TRACK PREMIERE: Manchester's gonzo sludge triplets Under display their "Innards"

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

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

REVIEW: Ghastly Sound - "Ghastly Sound" (EP)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 10/03/2017

Label: Magnetic Eye Records

“The Worst” sounds like Torche playing Truckfighters with the ghost of Dio on vocals while “Where The Ghosts Hide” and “Cape Buffalo” bring to mind Big Business indulging in secret stadium rock fantasies with hints of the Deftones in the melodic choruses given free reign with vocalist Tyler Gurwicz doing his best Chino Moreno impression over foundation-shaking riffs.  This EP is a tantalising glimpse of what Ghastly Sound has to offer. Hopefully it won’t be long before they return to show what fist-pumping destruction they are capable of over the course of an LP.

“Ghastly Sound” DD track listing:

1). The Worst

2). Where the Ghosts Hide

3). Cape Buffalo

4). Cuttlefish

The Review:

Ghastly Sound deal in a very distinct brand of low-end riff attack on their self-titled debut EP, equal parts dirty noise-rock rumble and party stoner rock. This combination of gnarly underground sounds and smoother heavy rock lends the Vermonttrio a unique sound but what really stands out is TJ Maynard’s bass. No doubt there is a phalanx of bleeding amps and pedals involved in creating the monstrous racket that brings this EP to life and more than compensates for being the sole stringed instrument present.

“The Worst” sounds like Torcheplaying Truckfighterswith the ghost of Dio on vocals while “Where The Ghosts Hide” and “Cape Buffalo” bring to mind Big Business indulging in secret stadium rock fantasies. The latter culminates in a particularly sweet galloping riff that almost has an air of NWOBHM about it.

“Cuttlefish” brings the EP home in crushing fashion, slurring the tempo to a doomy crawl to powerful effect. Hints of the Deftonesin the melodic choruses of the previous tracks are given free reign here with vocalist Tyler Gurwicz doing his best Chino Moreno impression over foundation-shaking riffs.

This EP is a tantalising glimpse of what Ghastly Sound has to offer. Hopefully it won’t be long before they return to show what fist-pumping destruction they are capable of over the course of an LP.

“Ghastly Sound”is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Octo - "Kitsch"

By: Jay Hampshire

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 03/03/2017

Label: Krachladen Records

 

Their bass heavy instrumental sound sees them swimming in the same tidal pool as acts like Big Business and the legendary Melvins, but perhaps without the anthemic hooks of the former and the flagrant disregard of genre boundaries of the latter.  An enjoyable soundtrack, if not a cerebral challenge.

 

“Kitsch” CD//DD//LP track listing: 

1. Octo Kaa Wai

2. Ihre Idole sind Luegner

3. Arr arr Cincinnaticat

4. Uhu

5. Saudade

6. Trio Paradisoprivan

7. Kanarienvoegelnerven

The Review:

Cologne based ‘bass rock trio’ Octo certainly tick all three of those boxes. Their bass heavy instrumental sound sees them swimming in the same tidal pool as acts like Big Business and the legendary Melvins, but perhaps without the anthemic hooks of the former and the flagrant disregard of genre boundaries of the latter.

Opener ‘Octo Kaa Waii’ certainly isn’t cute or demure, striking out with a flatulent bass groove that flits around with antsy, almost nervous energy. When the drums lock in, things start to drive, and the bass tone throughout (and indeed throughout the record) is pleasingly chunky. It spools out into a real head bobber, powered by some impressive kick work, ending on big scraping held notes.

‘Ihre Idole sind Luegner’ is absolutely filthy, dripping with madcap tempo shifts, ballsy straight eights and brief snippets of more melodious lines. ‘Arr arr Cincinnaticat’ burbles and bounces along, throwing in curve balls of stop-start riffs and atonal overlays, but is hampered by a call and response section that drags a little.

