice Knife
9. End Of Transmission
10. Eye Of The Minotaur (Bonus Track)
 
The Review:

Orange Goblin return, after a lengthy few years between albums and once again prove why they have become- effectively- the Motorhead of their chosen genre. Each album delivers what you want, but, unlike the mighty ‘Head the breaks between records make each Orange Goblin album an “EVENT” and not just ‘another’ album.
 
Founding bassist Martyn Millard has departed- some years ago- and has been replaced by Harry Armstrong (Blind River), elsewhere Joe Hoare, Chris Turner and Ben Ward are as solid, dependable and recognisable as ever. The band sounds so strong here and the enthusiasm and care put into this album really comes through in the songs.
 
From the opening bass riff of “The Fire at The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine” to the closing “End of Transmission”, the band is rocket propelled, jet fuelled, firing on all cylinders and burnin’ up the atmosphere. It’s an assured set of performances and songs.
 
In between the opener and closer, the band don’t put a foot wrong. This is a very strong record from front to back, advance track “(Not) Rocket Science” is brilliant, “Ascend The Negative” is superb, “Cemetery Rats” is speedy and shows the punk side of the band, The Justice Knife is dark and harrowing and the aforementioned “End of Transmission” is as good an epitaph for the band as any they have ever written.
 
Throughout, Joe Hoare puts in a man of the match performance (again) with tasteful and song-serving playing. Ben Ward, a man reborn, is on gruff and powerful form. Ben’s battles with alcohol, depression and his health have been documented by the big man himself on social media, but now he is lean and mean, counting his calories and training hard. Truly, he has become a man remade and his muscled appearance matches the strength of his vocals here.
 
The band’s recent performance at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds for the album launch was one of the best times I’ve seen the band; they were on top form and dealt out a set of new and old tracks which displayed their experience. It showed that the band are at the top of their game.
 
The mix of stoner, heavy rock, punk, Motorhead infused swagger and darker influences from more extreme genres on this album works beautifully. Hopefully, the band won’t wait so long until the next album- but if this is to be the last one, or even the last one for a few years, the band can and should be very proud of what they’ve achieved here. It’s a rare band that has no bad albums in their catalogue, but Orange Goblin join Motorhead, Overkill, Death, Bolt Thrower and a handful of others who can make that claim.  A must listen.
 
“Science, Not Fiction” is available HERE

Band info: facebook 

ALBUM REVIEW: Boss Keloid, "Family The Smiling Thrush"

By: Peter Morsellino
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 04/06/2021
Label: Ripple Music

 
“Family The Smiling Thrush” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Orang of Noyn
2. Gentle Clovis
3. Hats the Mandrill
4. Smiling Thrush
5. Cecil Succulent
6. Grendle
7. Flatt Controller
 
The Review:
 
With a swirling tempest of psychedelia, Boss Keloid return with “Family the Smiling Thrush”.  Crafting a sonic experience that is difficult to define, Boss Keloid provides the listener with something to think about, but not without providing the solid grooves that they have come to be known for over the years. 
 
There is no simple way to describe the music of Boss Keloid to the uninitiated.  There are elements of psychedelia intermingled with a strong progressive rock influence, backed by a heavy stoner metal groove, but the sound encompasses so much more than that.  There is something completely intangible that helps Boss Keloid stand out amongst their peers, and that something is displayed in full force on “Family the Smiling Thrush”.
 
Songwriting is the star of the show throughout the album, with arrangements weaving intricate webs through the listener’s mind.  Meticulously crafted structures rise and fall with a hard soft dynamic that gives “Family the Smiling Thrush” its mysterious sound.  At times, I was briefly reminded of Tool or Mastodon, yet these comparisons fail to even breach the surface of what Boss Keloid is presenting, and in truth do the band’s music a disservice. 
 
What comes across through the speakers here is something entirely unique.  A melding of genres as vast as the sound it creates.  Truly something that is greater than the sum of its parts.  “Family the Smiling Thrush” is very much something that needs to be heard to be fully appreciated.  Expect thoughtful passages exemplified by heavy grooves with a thick, hazy atmosphere of the unknown.  Give this one a listen.
 
“Family The Smiling Thrush” is available HERE 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Slow Green Thing, "Amygdala"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 20/07/2020
Label: Independent

“Amygdala” DD//LP track listing:

1). Medusa’s Spell

2). Amygdala

3). All I Want

4). Dirty Thoughts

5). Dreamland

6). Love To My Enemy

The Review

Slow Green Thing is an apt name for these stoner doomers from Dresden, Germany. The opening squall of “Medusas Spell” gives way to a loping groove and some great riffs. It's stoner/doom/rock/metal with clean vocals and a very laid-back vibe.

This is the band's fourth release (third full length) and they sound tight and assured via the organic production and strong material. The riffs are huge, the drums are creative and well phrased, and everything seems to fit nicely. It is not so far away from Sleep, perhaps, with its jamming inclinations and spacey, ethereal vocals.

Of course, there is nothing under six minutes long over the six tracks on offer here- but why would there be. This is all about volume and vibing riffage. From the title track through to speedy/dynamic tracks like “Dirty Thoughts” and epic work like “Dreamland”, this is huge and weighty but not aggressive- more insistent and attritional.

The opening of “All I Want” took me back to Alabma Thunderpussy's “Fulton Hill” 2004 album- it shares a certain similarity- but Slow Green Thing make their sound their own enough to carve out a distinct identity somewhere between Sleep and a slowed down Soundgarden.

The album finishes strongly with “Love to My Enemy”- it's a string record throughout and has much to admire. If you like your stoner and are looking for a band you haven't heard that is different but has plenty of the old gods within, this is the band for you. Majestic and mighty, this one sounds exactly how you want it to, based on the band name.

“Amygdala” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Beggar, "Compelled to Repeat"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 03/04/2020

Label: APF Records

“Compelled to Repeat” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1). Blood Moon

2). Anaesthete

3). The Cadaver Speaks

4). Black Cloud

5). Trepanned Head Stares at the Sun

6). Custody of the Eyes

7). Tenantless The Graves

8). Matryoshka Brain

9). Compelled to Repeat

The Review:

With groove laden riffs and demonic aggression, London four piece Beggar provide us with the soundtrack to the most fun apocalypse imaginable. A doom-laden slop that can be danced to all night, “Compelled to Repeat” is a party record for the rest of us.

Low tuned guitars and walls of distortion, a godless howl soaring high above an unforgiving back beat. It sounds familiar, doesn't it?  But just like discovering that your grandmother's cookies contain the same butter, flour, eggs and sugar as everyone else's, we realize that the raw ingredients make up only the basis for the thing we love so much.

So what is it, exactly?  Well, reader, I would have to say that just like the heaping spoonful of love that your dear gram tossed into her cookie dough, the answer lies much deeper than the genre standards presented here. I think the success of this one lies within the band itself and the good time that just can't be hidden by the grimy sludge piled on top of it.

Every riff on this album drips with swagger. There is a persistent groove to every fuzzed out, doomsday invoking riff. This is an all that just wants to keep you moving, regardless of the end times presented by the musical narrative.  You just can't help but feel the beat. It might be apocalyptic, but it's a really good time.

I for one have absolutely no problem with this. There will doubtless be purists who disagree with me, either shouting from their podiums that fun had no place in the doom and gloom that they have come to love, or even flat out denying the good times present in these delightful grooves. That's ok. Everyone has an opinion.  This is mine. 

With its fuzz drenched riffs, chest caving beats and chaotically screeched vocals providing imagery of fire and brimstone raining down on a world gone wrong, punchy grooves provide a medium for us all to dance ourselves out the door.

Beggar's “Compelled to Repeat” is the feel-good hit of the biblical revelation, and I compel you top give it a listen.

“Compelled to Repeat” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: King Buffalo, "Dead Star"

By: Peter Morsellino 

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 20/03/2020

Label: Independent | 

Stickman Records

“Dead Star” DD//LP track listing:

1. Red Star Pt. 1 

2. Red Star Pt. 2

3. Echo of a Waning Star 

4. Ecliptic 

5. Eta Carinae 

6. Dead Star

The Review:

After rocketing to the top of New York's stoner rock pack over the last several years, Rochester's favorite sons return with their most ambitious album to date. The fine folks in King Buffalo set out to prove that they have not stagnated with success but blossomed into the psychedelic flower they were always meant to be. “Dead Star” takes us by the hand, showing us all these lads have learned on this journey of theirs so far. 

A varied mix of sounds are presented here, creating a strong narrative within the album as tones and moods ebb and flow organically. King Buffalo are up a great level of maturity by stepping out of their comfort zone and incorporating new elements without ever forgetting what brought them to the party. The swampy acoustic dirge of the title track is of particular intrigue. Showing off a bit of levity without losing a bit of the band's inherent badassery, this southern tinged number is sure to delight. 

The real star of the show here is album opener “Red Star Parts I & II.”  It's almost unfair to the rest of a wonderful album that such a masterpiece sits right at the helm. King Buffalo could have easily offered us “Red Star” with a few psychedelic sound collages and filler blues romps and called it a day, but to have such a fleshed out pack of tunes following this epic of modern stoner prog is simply a testament to the musical prowess of these masters of the genre. 

Thick with very organic sounding synth atmospheres, “Red Star” is a monument to the band's progress. Powerful bass lines and tribal drums reign supreme as guitars conjure a sound that is as much the love child of David Gilmore and Adam Jones as it is wholly unique. The epic track progresses into a slamming doom rocker seamlessly, yet without ever losing its dreamscape feel, creating a living breathing organism that cements King Buffalo on their throne as the kings of east coast stoner rock. 

King Buffalo prove with “Dead Star” that they are capable of amazing things. By reaching out into the musical stratosphere, this promising band have produced something incredible, and I don't see them slowing down any time soon. Long live the king.

“Dead Star” is available HERE

Band info: Website || Facebook || Bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE: Weed Demon, "Serpent Merchant"

Columbus, Ohio’s Weed Demon are back!!! 3 years after the release of “Astrological Passages”, their second album “Crater Maker” offers swathes of the sludge/doom metal sound on which they made their name and they have done an excellent job of distilling a host of ideas into one lumbering entity. While they may forever wander down the road searching for the tone eternal, “Crater Maker” is a mighty fine pit stop along the way and today you can check out a brand track from the album entitled “Serpent Merchant”

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Horseneck, "Fever Dream"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/02/2020

Label: Worried Bird

“Fever Dream” DD/LP track listing:

1. Barbra Streisand

2. Pen15

3. Happily Level Lafter

4. Porcelain Ass

5. Red Curtain

6. A Discarded Mess

7. Matt Lauer’s Secret Button

8. Sleeping With Silverfish

9. Grease

10. Mr. Funny Guy Full Of Bullshit

11. Margaritadelphia

The Review:

A dollar found in the street. Freshly baked brownies. The warm embrace of a loved one. Your favorite movie beginning just as you turn on the television. What do these wonderful things all have in common?  Nothing. Are they relevant to this review? Not really. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Horseneck.

As adequately named an album as there ever was, Horseneck's “Fever Dream” presents us with an almost nonsensical witches brew of musical delirium.  If all the elements brought together on this album were to be presented in writing, it would look to be the gibberish of an absolute lunatic. And yet, somehow, Horseneck bring it together to create something utterly magical.

I need to preface this review by making it clear that anything that I try to say about this album will be at best a rough approximation. I cannot do this album justice. I might as well tell you what color the music is. This thing needs to be heard to be believed.

Discernable sounds on this album include desert rock, sludge, metalcore, gospel, the song “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys maybe, western, among so many others. There are horns on one song. Female guest vocals on a few others. I really like the snare sound.

Please don't think I'm describing an unintelligible mess of mashed up genres, because that is not what this is at all. The songs are crafted masterfully.  Different influences blend together like they were always meant to belong together.  The hooks are indescribably catchy.  The interplay of different vocal styles is particularly pleasing throughout a delight of an album. This thing is just plain amazing. It needs to be heard, not discussed.  That's really the whole story. I don't know what else to say.

The music is orange. I'm sorry. You were warned.

“Fever Dream” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Pist, "Hailz"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 08/11/2019

Label: APF Records

“Hailz” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Ex-Nihilo
2. Wreck
3. Mind Rotter
4. Fools Gave Chase
5. If I Was You.....
6. Strangle The Sun (feat. Elephant Tree)
7. Skin Your God

The Review:

It was with high expectations that I pressed play on this sophomore effort from Pist, the North West's finest purveyors of... metal/blackened-stoner/sludge/what-have-you. With its respectful nod to a Manchester underground legend for the title and the contents herein only glimpsed via watching them support Orange Goblin back in January, I thought this would be a cracker. I wasn't wrong.

