ALBUM REVIEW: Pissboiler - "In The Lair Of Lucid Nightmares"

By: Chris Bull

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/12/2017

Label: Third I Rex

Sweden's Pissboiler have crafted a brilliant album of terrifying proportions, creating a sense of tension and foreboding and pummelling the listener with sledgehammer riffs.

“In The Lair Of Lucid Nightmares” CD//DD track listing:

1. Ruins of the Past
2. Stealth
3. Pretend It Will End
4. Cutters

The Review:

There are 3 types of heavy bands; those which employ speed and ferocity, those whose use of atmosphere creates a tension and sense of foreboding and those who are slow and forceful, pummelling listeners with Sledgehammer riffs. On 'In The Lair Of Lucid Nightmares', Sweden's Pissboiler take the latter 2 and craft a brilliant album of terrifying proportions.

Creeping from the murky chasms, 'Ruins Of The Past' is 17 minutes of funeral procession-esque death/doom. Vocalist LG (no, not that LG) produces a guttural roar that sounds like it's bellowed from the 7th later of hell and the riffs saunter with My Dying Bride like misery in tow. The production from band member Karl Wijk enhances each element with each instrument clinging to their own space while bleeding nicely into others. 'Stealth' comes as a bit of a surprise with it's lonely jazzy bass riff dripping with chorus and reverb and, at under 3 minutes, is the album's shortest track by far. The respite is short lived as 'Pretend It Will End' is utterly harrowing. Blood curdling growls and piercing shrieks team with suicide inducing, slow riffs before the bells toll and things take a slight turn with a riff reminiscent of Burning Witch. A very disturbing sample from a doctor talking to her patient, sets the tone for final track 'Cutters'; the atmosphere builds slowly with cavernous growls and swelling guitar drones and never stops the barrage of depressive doom. Some harsh screams burst through the bass heavy droning making for a truly unsettling experience.

For a fairly unknown band to create something this comprehensive (and very impressive) goes to show the talent that lurks in the darkest corners. If Sunn 0))) had released this, it would make the top 10 end of year lists of several well known publications, but for those of us who judge things on merit, it will most definitely be a contender, regardless of their standing.  

“In The Lair of Lucid Nightmares” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Against The Grain - "Cheated Death"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 09/02/2018

Label: Ripple Music 

For fans of speedrock, "Cheated Death" is a record to get a hold of. It flows from start to finish and makes no issue of being entirely indebted to their peers. The tunes speak for themselves, really, and its Against the Grain's sharp sense of melody and keen songwriting prowess that gives this band that je ne sai qoui

“Cheated Death” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. Cheated Death
02. Full Of Smoke
03. Sacrifice
04. No Sleep
05. Last Chance
06. Devils And Angels
07. High Heeled Woman
08. Rolling Stone
09. Enoughs Not Enough
10. Going Down Fast
11. Jaded And Faded
12. Into The Light

The Review:

Ok, I've done the math for you. The press release laid so much emphasis on Against The Grain's tenure as a live band, I had to do the math. The answer? Since Against The Grain got started in 2009, the band has averaged one show every 3 and a half days. That's pretty impressive. And if you're curious what this equation has to do with Against The Grain's new album, "Cheated Death," well, let me explain.

Coming out of the Motor City, Against The Grain plays motor rock. That's kind of a no-brainer. Speed rock, whatever you want to call it. It's what these boys from Michigan do. This music calls upon those who play it, to play it fast, hard and most of all tight. Imagine a sloppy speedrock band. It just doesn't work. One show every 3 and a half days has made this band from Michigan become a unit, and the results are finger-licking good.

Against The Grain lay their claim to the genre from the offset. Opener and title track shows exactly how tight they are, and from that point on, the band never lets up. They just keep on going. From the throaty "Rolling Stone" to the punkish highlight of "Jaded and Faded," Against The Grain lives up to their song titles, album title and artwork. They're raw, they're tough and they're going to do this until they die.

So yes, Against The Grain is one tight band. All those days out on the road can be heard on these recordings. Whether its the double guitar soloing in "Last Chance" that reminds me of Thin Lizzy or the vocal harmonies in "Going Down Fast" that brings up KISS at their least annoying, Against The Grain have really stepped up their game here.

