REVIEW: Yautja - "Dead Soil" [EP]

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: EP

Date Released:10/11/2017

Label: Anti-Corporate Music Inc

 

This may be the best starting point for those who have not encountered the complexity, integrity, and badass head banging brutality of Yautja.

“Dead Soil” LP track listing

1. Dead Soil

2. Losses

3. Human Den

4. Denihilist (Live)

5. Teeth (Live)

6. Faith Resigned (Live)

The Review:

Yautja, for those not fully enmeshed with science fiction mythologies, is the technical term for the dreadlocked creatures in Predator – merciless hunters who live by their own savage code of honor.  Like their namesake, Tennessee’s Yautjahave proven durable, dynamic, and bound by their own code.  A little background: the first three tracks of “Dead Soil” were the first post-demo recordings released by Yautja back in 2012 as part of a split with Enabler.  That band’s sordid breakup revealed a history of abuse that has been detailed elsewhere but, suffice it to say, has tainted practically everything they’ve been attached to.  Yautja have been vocal about reclaiming this out of print early material and giving it the presentation it deserves, bolstered by unreleased live recordings that shows Yautja as a brutal but progressive threat.

Title track “Dead Soil” is a blistered assault of sludgy punk dripping with hardcore edge.  In less than two minutes, Yautjacharge through rhythm changeups while spewing corrosive, accusatory lyrics. “Losses” turns the invective inward, riding palm muted guitar riffs that swap between left and right channels for a headspinning effect.  The track is furious but short and left me wanting more.  “Human Den,” the longest track (at over two minutes), is also the best.  There is an actual chorus this time, and Coburn’s beats are inhumanly fast.  The final riffs and vocals are chilling: “The waste leaks from my pores / And I try to dig deeper / For air that must be there / I have to dig myself a home.”

The live trio of “Denihilist”, “Teeth”, and “Faith Resigned” comprise the majority of the EP, and show Yautjahas come a long way in the five years since the initial release.  All three tracks come from their only full-length release, 2014’s “Songs of Descent”, and have me jonesing for another full-length in 2018.  The impeccable dynamic of the live performance shows Yautja is a battle honed monster – a power trio in an era continually invested in “more is more” musicianship.  They manage to take simple ideas, like countering doom riffs with blast beats, and infuse them with undeniable intensity.  The sound quality is almost studio level, with only a few strained vocals and audience applause between songs indicating the live setting.  If nothing else, it made me furious that I missed their latest tour with Pyrrhon, and dead set on not making the same mistake twice.

       

On the surface, “Dead Soil” is a fans only affair.   As a mix of previously released material and unreleased live tracks, doesn’t seem like an ideal entry point for new Yautjalisteners.  But this is actually my first listen of the band and I’m hooked.  In one release they showed they were a dynamic trio from the start, and the added live cuts are testament to their prowess and growth.  So with their personal ethos and remarkable musicianship on display, this may be the best starting point for those who have not encountered the complexity, integrity, and badass headbanging brutality of Yautja.

“Dead Soil” was released via Anti-Corpon 10^th November and is available here(this is a vinyl only release that includes a remix by Mikey Allred at Dark Art Audio and even better than that, it’s an etched record, with the amazing artwork of Caroline Harrison etched into the B-side by Dan Emery at Black Matter Mastering)

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TOP 16 ALBUMS: The Sour 16 (August 2017)

With English winter ending in July and commencing again in August, the summer as we know it, is over!  Now as we enter September, the sunshine may waver, but one constant source of light, is the inspiring music we embrace and celebrate. 

Mike Patton once said “what a day, when you can look it in the face and hold your vomit,” So to make things a little more bearable, allow yourself to indulge in a hefty dose of medicine, because it is time to present 16 of the best albums from August, 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 upon the amount of page views the reviews have received and are then calibrated into the list below. 

16). Cult of Erinyes - ‘Tiberivs’ (387)

In short, ‘Tiberivs’ is fully realized and wonderfully executed. Any black metal fans sleeping on this album are doing themselves a real disservice.

15). Mudbath - "Brine Pool" (397)

While firmly a doom metal group, Mudbath is not afraid to introduce different elements. With a shrieking vocal approach reminiscent of black metal and flourishes you might otherwise associate with drone, Mudbath manages to make it work.

14). Dead Cross - "Dead Cross" (405)

While Dead Cross don’t quite deliver the all-out face-melting insanity you may expect from their constituent parts, this debut is still an exhilarating burst of queasy punk rock mayhem that reminds most young pretenders who’s in charge.

13). Timeworn - "Venomous High" (408)

Some of the most engaging moments on “Venomous High” come when Timeworn move slightly away from their core sound.  “All Chiefs” finds the band at their most unhinged as they unleash an arsenal of spidery math-metal riffs with breakneck rock’n’roll abandon. Anyone missing Swiss behemoths Kruger will find a lot to enjoy in this killer track. “Venomous High” is a fine offering from Timeworn that takes an array of well-worn modern metal influencesand blows them up on a grand scale.

 12). Nidingr - "The High Heat Licks Against Heaven" (414)

Given the amount of average extreme music that is available, Nidingr’s release is outstanding for such depth alone.

11). Geezer - “Psychoriffadelia” (424)

Guttural guitars and raunchy drums at the ready. Geezer delivers the intensity of the Melvins, one of the group's inspirations, while giving its own unique spin to stoner rock. While many others try, this is one band that is confident enough to step out and truly make this sound their own.

10). Sunrot - "Sunnata"(480)

Those who take the plunge into “Sunnata” will still be blown away by the fierce musical skill, emotional honesty, and undeniable potential of Sunrot.  Their truly exceptional full-length debut has set a high benchmark that, one hopes, is only the opening chapter of a lengthy, groundbreaking career.

9). Below The Sun - "Alien World" (533)

What you get is nothing short of spectacular. The soundscape intersects multiple metal subgenres, including funeral doom, black metal, drone and post metal. Moods throughout are bleak, as if the rumbling seas of Solaris are flicking gently at your mind and bouncing your hopes and fears to and fro.

8). Blues Funeral - "Awakening" (624)

Close your eyes and you can hear hints of Mountain and Blue Oyster Cult throughout "Awakening." The rolling title track is a true showcase for how these inspirations have shaped the Texasband. Such attention to the details most people probably never notice further ensures a level of quality that may surprise you. Not only is the music masterfully played, but nothing overpowers the composition

7). Red Mountains - "Slow Wander" (658)

...it is so refreshing to find a release that is all at once heavy, accessible and frankly beautiful in its construction.

6). Ledge - "Cold Hard Concrete" (700)

“Cold Hard Concrete" is that uneasy masterpiece you will value even more by year's end.

5). Pyrrhon - "What Passes for Survival" (796)

"What Passes for Survival" is an uncompromising album and you will learn that fast, right out of the gate.  It is impossible to listen to Pyrrhon's magnificent new release, without admiring the band's fearlessness and technical prowess.  This album is exactly what extreme metal doubters need to hear.

4). Weed Demon - "Astrological Passages" (1040)

Weed Demon is quite willing to show they can do a diverse attack that goes beyond a Melvins-ish crunch. It can definitely throttle you with heavy, sludged out guitars and drums. Yet, as you find on "Primordial Genocide" and elsewhere, Weed Demon can go from blasting to burrowing with its arrangements, zipping from fast to slow, metal to a variation on math rock, smoothly.

3). Devil Electric - "Devil Electric" (1097)

Although you'll not find a swerve or anything wildly disparate, Devil Electric is nonetheless entrancing. In particular, the group is guaranteed to energize any fan of heavy blues reminiscent of Black Sabbath, The Allman Brothers and similar bands.

2). Venom Inc. - “Avé” (1128)

This record, is a triumph. Venom Inc. have produced a record more than worthy of the Venom name and it contains some of the best and most “Venom” moments since the early 80's. I cannot praise or recommend this record enough to fans of Venom or just metal in general. The songs, performances and production all deliver.

1). Accept - "The Rise Of Chaos" (1407)

“The Rise of Chaos” is precise, prescient, presented superbly in terms of artwork and production and, more importantly, rocks as hard as anything I have heard this year. A tour de force.

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

ALBUM REVIEW: Pyrrhon - "What Passes for Survival"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 11/08/2017

Label: Throatruiner

"What Passes for Survival" is an uncompromising album and you will learn that fast, right out of the gate.  It is impossible to listen to Pyrrhon's magnificent new release, without admiring the band's fearlessness and technical prowess.  This album is exactly what extreme metal doubters need to hear.

"What Passes for Survival" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. The Happy Victim's Creed

2. The Invisible Hand Holds A Whip

3. Goat Mockery Ritual

4. Tennessee

5. Trash Talk Landfill

6. The Unraveling: Hegemony of Grasping Fears

7. The Unraveling: Free At Last

8. The Unraveling: Live From The Fresh Corpse

9. Empty Tenement Spirit

The Review:

It is hard to say how many people truly understood how significant at the time it was for the sociopolitical history to be put forward in a breakout song such as Iron Maiden's 1982 classic "Run to the Hills." The character and manner of Native American depopulation has been a contentious one for scholars, where terms like genocide spark heated debate. Yet Bruce Dickinson, who has made no secret of his personal opinions on a range of topics over the years, squashed it all for just a second, putting these stories into a song still heard today, even in the mainstream.

Long before and long since, metal has, more so than so many genres of popular music, made cultural commentary part of its fabric. Oppression, injustice and rebellion all have been subjects in metal as long as, well, there has been metal. It is thus impossible to listen to Pyrrhon's magnificent new release, "What Passes for Survival," without admiring the band's fearlessness in this regard, and in it, carrying on a tradition that needs them to do so.

If you are a fan of Pyrrhon's previous work, this new recording will draw your attention because the band has a reputation for extreme music with something extra. The guitars are always more technical, the bass and drums always more booming and the vocals far more ripping than the next group. You will not be disappointed at all in this regard. However, Pyrrhon shines brightest in its exceedingly powerful songwriting. The Brooklyn quartet here crafts its best music yet.

"The Mother of Virtues," Pyrrhon'slast recording, was renowned for its topical, dense lyrics, where surveillance, discrimination, wealth inequality and bigotry were laid bare in ways that were poetic in their presentation rather than preachy. If the title "What Passes for Survival" did not hint to you already that Pyrrhon were going to be just as uncompromising, you will learn it fast, right out of the gate.

On "The Invisible Hand Holds A Whip," vocal maestro Doug Mooredoes not need to name names for song to have punch. "The sources in conflict/Revised and provisional/The havens offshore/The funding's untraceable/But someone's getting paid/And everyone's got a theory/Oh, I can feel the hands on me/Pointing me towards the ones I should hate/Don't tell 'em the maths got minds of their own/They want backs to walls /And blame always finds a home."

Quite possibly the only thing heavier than Moore'slyrics is the music itself. Guitarist Dylan DiLella, Erik Malave on bass and drummer Steve Schwegler are gifted in how well they play together. Their style is as far away from your thun-thun-thun metal standard. Instead they create compositions you just do not expect. "The Unraveling," a threesome of tracks prefixed as such, is a perfect exhibit of this unique approach. DiLellapresents several inventive chord progressions and Malave's bass work is visionary. As we close with "Empty Tenement Spirit," you will feast on Schwegler's violently passionate drums, which are a real treat.

"What Passes for Survival" is exactly what extreme metal doubters need to hear. Now, if only other genres of music could be nearly as intellectual and technical.

"What Passes For Survival" is available digitally here and physical copies are available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook