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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
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.
“I & II” is a devastating slab of high octane noise-riddled evil
that makes most heavy bands sound weak and feeble in comparison. The band’s brief outbursts of messy, feedback
riddled punk mayhem are as exhilarating as they are terrifying.
“I & II”CS//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Jerusalem
2).
T.R.Ø.Y
3).
Bill Evans
4).
€ompton
5).
Represent
6).
Bottomless Pit
7).
Abuse
8).
SB
9).
Hype
10).
Slaughterhouse
11).
Law
12).
El Chapo
The Review:
Japan’s
Friendship have delivered the nastiest listening experience
of 2017 in the form of their “I & II”
LP. This release brings together their first two self-released EPs to form one
concentrated blast of aural terror. Incendiary opener “Jerusalem” packs more carnage into thirty three seconds than most
bands manage in a whole album. It’s a punishing onslaught of frantic, ugly grindcore
that sets the tone for horror to come.
Friendship take the sludge-coated
powerviolence of Iron Lung and Weekend Nachos
and ramp up the intensity and aggression way into the red and beyond. The
band’s brief outbursts of messy, feedback riddled punk mayhem are as
exhilarating as they are terrifying but they are at their most effective when
they explore the extremes of the tempo spectrum within the space of a single
track.
“T.R.Ø.Y”
begins at a snail’s pace as the bass and drums carve out a torturous minimal
riff that creates an air of bleak foreboding. This makes the eruption of furious
crust that follows all the more potent. There are hints of off-kilter noise
rock weirdness in amongst the wreckage too, best exemplified by the insane
opening riff to “€ompton”. Somehow Friendship manage to take this construction of pummelling
chords, bizarre string bends and ringing discord and make it the basis of a straight
ahead grind assault. As the track progresses it slows and degenerates into a
pit of barely-mobile doom torment reminiscent of Primitive Man
at their most oppressive.
“I & II”
is a devastating slab of high octane noise-riddled evil that makes most heavy bands sound weak and feeble in comparison. If these two EP’s are a hint of Friendship’s fearsome power I suggest taking cover now in
preparation for a full-length offering.
For anyone who misses dirty sounding sludge records, this EP is for you
“Held in a Twisted Cell” DD track listing:
1). The Seeds of Revenge
2). Under The Many Moons Above
3). Capitulated Loss
The Review:
Old Hopefollow up
their 2015 demo with an incredibly raw and filthy new EP. In an era where many
bands aim for sterile and polished productions, it is nice to see a bands like Old Hopedo something more honest. “Held in a Twisted Cell” has a “recorded
in a cave” quality akin to early High on Fire era
records.
The
EP opens with “Seeds of Revenge”. This
songs have a “Blessed Black Wings” feel to it, and yet takes many
unexpected turns and twists. The shear intensity andpower of the riffs
in this track would make Matt Pike himself proud.The EP ends with an
extremely and doomy turn with “Capitulated
Loss”. An extremely slow plodding doom track reminiscent of Toronto
Contemporaries Demonic Possessor. For anyone who
misses dirty sounding sludge records, this EP is for you
“Held
In A Twisted Cell” is available here
(“name your price”)
Progressive,
sludge, horror themed synth outfit Upcdownc who are set to release their new
album ‘I, Awake’ on 22nd September
have team up with THE SLUDGELORD to share a crushing new track “Adrift” which is under 2mins of drone
building up into solid sludge goodness.
Horror
is one theme that is constant throughout their forthcoming album ‘I, Awake’ and the band are heavily
influenced by composers such as Fabio Frizzi, John Carpenter and they also take
cue from the Shogun Assassin soundtrack, which led to the use of synthesizers
on the album.
Guitarist
Chris Garth adds, ‘we liked the idea of lots of small sections put together
in bigger passages so that they form one whole entire piece which doesn't
necessarily have to be played in the same order when playing live. We had also
started to use loops but wanted to keep things simple so used them more for
textures rather than melodies, as we always like to record live with minimal
overdubs.’
Since
forming in 2000 Upcdownc
have gone on to the share the stage with the likes of Bossk, 65daysofstatic and Oneida
as well appearing at festivals including ArcTanGent and Belgium’s Dunk! Festival. Upcdownc
have also announced a series of shows to support the release of ‘I, Awake’. You can check out the
amazing track “Adrift” below
Live Rituals:
15th
Sept - Birthdays, London
16th Sept - Sticky Mikes, Brighton
20th Oct - Hijack, Bolougne Sur Mer
22nd Oct - MusicCity,
Antwerp
Danish
blackened hardcore nihilists HEXIS present a brief glimpse into the abyss
with 'Nefarius', a new track taken
from upcoming EP, 'XII'. This
nihilistic wall of noise was recorded by Lewis
Johns at The
Ranch Production House and was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.