For fans of speedrock, "Cheating Death" is a record to get a hold of. It flows from start to finish and makes no issue of being entirely indebted to their peers. The tunes speak for themselves, really, and its Against The Grain's sharp sense of melody and keen songwriting prowess that gives this band that je ne sai qoui

“Cheated Death” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Marriage + Cancer - "Marriage + Cancer"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 09/02/2018

Label:  Self Sabotage Records

Jagged shards of searing guitar coupled with pleasantly deranged vocals, makes for an album full of obnoxious noise and simmering potential.

“Marriage + Cancer” DD//LP track listing:

01. Command + Comply

02. God is Tan

03. Honor, On Our Knees

04. Headache

05. Six Feet + a Box

06. Flora + Fauna

07. Gound

08. Thirteen Stairs

09. View From a Cross

The Review:

Right from the opening seconds of Marriage + Cancer’s debut LP it seems that the band are no strangers to the Jesus Lizard’s back catalogue. While the Portland quartet may not be breaking any musical boundaries their distinct take on the noise rock giants of the past is a compelling racket.

“Command And Comply” begins with the bands rock-solid rhythm section laying down the kind of insistent rumble that invites carnage to follow. Jagged shards of searing guitar soon join the fray along with pleasantly deranged vocals riddled with an off-kilter queasiness. Marriage + Cancer’s sound is classic noise rock infused with the breathless post-hardcore of Drive Like Jehu but delivered in a sludgy, nasty style all of their own. “Headache” finds the band at their heaviest and most pummelling while “Gound” is like a twisted fusion of Hot Snakes and Sonic Youth.

The highlight of the album comes when Marriage + Cancer move away from driving punk rock territory and explore slower tempos. “God Is Tan” begins as a sickly, drunken lurch that steadily builds in spite and intensity into a furious cacophony of serrated guitar squall. The second half of album closer “View from a Cross” also benefits from a similar shift in volume and dynamics when it drops down to taut, spacious chords before launching into a raging climax. These passages of brooding menace heighten the impact of the glorious mayhem that surrounds them and it would be interesting to see the band develop this aspect of their sound on future releases.

Marriage + Cancer’s self-titled debut captures the raw power of a band in its formative stages, full of obnoxious noise and simmering potential.  

“Marriage + Cancer” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Visigoth - "Conqueror's Oath"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 09/02/2018
Label: Metal Blade Records

Eight tracks, all absolute killers. Superb production, fantastic playing and performances all around. With “The Revenant King”, Visigoth delivered my favourite album of 2015. With “Conqueror's Oath” they have achieved heavy metal perfection.  . The best heavy metal album of 2018? Count on it.

“Conqueror's Oath” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Steel and Silver
2. Warrior Queen
3. Outlive Them All
4. Hammerforged
5. Traitor’s Gate
6. Salt City
7. Blades in the Night
8. The Conqueror’s Oath

The Review:

Salt Lake City's most metal export return here with a blazing follow up to their mighty opus “The Revenant King” of 2015. As I noted in that review: this is heavy metal. Proper heavy metal. Think of the sounds of Priest having a sword fight with Maiden while Grand Magus referees. In fact, words cannot express the utter heavy-metalness of it all. The band has delivered everything I hoped for with this sophomore full length. The galloping and majestic rhythms, the soaring lead breaks, the powerful and dramatic vocals- all are contained within the opening “Steel and Silver” and the album does not let up from there. It pleases me that there are still bands out there like this; bands that keep to the old gods. Bands that rejoice in the defeat of their enemies and laugh at the four winds from their mountain.

It is not often that there is nothing to fault, but I can't find anything here that is not just right. The mix and production is confident and muscular with every instrument clearly audible. Jake Rogers' vocals are even more self assured than on the debut and he delivers a master class here- a powerful singer in a fairly low register, his voice is perfect for this. The songs clip by at such a rate that the album is a focused and vicious raiding party even after repeated listens. “Warrior Queen” is catchy and joyful, propelled along by a very tight rhythm section and duelling guitars. It is five and a half minutes of heavy metal heaven- or should that be Valhalla?!

The band press the pedal to the metal with more regularity on this album; there were elements of doom to be found on “TRK”, but that has been superseded by the likes of the Highlander-themed “Outlive Them All” which is fast and furious, whilst being full of hooks. Naturally, the band are not flat out all of the time and there is plenty of room for acoustic elements, vocal harmonies and swinging grooves through “Hammerforged”. It also has a fantastic central refrain of the mightiest riffage.

