ALBUM REVIEW: Dead Woman's Ditch - “Seo Mere Saetan”

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 27/08/2017

Label: Third I Rex

Dead Woman's Ditch have composed a genre-bending journey of music and words, that is certain to create an atmosphere you will not soon forget.

“Seo Mere Saetan” CD//DD track listing

1. The Ugly Truths

2. Failed To Rot

3. We Are Forgiven

4. Break The Mind

5. Mr. Kipper

6. Crusade

The Review:

It is hard to be truly unique as a black metal group on the scene. So many far afield concepts, music and vocal styles make being an original artist unusual in what is already a subgenre of metal that pushes boundaries and buttons aplenty. Consider a few black metal innovators, such as Deathspell Omega, Ruins of Beverast and the Meads of Asphodel among many others. Each of them pioneered elements that were in many cases never quite repeated or else became part of our contemporary canon. Enter Dead Woman's Ditch, a worthy successor to these artists.

Now on their second full length – though technically its their fourth record, following two demos and a full length before this – Dead Woman's Ditch composes a genre-bending journey of music and words. As with a lot of metal, there is a lot of conceptual vision happening, yet it is a stunning sound that is far more exciting. The quartet, composed of guitarist/vocalists George Rhone and Glenn Charman (known for his live work with Electric Wizard), Chris Rust on bass and drummer Robin Corbet, is certain to create an atmosphere you will not soon forget.

The release, intended to tell the darker stories of the settlement of Somerset, UK, comes at you with a fresh dual-vocal style. With the opener, "The Ugly Truths," the listener gets one part sung or shouted and the other side with a growl most associated with death metal, but increasingly with black metal today. You hear this attack throughout the recording. It is jarring at first, but spellbinding going forward. It is the equivalent of a knife in the boot – it is not flashed every song. Just enough to remind you it is there, and to fill the air with menace.

While you may dig the black metal touches, the beauty of the new Dead Woman's Ditch release is its diversity. "Failed to Rot" shares some psychedelic and sludge influences in the guitar work. "We Are Forgiven" has hints of doom and haunting vocal effects to ballast the track. There seems to be a great deal of thought and intention across songs, with the pairing of each truly standing out. By the time of "Break the Mind," with its blackened doom ala Barathrum, you come to appreciate how well done “Seo Mere Saetan” really is. Rhone and Charman in particular elevate the album and make it a stifling experience.

What makes “Seo Mere Saetan” additionally fascinating is the blend of gear used.  In one instance, a drum machine is looped through a guitar amp and pedals. There are plenty of subtle vocal and bass production tricks that will have you listening again to confirm what you heard. The conclusion, "Crusade," highlights many of these aural touches – intense drums, a wonderfully chosen sound clip and more that must be heard – that make the release an infernal triumph.

“Seo Mere Saetan” is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Major Kong - "Brace for Impact"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 04/09/2017

Label: Independent

 

Poland's Major Kong tests the limits of music with its new recording, "Brace for Impact." The eight-song release is entirely instrumental and rooted in a science fiction theme. Heady indeed, but Major Kong give you a dense, impressive album regardless.

 

“Brace for Impact” CD//DD// track listing

1. Surrounded by Hypno-Creatures

2. Synaptic Failure

3. Transdimensional Holiday

4. Quantum Elephantum

5. Brace for Impact

6. Gravity Boots

7. Rapid Star Formation

8. Return to the Holodeck

The Review:

Extreme music, like all music, is entirely subjective in experience. Insofar as what that leader can do behind the microphone, that is just as subjective. However, the emotions that bring out of an audience, the passion they stir in their band mates and their ability to make a song memorable inarguably fuel the mystique of any musician.

What happens to that feeling when there is no lead? Without a singer, many of us wonder about direction. So when there is no focal point, it stands to reason that the music itself has to be quite remarkable

Poland's Major Kong tests the limits of music with its new recording, "Brace for Impact." The eight-song release is entirely instrumental and rooted in a science fiction theme. Heady indeed, but Major Kong give you a dense, impressive album regardless.

The group debuted in 2012 with the EP "Orogenesis" and then 2014's "Doom for the Black Sun" and another full length, "Doom Machine," the same year. In 2015 Major Kong issued a split 12" with Dopelord and their  "Galactic Cannibalism" EP. Then there was a 2016 EP, "Brave New Kong." You get the picture: prolific. Taking off a year as the band must feel like a lifetime.

Fortunately, "Brace for Impact" seems like its members have not lost a step.