This lands somewhere between Raging Speedhorn, Bast, Orange Goblin and Sabbath. It's not really categorisable and all the more appealing for it. Pist have carved out their own niche. They are a brutal proposition live and on record they have not disappointed. Opener “Ex-Nihilo” has pretty much all elements present and correct- big riffs, rolling blast sections, vocals of several types and it all works wonderfully.

As the album progresses on via “Wreck” (ATG and Swe-Death influence present), “Mind Rotter” with dynamic sections and more unusual rhythms combined with very catchy riffing and onwards, it's clear that the record doesn't stick with any one genre for long and is best summed up as quality metal- there is some fire forged blood running through the very veins of this album.

The aggro-metal of “Fools Gave Chase” gives way to spooky atmospherics and black metal type progressions thereafter. “If I was You” is a dark journey through extremity and with only “Strangle The Sun” and “Skin Your God” to go, the record has shown itself to be richly varied and unique.

The former of the aforementioned pairing is dark and dreamy- imagine Tricky doing a metal track, perhaps? “Skin Your God”, meanwhile, is a riff heavy beast of grooves, a dreamlike mellower and a fetid blast of extreme metal by turns. Overall, this album has a lot of parts and somehow manages to be more than the sum of them. Where Pist will go from here is anyone's guess, but hopefully it will be out of Bury on a regular basis to pulverise more stages. The British metal underground is alive and well, with Pist making their claim as the best of the lot.

“Hailz” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Hollow Leg, "Civilizations"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/01/2019

Label: Argonauta Records

This Florida outfit come on like a freight train- an unstoppable band channelling the spirit of early High on Fire

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

1. Litmus
2. Dirt Womb
3. Mountains of Stone
4. Black Moon
5. Hunter and the Hunted
6. Intro
7. Chimera
8. Akasha
9. Exodus

The Review

This Florida outfit come on like a freight train- an unstoppable band channelling the spirit of early High on Fire but moving a little slower. From the opening pounding of “Litmus”, you expect sludge and that's what you get.

That said, there is much more to this record- acoustic guitars and clean vocals on “Black Moon” are just the start. There is a fair amount of stoner-ish atmosphere (“Hunter and the Hunted”, “Intro”) and some really cracking riffs. The production and mix are great; weighty and pleasing to listen to and the tempos are not just one slow pace. There are some real head-nodders in here too; “Chimera” is one of them and it utilises a mid-paced but oddly groovy approach. 

If you prefer a bit of gloom, then “Akasha” covers it well with some very doomy sounds that will appeal to even the most ardent Sabbath purist. The closing close-to-eight-minutes of “Exodus” is an expansive finish to a blinding record.

Hollow Leg inhabit the same kind of space as High on Fire (first album) but also cover the territory of Sleep, The Sword (early) and other bands who are on the doom/stoner/sludge spectrum whilst not quite fitting into one bracket. Recommended and really good.

“Civilizations” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Widows debut new track "P.S. Worry"

Hard Rock/Stoner/sludge quartets, Widows are a pulverizing juggernaut of deadly riffage drenched with impressions of Entombed, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Down, and Eyehategod. Having spent several years laying waste to any venue that would have them, the band have made friends in high places; scoring stunning reviews and features in Metal Hammer, Terrorizer, Rock Sound and more importantly on this very site

Following on from the storming success of their third studio release, 2017’s “Oh Deer God”, Widows are back with their flattening new two-track EP “Ten’Yer” marking the final studio release with long time drummer Ze-Big and the first outings for new drummer Adam Sharrocks at their launch shows in February 2019.

Widows had this to say about their new release. “After a relatively quiet 2018, we’re glad to be back with these new tracks and excited to get them in your faces live! We are also stoked to be finally working with APF Records on the release too, the label has done a lot for the scene since it started up and we’re really happy we’re now a part of that.

“Ten’Yer” is a bit of a progression on what we did with “Oh Deer God” and expands on the nastiness on that record. There’s still that same vibe there but the focus was on trying to make it darker and more aggressive than “ODG” on all fronts. If you liked the last record, you’ll love what we’ve got in store for you come January 28th!”

Ahead of the release next week, THE SLUDGELORD are proud to present a brand new track which you can check out below.  The band are also set to hit the UK over the coming months, and can be found sweating it out in the following cities:

Live Rtuals:

Fri 1st Feb – Albert’s, Nottingham, w/Ritual King, Mastiff, Barbarian Hermit

Sat 2nd Feb – Bread Factory, Manchester, w/APF Records Showcase

Sat 23rd Feb - The Freebird, Stoke, w/Mastiff and Silverchild

Thu 14th March – The Maze, Nottingham, Metal 2 the Masses Heat 5

9th June -Black Heart, London All dayer, main support

Sat 5th Oct - Bannerman's, Edinburgh Barbarian Hermit weekender

Sun 6th Oct - Trillian's, Newcastle, all dayer, Barbarian Hermit weekender

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: Chicago's Of Wolves return with "Heart To Hand"

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois Of Wolves play a raw and heavy blend of punk and metal from stoner sludge to hardcore & post punk. Releasing their debut record “Evolve” in May 2013, it was a caustic, white-knuckle roller-coaster ride, fueled by a righteous fury at the world around them.  An album full of skull crushing riffs and lumbering bass pierced with a load of heavy grinding monster beats and stomping blasts that open up like bursts of machine-gun fire.  This devastatingly intense band write songs to deal with stress, disillusionment, social injustice.

6 years have now passed since their debut and Of Wolves have a new album in the can which is set for release via Cimmerian Shade Recordings next year.  Given the fact that we loved their debut so much, it was a no brainer when we were asked to debut a brand new track  and today at THE SLUDGELORD we’re stoked to be premiere “Heart to Hand” which you can check out below.  More new about their sophomore will be announced when we know more.  In the meantime, turn the volume to 11 and watch your speaker die!!!

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

ALBUM PREMIERE: Disrule deliver riffs with more fat than Danish Bacon on sophomore "Sleep In Your Honour"

The world has many things to thank Denmark for over the years, not least its incomparable sense of style and Copenhagen is home to some of the world’s most sought-after designer brands and classic products. My kids would say the piece de resistance is Lego, however they probably haven't stepped on it with no socks on, if they had I am sure they’d change their tune haha.  Have you done it?  Hurts like fuck doesn’t it

When I was a kid the most famous Dane I was aware of other than Lurpak butter was Jan Molby, then when I got into metal, Lars Ulrich was obviously a name associated with Denmark and is arguably one of the countries most recognisable faces, reviled and loved in equal measure, when you trace the roots of Danish heavy metal he is probably top of the tree.

Hailing from Denmark, you’d be mad(s)(Mikkelson) to overlook the band DISRULE., because they are a diamond (King), a doom/stoner heads wet dream, because these guys can groove and rock out with the best of 'em. Clutch, Down, Fu Manchu and the mighty Black Sabbath all come to mind upon listening to their second record “Sleep In Your Honour” and in keeping with the spirit of legendary bands such as Sabbath, it was recorded live at Dead Rat Studio in just two days. 

Streaming in full today exclusively, ensure you turn this one up loud(drup) with a bier (Susanne) in hand.    “Sleep In Your Honour” is released this Friday via Seeing Red Records and is available HERE

Band info: facebook

ALBUM PREMIERE: Wasted Theory put the hammer down on album #3 "Warlords of the New Electric"

Wasted Theory’s second release with Argonauta Records, after the ‘2017 edition’ CD re-release of “Defenders of the Riff,” displays a disturbingly sober vision of slammed down, heavy rock invaders. Completed in the spring of this year, “Warlords of the New Electric” was recorded, engineered, and mixed by Joseph Boldizar (Ruby The Hatchet, Ecstatic Vision, The Age of Truth)  at Retro City Studios in Philadelphia, PA.

Wasted Theory had the following to say about the record

"When we set out to write ‘Warlords of the New Electric’ we wanted to take the energy and enthusiasm of ‘Defenders of the Riff” and develop those vibes even further. In our opinion, this is the perfect companion to the last album. We didn’t want to put out the stereotypical third album where we start getting all experimental and bizarre. So, we did the exact opposite - we took our gritty rock n’ roll origins and pushed them even heavier into the material.

The riffs are harder, the fast stuff is faster and the doom stuff is doomier. This is the perfect album for those hot, sticky summer nights hanging out at your buddy’s BBQ bonfire and having way too much to drink. This album is very much a Wasted Theory album."

Argonauta will release “Warlords of the New Electric” worldwide this Friday  October 26th 2018.  The eight song, full album hammer strike will include Vinyl and CD formats, with Digital Download and today a couple days ahead of the release you can stream the record in full.  So turn in up and let your speakers die

Band info: facebook