Pre-orders
for 'XII' available now via Truthseeker Music (UK)
here
and is a co-release via Division Records (CH), Moment of Collapse (DE) and Crown and
Throne LTD (US)
'XII' will is available to purchase
as a deluxe gatefold 10" vinyl with CD, and will be available for free /
pay what you want digital download on Bandcamp from September 29th. With the
release on the cusp of the horizon, you can check out ‘Nefarious’ in full below
At
the time of writing, HEXIS have played over 125 shows in more than
30 countries in 2017 alone. Their
next tour is of the USA
and begins in under 2 weeks. The dates are as follows:
Critically
acclaimed doom/sludge metal band HOLLOW LEG returned with their new two track
EP “Murder”, released via Argonauta
Records on March 3 2017. The
EP, which consists of the band's strongest material to date featured new
drummer John Stewart (Bloodlet/Caribou King) and would be reissued
alongside their ArgonautaRecords
debut album, to form the Crown “Murder
Edition” on June 30th . An
enormously toned groove engine hailing from the highways between Deland and Jacksonville, Florida.
HOLLOW LEG’S
affinity for the roots of American Blues music and English metal has created a
sound that has been compared to a mix of doom, sludge and traditional heavy
metal, with shades of Sabbath, Crowbar, Eyehatgod, Weedeater and
even Priest
to be found in their material.
Establishing
themselves as firm favourites here at THE SLUDGELORD, andfollowing their announcement to
play at this year’sPsycho Las Vegas in August, the band agreed
to not only take over our instagram page, but our man Greekbastard hooked up
with the band in Las Vegas to get the band’s impressions of the festival, how
their announcement came about and what the future holds for this most awesome
of bands. Check out the interview in
full below.
So how did you guys end up on the festival?
Brent: I believe I had some correspondents with
the promoter previously from some of the California
events that he had done. And then I kind of forgot about it. And just out of
the blue I got an email asking if we wanted to play. It was really that simple.
It was like one back and forth email pretty much. It was cool. We were really
surprised and excited to do the show.
Cool.
In addition to playing the festival, what are some of the bands you're looking
forward to seeing?
Brent: Definitely Melvins, Sleep, Royal Thunder. Seeing DarkCastle's
going to be amazing because we got our start with those guys. We played our
first shows with them and we're both on, so you know, old friends. And they
haven't played in a while so we're looking forward to seeing them. Neurosis.
Basically
every band. (laughs)
Brent: Scott toured with Neurosis back in the day, but I
haven't seen Neurosis
in 20 years so I'm excited. Sumac, yep. Who else? King Diamond, of course. Yeah, it's a really sick show. Unfortunately
we missed Conan
last night. I really wanted to see them. And we're going to miss Slomatics
and I wanted to see Corrosion of Conformity too.
So
what's Hollow Leg up to right now?
Brent: This. (laughs). We just finished one and a
half touring cycles. We did a record and an EP. We've done some touring for
both of those releases. Most recently in June we did the East Coast for the
Maryland Doom Fest. And then we're doing this, and we have some Florida shows we're
going to do this year.
Scott: Just for the friends coming down.
Brent: Yeah, we have some friends coming down and
there's going to be another festival in Jacksonville
we're doing. And that's the end. We're going to be working on a new record
after this show.
Scott: We're already a few songs into it.
Brent: Yeah.
Scott: At least a few.
Brent: Probably like eight in the works, so it's
happening.
Cool.
So you guys released your Murder EP
and then re-released Crown with the Murder EP on Argonauta Records?
Brent: Mm-hmm.
So
how has Argonauta treated you guys so far?
Brent: Great. He's never said no to us so that's
like the biggest thing, you know?
Scott: (laughs)
Brent: If we have someone that wants to put out
our shit and is just agreeable for pretty much ... If he's up for doing it,
then it's awesome. He's been really easy to work with.
Scott: Supportive.
Brent: Supportive. Gets us press and ear up, which
is great. It's been good. Like I said, it's more friendly than anything. It
doesn't feel so much like business all the time, so that's an important thing
for us. It's got to be ... Not casual, we do take this very seriously, but it's
got to be kind of casual in a sense just because we all have family life too
and we can't really put as much time and energy as a lot of other bands, so for
him to understand that and go with us and support us knowing we can only tour
so much is really cool. But he knows we want to do more too, so I think that's
a big thing.
So
when you guys aren't living the dream in Hollow Leg, what do you guys do to
earn keep?
Brent: You want to explain Scott?
Scott: I work for a scenery company. We make sets
for corporate shows or theaters or theme parks, stuff like that. Theme parks
are a big deal in Atlanta,
so that's where I work. It's easy to come and go from jack of all trades kind
of thing. Little bit of carpentry, little bit of upholstery, little bit of
painting and finishing. That's how I make my dollars.
(laughs)
Brent: And I'm a chef for a country club. Our bass
player Tom is a paralegal. And our drummer John works for the city of Orlando.
Brent: Yeah.
Alright.
I noticed you guys have done some short regional tours in the past, but are
there any plans in the works of ever touring states - a full blown tour - or Europe?
Brent: Yeah. We're waiting on the right
opportunity, I guess, on those things. It's a lot of time and dedication to do
those type of tours and we want to make sure it's a good one. Doing a DIY full
US or Europe at this point of our lives slash
careers is not really a thing we want to do. We can do ...
Scott: We can do regional stuff. Ten day stuff in
a row. If we could run all the way out to West Coast in ten days, great. If we
could find a way to fly out here and play with our friends using their gear for
ten days and ride in their van, great. That's the kind of stuff we can do right
now. It would have to be an opportunity, chasing the bus around. We've eaten
scraps and ... Being able to play in front of a bunch of people and sell some
of our merch and actually meet some new people, that would be the kind of
opportunity that would give us a ...
Brent: If there's a bigger band that wants to take
us to Europe or take us on a full US-
Scott: We will chase the bus around.
Brent: We will definitely jump at that
opportunity.
Scott: Yeah, yeah. For sure.
Brent: It just hasn't been presented to us yet, or
hasn't-
Scott: Materialized. It hasn't materialized.
Brent: The right one hasn't been presented to us.
So
do you think this sludge metal scene has kind of slowed up because of
unoriginality, or it being too redundant? Or do you think it's evolving into
something better right now?
Brent: I definitely see it evolving into something
better. I don't see it ... I mean, sludge ... When I think of sludge I think
of...
I
mean like the stoner metal that's going on.
Brent: Okay. All the stoner...
Yeah.
I'm kind of encompassing all that stuff.
Brent: Okay. Yeah. I think it's coming into
something else. If you're going to just stick to a pure sludge or a pure stoner
or a pure doom-
Scott: It's going to get stale.
Brent: It's going to deteriorate. It's going to
become like ... You know, you have the A bands and then you're going to have
the B bands and then you're going to have the C bands and the D bands and so
on. But if all those sounds kind of morph into something different, and then
you're also taking from other outside stuff, like an old school British metal,
or more hard rock sound, or even I heard more country stoner, country doom-y
bands, it's like ... That's what's going to make it into something a little
different. I think bands now are starting to cross-pollinate a little bit more.
I know certainly that's not what we try to do, but we definitely fit in that
because we have so many different things. But at the end of the day it's all
fucking Sabbath
worshipers. It really is. It's all based on those riffs. And that's what you
always go back to. It's like, what would Iommi do?
Scott: Yeah.
Brent: You know what I mean? It always goes back
to that. If it doesn't sound like something Sabbath would do, fucking scrap
it.
Scott: (laughs)
(laughs)
Brent: It's really not worth it.
With
Hollow Leg being based out of Florida, what do
you like about Florida?
What don't you like about Florida?
Brent: We're really divided about this. Good
question though. As a Florida native, you want to...
Scott: I like and hate that it's isolated from the
rest of the world. A lot of tours won't even come down. They'll get to Atlanta
and just shoot over to New Orleans, and I totally understand that, being from
there as well. But I like that it's isolated in that it has its own sense of
community and we can come up with some really cool shit that's not really
necessarily attached to anything else because it doesn't always come down that
far. It's really regional - in my mind, anyway. Stuff can come out of there, a
place that's isolated in that way. That's what I like and dislike about it. But
I think we have a really good ... Nowadays it feels to me - and I don't know if
it's just how I'm engaged in it right now, but it seems that I've seen in
Florida is driving. Wouldn't you say?
Brent: There's a lot of really good bands down
there. And I agree with the community thing. Having been in bands in Chicago
and Massachusetts, Florida's way cooler of a music community for heavy bands.
Scott: Everybody knows everybody.
Brent: Yep. And because it is isolated and we
don't get maybe as a many national tours as other places, we do a lot of shows
together.
Scott: Mm-hmm.
Brent: And it's like let's put five of the best
bands in the area on one bill together and get some heads out and just have
some fun. And there's a really cool vibe like that. A lot of DIY venues have
popped up over the years, people just wanting to put on shows. And now it's
grown into a fest situation, where every city and promoter have their own
festivals now. And all the bands are doing that, so that's become kind of a
cool thing. It's super incestuous. Everybody's been there with other bands.
Scott: (laughs) There's only so many people that
can fit down there.
Brent: Yeah. This guy's putting out everybody
else's records.
Scott: Yeah, yeah.
Brent: This guy does all the tee shirts. This guy
does all the art for the shows. Yeah,
it's a cool community. Oh, you have a studio...
Scott: It reminds me of New Orleans in that way
too. That place ... kind of likes living in that way too.
Brent: Mm-hmm.
So
what don't you like about Florida?
Brent: Oh.
Scott: (laughs)
Brent: Being a Northerner-
Scott: Oh, right there!
Brent: It's a little slow for my taste. It's a
slower pace, which probably effects why the music is the way it is. But just in
general, it's a slower pace, and I'm not the most patient person on the planet.
So the driving is fucking awful. The heat during the summer is just brutal. I
mean, June to September, you pretty much can't leave your house because it's so
humid and it rains all the damn time. And it's basically like Norway in the
winter - Florida in the summer. Same thing. High suicide rate. Can't leave your
fucking house. For me, I'm not used to it. I'm still not used to it. I've lived
in Florida for almost ten years. But I love the music community. I love the
people that I've met down there. Down to earth, real people. I dig that. You
don't get that in a lot of other places. People are very disingenuous in
general, especially in the music scene. "Oh, you guys are tiny. This band
looks tiny." You know, that type of bullshit.
Scott: "Really exciting. Can we borrow your
head?"
Brent: Yeah. That's not that type of vibe.
Everybody wears each other's shirts down there, and it's a real genuine love
for the other bands.
So
are you guys planning on gambling while you're here, and if so, what do you
guys play?
Scott: If
I did, I'd play Roulette or something where I could just sit for hours and
drink.
Brent: But no we probably won't gamble. We brought
money for weed.
Scott: Yeah, legal weed. That's right. I smoke
fucking weed and that's all, dude. No gambling.
Brent: Yeah.
Scott: Just shows, man. Just shows.
Alright.
Here's the big question right here.
Scott: Oh man.
Which
member of Hollow Leg do you predict is going to go all out Fear and Loathing in
Las Vegas, and why do you say that?
Brent: I don't know...
Scott: Don't look at me. It's Tommy.
Brent: (laughing) It's probably Tommy.
Scott: Tequila Toe Tom.
Brent: Yeah, I mean.
Scott: I don't know. What time is it right now?
We're all here to party. We're here to party.
Which
member's the wild card that, like, we're really keeping track on.
Scott: Tommy.
Brent: Probably our bass player Tom.
Scott: When he turns it on, dude, he turns it on.
Brent: This is like Disneyland for him.
Scott: (laughs)
Brent: Anywhere that's like legal weed...
Scott: Gambling too.
Brent: You see a smile ear to ear. He's the guy.
Scott: He woke up this morning, the first thing he
said was weed.
(laughs)
Weed.
Scott: Yeah, yeah. And then the second thing he
said was tequila, so.
(laughs)
Brent: But it's on. We came Thursday night to play
on Saturday afternoon, so it's on. We're here to party and enjoy some bands and
fucking hang out with people that we haven't see in a while - or see all the
time, but we're here to party with them. It's just a fun fucking environment.
What a great idea.
Scott: Yeah, right.
Brent: It's a real cool thing. Just from the shit
I've seen online too, it seems like there's a lot of repeat people from last
year who have come back to do the same thing, see their friends. It's almost
like a camp in a way.
Scott: Yeah, it is.
Brent: It's like a weekend metal camp for people
that like...
Scott: Tip this place over.
Brent: And now you're seeing it at other festivals
too. There's a lot of people here this weekend that we met at Maryland Doom
Fest either last year of the year before, that are like doing the festival
circuit, regardless of whether they work for some kind of media faction or not,
if they're here working a publication, or they're just fans. And a lot of the
bands are the same too. Our day at Maryland Doom Fest this year, we had Heavy Temple
and The
Skull on our day. They're playing the same day, same stage with us
here.
Scott: Yeah.
Brent: So it's cool. It's really cool. Stoked to
be a part of it. We're all going to party our faces off for sure.