The previous albums "Doom for the Black Sun" and "Doom Machine" seemed to tell a story of global annihilation and sidebar tales of it. The listener will soon gather that the title of the latest release is a space reference instead of one connoting violence. Where you might hunger for a story behind the titles, let the music itself present a soundtrack for your imagination to figure out exactly what the concept may be. The open, "Surrounded by Hypno-Creatures," begins with what could be the crank of an equipment failure, wandering out into a languorous spin, then delibrateness to its climax. Is it desperation? Feverish intention? Maybe letting the emotion take over is the best part.

The sharp interludes and twists the music takes make for what feels like one hell of a story. There are strong hints of alien life in the titles, and even in the intense guitars. Plodding cuts like "Gravity Boots" and the urgency of "Return to the Holodeck" suggest escape… from captivity or what, we may never know. Major Kong is simply exuberant in its scene setting. Without a single word, you get an exhilarating ride of a recording, start to finish.

Given their pace for recording, Major Kong could issue more music this year. One can only wish, like the "Doom" series, there is more in store for this magnificent arc.

"Brace for Impact" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TOP 16 ALBUMS: The Sour 16 (August 2017)

With English winter ending in July and commencing again in August, the summer as we know it, is over!  Now as we enter September, the sunshine may waver, but one constant source of light, is the inspiring music we embrace and celebrate. 

Mike Patton once said “what a day, when you can look it in the face and hold your vomit,” So to make things a little more bearable, allow yourself to indulge in a hefty dose of medicine, because it is time to present 16 of the best albums from August, it is time for your SOUR 16.

You know the drill by now, each month you the reader are unwittingly compiling a list of the top 16 records of the month, covering all genres of metal.  Is it not a chart, in which reviewers or contributors extol their opinion about their favourite music.  To put it simply, THE SOUR 16 are the records that have been trending the most at SLUDGELORD HQ.

The results are compiled based upon the amount of page views the reviews have received and are then calibrated into the list below. 

16). Cult of Erinyes - ‘Tiberivs’ (387)

In short, ‘Tiberivs’ is fully realized and wonderfully executed. Any black metal fans sleeping on this album are doing themselves a real disservice.

15). Mudbath - "Brine Pool" (397)

While firmly a doom metal group, Mudbath is not afraid to introduce different elements. With a shrieking vocal approach reminiscent of black metal and flourishes you might otherwise associate with drone, Mudbath manages to make it work.

14). Dead Cross - "Dead Cross" (405)

While Dead Cross don’t quite deliver the all-out face-melting insanity you may expect from their constituent parts, this debut is still an exhilarating burst of queasy punk rock mayhem that reminds most young pretenders who’s in charge.

13). Timeworn - "Venomous High" (408)

Some of the most engaging moments on “Venomous High” come when Timeworn move slightly away from their core sound.  “All Chiefs” finds the band at their most unhinged as they unleash an arsenal of spidery math-metal riffs with breakneck rock’n’roll abandon. Anyone missing Swiss behemoths Kruger will find a lot to enjoy in this killer track. “Venomous High” is a fine offering from Timeworn that takes an array of well-worn modern metal influences and blows them up on a grand scale.

 12). Nidingr - "The High Heat Licks Against Heaven" (414)

Given the amount of average extreme music that is available, Nidingr’s release is outstanding for such depth alone.

11). Geezer - “Psychoriffadelia” (424)

Guttural guitars and raunchy drums at the ready. Geezer delivers the intensity of the Melvins, one of the group's inspirations, while giving its own unique spin to stoner rock. While many others try, this is one band that is confident enough to step out and truly make this sound their own.

10). Sunrot - "Sunnata" (480)

Those who take the plunge into “Sunnata” will still be blown away by the fierce musical skill, emotional honesty, and undeniable potential of Sunrot.  Their truly exceptional full-length debut has set a high benchmark that, one hopes, is only the opening chapter of a lengthy, groundbreaking career.

9). Below The Sun - "Alien World" (533)

What you get is nothing short of spectacular. The soundscape intersects multiple metal subgenres, including funeral doom, black metal, drone and post metal. Moods throughout are bleak, as if the rumbling seas of Solaris are flicking gently at your mind and bouncing your hopes and fears to and fro.

8). Blues Funeral - "Awakening" (624)

Close your eyes and you can hear hints of Mountain and Blue Oyster Cult throughout "Awakening." The rolling title track is a true showcase for how these inspirations have shaped the Texas band. Such attention to the details most people probably never notice further ensures a level of quality that may surprise you. Not only is the music masterfully played, but nothing overpowers the composition

7). Red Mountains - "Slow Wander" (658)

...it is so refreshing to find a release that is all at once heavy, accessible and frankly beautiful in its construction.

6). Ledge - "Cold Hard Concrete" (700)

“Cold Hard Concrete" is that uneasy masterpiece you will value even more by year's end.

5). Pyrrhon - "What Passes for Survival" (796)

"What Passes for Survival" is an uncompromising album and you will learn that fast, right out of the gate.  It is impossible to listen to Pyrrhon's magnificent new release, without admiring the band's fearlessness and technical prowess.  This album is exactly what extreme metal doubters need to hear.

4). Weed Demon - "Astrological Passages" (1040)

Weed Demon is quite willing to show they can do a diverse attack that goes beyond a Melvins-ish crunch. It can definitely throttle you with heavy, sludged out guitars and drums. Yet, as you find on "Primordial Genocide" and elsewhere, Weed Demon can go from blasting to burrowing with its arrangements, zipping from fast to slow, metal to a variation on math rock, smoothly.

3). Devil Electric - "Devil Electric" (1097)

Although you'll not find a swerve or anything wildly disparate, Devil Electric is nonetheless entrancing. In particular, the group is guaranteed to energize any fan of heavy blues reminiscent of Black Sabbath, The Allman Brothers and similar bands.

2). Venom Inc. - “Avé” (1128)

This record, is a triumph. Venom Inc. have produced a record more than worthy of the Venom name and it contains some of the best and most “Venom” moments since the early 80's. I cannot praise or recommend this record enough to fans of Venom or just metal in general. The songs, performances and production all deliver.

1). Accept - "The Rise Of Chaos" (1407)

“The Rise of Chaos” is precise, prescient, presented superbly in terms of artwork and production and, more importantly, rocks as hard as anything I have heard this year. A tour de force.

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  August 2017’s SOUR 16 features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Daniel Jackson, Charlie Butler, Mark Ambrose, Mark Tremblay & Ernesto Aguilar

ALBUM REVIEW: Queens of the Stone Age - "Villains"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/08/2017

Label: Matador Records

 

The musicianship is some of the best out there, and QOTSA knows its lane and sticks with it. Suffice to say, if you are already a QOTSA fan, chances are this recording will not disappoint, or may just a little. For others, there is an entirely different dialogue.

“Villains” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Feet Don't Fail Me

2. The Way You Used to Do

3. Domesticated Animals

4. Fortress

5. Head Like a Haunted House

6. Un-Reborn Again

7. Hideaway

8. The Evil Has Landed

9. Villains of Circumstance

The Review:

Queens of the Stone Age is easily in the top-five of metal music's guilty pleasures. Having arisen as nearly a parody of itself, QOTSA has morphed into alternative rock and at moments a hard-tinged Megatron. Although the band isn't quite Nickelback or Ariana Grande status, Queens is unquestionably on that arena group level. Such big mainstream recognition inevitably elicits emotions of all kinds from anyone. Among metal enthusiasts, who are probably among the most opinionated when it comes to the music they love, judgment can be swift and harsh. New albums for bands on this tier are sure to get tons of press and analysis. For the purposes of this review, the central question has to be how hard Queens of the Stone Age's latest bangs.

Listening to "Villians" has to be done in a particular context. As a body of work, there is little to complain about. "Feet Don't Fail Me," the kickoff track, is played well, with plenty of progressions and a polish to the production that is simply dazzling. Up next, "The Way You Used to Do" is going to end up on the public-address system of a minor-league baseball team's seventh inning stretch somewhere. It's crowd-pleasing and may someday soon get a teenager curious about the funkier sides of hard and alternative rock to do a little digging. At the end of the day, gateway bands are a great thing. The music needs ambassadors, groups who make heavier rock palatable to new audiences. "The Evil Has Landed" is another one of these songs. The musicianship is some of the best out there, and QOTSA knows its lane and sticks with it.

There is a great deal to appreciate on the group's new release. "Domesticated Animals" rolls like a prizefighter, lithe and yet muscular with its guitar work. In truth, the overall song selection is pleasing enough. Metacritic notes "Villains" scores 80 out of 100 points among nearly 30 reviews. Suffice to say, if you are already a QOTSA fan, chances are this recording will not disappoint, or may just a little. For others, there is an entirely different dialogue.

What is most perplexing about "Villains," in spite of the bawdy tales and wild storytelling in the lyrics, is just how sterile it all feels. There are several captivating departures on the release. "Head Like A Haunted House" walks a weird line being potentially corny and idiosyncratic, and pulls off a respectable track by the time it is finished. Yet the chances a band with this big and accepting of a fan base is willing to take seem to be shrinking, especially if you have observed the group over the years. "Fortress" comes across as a token alternative-rock-radio-slow-song. So does "Hideaway." No shots at the performances, which are serviceable on the whole and brilliant at various turns. Yet streaming and Youtube have completely changed the heavy music game. There are no shortage of artists willing to push beyond the expected and unprecedented audience interest in doing just that. By the last note, it feels simply safe, even a tad empty. And that may be the biggest of disappointments.

“Villains” is available now



Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Monarch - "Never Forever"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 22/09/ 2017

Label: Profound Lore Records

Monarch orchestrates layers upon layers of sound that roil gently like a dirty bayou. Bresson's vocals – from plaintive wisps to growls and beyond – make Monarch unlike anything else you hear in doom or drone. Such innovation is why the outfit has cultivated a devoted following throughout their extensive career. Never Forever" gives you a side of Monarch that is rarely seen, and is indicative of a fearless performance. Drone is seldom this accessible, or distinguished.

“Never Forever” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Of Night, With Knives

2. Song To The Void

3. Cadaverine

4. Diamant Noir

5. Lilith

The Review:

“Sabbracadaver”, the 2014 release by Monarch, was widely hailed for its original sound and vision. This moodiest of doom bands comprised songs that were dissonant yet transcendent. Vocalist Emilie Bresson's bold and rangy performance was among the release's celestial surprises.

Its work of three years back is hardly a flash in the pan, however. The lavish praise Monarch has received from many for their seven previous full lengths, four EPs and other recordings is much deserved. The French ensemble's brand of drone doom is enterprising in a subgenre that can feel like a musician is not trying that hard. In contrast, Monarch orchestrates layers upon layers of sound that roil gently like a dirty bayou. Bresson's vocals – from plaintive wisps to growls and beyond – make Monarch unlike anything else you hear in doom or drone. Such innovation is why the outfit has cultivated a devoted following throughout their extensive career.

"Never Forever" gives you a side of Monarch that is rarely seen, and is indicative of a fearless performance. Their five-song opus ticks in at around an hour, featuring songs that strike to the very essence of drone while skirting a melodic, albeit despondent, tempo. Drone is seldom this accessible, or distinguished.

"Of Night, With Knives" plunges you into "Never Forever" as a 15-minute journey to the depths. Its two minutes of slow build hurls you into exactly what makes Monarch so great – dread-soaked guitars, downtempo witness-to-the-execution bass and the shrieks, whispers and growls of Breeson commanding it all at once. The beauty of the cut is its many dimensions. A third or fourth listen and you will notice more than the layered background vocals behind the shouts, but also the syncopation of the drums alongside the ups and downs. You catch a variety of other complexities in "Cadaverine," which begins with clinking bottles ala the 1979 film The Warriors and beautiful singing, only to swoop in with a black cloak of sound. Similar to previous selections, this nearly 18-minute centerpiece melds ethereal vocals and an arrangement that harkens images of a funeral, only to unfold into interloping snarls and shuddersome bass. The conflicting energies in the song seem to circle about five minutes in. The sheer heaviness of the encounter makes it feel like a life-and-death experience. Although it would be cruel to mention the apparent victor, it is doom, so you can likely guess.

Beyond this creativity, what makes "Never Forever" such a superlative recording is Beeson's dissimilar microphone attack. The death growl comes as easily as the empyreal coo, as the spoken declaration flows as the gut-wrenching clamor. This convergence is in wicked display on the album's standout track, "Diamant Noir," and the closing, "Lilith." As well, the music itself is devastatingly good. It too is diverse as drone doom can be, with chords feeling as musical as some of the greats. By the time you make it through all 20 minutes of the concluding cut, Monarch's status will only grow richer.

"Never Forever" is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Dyscarnate - "With All Their Might"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 15/09/2019

Label: Unique Leader Records

For those death metal fans expecting endless blasting, look elsewhere. For those who want a pit destroying festival of riffs: look no further. This is Dyscarnate’s best album so far and a real beast of modern death metal.

“With All Their Might” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Of Mice And Mountains
2. This Is Fire!
3. Iron Strengthens Iron
4. Traitors In The Palace
5. To End All Flesh Before Me
6. Backbreaker
7. All The Devils Are Here
8. Nothing Seems Right

The Review:

Horsham's finest death metal act... Actually, due to line up changes and band members relocating elsewhere: make that the UK's finest death metal act return here with their third full length release. Previous albums “Enduring The Massacre” and “And So It Came To Pass” were slick and powerful beasts which utilised state of the art production and first class musicianship to make this trio sound like an army marching through the speakers.

The band continues their upward trajectory here with yet another improvement on their sound in terms of song writing, production and playing. Opener “Of Mice And Mountains” is simply immense. The heaviness reached here is staggering, as it is on “This Is Fire!” The quality of playing and production would just have been unthinkable a few years ago for an underground band. Henry Bates may have departed his bass and vocals role in 2015, but the band has found the right man in Al Llewellyn to replace him. As a unit the band work incredibly well- even if there is no doubt that music like this is recorded piecemeal and by making full use of digital technology these days. Gone are the days of Scott Burns running a reel to reel and maybe using a trigger on the snare drum, but that approach could never capture what we can hear on this muscularly impressive record.

Material wise, this is not as brutal as “Enduring The Massacre”- in terms of out and out speed and aural savagery- but it is heavier. The riffs are weightier, the sound is bigger and the band deadlier. “Iron Strengthens Iron” will be familiar to those of you have been looking out for preview album tracks- and it is a kind of catchy “single” (please don't mistake this for an actual catchy pop tune- I am talking catchy like “Heartwork” or “Where The Slime Live”, not American Idiot).

The heavy atmosphere and weight of riffage continues with “Traitors In The Palace”, but the pace picks up on “To End All Flesh Before Me”- even if the tempos remain slower than you might expect from the band's earlier records. These tracks are a great example of Dyscarnate spreading their wings a little and experimenting with more Sabbathian tempos- even if they retain the double kick and quick pick straits of death metal. The pit slamming approach continues on “Backbreaker” while “All The Devils Are Here” is head-banging nirvana.

At eight tracks, this record is the perfect length; it has enough to leave you wanting more and has great depth to the tracks on offer. The epic closer “Nothing Seems Right” caps off the album in unusual and wing spreading style. There are things on the album which would not have appeared on their previous two albums- different atmospheres, lyrical themes of existential angst, will to power and so on.

For those of you expecting endless blasting, look elsewhere. For those who want a pit destroying festival of riffs: look no further. Their best album so far and a real beast of modern death metal.

“With All Their Might” is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Monolord - "Rust"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 27/09/2017

Label: Riding Easy Records

Monolord hits all the superlative notes when it comes to doom and the album's closing tracks, "Forgotten Lands" and "At Niceae," are as close to perfect as you can get.

"Rust" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Where Death Meets The Sea

2. Dear Lucifer

3. Rust

4. Wormland

5. Forgotten Lands

6. At Niceae

The Review:

Doom and sludge metal both have a handful of performers who can create a truly melodic listening experience. Not a melodic, pop-music-style sort of atmosphere ala Ghost, but rather sounds that are faithful to the subgenres while injecting the kind of talent that reminds you there is so much more to doom mastery than dropping the sixth string down to decent B flat.

Hailing from Gothenburg, Swedish doom metal group Monolord formed in 2013, and its members have set a frankly frenetic schedule, dropping three full lengths and an EP, including the 2014 debut, "Empress Rising." That amount of output is quite unusual, let alone delivering content that has been as well received as Monolord has since it began. The big question is, can the team's newest, "Rust," develop the music while giving its base what it loves?

Monolord hits all the superlative notes when it comes to doom, though the group knows how to plant a strong post as far as different music too. On the opener "Where Death Meets The Sea" the trio strikes a brisker pace than one might expect from a sludgy bassline. Regardless, the track is incredibly satisfying – it's tight, the vocals are exceptional, with a touch of wash-out though audible and story-based, and the mood is thick with dread. The track progression is also superior, as it is followed by "Dear Lucifer," which flows well out of the opener's assiduous pace, matching it until it evolves into an ultra heavy entry befitting the vocal. On the strength of this pairing, Monolord will get a dozen positive comparisons. Likely the best you can say is that more acts are going to be compared to this band before too long.

Monolord's chemistry is palatable. Singer Thomas Jäger deserves a lot of praise for his work. Drummer Esben Willems and Mika Häkki on bass ratchet up the tension throughout "Rust" as well. There are also some creative additions – the strings in "Wormland" or the title track's organ and effects – that are brilliant touches.

In addition, what makes the new release so satisfying is how well Monolord grasp sterling arrangement. That sounds rather technical, but frankly you know an atrocious song by how weakly it is structured. This album's closing tracks, "Forgotten Lands" and "At Niceae," is as close to perfect as you can get. At 15 minutes plus, it is a cut with quite a build. However, the instrumentation by Monolord, the song's pacing and lyrics are presented in a way that keeps you listening, over and over.

"Rust" available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook