TOP 16 ALBUMS: The Sour 16 (September 2017)

Allow yourself to indulge in a hefty dose of riffs, because it is time to present 16 of the best albums from September, 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 on the amount of page views the reviews have received and are then calibrated into the list below.  All reviews can be viewed by clicking the artwork and we have included album streams wherever possible. (Total views since their publication are highlighted in the red)

16). Boris - "Dear"(623)

From the opening track, “D.O.W.N. –Domination of Waiting Noise–“, Boris conveys punishing volume so effectively that your ears will ache at practically any level.  Every note and every layered vocal has been obsessed over, placed perfectly in the mix, and acts as a distillation of twenty-five years of intense collaborative synthesis.

15). Order - "Lex Amentiae" (637)

This is harsh, in-your-face, old-school black metal. From the opener "Winter" onward, Order stakes a claim to the thorny crown with its barbarous shrieks, lumbering bass and unyielding guitars.

14). Biblical - "The City That Always Sleeps" (679)

“Mature Themes,” the opening track and lead-off single, certainly showcases a barrage of noise that hits like a barbed-wire baseball bat, but rather than making miles doing this sludgy-psych thing, Biblical branches out far and wide, traversing sonic landscapes that are as vast as the country the band calls home.

13). Major Kong - "Brace for Impact" (713)

Poland's Major Kong tests the limits of music with its new recording, "Brace for Impact." The eight-song release is entirely instrumental and rooted in a science fiction theme. Heady indeed, but Major Kong give you a dense, impressive album regardless.

12). Made Of Teeth- "Made Of Teeth" (721)

Made Of Teeth have produced a confident, punchy, and savage debut that provides the listener with labyrinthine levels of surprises around each corner.

11). Monarch - "Never Forever" (784)

Monarch orchestrates layers upon layers of sound that roil gently like a dirty bayou. Bresson's vocals – from plaintive wisps to growls and beyond – make Monarch unlike anything else you hear in doom or drone. Such innovation is why the outfit has cultivated a devoted following throughout their extensive career. Never Forever" gives you a side of Monarch that is rarely seen, and is indicative of a fearless performance. Drone is seldom this accessible, or distinguished.

10). Usnea - "Portals Into Futility" (815)

The guitars are thoroughly dissonant and murky, the bass is husky and drums voluminous. Then there are the vocals, which feel like they're being delivered with the sort of urgency of someone trapped at the bottom of a deep well. The whole composition of the record is just magnificent for doom fans.

9). Queens of the Stone Age - "Villains" (1040)

The musicianship is some of the best out there, and QOTSA knows its lane and sticks with it. Suffice to say, if you are already a QOTSA fan, chances are this recording will not disappoint, or may just a little. For others, there is an entirely different dialogue.

8). Ufomammut - "8"(1078)

The time signatures will still have you scratching your head and the chugging rhythms are no less heady as they are pummeling. The choice to structure songs rather than to orchestrate them means that the ideas unfold quicker than what we’re used to. A totally different listening experience, sure, but it’s one that offers yet another opportunity to throw some quality, heavy psychedelic doom on the turntable.

7). Spirit Adrift - "Curse of Conception" (1119)

“Curse of Conception” is a glorious success and a dazzling evolution of an already excellent band. 

6). Dyscarnate- "With All Their Might" (1181)

For those death metal fans expecting endless blasting, look elsewhere. For those who want a pit destroying festival of riffs: look no further. This is Dyscarnate’s best album so far and a real beast of modern death metal.

5). With The Dead - "Love From With The Dead" (1401)

The opening quartet of tracks here offers up a relentless onslaught of earth-shaking doom. Tim Bagshaw is on fine form, unleashing an endless stream of mammoth riffs and lead guitar that channel the hazy evil of his finest moments in Ramesses.  Lee Dorrian’s half spoken, half roared vocals work well in amongst the carnage and are a breath of fresh air in the modern doom landscape.

4). Belphegor - "Totenritual" (1802)

Once again, as they have over the vast majority of their discography, Belphegor has produced an excellent album of the best blackened death metal. This is every bit as good as anything else the band has put out from one of the best extreme bands in the world, no question.

3). Satyricon - "Deep Calleth Upon Deep" (1914)

 ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ is something of a spiritual successor to ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ in that the goal appears to have been to take an established sound and create the weirdest, artsiest version of it they could and there is evidence of a sweeping creative resurgence throughout the album as a whole.

2). Monolord - "Rust" (2105)

Monolord hits all the superlative notes when it comes to doom and the album's closing tracks, "Forgotten Lands" and "At Niceae," are as close to perfect as you can get.

1). Paradise Lost - "Medusa"(5226)

Depthless despair, thick production with pounding drums accentuating the force of the material and those classic melodic leads are all encompassing, making this their heaviest album  in years and amongst their best. “Medusa” can and will turn you to stone- as you will be shocked and stilled by just how good it is.

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

ALBUM REVIEW: Satyricon - "Deep Calleth Upon Deep"

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type:Full Length

Date Released:22/09/2017

Label:Napalm Records

 ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ is something of a spiritual successor to ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ in that the goal appears to have been to take an established sound and create the weirdest, artsiest version of it they could and there is evidence of a sweeping creative resurgence throughout the album as a whole.

‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Midnight Serpent

2. Blood Cracks Open The Ground

3. To Your Brethren In The Dark

4. Deep Calleth Upon Deep

5. The Ghost Of Rome

6. Dissonant

7. Black Wings And Withering Gloom

8. Burial Rite

The Review:

For most of you reading this; Satyricon requires no introduction. The band was among the most popular in Norwegian black metal dating back to the mid 90s. Opinions, as is often the case, vary as to where the band peaked creatively. For some, it’s their second wave black metal period from ‘Dark Medieval Times’ through “Nemesis Divina”. Others prefer the forward-thinking mania of ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ or the stripped down black n’ roll approach of the last 15 years.

For the purposes of this review, it’s worth pointing out that I believe their creative apex to be the period from ‘Dark Medieval Times’ through ‘Rebel Extravaganza’, with ‘Volcano’ being hit and miss, and everything since then being thoroughly middle of the road; accessible at the cost of any idea that might be exciting or interesting. While the band have never made a bad album, they’ve settled for “fine” for three straight albums, to the point that even the band themselves acknowledge that a change of direction was desperately needed. In the press materials for ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’, Satyr spoke to the need for the band to move on:

"Approaching this release, what I always kept in mind is that either this is the beginning of something new or it's gonna be my last record. If this is going to be the last, then it needs to be something special.”

If nothing else, it’s fair to say that this mindset has resulted in the band’s first truly exciting album in the last fifteen years. Contextually, ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ is something of a spiritual successor to ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ in that the goal appears to have been to take an established sound and create the weirdest, artsiest version of it they could. “Rebel Extravaganza” mutated and distorted 2nd wave black metal into something wild and wholly unique. Here, Satyricon twists the much more plain style of the last decade-plus into a truly engaging black n’ roll freakout. In fact, calling ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ “black n’ roll” feels like selling it short. While I may not have found the last several Satyricon albums all that interesting, they’d still cultivated their own unique sound, and each album was immediately identifiable as Satyricon. That identity remains intact here, despite forgoing the tropes and formula they’ve settled into over the years.

A sweeping creative resurgence is evident all throughout the album. Album opener “Midnight Serpent” runs a gauntlet of ideas, ranging from the conservatively black metal opening moments to the sprawling dissonant atmosphere of the song’s 2nd half. “The Ghost of Rome” is about as close as a black metal band has ever come to crafting their own version of late 60s psychedelic pop, or more recently, Queens of the Stone Age's “Another Love Song”.

The point is; it’s more evident than ever that Satyricon will never truly journey back to a conventional black metal sound. Waiting for bands to tap into whatever your perceived peak era for them might be is a recipe for disappointment. Some bands manage to pull it off, but they’re the exceptions. In Satyricon’scase, they’ve finally arrived at a new sound that’s as well-worth exploring as their early glory years. Progress for a band is a good thing, when it works. The road to this point wasn’t a smooth one, but they’ve gotten to where they need to be. They’re very different from the band we knew 20 years ago, but they’re every bit as interesting as they were back then.

‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ is available digitally hereand on CD/LP here.

Band info: Facebook

ALBUM PREMIERE: Fuzz Popvli deliver "The Fuzz of The Gods" on debut "Fuzz Dei"

"Fvzz Dei" which in latin means "The Fuzz Of The Gods", is the debut album of the roman fuzz trio Fvzz Popvli. Featuring members of the bands The Wisdoom and Beesus , "Fvzz Dei" will be released via Heavy Psych Sounds on 22^nd September  and is a grandstand example of fuzz sounds, an amalgamation of garage rock and powerhouse song writing, catchy hooks and most importantly Queens of the Stone Age-style riffing, you can check out “Fuzz Dei”in full below, this is music for the gods.  You can preorder/buy the album here

Band info: bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Queens of the Stone Age - "Villains"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released:25/08/2017

Label: Matador Records

 

The musicianship is some of the best out there, and QOTSA knows its lane and sticks with it. Suffice to say, if you are already a QOTSA fan, chances are this recording will not disappoint, or may just a little. For others, there is an entirely different dialogue.

“Villains” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Feet Don't Fail Me

2. The Way You Used to Do

3. Domesticated Animals

4. Fortress

5. Head Like a Haunted House

6. Un-Reborn Again

7. Hideaway

8. The Evil Has Landed

9. Villains of Circumstance

The Review:

Queens of the Stone Age is easily in the top-five of metal music's guilty pleasures. Having arisen as nearly a parody of itself, QOTSA has morphed into alternative rock and at moments a hard-tinged Megatron. Although the band isn't quite Nickelbackor Ariana Grande status, Queens is unquestionably on that arena group level. Such big mainstream recognition inevitably elicits emotions of all kinds from anyone. Among metal enthusiasts, who are probably among the most opinionated when it comes to the music they love, judgment can be swift and harsh. New albums for bands on this tier are sure to get tons of press and analysis. For the purposes of this review, the central question has to be how hard Queens of the Stone Age's latest bangs.

Listening to "Villians" has to be done in a particular context. As a body of work, there is little to complain about. "Feet Don't Fail Me,"the kickoff track, is played well, with plenty of progressions and a polish to the production that is simply dazzling. Up next, "The Way You Used to Do" is going to end up on the public-address system of a minor-league baseball team's seventh inning stretch somewhere. It's crowd-pleasing and may someday soon get a teenager curious about the funkier sides of hard and alternative rock to do a little digging. At the end of the day, gateway bands are a great thing. The music needs ambassadors, groups who make heavier rock palatable to new audiences. "The Evil Has Landed" is another one of these songs. The musicianship is some of the best out there, and QOTSAknows its lane and sticks with it.

There is a great deal to appreciate on the group's new release. "Domesticated Animals" rolls like a prizefighter, lithe and yet muscular with its guitar work. In truth, the overall song selection is pleasing enough. Metacritic notes "Villains"scores 80 out of 100 points among nearly 30 reviews. Suffice to say, if you are already a QOTSAfan, chances are this recording will not disappoint, or may just a little. For others, there is an entirely different dialogue.

What is most perplexing about "Villains," in spite of the bawdy tales and wild storytelling in the lyrics, is just how sterile it all feels. There are several captivating departures on the release. "Head Like A Haunted House"walks a weird line being potentially corny and idiosyncratic, and pulls off a respectable track by the time it is finished. Yet the chances a band with this big and accepting of a fan base is willing to take seem to be shrinking, especially if you have observed the group over the years. "Fortress" comes across as a token alternative-rock-radio-slow-song. So does "Hideaway." No shots at the performances, which are serviceable on the whole and brilliant at various turns. Yet streaming and Youtube have completely changed the heavy music game. There are no shortage of artists willing to push beyond the expected and unprecedented audience interest in doing just that. By the last note, it feels simply safe, even a tad empty. And that may be the biggest of disappointments.

“Villains” is available now



Band info: facebook