TOP 16 ALBUMS: The Sour 16 (September 2017)

Allow yourself to indulge in a hefty dose of riffs, because it is time to present 16 of the best albums from September, 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 on the amount of page views the reviews have received and are then calibrated into the list below.  All reviews can be viewed by clicking the artwork and we have included album streams wherever possible. (Total views since their publication are highlighted in the red)

16). Boris - "Dear" (623)

From the opening track, “D.O.W.N. –Domination of Waiting Noise–“, Boris conveys punishing volume so effectively that your ears will ache at practically any level.  Every note and every layered vocal has been obsessed over, placed perfectly in the mix, and acts as a distillation of twenty-five years of intense collaborative synthesis.

15). Order - "Lex Amentiae" (637)

This is harsh, in-your-face, old-school black metal. From the opener "Winter" onward, Order stakes a claim to the thorny crown with its barbarous shrieks, lumbering bass and unyielding guitars.

14). Biblical - "The City That Always Sleeps" (679)

“Mature Themes,” the opening track and lead-off single, certainly showcases a barrage of noise that hits like a barbed-wire baseball bat, but rather than making miles doing this sludgy-psych thing, Biblical branches out far and wide, traversing sonic landscapes that are as vast as the country the band calls home.

13). Major Kong - "Brace for Impact" (713)

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.

12). Made Of Teeth - "Made Of Teeth" (721)

Made Of Teeth have produced a confident, punchy, and savage debut that provides the listener with labyrinthine levels of surprises around each corner.

11). Monarch - "Never Forever" (784)

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.

10). Usnea - "Portals Into Futility" (815)

The guitars are thoroughly dissonant and murky, the bass is husky and drums voluminous. Then there are the vocals, which feel like they're being delivered with the sort of urgency of someone trapped at the bottom of a deep well. The whole composition of the record is just magnificent for doom fans.

9). Queens of the Stone Age - "Villains" (1040)

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.

8). Ufomammut - "8" (1078)

The time signatures will still have you scratching your head and the chugging rhythms are no less heady as they are pummeling. The choice to structure songs rather than to orchestrate them means that the ideas unfold quicker than what we’re used to. A totally different listening experience, sure, but it’s one that offers yet another opportunity to throw some quality, heavy psychedelic doom on the turntable.

7). Spirit Adrift - "Curse of Conception" (1119)

“Curse of Conception” is a glorious success and a dazzling evolution of an already excellent band. 

6). Dyscarnate - "With All Their Might" (1181)

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.

5). With The Dead - "Love From With The Dead" (1401)

The opening quartet of tracks here offers up a relentless onslaught of earth-shaking doom. Tim Bagshaw is on fine form, unleashing an endless stream of mammoth riffs and lead guitar that channel the hazy evil of his finest moments in Ramesses.  Lee Dorrian’s half spoken, half roared vocals work well in amongst the carnage and are a breath of fresh air in the modern doom landscape.

4). Belphegor - "Totenritual" (1802)

Once again, as they have over the vast majority of their discography, Belphegor has produced an excellent album of the best blackened death metal. This is every bit as good as anything else the band has put out from one of the best extreme bands in the world, no question.

3). Satyricon - "Deep Calleth Upon Deep" (1914)

 ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ is something of a spiritual successor to ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ in that the goal appears to have been to take an established sound and create the weirdest, artsiest version of it they could and there is evidence of a sweeping creative resurgence throughout the album as a whole.

2). Monolord - "Rust" (2105)

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.

1). Paradise Lost - "Medusa" (5226)

Depthless despair, thick production with pounding drums accentuating the force of the material and those classic melodic leads are all encompassing, making this their heaviest album  in years and amongst their best. “Medusa” can and will turn you to stone- as you will be shocked and stilled by just how good it is.

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

FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: Riffs of Canada with Loviatar (Ottawa, Ontario)

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/07/2017

Label: Prosthetic Records

“Loviatar” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Nascent (Stygian Wyrm Pt. I)

2). Discordant (Stygian Wyrm Pt. II)

3). Ascendant (Stygian Wyrm Pt. III)

4). Blind Goddess of the Nine Plagues

The Review:

Very rarely does a band capture the atmospheric nuisances of the sludge/doom genres. Loviatar have created a conceptually nuanced and atmospheric record unlike many other releases this year. The highlight of this record is the vocals. J.D’s vocal abilities separate Loviatar from their sludge metal contemporaries, setting the framework for the guitars and synthesizer’s to create the atmospheric depth of the record. Loviatar utilize a balanced approach to create beautiful heavy music. 

For those of you concerned primarily with riffs, there are plenty on this album. Loviatar deliver the goods with “Goddess of the Nine Plagues” with punishing riffs reminiscent of “A Sun that Never Sets” era Neurosis. If you are listener who craves more depth and atmosphere to your sludge metal, this record is definitely worth checking out.

“Loviatar” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Wolves in the Throne Room- ‘Thrice Woven’

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/09/2017

Label: Artemisia Records

There’s a kind of theatrical gravitas throughout ‘Thrice Woven’. It’s supremely confident, gravely serious, and stunning in its ability to pair serenity and sorrow with pain and anger.

‘Thrice Woven’ CD//LP//CS//DD track listing:

1. Born From The Serpent’s Eye

2. The Old Ones Are With Us

3. Angrboda

4. Mother Owl. Father Ocean

5. Fires Roar in the Palace of the Moon

The Review:

It’s human nature to want to have new experiences. We’re always looking for something different. Whatever aspect of life we’re talking about, things are always moving. Sometimes the perception is that we’re moving forward, but there’s almost always movement of some kind. The same is obviously true of musicians and artists.

Wolves in the Throne Room took their music in an entirely different direction with 2014’s ‘Celestite’. The album was all over the place, ranging from light synthy ambient music to caustic drone and plenty more between the two. The reaction to the album, from fans and press alike, covered a broad spectrum too. Some hailed the band for their artistic freedom, some spurned the album for its failure to fall in line with the band’s previous work, and everyone else fell between those two points.

With ‘Thrice Woven’, Wolves in the Throne Room have essentially retreated to familiar ground, while bringing back some of what they found in the great beyond. Were it not for some of the synth work and dramatic atmospheric elements at work throughout, this album might be Wolves in the Throne Room’s most traditionally black metal album since ‘Diadem of 12 Stars’. A lot of the riffs and tremolo leads would feel right at home in a 90s scandinavian black metal context. “Born From The Serpent” features a section in the first half of the song that could have been on any early Marduk or Enthroned album.

The production too feels like something older. The drums in particular have a very dry sound, which is out of character for Wolves in the Throne Room. The snare has a crisp, thin feel to it, like on Sacramentum’s ‘Far Away From The Sun’. The guitars have a hazy texture to them, though you could call them muted or dull. It would feel constricted and spaceless if these compositions were any different, but here it fits surprisingly well. The guitar leads aren’t in a constant battle with everything else, struggling to shine through in the mix. They’re right up front and clear as day, pulling everything else along with it. What the production sacrifices in sounding massive, it makes up for in clarity.

 There’s a kind of theatrical gravitas throughout ‘Thrice Woven’. It’s supremely confident, gravely serious, and stunning in its ability to pair serenity and sorrow with pain and anger. It harnesses all the bleak melodrama that made ‘Two Hunters’ such a compelling album, and puts it into a universe that’s rooted in a style of black metal they’ve avoided until now. And yet, it never crosses that boundary into second wave worship. This album is a testament to just how deep and rich black metal can be as a genre. I hope they stick around in this space a little while longer.

‘Thrice Woven’ is available digitally here and a CD/LP/CS copy here.

Band info: Official Site || Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Yellow Eyes – “Immersion Trench Reverie”

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/10/2017

Label: Gilead Media (LP)

If Yellow Eyes’ output continues to shine like “Immersion Trench Reverie”, it’s only a matter of time until they’re shoulder-to-shoulder with the fellow legends of black metal.

"Immersion Trench Reverie" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Old Alpine Pang

2. Blue as Blue

3. Shrillness in the Heated Grass

4. Velvet on the Horns

5. Immersion Trench Reverie

6. Jubilat

The Review:

Black metal has become the land of musical modifiers: blackgaze, blackened death, black doom, ambient black metal.  The expansiveness of black metal is, by and large, a great thing – is there anything more boring than some TRVE CVLT hipster claiming they have the first pressing of “Dawn of the Black Hearts”?  But sometimes, you need to strip away the permutations and bask in lo-fi menace.  Yellow Eyes are all too happy to oblige with their third album, “Immersion Trench Reverie”.  Brothers and constant members Will and Sam Skarstad hang loosely to the foundational pillars of second wave black metal: stripped down production, frenzied guitars, classical and/or monastic influences, and a preoccupation with sylvan landscapes.

