“Solitude and Savagery” deserves serious attention and is undoubtedly one of the breakout releases of this year
“Solitude and Savagery” CD//DD track listing:
1. Enter the Hermitage 2. Black Mass 3. No Sleep 4. Beyond the Wall 5. Lifebreather 6. Reawaken 7. Laniakea
The Review:
Barbarian Hermithail from Manchesterand play crushing stoner/sludge/doom. This is a band that is not afraid to play aggressively- like High on Fire- but also slow; like any doom band worth their salt you can name. The opener, “Enter The Hermitage,” sets it out for you. Straight in, no messing about, just some huge and fuzzy riffs with some maniac (Ed Campbell- who showcases serious versatility elsewhere!) shouting over the top.
There is plenty of variety here, too. There are passages of more thoughtful and melancholy music, both in the first and second track and beyond. There is quite some range on display. Suffice it to say, that by track two (“Black Mass”) I was absolutely sold on this album. This is what is needed in the underground and beyond at the moment- a band sounding not like anyone else, but featuring the best elements of quite a few bands. There is something here for fans of many different bands and sub genres. You like Orange Goblin? Try these guys out. You like High on Fire, ditto. In fact, from Sabbath to The Sword and from Conanto Candlemass: Barbarian Hermit may just appeal to fans of all those bands.
There are shades of the likes of Raging Speedhorn and The Rotted in “No Sleep” (and Motorhead, of course) while the epic might of “Beyond The Wall” is crushingly powerful with a fantastic solo. Nothing outstays its welcome here; there are no short songs and most tracks stretch out over six minutes plus (the closing “Laniaka” is eleven epic minutes!) but it all feels like it flies by at a clip. The band's approach makes this happen; each track is different and brings a slightly different approach, while remaining consistent in vibe and feel. It's no small trick to pull off but the band achieve it with ease. This is a proper album and I think one that might become very influential going forward.
This is not simple two chord/two piece sludge and nor is it just Sleepworship or a cheap copy of any other band. The production, courtesy of the effervescent Chris Fielding at Skyhammer studio is immense and as usual Chris has achieved a crushing drum, guitar and bass sound. The clarity of the mix and the sheer weight adds a good deal of muscle to the album and, having worked with Chris myself, I can hear his audio-stamp of authenticity throughout the record.
The album is just as weighty down the stretch- “Reawaken” features a riff that Iommi would be proud of and some guitar work that Mastodon might find a home for on any of their better work. “Life Breather” before it is versatile and deft in its mood swings. The aforementioned “Laniaka” is eleven minutes of schizophrenic and groovesome riffage. It's a tour de force ending to one of the best albums I have heard in 2018.
Barbarian Hermithave it; that intangible factor that makes this album like lightning in a bottle. “Solitude and Savagery” deserves serious attention and is undoubtedly one of the breakout releases of this year. These guys could really fly the flag for the UKunderground and reach the heights of Conan; as a singular band operating in a field of one. They'll spawn imitators, sure, but I know the real deal when I hear it. Superb.
Since their emergence in 2017, APF Records have set out to support the very best bands from the UK’s thriving underground doom scene.Home to the likes of Ba'al, Battalions, Blind Haze, BongCauldron, Desert Storm, Diesel King, Mastiff, Nomad, Pist, RedEye Revival, The Hyena Kill, The Wizards Of Delight, Tronald, Under and Trevor's Head, label head Andrew Field exudes a sense of family within his ranks and is supporting bands that he himself enjoys.In essence APF Records is about a love of music and is a platform for them to help nurture bands they enjoy.
With around 16 releases to their name in an 18 month period, that is no small achievement, what’s more the standard of music has been extraordinarily high and that is set to continue on 16th November and the release of “Solitude and Savagery” the debut album by Barbarian Hermit, a Manchester sludge five piece known for giving it some bastard and bringing the thick, Northern gravy. Today we have been tasked by wonderful people at Hold Tight PR and APF Records to present the brand new video for the track “Black Mass” which you check out below.But first check out what the band had to say about the track.
Introducing ‘Black Mass’, the second single from our forthcoming album, “Solitude and Savagery”. The track is a twisting, turning sonic assault that meanders through passages of tripped out psychedelia, pure Sabbath worship, thrash and trademark Hermitheavy groove, so it’s fitting that the video that goes along with the song is just as disorienting.
It was actually our old singer Si Prato-Scarlett that approached us to do the video, as since he parted ways with the band he’s been dabbling in film production, whilst also remaining a friend and supporter of Barbarian Hermit. He'd already done the video for “Widowmaker” back in the day so we knew he'd do a fantastic job, but he really knocked it out of the park with this one.
We filmed it over a few days at our practice studio at BrunswickMill in Manchester, which is full of eerie corridors and weird and wonderful trinkets, which lent themselves perfectly for the dreamlike atmosphere that Si wanted to create.
Ed’s lyrics for the song were inspired by a dream/nightmare/vision he had of a dark figure, a black mass that hovered before him, filling him with fear. The song is about facing those fears head on and letting hope guide your way, though much like the imagery that Si has thrown into the video, the lyrics are very much open to the listener’s own interpretation.
"Solitude & Savagery" is set for release on 16/11/2018 via APF Records and orders are being taken link: HERE and you check out the video to “Black Mass”exclusively below
Live Rituals
November 10th – Cvltfest, Café Independent, Scunthorpe
November 16th – Album Lunch, Kosmopolitan, Manchester November 17th – Ale Fest, Northern Monk Brewery, Leeds December 22nd – Rebellion Christmas Party, Rebellion, Manchester
Seeking to lay waste in an environment already dissolute, Nomad are a 4-piece sludge / doom band bred from Manchester, UK. Their aim is to send you on a bad trip or at least maim you along the way. Since forming in 2012, the Mancunian quartet has had the privilege of playing with some of the sludge / doom genre's heavyweights including Eyehategod, The Obsessed, Prong, Orange Goblin, Raging Speedhorn, Conan, Church of Misery, Bongripper, Dopethrone, Boss Keloid, BongCauldron, Gurt as well as three Terrorizer-sponsored UK tours.
Metalheads across the UK are under no illusions as to the ferocity of their live shows. “Feral” will be their first full-length album and it is set for release on thr 31st May 2018 viaAPF Recordsand today we have the pleasure of debuting a brand new track entitled “Feed”, which you can check out below.
…combining distorted guitars, chugging bass and flicks of vocal melody trapped under a crushing boulder of decomposing blackened death metal. It is raw and piercing in a fashion you cannot reasonably expect on a debut. But there it is, moldering for your delight.
“Tronald” CD//DD track listing
1. Tronald
2. Boss Keloid Are Shit
3. Obelisk Ov Hash
4. Dalnort
5. Gains (Prelude)
6. Vegan Gains
7. Get Your Grubby Little Hands Off My Bennell
8. Burgled Senseless
The Review:
Over the next four years, it is all but assured that you will hear the voice of U.S. President Donald Trump a lot more in extreme music than you ever thought possible. Some of it will certainly be based in outright opposition; there have been a trickling of music thus far critical of the new Commander in Chief by everyone from Prophets of Rage to rapper YG, whose "Fuck Donald Trump" last year gained the California native a lot more notoriety than he previously had. However, much more from metal will surely be inspired by Trump's strongman persona. His over-the-top threats and flowery promises from a world leader are the stuff of Megadethand Queensryche concept recordings. Hearing President Trump's bluster on "Danlort,"off Tronald's self-titled debut, you may be reminded that this period could musically be a very long four to eight years.
The specter of power is one that metal has reflexively rebelled against, whether it is the doctrines of organized Christian faith, authoritarians of every stripe or the stricter social norms that define mainstream culture. Usually such aggression is answered with the sort of musical force that only metal can deliver.
For you, "Tronald" may be just that kind of soundtrack. No stress if you are already at peak-Trump, peak-knee or whatever outrage is happening at the second. The Manchester, UK namesake do not come across as an expressly political collective. Tronaldis, however, well suited to deliver an assertive and uncompromisingly heavy recording. Just as exciting, the listener gets treated to an inventive group with a fiery first outing in its new self-titled release.
What makes Tronald so engaging to catch is the diversity of its approach. Ticking in at just under 20 minutes, the eight tracks on "Tronald" are one of the more interesting collections you will hear this fall. From practicing a chorus to the previously mentioned Trump snippets, Tronald mixes in its doom and sludge-heavy style a healthy dose of experimentation. Whether it is a hardcore/thrash chord or two in "Vegan Gains" or grinding pace of "Bennel,"you hear a band that is crafting what it may eventually be in the future. Right now, Tronald does many things quite well, at least in small spurts – more than half the cuts are less than two minutes. Long enough to be intriguing, but short enough to make you wonder what comes next.
On "Obelisk,"Tronald's longest song, you get perhaps a better sense of what the quintet is capable of. The doom track creates a humid scene around it, one that combines distorted guitars, chugging bass and flicks of vocal melody trapped under a crushing boulder of decomposing blackened death metal. You get the picture. It is raw and piercing in a fashion you cannot reasonably expect on a debut. But there it is, moldering for your delight.
Discerning fans will count several influences, and Tronald does not break particularly new ground just yet. However, the band gets off to a rousing start. And one has to feel optimistic about its future.
The abrasiveness of the tracks is exceptional. Whatever you call it, this follow up to their 2016 debut "Wrank" is uncannily brutal. Cuts like "Nil By Mouth" and "Everything Equals Death" are chainsaws of sound, ripping into your head in ways you did not expect
"Bork" CD//DD track listing
1. Agony
2. Nil By Mouth
3. Everything Equals Death
4. Threats
5. Tumour
6. Eternal Regret
The Review:
There is so much to appreciate of artful metal and extreme music with a vision. Literally dozens of metal albums in 2017 have come to you with a message, a profound social commentary or literary and/or historical concept at its core.
Kingston Upon Hull, UK's Mastiffare not one of those bands. Mastiff lowers the sonic boom with angst and decibels. And it will give you a new appreciation for the sheer levels the band takes both.
On their new release, "Bork,"the British group, which bills itself as doing an aggressive form of sludge, drills you with a sound so fierce that you just do not hear often, even in metal. You may not be sure where the sludge notion came from because "Bork" is as far from it as you can find. "Bork" is as methodical as any sludge classic in this sense. However, the sophomore recording by Mastifffeels more like an especially nihilistic form of thrash or hardcore. The abrasiveness of the tracks is exceptional. Whatever you call it, this follow up to their 2016 debut "Wrank"is uncannily brutal. With During the opening "Agony" and throughout this record, vocalist Jim Hodges and the band are inconsolably anguished. You hear fury and pain in every note.
Extreme music takes vocalists to limits few of us could even imagine testing our voices. Hodges is truly spectacular, literally killing each song with his inconsolable wail. At every turn, he seems to be giving everything he can to every note, and one has to wonder if there is a breaking point. However, Mastiffcan offer range beyond growling. A song like "Eternal Regret" is a departure that Hodges simply outshines almost any other metal vocalist on. He's the centerpiece of this black orchestra, though the players all make it a happy torture throughout.
Mastiff's sound could seemingly only be this loud with two guitarists, and Phil Johnson and James Andrew Lee fulfill their roles with aplomb. Cuts like "Nil By Mouth" and "Everything Equals Death" are chainsaws of sound, ripping into your head in ways you did not expect. Mastiff has gotten a live reputation for its volume and the heaviness of its music. "Bork"does a great deal to confirm those reviews.
Fortunately enough, Mastiffis expected to hit the road in the near future. A performance of the songs on "Bork" done live is assuredly going to be a flailing and fun experience.
Mastiffare a quintet from Hull, a self styled “miserable band from a miserable town” playing a combination of doom, sludge and aggressive hardcore, this crazy bunch of miscreants imbue hate. A sound in the key of malevolence, Mastiff are devastating, with their blend of sludgey hardcore metal. Hell, I’m a dog lover myself, but this four piece are more rabid that a rampaging packs of Rottweilers, an intimidating proposition indeed. Is there a genre called sludge aggro-core? If indeed there was, this band of merry bastards would be the antithesis of that. Their music is just low end filth, the pace of hardcore, the crush of Crowbar and venom of Converge.
In 2016 Mastiffself released an eight track album entitled “Wrank”. Recorded and mixed in two days in February of that year it was a ferocious DIY statement of intent which matched the rabid intensity of their live shows. The group continued to gig relentlessly and started to pick up a following beyond their hometown.
In July 2016 Mastiffplayed a now legendary show at The Alma Inn in Bolton which is recognized as the performance which took them to the next level. They opened a five band lineup at 6pm and blew the venue apart, leaving jaws dropped and ears ringing. In the audience that night were band members and reviewers from the growing UK stoner / doom / sludge metal scene who went away stunned. Also in attendance was Andrew Field, founder of APF Records, who befriended the band and signed them to his label in February 2017.
Mastiff’ssecond release, and first for APF Records, is “BORK”. A six track, 25 minute EP it was again recorded, mixed and mastered in a two day period at the beginning of July 2017. Everything about “BORK”puts debut album “Wrank” in the shade. With the groundswell of support and goodwill felt towards Mastiff in the UK metal community, THE SLUDGELORD is thrilled to be debuting their debut video from the new EP in the form of “Nil By Mouth” which you can check out below. This is very special EP from potentially one of the most exciting bands in the UK today and we are excited to be able to introduce the band to a wider audience. “BORK” will be available via APF Recordson 31stAugust.
Under are a trio from Stockport, Greater Manchester. Though rooted in the blueprints of sludge and doom metal, their sound is harder to pin down with elements of prog, noise and avant garde creeping in. Under play with jagged, slow, off kilter riffs that tease the listener into a false sense of security. With dark and abstract lyricism evoking a trippy and sinister unease, the trio cite Swans, Mr. Bungle, Melvins and Radiohead as prime influences.
After the success of their debut EP 'First Attempt', Under built up a solid reputation playing frequent live shows in and out of Manchester and in 2016 they embarked on a successful UK mini-tour with Kurokuma.
'Slick' is their highly anticipated debut full length album, completely self produced and recorded by the band themselves. The trio have successfully built on everything they have been working towards, carefully fine-tuning every detail on the record. This eclectic listen is chock full of crushing riffs, odd time signatures, and a mixture of aggressive screaming vocals juxtaposed against a backdrop of more relaxed tripped out clean sections. With all three band members providing vocals, often harmonising together to create epic melodic textures. The record's bizarre lyrics, out there vibes and unpredictability will surely pull in listeners for repeat listens.
'Slick' is destined to be one of those special records where you hear something new with each listen and today we’re excited to premiere a track from the album ahead of its official release via APF Records, ahead of its official release on May 31st 2017. So if you’re fan of Melvins, Big Business, Swans, Faith No More, Dillinger Escape Plan, Mr. Bungle, check out the track “Innards” below. 'Slick' will be initially released on CD and Digital formats. So be sure to preorder a copy here
Hi, you wanna know about us?
