VIDEO PREMIERE: Barrabus deliver an angular vein bursting assault with "Porn"

Fucked up times demand a fucked up response. Unfortunately, every Tom, Dick and Tarquin wants to form an angry metal band and most of them are about as scary as a cheese sandwich. As a result, the return of unhinged weirdo riff warriors Barrabus should be a cause for mass celebration.

Fronted by swivel-eyed polymath Paul Catten, they are simply one of the gnarliest and most distinctive bands to emerge from the UK underground over the last 20 years. This band of beautifully besuited bastards first appeared as a brief but thrilling flash in life’s shitty pan a decade ago, popping up as main support to My Ruin, SiKth and several more notables, but then promptly disappeared in a puff of noxious disdain. Gloriously, the best ideas absolutely refuse to.

As furiously fresh and snot-fuelled today as they were when they were first penned, the songs on Barrabus’ self-titled debut album are nothing short of an all-out, vein-bursting assault on the senses. A lurching, flailing blur or fuzzed-up sludgecore riffing, art rock angularity, whiplash-inducing detours and thick wads of acrid, squirming eccentricity, it’s a powerful metal record, but one infused with an exhilarating sense of unease and malicious mischief. Most importantly, perhaps, Barrabus sound nothing like anything or anyone else, not least due to the unique lyrical vision and vocal madness of their frontman demonstrated in the new video for album track ‘Porn’.

Paul Catten describes the video as 'life through the eyes of a porn addict. Like a drug, waiting to get more extreme with each hit’, while adding 'Personal experience? Who knows, but I don't know many guys who haven't had a brief experience of addiction. It's too easy! No more mags stashed on a wardrobe, its right there, on your phone, on your TV, on your laptop. A disaster waiting to happen. The video, created by genius Will Hutchinson, sums it up perfectly. Filmed on phones for the true 'amateur' feel, Barrabus appearing in your worst porn clip viewing may just be your best/worst wet dream'

Barrabus released their self titled album in June via Undergroove Records. Order now

Barrabus

Hogslayer - 'Defacer' (Album Review)

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 18/05/2015

Label: Undergroove Records

‘Defacer’ CD//DD track Listing

1). Slowhawk

2). Despiser

3). Wuelf Baanger

4). Bludgeon

5). Burn Them Out

6). Warcries

7). Bastards Of Reality

8). This Spiteful Cycle

9). Mealworm

Hogslayer is:

Vocals | Lord Bastard

Guitar | Baron Drakk

Bass | Otto Kraal

Bass | Damek Omsk

Drums | Max Von Beek

Review:

Hogslayer, the nasty sludge/noise mongers formed in 2012, have carved a festering, cankerous wound into the heavy Welsh music scene. They have annihilated stages with twinkly fairy music makers Dopethrone and Gurt to name a few.  Cardiff; famous for  being the home of the Millennium Stadium, the Welsh National Assembly and lest we forget the muscle clad rugger buggers of many a woman’s fantasies can put all of that to one side. Why? Well, when you eject the vicious bastards that form Hogslayer into the world everything else will pale into comparison.

The bands second album is certain to smash all-comers in 2015, bloody and pulverised it drags the listener in by the earholes, determined to stamp its bloody footprint on the soul of all who listen.  It is a pitiless onslaught of ballsy, gritty, filth ridden sludge bellowing with guttural, animalistic pleasure.

‘Defacer’ starts off its immense, solid offering with the first three tracks; ‘Slowhawk’, ‘Despiser’ and ‘Wuelf Baanger’ setting the stage for their own brand of balls to the wall, straight shot, earth shattering sludge.

The vocals; guttural and thunderous, meaty yet succinct; straight from the bowels of hell with extra added venom for your listening displeasure eases off enough for the music to do the shouting at times. The drums, relentless in their hammering, the skins screaming from the punishment yet resolute to perform to the end, the guitars sounding like a gift from the devil himself are thunderous in their approach.

Much respect to the guys who get to the bare bones from the off, they don’t hold back in their approach, like it or lump it, listen or don’t, they will tell you what they want to tell you. End of story, chapter and verse.

‘Warcries’ is just filth ridden; Monotonous, bleak and unforgiving, it ploughs on determined in its senseless destruction of anything that even thinks of being happy around it. So dirty it leaves you feeling the need for a Dettol bath and a shot of whisky for the shock.

‘Mealworm’ is their finale, with ear splitting feedback to start, once more consistent in its approach, it is a relative slow builder and throughout you feel as if they are holding back and for me as a finale this is a little lacklustre, given the abuse you’ve been subjected too previously.

Overall their heaviness is unmistakeable in its consistency; however one minor criticism levelled at the band is that the lack of variance, leave the record feeling a little stale by the albums conclusion. Hogslayer are not on a mission to rewrite the genre or set the world on fire with immense levels of guitar trickery, instead they offer harsh, soul crushing doom. Yes, whilst at times it sounds like they are making noise just for the sake of it, arguably therein lies the wart encrusted beauty of it.

In summation, If Unsane and Black Sabbath were to have a liquor soaked, drugged up one night stand; Hogslayer would be their bastard offspring.  A blunt, honest and evil sounding sludge album that crushes all around it, no question and heavier than a heavy thing on a heavy day in heavy world on a heavy planet.

Words by: Kat Hilton

‘Despiser’ is available here

For more information:  

Like: https://www.facebook.com/hogslayerband | Listen: https://hogslayer.bandcamp.com/

Official: http://www.hogslayer.co.uk/

The Sludgelord News: Sludge Metallers HOGSLAYER announce second album and UK tour

Sludge metal outfit HOGSLAYER are set to release their second album ‘Defacer’ via cult label Undergroove Records on May 4^th 2015.

The follow up to 2013's self titled release, Defacer showcases 8 tracks of evocative misery, infused with throat-stripping vocals that churn over sludgey, low slung grooves and hulking riffs. HOGSLAYER’S second album promises big and delivers bigger.

Formed in 2012, the year the world ended, HOGSLAYER rose from the ashes of Shaped By Fate and Zonderhoof, dragging with them their dank, squalid musical output.

For a taster of the band's sound, watch the video for the track Despiser here.

Says HOGSLAYER bassist Grym av Skugga, "Defacer is the result of us heading in a heavier and darker direction. We've made the decision to incorporate two bassists rather than two guitarists and taken a stripped down approach to the writing process, leaving a bleak and abysmal dissonance in its place. It’s our take on doom-ridden sludge and we’re looking forward to people hearing it.”

Having previously slaughtered the stage at Bloodstock Festival, the band are now set to tour the UK throughout March and April with more dates and festival appearances being added throughout the summer. Confirmed dates are as follows: 

Mar 25            Kraak, Manchester, UK    
Mar 26            Downstairs, Aberdeen, UK        
Mar 27            Cerberus Bar, Dundee, UK
Mar 28            Gorilla Studios, Hull, UK     
Mar 29            The Moon, Cardiff, UK  
Apr 05             The Moon, Cardiff, UK  
Apr 11             Hollowfest Doom All-Dayer, Bristol, UK
May 02            Red Sun Festival, Cardiff, UK
Aug 20            The Wheatsheaf, Oxford, UK

Keep up to date with tour info: http://www.bandsintown.com/Hogslayer

HOGSLAYER’S album ‘Defacer’ is set for worldwide release through Undergroove Records on May 4th, 2015.

Tracklisting:

1: Slowhawk

2: Despiser

3: Wülfbaanger

4: Bludgeon

5: Burn Them Out
6: Warcries
7: Bastards Of Reality
8: This Spiteful Cycle

HOGSLAYER is:

Lord Bastard – Throat
Barren Drakk – Guitar
Grym Av Skugga – Bass
Damek Ômsk - Bass
Max Von Beek – Drums

Source: Holdtight PR

For more HOGSLAYER info visit: 

Facebook || Website ||  Twitter || Instagram

Spider Kitten - Behold Mountain. Hail Sea. Venerate Sky. Bow Before Tree EP (Review)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 27/10/2014

Label: Undergroove Records

'Behold Mountain. Hail Sea. Venerate Sky. Bow Before Tree'. CD/DD track listing:

1. Lindisfarena
2. Bearded Axe
3. Gore Swan I: Of the Land II: Of the Sea III: Of the Sky

Bio:

From their beginnings in 2001 as a 2 piece band with no drummer, through multiple experimental line ups featuring some of Wales' finest musical alumni, these last 13 years have seen the 2 longest standing members Chi (guitar, vox) and Al (bass) steer the band through a prolific amount of albums and eps. Bringing us up to the present day with the longest running line up, also featuring Rob (guitars) from UK sludge merchants PUS and Chris (drums, vox) from much missed UK noise rock kings Taint, Spider Kitten bring you - 'Behold Mountain. Hail Sea. Venerate Sky. Bow Before Tree.' Following on from the success of their last album 'Cougar Club' Spider Kitten's brand new offering sees them still employing that same ultra heavy groove you've come to love. But instead of the mantra-like psychedelic vibe that ran through their last album, this time they tap into an altogether more ancient vibe, from the tribal brutalism and groove of the 1st track 'Lindisfarena', through to the downtuned mountain-shaking heaviness of track 2 'Bearded Axe', which seamlessly flows into the 3 part ethereal epic that is the final track 'Gore Swan I. Of The Land. II. Of The Sea. III. Of The Sky.' which sees them drift from lush acoustics, to epic doom, to traditional classical music to quite possibly the heaviest crescendo they have ever committed to tape. 'Behold Mountain...' sees Spider Kitten at their most raw and visceral yet emotionally epic and delicate. Surely a candidate for one of the heaviest yet most unique releases of 2014.

The Band:

Chi Lameo | Vocals, Guitar
Alex White | Bass, Vocals
Chris West | Drums, vocals
Rob Davies | Guitar

Review:

Gladly, there’s nothing feline about what this band name may otherwise suggest. These are evil bastards. Their sound is a dense, dreary pit that envelops you in the cavernous, bong hazed atmosphere of heavy psychedelic sludge metal. It’s gripping stuff. Listening to this album is like taking a beating in a piss and booze soaked alley: You’re left in the dark, bruised by the impact of it all and to top it off you’ve only gone and pissed yourself amidst it all. It sounds like it too…Perhaps I’ve taken that metaphor a little too far, but the point remains the same – Spider Kitten are a dramatic band. They leave a lasting impression upon you. And, to briefly extend upon that metaphor further, this is a beating that you can’t help but crave a recurrence of the following night. It hurts, but you won’t forget it.

Yet, amongst all that there are some astounding transitions across this record no least as on ‘Lindisfarena’, which goes from vast shadowy guitar tones and booming bass to an almost meditative state in a heartbeat. It’s immensely fluent.  The journey never jolts, it just draws you further into its crooked plot.

“The album is a wretched, tormented exploration of Norse sagas and Eddas, painstakingly researched with the utmost respect and homage to the ancient peoples and religions of Scandinavia,” we’re told in the excitable press release announcing their recent signing to Undergroove Records.  Add to that the fact they sound like the creepy, lingering memory of a recent nightmare and it’s stupefying that this band is actually Welsh. With the music on offer here, it would be so easy to believe that these guys are indeed battle hardened Vikings who grew up living a savage and barbaric life, feeding off the fat of the land on savage, Norwegian plains.

“The intention we had was to simply ‘guff out some sludge,’” the press release goes on to inform us. But it all plays out so dramatically – and there’s that word again, dramatic. Drummer Chris West’s love for Norse and Viking mythology inspires the record’s lyrical themes throughout and their musical accompaniment is strides resolutely betwixt the boundaries of traditional Norse musicality and contemporary, earthy-shattering sludge metal. Low, droning cellos match that of the guitars, acoustics ending ‘Bearded Axe’ with you stood right there on those Norwegian plains, the wind in your hair. West fulfils his desire to explore the mythology – of particular interest to him because of his Danish lineage – in great and bloodied detail. Bear in mind also that their last record, ‘Cougar Club’, was a conceptual album based on an imaginary sleazy gothic bar – this band is hardly a one trick pony.   

The churning bridge riff in the aforementioned and excellently titled ‘Bearded Axe’ has more sonically in common with a lawnmower with indigestion than a guitar. It’s one of those evil sounding riffs you feel could only have been written with the help of Ouija board. The rest of the song is centred on Chi Lameo’s surprisingly celestial, melodic vocals and another gigantean sludge riff.

14 minute EP closer ‘Gore’ (split into three parts: Of the Land, Sea and Sky) may test your patience, but allow it to submerge you into its waters and you’ll be highly rewarded. More grumbling riffs, more revved up lawnmowers and religious prayer like vocals ensue throughout to great effect. While for some the long string section interludes, that builds like a gathering storm overhead, may be a little too long, it only leaves this writer appreciating the heaviness – and there’s plenty of it – as it pours out of those gathered storm clouds.

The track’s fade out may damage some of the its impetus, as the clang of swords and yells of battle fade in, but there is no denying that this is a quality record. If the Viking aspect seems a little gimmicky, it’s easy to look past – the songs don’t rely on niche elements for them to stand out from the rest of the sludgy pack. Their song writing alone does that. ‘Behold Mountain. Hail Sea. Venerate Sky. Bow Before Tree’ is a brilliant record.

Words: Phil Weller

You can pick up a copy here

For more information:

Spider Kitten Facebook
Spider Kitten Website
http://undergroove.bigcartel.com/