“Traitor's Gate” acts as a centrepiece for the record as Rogers invokes the spirit of Ronnie Dio in the melodrama and gravitas of his performance. It builds up slowly, but when it rolls in, triplets blazing, once again metal nirvana is reached. The whole band are playing out of their skins on this one; it's superb with all essential metallic elements present and correct.

The band's tribute to their home town follows- “Salt City” is pure heavy metal rock and roll, expertly delivered and anthemic in the extreme. It provides a burst of carefree enthusiasm with not a revenge plot in sight. There is also great lead playing, as there is throughout the album. “Blades in the Night” follows, with feet pressed to the floor and swords fully unsheathed. Again, it's hooky and powerful in equal measure.

The title track closes this remarkable album in majestic style. It is another slow burning epic with excellent two guitar work and themes that will make your battle jacket be filled with pride. Eight tracks, all absolute killers. Superb production, fantastic playing and performances all around. With “The Revenant King”, Visigoth delivered my favourite album of 2015. With “Conqueror's Oath” they have achieved heavy metal perfection. I have all but run out of superlatives to describe this fantastic record. Iron Maiden are on their way to retirement, Priest are readying themselves for  perhaps just one more foray, Manowar are bowing out and the world is just not as receptive to songs about valour and glory any more. Visigoth, though, keep the flame alive and burning brightly, ready to forge sounds of the purest steel- hopefully for years to come. The best heavy metal album of 2018? Count on it.

“Conqueror’s Oath” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Verheerer - "Maltrér"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 19/01/2018

Label: Vendetta

"Maltrér" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Oratio

2. Kultyst

3. Vertigo

4. Maltrér

5. Anima Sola

6. Nachtfall

7. Heimgang

The Review:

With black metal experiencing so much growth in the last decade, it is probably impossible for a band to make a particularly big splash in the subgenre. Such is easily the case for German black metal crew Verheerer, back after a brief hiatus with the follow-up to its 2015 EP, "Archar." This new seven-song outing is filled with classic-sounding black metal that is sturdy and good, but not particularly remarkable. The solid quality alone may be just enough to impress, however, since the band offers just enough for the music to speak for itself.

As a duo, Verheerer presents a great deal of promise in soundscapes that are atramentous as the lyrical content, which is dismal as it gets. Its traditionalist approach comes across without reserverations in "Oratio," with its epic crescendo, flailing headfirst into "Kultyst," where agonized vocals crash into monster riffs and thunderous drums. The song selection is immaculate, as "Vertigo" matches the preceding cut, then emerges with a new rhythm a minute in, shapeshifting into a beast all of its own. By the title track, the listener is halfway in, but the music is far from arduous, as Verheerer makes this at points complicated songs seem far simpler than they most assuredly are.

That title cut stands out because of its unique musicianship, marrying black metal style growls with a heavy backdrop that is informed by legendary performers seemingly. Definitely an old-school metal vibe there. However, the latter part of the album showcases Verheerer's heavier side, with the final three songs going in hard. "Anima Sola" and "Nachtfall" crank up the volume, speed and intensity, as the vocals match that rising temperature with grisly imagery and a snarl that is sure to sit with you for a long time. With the final track, Verheerer goes far more adventurous, blending samples, guitars, heavy rhythm and vocals that stretch beyond what the rest of the album features. It is perhaps the band's most promising song, because it gives the listener a feeling like this is a band that could take some risks and make something quite imaginative.

When you first fire up "Maltrér," you may not be blown away by anything in particular. As a work, however, there is a lot to look out for in Verheerer, a group with potentially their best music ahead of them.

"Maltrér" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

INTERVIEW: Bell Witch @ Meat Locker, Montclair, NJ (8/11/2017)

By: Mark Ambrose

Seattle’s funeral doom duo Bell Witch endured tragedy that would end practically any other band.  After the departure and tragic death of founding drummer Adrian Guerra, bassist Dylan Desmond teamed with drummer Jesse Shreibman (also a close friend of Guerra’s) to create an 83 minute, single song elegy that has topped critical lists throughout 2017: “Mirror Reaper”. Featuring some of the last recordings of Guerra’s vocals, and key contributions from honorary member Erik Moggridge (Aerial Ruin), “Mirror Reaper” is a monumental, historic record.  Dylan took some time to talk in detail about creating the album, from the cover art to recreating half the song for a live setting, right before a moving, sepulchral show at Montclair’s Meatlocker.  We also got to discuss touring and the live plans for Bell Witch in 2018.  Bell Witch will be touring Europe starting in March, with Monarch and Aerial Ruin.