‘Uhu’ from a muted fret-noise loop into jarring, chugging single notes that hit with mechanical, punchy precision. ‘Saudade’ twists and turns as toms mete out a big, infectious groove, before closing with a righteous fuzzed-out solo run. ‘Trio Paradisoprivan’ is more of a thoughtful meander, not as punchy with a decent amount of considered layering. Finale ‘Kanarienvoegelnerven’ follows a similar path, sweeping with a cinematic post-rock flair and an edge of the dramatic, petering out into a frail synth whine.

While the trio achieve a lot using all their rhythmic, groove laden powers, there’s a sense of ‘lack’ surrounding “Kitsch”. It’s not as simple as a lack of vocals or high-end instrumentation. Overall it seems to be a lack of true dynamic shift, of differentiation between each track. While the songs are all different, there seems to be an absence of truer form or distinction – nothing on “Kitsch” will really grab the attention of most. ‘Aimless’ is too cruel a word, but the trio don’t possess the same surety of purpose as some of their peers.This isn’t to do the band a disservice, it is just that the album seems to place itself into ‘background listening’ territory. An enjoyable soundtrack, if not a cerebral challenge.

“Kitsch”is available to buy/preorder here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Dead - "Untitle"

By: TJ Kliebhan

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 30/09/2016
Label: We Empty Rooms

 

 

“Untitle”track CD//DD//LP listing

1). Grizzly

2). Don’t Pray For Us

3). The Kid Was All Wong

4). Turning Screws

5). Line Em’ All Up

 

The Review: 

Sludge metal has not run out of ideas just yet. On its surface, the Australian duo’s latest “Untitle” could be accused of lacking color. The tones and atmosphere recall acts like The Melvins or Big Business, a sound hundreds of bands ape. What sets DEADapart is their pacing. The arrangements are exquisitely layered incrementally, so rather than relying on a droning effect DEAD elects subtle changes in sound or effects added one at a time to build an ensemble of punishing heaviness. Their latest record displays an ambitious band on a goal to prove how multi-faceted they are.

 

“Untitle” is album two of a four LP set the band is amusingly calling “The Trilogy.” It is not abundantly clear how “Untitle” relates to the first record, “Captains of Industry”, but the release continues DEAD’sbrand of sludge metal accompanied by dark abstract themes. The album opens with “Grizzly”, a track that encompasses what the band does best while foreshadowing the record as a whole. The track begins softly and treads toward a noisy climax one sound at a time. The two halves of the song could not be more dissonant. While the first half uses an eloquently picked guitar and whispered vocals the second half utilizes shouted double-tracked vocals, a buzz saw of a bassline, and booming snare. DEADhas a knack for sounding methodical for one minute and completely unhinged the next.

 

The best example of this formula is on the last track, “Line ‘Em All Up”. As the minutes pass, more and more haunting noises creep toward the surface of the mix while the vocal harmonies drone on. The track’s low frequencies grumble at the bottom while the high pitched screeching guitars aggravate any soothing repetitive qualities that the bass and vocals provide. The tracks sandwiched between the aforementioned vary with elements of drone, noise, and heavy riffs. The band transitions through these sounds seamlessly and combines them for a powerful overall sound. The arrangements on “Untitle” are so meticulously well-crafted and varied it allows all five tracks to distinguish themselves clearly while contributing to an obvious overall sonic theme.

 

On “Untitle”, DEAD attempts a little bit of everything and works to see how they can make these different sounds cohesive. Similar to a release like “Lysol” or “Amplifier Worship” there are a lot of different elements and genres explored on a track by track basis and DEADdo all of them pretty well. Ambitious releases can sometimes feel bloated or disjointed, but DEADavoid this by keeping the tracks relatively short (no track eclipses ten minutes) and track list short as well. All of the material feels essential to this release and contributes to the greater whole which is a dirty, ostentatious, diverse release.

 

“Untitle” is available here

 

Band info: facebook