ALBUM REVIEW: Fu Manchu - "Clone of the Universe"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 09/02/2018

Label: At The Dojo Records

  "Clone of the Universe" is the twelfth example that there's only one Fu Manchu and this album is a great mix of the heavy, the fast, the slow and the riff.

“Clone of the Universe” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. "Intelligent Worship" (3:08)

2. "(I’ve Been) Hexed" (2:48)

3. "Don’t Panic" (2:05)

4. "Slower Than Light" (3:26)

5. "Nowhere Left to Hide" (4:19)

6. "Clone of the Universe" (2:58)

7. "IL Mostro Atomico" (18:08)

The Review:

Can you imagine an 18 minute song written and performed by Fu Manchu? Oh yeah, and it features the guitar escapades of none other than Rush's Alex Lifeson? Yeah, I couldn't either. That changed this week, though, when the kind people over at At The Dojo Records hooked us up with "Clone of the Universe," Fu Manchu's twelfth album. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. This 18 minute epic, "Il Mostro Atomico" closes out the album. Let's start at the beginning.

From opener "Intelligent Worship" on, Fu Manchu knows what's up. Ripe with those stop-go riffs that only Fu Manchu can master, the band plays through these seven songs the only way they know how - thick on the fuzz, heavy on the low end, and loud as hell.

The stoned stomp of "(I've Been) Hexed" leaves its mark with both its riffs and its catchy chorus. Fu Manchu has always proven to be experts when it comes to those one-liner choruses, and "(I've Been) Hexed" is no different. In perfect call and response fashion, Hill proclaims "I've been Hexed" as the backing vocals take over, "I see it in your eyes." These lines get passed back and forth for a while, the drums go nuts, and those guitar solos wail. An absolute toe tapper, and once Fu Manchu hit the road in support of this album, "(I've Been) Hexed" is going to be a crowd favorite, too.

The album keeps its momentum going in o "Don't Panic." Again, a song that boasts a one-liner chorus - "Don't panic!" - and it's going to have stoner rockers far and wide bowing down at the feet of Fu Manchu party. The title track has the same effect, and even though not many of us can tell you what Hill means when he sings "Clone of the Universe," we can all agree that it sounds fucking cool, and that's all that fucking matters.

For the most part, Fu Manchu has made themselves a name by laying the groundwork for upbeat stoner rock. Each song of theirs makes a race for the chorus, rocks out a little, and is out within 4 minutes. This is part of what makes Fu Manchu so good; this band knows how to cluster quality and then land a punch with it. "Clone of the Universe" stays true to this formula, mostly.

Sure, these SoCal boys have had an 8 minute song here and there, but on this new record, Fu Manchu hits the eighteen minute mark. Alex Lifeson from Rush helps out in this experiment. The track's instrumental, mostly, and sounds like a mixture of a bunch of Fu Manchu riffs pasted together. The best part, it works. The riffs are great, the transitions are great, and the song builds in such a way that it starts without giving too much away. Even by the 10, 12 or 15 minute mark, the song still rocks hard and doesn't dip once.

In many ways, "Clone of the Universe" might be more familiar to those who grew up on Fu Manchu. The album's got that stoner rock rhythm that Fu Manchu made famous, thanks mostly to Brad Davis on bass guitar and drummer Scott Reeder. These two are locked in and make these tunes tumble down the road like a VW van with marijuana smoke billowing out of the windows.

"Clone of the Universe" is also an album that's determined to push the boundaries of the band's sound. The result is a great mix of the heavy, the fast, the slow and the riff. For Fu Manchu, "Clone of the Universe" is the twelfth example that there's only one Fu Manchu, and plenty of impersonators.

“Clone of the Universe” is available to buy on CD//DD//Vinyl via here 

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

Live Review: Amenra: "A Post-Metal Ritual" @ Doornroosje, Nijmegen (NL 20/01/2018)

By: Victor Van Ommen

    

At three o’clock in the afternoon, I rolled into the parking lot of Doornroosje in Nijmegen. Nestled up against the German border, folks like me, coming out of Amsterdam, consider Nijmegen to be pretty far away. Yeah, we don’t get out much. But for bands like Amenra, who were scheduled to close out the day's program, we make the sacrifice to travel from the comfort of our own home.

A different vibe was felt at the Doornroosje. In my neck of the woods, a concert is a place to go and get tanked while you catch up with friends. I'm genralizing, of course, but in Amsterdam and surrounding cities, little attention is paid to the band. Here in Nijmegen, it seems the crowd is more laid back, friendlier and actually shows respect to the bands that perform. Drunken banter? That’s what you do in the restaurant outside of the venue. The venue proper is where one goes to be consumed by the music. This is my type of crowd.

My first band of the day was Throane. For the most part, Throane’s sound is pretty raw. One guitarist handled the slower riffing, the other powered through as fast as he could. Bass and drums kept the pace slow, and the band’s intensity came from their singer, whose screams set the mood not only for Throane’s set, but also the rest of the day. This cold, rainy January day never saw the sun rise outside and that might have had something to do with what was going on inside Doornroosje.

After Throane, Sembler Deah filled the venue with their bass heavy drone. Man, the venue was so dark, the only thing that lit the way was the fire on stage. And I mean that quite literally, Sembler Deah had a fire pit on stage, flames about two meters high. The three- piece situated themselves around the flames in a semi-circle as they made their way through a piece of music – this was not a song – that was tonally deep and incredibly textured. The guitar was played with a bow and the singer – who I believe might have been Colin himself, from Amenra – remained subdued in his delivery, projecting vocal drones from deep within. This set was consuming, it froze me right where I stood. The visuals behind the band matched the drones perfectly. For music that isn’t necessarily exciting, there sure was a lot going on. So much so, in fact, that by the time the band finished playing it felt like they had only just started.

Please forgive me when I say that the next band, VVOVNDS, didn’t do a thing for me. Certainly not after Sembler Deah’s powerful performance. That was fine by me, though, time to grab some grub.

An hour later, I returned to Doornroosje for yet another unique performance. Aluk Todolo is a three-piece that started their set without any introduction. They got up and played, and played, and played and played. They reminded me of Earthless in a way; but darker, heavier and certainly more European. Their drummer played with the precision of a jazz drummer, but much harder. The bassist looped around the drummer’s rhythms, together playing circular rhythms that never ended. The guitarist knew not only how to riff like his life depended on it but was also able to use his effect board as an instrument. So much so, in fact, that at one point, he put down his guitar and picked up his effect board, held it like he held his guitar, and twisted knobs, banged on pedals and whatever else was necessary to fill the Doornroosje with all kinds of heavily distorted sounds.

And then, Amenra.

Amenra brought a show with them. With nothing more than a spotlight shining down on singer Colin van Eeckhout - who sat on his haunches, back to the audience - Amenra’s set began. Colin clanged two metal bars together to mark the start of "Boden." Then the band made their entrance, playing in complete darkness. This ritualistic, post-metal onslaught that Amenra presented did nothing to lighten the mood. Behind the band were visuals of sparse landscapes, castles and other rock formations, which always matched exactly the mood of the music.

Now, I can’t claim to be a connoisseur when it comes to Amenra. I’m new to Amenra for the most part. "Mass VI" was my starting point, and since then I’ve checked out a random song here and there. The one thing that I’ve learned from my exposure to Amenra is that they are one helluva powerful band. Their show only further confirmed what I have learned.

Compared to the confines of the Compact Disc, live, Amenra’s sound is thicker. Their performance spot on, and the emotion is palpable. Colin’s screams pierce through the darkness even though his back is turned to the audience for the entirety of the set. I stood in the back, next to the soundboard, and even there I was reached by the sonic emersion that is Amenra. I can only imagine how it would have been had I stood all the way up front.

Amenra is no stranger to tempo changes as well as shifts from hard to soft. They do these shifts impeccably and play everything with the same conviction. As a result, Amenra demands attention. The crowd gave them this attention. The crowd was quiet, listening attentively and gave the band the space to do their thing. Almost two hours after the initial calling of "Boden," the set ended with the drop of the microphone. Colin stormed off the stage, the band followed. Not a word was muttered, the lights in the venue came up, and everyone kind of looked lost.

For me, there was no way I was going straight to the car and hit the highway. I had to hit the bar and take a seat. Come down. Calm down. My friends and I chatted for a few hours, about this and that, and every so often someone would say, "man, Amenra was incredible." Everyone would nod in approval, another round of drinks would come by, and the conversation continued. One thing was clear, Amenra left their mark on us.

SATAN'S DOZEN: 13 Unearthly Hymns Unearthed #6 (January 2018)

Compiled by: Andrei Moose

Artwork by: Josh Mashesh

SATAN’S DOZEN is THE SLUDGELORD’s attempt to present the very best music the underground scene has to offer and whilst we’d love to review every band submission we receive, not to mention the countless recommendations you send our way, in practical terms that is just not possible.  Therefore because we don’t want killer music to pass you by, each and every month our member of the Russian chapeter Andrei Moose  painstakingly sifts through the music labelled  killer  riffs” and chooses 13 of the best new albums released via bandcamp and bundles them together into the mightiest riff sandwich.

Whilst all the albums we have included below are top tier stuff, we have compiled them into a chart on a sliding scale of 13-1. So we hope you dig our selections for January 2018 and enjoy 13 Unearthly Hymns Unearthed.  

These bands need more exposure, so go “like” “share” and “follow” their pages, but most of all enjoy some of the best music the underground has to offer.  THE SLUDGELORD most sincerely approves.   Now, go heavy or go home.

13) Sons Of Nibiru – “Hellspirit” (Rzeszow, Poland), Released December 16, 2017

Psychedelic / Stoner-Doom

   
12) Borgonaut – “Borgonaut” EP (Trieste, Italy), Released January 31, 2018

Stoner-doom / Sludge

   
11) FILTHxCOLLINS / SKINLOVER – “Split 7” (Cardiff, UK), Released January 21, 2018

Sludge / Grindcore / Powerviolence

   
10) Taser – “Social Exclusion Blues” (Lahti, Finland), Released January 19, 2018

Sludge

   
9) Dowager – “Hymns for the Dead” (Los Angeles, California), Released January 1, 2018

Stoner-Doom

     

8) Nerveshatter – “Madhouse” (New York(, Released January 9, 2018

Noise / Hardcore / Sludge

   
7) Troll Teeth – “Boiled Alive” (New Jersey), Released January 1, 2018

Psychedelic / Stoner-Rock / Stoner-Metal

   
6) Psychic Lemon – “Frequency Rhythm Distortion Delay”(London, UK), Released January 12, 2018

Instrumental / Psychedelic / Kraut / Prog / Rock

   
5) Floaters – “WAITING FOR AMNESTY” (Tokyo, Japan), Released December 29, 2017

Stoner-Doom / Sludge

4) Smoke – “Stoned To Death” (Houma, Louisiana), Released January 12, 2018

Stoner-Doom / Sludge

   
3) The Mothercraft – “Pillars” (Edmonton, Alberta), Released January 5, 2018

Stoner-Rock

 
2) Legalize Crime – “Beat The Law” (Wroclaw, Poland), Released March 30, 2017

Sludge / Hardcore / Stoner-Metal

    

1) Orphans Of Doom – “Strange Worlds/Fierce Gods” (Kansas City, Missouri), Released January 26, 2018

Progressive/ Sludge / Doom / Metal

Band info: Orphans of Doom || Legalize Crime || The Mothercraft || Smoke || Floaters || Psychic Lemon || Troll Teeth || Nerveshatter || Dowager || Taser || Skin Lover || FilthXCollins || Borgonaut || Sons of Nibiru

ALBUM REVIEW: Centuries - "The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/01/2018

Label: Southern Lord Recordings

“The Lights Of This Earth Are Blinding” is a compelling release with a split personality,  like a cross betweeb Cursed with subtle hints of black metal and the crushing sound of “Remission” era Mastodon with a more direct punk aggression.

  

“The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding
2. Wooden Hands
3. Bygones
4. Soil
5. A Bow Across A String
6. The Climb
7. The Endless Descent
8. May Love Be With You Always
9. Fury
10. Nul Orietur

The Review:

Originally from Florida, the members of Centuries are now scattered far and wide between Pittsburgh, Nashville and even Manchester in the UK. Fortunately geography hasn’t got in the way of them making a great second LP in the form of “The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding”.

The record rips into life with the raging title track, a two and a half minute blast of crusty hardcore riddled with hard sludge riffing. This sets the tone for the first half of the LP which comes across like Cursed with subtle hints of black metal. The breakneck rush of “Bygones” is especially furious, bolstered by some pummelling blastbeats.

“The Climb” opens the second half of the album with a marked drop in tempo but maintains the same level of venom and bile. This track marks a shift in tone as the likes of “May Love Be With You Always” and “Nul Orietur” see Centuries metal leanings coming to the fore. This results in a crushing sound reminiscent of “Remission” era Mastodon but with a more direct punk aggression.

The biggest surprise here is “Fury” which begins as a dark acoustic lament that erupts into a grand finale. The sparse opening section of the song makes sense of the acoustic instrumental “Wooden Hands” which appears earlier in the album. On first listen this piece feels jarring after the explosive title track despite its moody restrained menace but further listening marks it out as a premonition of the heaviness to come.

“The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding” is a compelling release with a split personality. It will be interesting to see what path Centuries tread from here but whatever happens it is sure to be a heavy ride.

“The Lights of This Earth Are Blinding” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Mammoth Grinder – "Cosmic Crypt"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/01/2018

Label: Relapse Records

Mammoth Grinder isn’t some newfangled blackened tech fusion melodic death metal.  This is Neanderthal music, meant to crush, rend, rip and destroy to.  In less than 30 minutes, this Paleolithic power trio blast out 11 tunes that don’t reinvent the wheel – they lay waste to anything so civilized as that nonsense.  

“Cosmic Crypt” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Grimmenstein

2. Servant of the Most High

3. Blazing Burst

4. Divine Loss

5. Molotov

6. Superior Firepower

7. Human is Obsolete

8. Locust’s Nest

9. Mysticism

10. Rotting Robes

11. Cosmic Crypt

The Review:

Now that the true deep freeze of winter has crept into the northeastern US, my daily soundtrack has mostly been the coldest black metal I can find.  Shrill, inhuman, alienating dissonance with tracks lasting ten or twenty minutes transporting me to a land of northern darkness as vast as a Lovecraftian planetscape.  But this year, the muck and humidity has burst through unexpectedly, like a deep rot thought excised.  The stink of swamp gas behind my home bubbles up at random intervals, reminding me that while the grim sterility of winter reigns on the surface, there’s a limitless, festering putrescence ready to boil through the icy cracks.  How appropriate that the long dormant Mammoth Grinder rises from the tomb to unleash classic death metal in the midst of this strange, damp season. 

               

Mammoth Grinder isn’t some newfangled blackened tech fusion melodic death metal.  This is Neanderthal music, meant to crush, rend, rip and destroy to.  In less than 30 minutes, this Paleolithic power trio blast out 11 tunes that don’t reinvent the wheel – they lay waste to anything so civilized as that nonsense.  From the opening salvos of “Grimmenstein”, the emphasis on filthy low end tones pairs perfectly with bassist-vocalist Chris Ulsh’s cave troll vocals.  Throughout “Cosmic Crypt”, Ulsh sounds like he’s bellowing from the deepest underground chambers, daring you to come face the horrors within.  Drummer Ryan Parrish, meanwhile, alternates between hardcore influenced, straightforward metal beats, complemented by precise, slick fills.  Mark Bronzino is definitely copping from the old school, post-thrash vanguard (a la Slayer and Possessed) of shrill, whammy bar throttling leads – but he does it so damn good, who would complain?  Aspiring rhythm riffers would do well to study his no frills, catchy as fuck style.

               

The standout tracks here are the most frenetic: punky thrash death rager “Blazing Burst”; “Divine Loss”, that turns on a dime from 6/8 dirge to straightforward death (with some nice rhythmic eccentricities smattered here and there); and “Human is Obsolete” – which trudges through a deliciously sludgy intro and has a simple but hypnotic guitar solo.  The final one-two punch of “Rotting Robes” and “Cosmic Crypt” is an excellent crescendo of fury on an already solid record.  “Rotting Robes” is your standard death metal before throwing in this beautifully rude, swaggering riff, riding on the excellent rhythm section.  The titular, final track is definitely elevated by Ulsh unleashing his most unhinged vocals.  Not to be outdone, Bronzino lays down his most restrained, memorable solo.  It’s easy to see why, with an unmatched performance, Mammoth Grinder closes the eponymous record with this mini-masterpiece. And before you know it, the seething decay has receded. 

Mammoth Grinder doesn’t wear you out with any extended bullshit.  They come to unleash slaughter and crawl back into whatever nightmare dungeons they lurk in when not decimating unwitting victims.  I hope to hell we get more filthy death from this trio before 2023, but at least I know they’re lurking at the edges, ready to erupt when the world seems sterile and just too serene.

“Cosmic Crypt” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Progressive sludgers Astrakhan unleash "A Change Begins"

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, progressive sludge band Astrakhan are set to release their sophomore album this month, entitled ​"Without ​New ​Growth ​Process ​is ​Bloodshed" the album’s theme according to the band ​is ​the ​idea ​that, ​from ​birth, a ​child ​is ​told ​what ​is ​right ​and ​wrong, ​what ​is ​good ​and ​bad, ​based ​on ​the ​opinions ​of ​the narrow ​minded ​individuals ​who ​influence ​them ​through ​their ​upbringing. ​This ​inevitably ​leads ​a curious ​mind ​to ​question ​why ​things ​are ​as ​they ​are. ​This ​preparational ​approach ​to ​education teaches ​children ​to ​grow ​up ​and ​be ​like ​an ​adult ​as ​soon ​as ​possible. ​There ​is ​little ​time ​to ​bask in ​the ​serene ​innocence ​of ​ignorance.

“Without New Growth Process is Bloodshed” comes two years after their highly praised debut album “Reward in Purpose” and is further evidence of the bands continued growth as a band, channelling a number of different sounds and genres throwing them into a melting pot, with the resultant brew being one of originality and a record executed with flair  and little something extra, making the album a compulsive listen.  Today ahead of the record’s official release you can check out the track “A Change Begins” below

Band info: facebook || bandcamp