How are you translating Mirror Reaper for live performance?  Are you integrating any of the older material?

Dylan: For this tour we’re not doing any of the older stuff.  Basically we’re doing the beginning of “Mirror Reaper”, up to about the 47 minute mark – right before the section before it basically drops and Erik Moggridge would come in.  So we’re doing about the first half of it.  Which is kind of easy because it is quite familiar to us now.

How did you bring Erik into the process of creating the record?

Similar to how we did “Four Phantoms”, we had a chart out of where we wanted the song to go.  Once we had a section we determined was where we wanted him to be, we made a really rough demo of what we had, sent it to him and said, “Hey, here’s what we got.  Here’s what we think you should sing.  He’s what the lyrical content is about.  Kind of go wild.”  Erik is really good at really fast, almost improving, like poetry.  He’s incredible and has a beautiful voice.  He whips stuff up really quick.  He’s always blown me away.  Aerial Ruin keeps getting better and he keeps adding to it.

It’s a particularly intense and poignant passage in the record.  I know there are also recordings of Adrian on Mirror Reaper.  Where did you pull those sections from?

Those tracks come from the fourth track on “Four Phantoms”.  We were in the studio and Adrian was doing a vocal take.  We’d go back and listen and bicker about it – one of us would want to redo it a different way.  But when we went back for “Mirror Reaper” there was a lot of old tracks to pull from.  We told Billy (Anderson, recording and mixing on “Four Phantoms” and “Mirror Reaper”) what we were looking for and he pulled out the files and we went through and listened to them.  The last track had a lot of them.  Basically what we were looking for was a combination of highs and lows – high screams and low growls.  A good salt and pepper mix of everything.  We got some of that and Billy worked his magic to piece them together and it was dead on.  Billy was so great to work with.

Adrian’s passing shocked and really affected a lot of people – I’m sure you guys most of all.  And the record isn’t maudlin but must be very personal.  How is the process of reliving some of that on tour?

It’s interesting… It’s easier because Jesse (Shriebman – drums, organ and vocals) and I have known each other for song long.  And Jesse and Adrian knew each other for a really long time too.  We were all really close.  That makes it easier.  When Adrian died, it would have been one thing if the new drummer playing with me was someone who didn’t know him.  That would have been odd and had that been the case, the band could have fizzled out.  It could have dissolved and whatever.  But for Jesse… it was really hard for him too.  When he and I started coming back to him and said, “We need to finish the song we started before this happened,” I felt a lot of motivation for this to be a very special thing.  Jesse felt the exact same way and we pushed each other at it.

You and Jesse have established your rapport as a band at this point.  What do you do in your downtime?

We listen to a lot of music in the van.  I work from my computer so if I have free time I jump into that.  We kinda shoot the shit a lot.  Jesse especially makes a lot of bad puns and that turns into a little game.

How has tour been with the guys in Primitive Man?

Great.  I mean those guys are so easygoing.  We’ve learned that with more people showing up it can be stressful but those guys are so mellow and laid back.  No bullshit that we have to deal with.  And they’re a great band.  It’s a great pairing where they’re exploring the death metal side of things and we’re exploring the atmospheric, funeral side.  There are so many parallels and so many offshoots.

Can you explain the process of deciding on the cover artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski?  It’s so phenomenal but practically everything about him right now online is in Polish.

We were saying, “Who should we talk to?”  Paolo Girardi did “Four Phantoms” and I love the work that he did and working with him.  He’s such a cool guy.  We were ready to talk to him again but then decided to do a little research and look around to see if there was anything that was going to just smack us in the face.  And we came across Mariusz and it definitely smacked us in the face.  We were saying, “This is outrageous.  This is so good.”  So we contacted him and he’s not a native English speaker so we started e-mailing back and forth.  We sent him the last record and he said, “I’ve always wanted to do a record cover and I’ve never done one.  I like this!”  We told him what the record was about.  We still had the working title “As Above, So Below.”  But we had a bunch of lyrics about mirrors, so we thought maybe that’s a cool image.  If we have the mirror as a centerpiece, a gray area between life and death, a reflection.  We sent him that and he sent us the artwork and just blew us away.  It was very easy and he was great.  I hope to meet him someday!

What’s ahead for next year?

We’re going to play Roadburn in April and we’ll play “Mirror Reaper” from start to finish.  Erik is going to join us and play an Aerial Ruin set also.  We’ll do some touring in Europe surrounding that.  As soon as we get some downtime we’ll start working on some new stuff.  We have 20-30 minutes that didn’t work into Mirror Reaper.  We figured we could save it for later.  We have a lot of those we can start digging into.

Do you think you’ll go back to a couple different themes, broken into multiple songs, on the next record?

I don’t think we’ll do the single song thing again.  The process proved to be very difficult.  The writing process was tough, the recording process was tough.  That being said I don’t think we’ll ever write short songs.  I’d be surprised if we got below the ten minute mark.

The End

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

INTERVIEW: Primitive Man @ Meat Locker, Montclair, NJ (8/11/2017)

By: Mark Ambrose

Denver’s Primitive Man has amassed a truly impressive discography since their debut, “Scorn”, was released in 2013.  Remarkably, 2017’s “Caustic” is only their second full-length, but gathered rave reviews from every heavy music outlet that matters.  Rather than exhaust their prime material on a number of splits and EPs, Primitive Man seems to have an endless supply of brutal riffs and despairing lyrics to hammer into sludge masterpieces.  Ethan (guitar/vocals), Joe (drums), and Jon (bass) took a few minutes to talk to THE SLUDGELORD before their November 8 gig with Bell Witch to talk about their record, touring, and the inspiration behind their bleak, uncompromising music.  Primitive Man will be embarking on yet another US tour this spring with Spectral Voice.

While there has been steady output from Primitive Man, it’s been four years since the last full length.  What made now the right time to release a full length album?

Ethan: We had a year and a half where we were doing a lot of touring and we were just writing a lot of songs in the process.  There was enough material there for a really long record and it just came together that way.

Jon: Because we did all the other stuff, too, we just wanted a really focused Primitive Man release.  Those were all splits and shit.  It’d been so long since our first record.

Ethan:  Yeah, the reason we did all those splits is because we wanted to see things through.  It took all of that time to get through that stuff.

Joe, you’re relatively new to the band.  What has the process been like?

Joe: Yeah I’ve been with the band about a year and a half.

Ethan: Two years.

Joe: Wow.  Yeah two years.  I started practicing with these guys about two years ago and the idea I generally got from these guys that we’d work toward a full-length.

And you’ve become comfortable in this lineup since you’ve been touring nonstop?

Ethan: Yeah we’ve played a lot of shows in the last two years.

Any standout locals that you’ve enjoyed playing with?

Ethan: Figures, from Omaha.  Heaviest.

Jon: Swollen Organs.

Joe: Worthless from Milwaukee.

There seems to be a lot more political content to your lyrics that many heavy bands seem comfortable with at the moment.  What’s the process like when writing?  Is it a concerted effort to address political, racial, or economic themes?

Ethan: I’m just writing about the life that I’m living, the way that I’m experiencing it.  My perception of the world around me.

What are your nine to five lives back at home?  How is that work/band balance?

Ethan: I mean, yeah we all have regular jobs that we go to.  I’m a substitute teacher.

Joe: Jon and I both work at bars back home.  We’ve committed to this situation so we’ve somehow found ways to balance our home lives with Primitive Man.

Jon: It’s still really hard, though.  I lost a job coming out for this tour.

Ethan: It doesn’t always work out that well.  We arrange our home lives around this.

Jon: Even just with partners and stuff it’s hard.  You go from living with someone every day.  Ethan’s been with his wife a long time.  I’m with this lady and living with her – it’s hard.  But it’s also that I wouldn’t have it any other way.  You just make it work.  The technology really helps.

What do you guys do to wind down?  Any music, books, movies?

ALL: Smoke weed. *laughter*

Jon: And eat chicken wings.

How has traveling with Bell Witch been for this tour?

Ethan: Oh great.  We’ve known them for a long time, before all this. 

Jon: They’re frosty little darlings.  Love those boys.

And what does 2018 look like?

Ethan: We have a split coming out.  Bunch of touring.  And writing music – keeping it going.

The End

Band info: bandcamp || facebook