Opener “Old Alpine Pang” establishes the key elements of the record quickly.   A natural field recording (captured by Will and Sam during a trip to Siberia) meshes with bells and footsteps on concrete, before an eruption of reverb laden guitars and double bass drumming.  It’s akin to stumbling into a profaned old world convent.  The guitars are layered without sounding overproduced, creating dramatic tension between the frantic tremolo harmonies and the ringing chords that punctuate the song’s movements.  Will Skarstad’s shrieking vocal attack is dry as summer pine needles, and wouldn’t sound out of place echoing through a darkened forest.  “Blue as Blue,” opens with a distinctly Russian folk sample, segueing into massive guitar riffs that evoke the Romantic bombast of Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff.

“Shrillness in the Heated Grass” has one of the most subtly menacing opening riffs of the year, like a broken music box from hell, before launching into ethereal, shifting chords.  Pushing through constant suspensions and permutations, Yellow Eyes create a virtual orchestra using only a handful of guitar tracks – you get the distinct impression that these passages would be just as grand and moving in a live four-piece setting.  As the final notes ring out, more of the brothers Skarstads’ Siberian field recordings provide a human, sacred counterpoint to the low end attack of “Velvet on the Horns”.  The track is the most distinctly “progressive” of the sextet, highlighted by tempo and time signature changes.  The guitar harmonies are at their most intricate, while Rekevics’ drumming is inhuman – by the end, I felt exhausted on his behalf.

       

The title track has some of the most interesting, restrained moments of guitar work on the whole record, sometimes evocative of post-punk, sometimes basking in nauseating dissonance that will make your head ache with masochistic satisfaction.  Once again, the drumming is both frantic and inspired – maybe the best on the record.  Closer “Jubilat”, stretching to ten minutes, is a worthy epic that alludes to Mozart’s Requiem and the ever-present folk elements in equal measure.  In the final movement, Yellow Eyes display supreme confidence, locking into a repeated pattern that will be branded onto your brain well after the final, chiming bells fade out.

On “Immersion Trench Reverie”, Yellow Eyes continue to cement themselves as heroes of the lo-fi underground.  While they’ve honored their forebears in their compositions and production methods, they aren’t some tired pastiche.  It’s almost as if you discovered some long-lost cassette nestled among your black metal classics, a forgotten gem that deserves reconsideration.  If Yellow Eyes’ output continues to shine like “Immersion Trench Reverie”, it’s only a matter of time until they’re shoulder-to-shoulder with the fellow legends of black metal.

“Immersion Trench Reverie” is available here

Band info: bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Pänzer - "Fatal Command"

By: Richard Maw


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 06/10/2017

Label: Nuclear Blast

“Fatal Command” CD//DD track listing:

1. Satan's Hollow (4:04)

2. Fatal Command (4:57)

3. We Can Not Be Silenced (3:32)

4. I'll Bring You The Night (5:29)

5. Scorn And Hate (5:26)

6. Afflicted (4:42)

7. Skullbreaker (5:44)

8. Bleeding Allies (4:38)

9. The Decline (And The Downfall) (5:16)

10. Mistaken (4:54)

11. Promised Land (4:21)

The Review:

Pänzer came to prominence a couple of years back as a super group of sorts with members of Accept and Destruction combining to produce an album which sounded... mid way between those two bands. And very good it was too! The sophomore album by the band has seen Hermann Frank sadly depart, but the core of the band remain the same with Schmier and Stefan Schwarzmann still proving the thunderous underpinning to the band's sound. Pontus Norgren and V.O. Pulver fill out the line up this time around and the Swede/Swiss axis of metal works wonders.

The record is perhaps more anthemic than the debut “Send Them All To Hell” but it is just as metal; if not more so. There is huge choruses’ here- the opener “Satan's Hollow” is pure heavy metal, the following title track is more of the same. Big production and Schmier's manic vocals make this record feel energised and, in the right way, both retro and state of the art.

This is a harder proposition than Accept's latest (superb) album, but not at the level of intensity offered by Destruction. Schmier pushes and expands his vocal limits- as you can hear on “We Can Not Be Silenced”- and his willingness to turn in this type of performance says a lot about not resting on his laurels and giving his all to the record. There are mid paced chuggers like “I'll Bring You The Night” that nestle alongside more melodic and dynamic fair such as “Scorn” and “Hate” and you also get the pure heavy metal, verging on thrash, of “Afflicted” and the record is only half way at that point!

There is plenty of variety- “Skullbreaker” is a creeping and menacing track- not like the breakneck paced track I expected from the title. “Bleeding Allies” provides a stomping burst of pace and plenty of twin guitar work. The harder riffing of “The Decline (And The Downfall)” may please fans of Schmier's main band, but there is still a sense of metallic melody through the verses.

The final stretch of the album takes in the widdly “Mistaken” (great) and the fast and furious “Promised Land” (even greater!) and really closes on a strong statement for the record. This is a similar beast to their debut- powerful but with melody, hard driving but never out and out thrash. If that sounds like your bag- or for reference if you are a fan of Priest, Hammerfall, Accept and of course Destruction, there will be plenty for you to enjoy here. Classic heavy metal with a modern stainless steel sheen.

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – “Vol. 1” (Reissue)

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 13/10/2017

Label: Rise Above Records

Imperfect though it may be, "Vol. 1" is a fascinating introduction to Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats' bold vision

 

"Vol. 1” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Crystal Spiders

2. Witches Garden

3. Dead Eyes of London

4. Lonely and Strange

5. Vampire Circus

6. Do What Your Love Tells You

7. I Don’t Know

8. Wind Up Toys

The Review:

Psychedelic band Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats has gained somewhat of a cult status over the years. However, it is the best kind of cult status imaginable. The group has at once achieved notoriety while not gaining a level of household name currency. Such presence is a sweet spot for musicians: people know you, but not their moms, and not being played at the mall is absolutely not for lack of skills. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats' style of stoner rock with old-school heavy metal burnish has flashes of panache that bands like Electric Wizard have in abundance. Over its releases, the Kevin Starrs-fronted group has supplemented that with pulpy themes in its music and as such their music is truly fun to listen to, and the band's music has received well-deserved acclaim for it.

If you have been following Uncle Acid over its young career – from 2011's “Blood Lust”, 2013’s “Mind Control” or “The Night Creeper”, the 2015 entry – chances are the group hooked you with its fuzzed out freaky tales that always came across as more Dusk to Dawn than Leatherface. It is a catchy and creative mix that draws comparisons to some of the genre's all-stars, not to mention progressive acts like Pink Floyd. Among the stories that have circulated was how the celebrated band's story began on a 2010 debut, which originally made the rounds via CD-R. However, that recording has been elusive to most fans, save Youtube downloads and live shows. That is, until its longtime label, Rise Above Records, stepped in to reissue the out-of-print first recording.

With "Vol. 1," fans of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats finally get a glimpse at the band's formative work. Perhaps it is no surprise that it is not the best the crew has performed, but it is among the most original.

"Crystal Spiders" begins the album, and it is filled with the energetic guitar work and the sticky rhythms you know of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. The back story to "Vol. 1" is that it is truly a do-it-yourself endeavor. It was reportedly self-recorded. This hardscrabble tale proves readily apparent as you tune in for the duration. A little too much volume and some loose production are evident. With "Witches Garden," the vocals are a bit more washed out by the rest of the arrangement than usual. However, it, just as with the next song "Dead Eyes of London," is a priceless look at a performer building a sound it is today loved for making. Its cornerstones – that classic rock 'n' roll feel, a lyricism that weaves a mystical tale into the music – are gestating on its debut. On "Lonely and Strange," the bass and drums take a more prominent role, just like they do in later releases and are a hallmark of this vibe. Imperfect though it may be, "Vol. 1" is a fascinating introduction to Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats' bold vision.

Starrs has been quoted as saying he wanted to oversee remixing and ensuring the new record met the standard he expected for fans. He does an admirable job in touching up the base material. "Do What Your Love Tells You" in the original telling, available online, gets its retro doom amped up on "Vol. 1." Similarly, the closer, "Wind Up Toys," is markedly improved from the original.

If you are a fan and caught "Vol. 1" online, the reissue is a treat you will not want to miss. And if you are curious about this burgeoning UK phenomenon, "Vol. 1" may help you understand how it all began.

"Vol. 1" will be available here from 13/10/2017

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Primitive Man - "Caustic"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 6/10/2017

Label: Relapse Records

"Caustic" is an ambitious project, among the band's longest and most complex to date. Like their past work, the group explores nihilism in sound that rivals some of the most hopeless metal you've heard. That unrelenting quicksand of guitars and bass is here, as are those vocals of your nightmares.  Primitive Man offer up some of its most excellent music to date, making this sprawling and charging full length worth the wait.

“Caustic” CD//DD//LP Track listing

1. My Will

2. Victim              

3. Caustic

4. Commerce

5. Tepid

6. Ash

7. Sterility

8. Sugar Hole

9. The Weight

10. Disfigured

11. Inevitable

12. Absolutes

The Review:

Few artists of any genre were as unflinching and brutally frank as poet Gil Scott Heron. He profiled the 1977 Houston police murder of Vietnam War veteran Jose Campos Torres in an eponymous poem. In it, Heron remarked bitterly, " I had said I wasn't going to write no more words down about people kicking us when we're down/About racist dogs that attack us and drive us down, drag us down and beat us down/But the dogs are in the street/The dogs are alive and the terror in our hearts has scarcely diminished." And in his 1971 poem "Home is Where the Hatred Is," Heron touched on his lifelong struggle with drug addiction, which cast a shadow until he succumbed to complications of HIV in 2011. He wrote, "Stand as far away from me as you can and ask me why/Hang on to your rosary beads/Close your eyes to watch me die/You keep saying, kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it/God, but did you ever try, to turn your sick soul inside out/So that the world, can watch you die."

When Primitive Man rose to prominence with its own "Home is Where the Hatred Is," a 2015 EP that put its unflinching rawness on full display, you almost had to wonder if this is what an overdose internally would sound like. There are so many sludge and doom metal bands. However, few acts are as rapturously gritty as Primitive Man. Unlike the funeral doom and black metal with which many heavy groups mingle genetic material, the Denver, Colorado trio instead pours down your throat a broken glass pile of noise. Having release so many splits, solo singles and EPs, they have carved a path into your flesh where Primitive Man's aural brutality is unwavering, raging and ceaseless. The sandpapery touch of noise flays you at many points, and such is an unusual addition to doom, given how often noise influences stay in their avant garde lane. The average doom Primitive Man never was, and fans of this style must this day surely rejoice for their returning full length.


"Caustic" is an ambitious project, among the band's longest and most complex to date. Like their past work, the group explores nihilism in sound that rivals some of the most hopeless metal you've heard. That unrelenting quicksand of guitars and bass is here, as are those vocals of your nightmares.

The new album starts with "My Will" and "Victim," which share a deep guitar squeal in common along with a guttural howl. They are the kind of tracks that remind you why you love this music. The guitar and vocals of Ethan McCarthy are searing from start to finish, while the band's bass and drums thrash into a muddy current of despair. The most beautiful of sludge flings you into some oblivion that is hard to fathom or find release. Mission accomplished here, where this two-act opener is the scene setter for the onslaught to come.

Listeners will gravitate to the triple towers of "Caustic": a pair of 12-minute songs and a 10-minute cut that give Primitive Man its chance to be truly creative.  "Commerce" and "Disfigured" are in particular what makes the group interesting. The music's pace is methodical without feeling overindulgent and long. The noise elements border on a controlled chaos akin to the Boredoms. However, McCarthy's vocals are what stand out most. Those diabolical growls and deep-gut screams stick in your mind's eye until you go back again to listen. Indecipherable, unyielding and without end. By "Inevitable," the final long track, you are mesmerized by the intensity, taking it in as brutally frank performance unlike many others. Primitive Man offer up some of its most excellent music to date, making this sprawling and charging full length worth the wait.

In "Winter in America," Gil Scott Heron wept for the enormity of darkness in 1973. It was a moment in which President Richard Nixon had been deposed, the Black Panthers had been vanquished and it felt in many quarters like certain doom was upon us. "And ain't nobody fighting," Heron said, "'cause nobody knows what to save." And with "Caustic"'s typhoon of guitars, noise and roars, you are quite possibly too going to hold what's dear. It's going to be a hard ride.

"Caustic" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook