ALBUM REVIEW: Forming The Void, "Rift"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/08/2018

Label: Kozmik Artifactz

Forming The Void channel the best of Monster Magnet through a heavy psychedelic doom filter, alternating between massive riffs and passages of cosmic grandeur

“Rift” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Extinction Event

2). On We Sail

3). Arcane Mystic

4). Transient

5). Arrival

6). Ark Debris

7). Shrine

The Review:

It’s hard not to get excited by an album cover that depicts a woolly mammoth jumping over a mountain in space. Fortunately the contents of Forming The Void’snew LP “Rift” deliver on these weighty cosmic expectations.

The Louisiana quartet waste no time getting down to business with the crushing groove of “Extinction Event’. The track channels the best of Monster Magnet through a heavy psychedelic doom filter, alternating between massive riffs and passages of cosmic grandeur.  This is a trick Forming The Void hone to perfection over the course of “Rift”. The middle section of the album finds the band recreating the thunderous majesty of self-titled LP era Torche, particularly the monstrous opening to “Arrival” and the smouldering sky-kissing solo that rounds off “Transient”.

“Ark Debris” and “Shrine” provide a powerful end to the album with Forming The Void at their slowest and most hypnotic. The former is a particularly absorbing slow-motion voyage into the beyond with huge, lush layers of sound giving way to bursts of triumphant doom. These tracks particularly highlight the importance the production plays in the success of this record. Chris Munson’s recording has captured the interstellar scale of these compositions with the smoothness of a classic rock or prog album but with more than enough dirt that no-one forgets this is a doom album at heart. 

“Rift” is a strong collection from Forming The Void. These massive tracks sound like they could take the band to a wider audience while maintaining enough low end crunch to satisfy underground riff aficionados.

“Rift” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Morag Tong, “Last Knell of Om”

By: Reverend Dixie Pole

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 18/05/2018

Label: Independent

In a year choc full of essential releases, Morag Tong have solidified their place with a Top 10 album contender

“Last Knell of Om” CD//DD//LP track listing:-

1). Transmission

2). New Growth

3). We Answer

4). To Soil

5). Ruminations

6). Ephemera / Stare Through the Deep

The Review:

In a world full of ever expanding realms of stoner and doom, it can be somewhat easy to get lost in the mire of it all. Thus, it is a comfort to know that a band such as Morag Tongexist. Ironically, when I first became somewhat smitten with Morag Tongssound from the stupidly overlooked “Through Clouded Time” EP of 2016, they lived up to their name (see video game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind) acting as a secret entity operating from the shadows, however it has become harder and harder over time for people to ignore the existence and ever looming presence of this band as they have continued to leave punters in awe at the sheer power embroiled within their sound.

The procession of “Last Knell of Om”begins with “Transmission”, an instrumental instantly showcasing a rich and beautifully warm bass tone (courtesy of bassist James Atha), acting as a gentle welcoming to the listeners ears. This allows the drums to enter with ease all the meanwhile the guitars are bleeding in to create a landscape making tasteful use of swirls in fuzz. A song where many would falter for not knowing how to land it, Morag Tongtouch down gracefully without over egging the pudding as it were.

With following track entitled “New Growth”, we are introduced fairly early on to the vocals from drummer Adam Asquith, a bellowing (and one of the better voices I have heard in a long time for this genre) call to the skies above, juxtaposed against a dark heavy and simplistic riff -all timed to perfection for the ultimate (bong) hit. The song builds and builds, drawing the listener back to the well balanced, interesting bass guitar riffing, drawing ever closer to the final riff and man oh man is it a riff worth waiting for. In fact if anything, I would love to have heard that riff far longer with some more lead work but it’s solid nonetheless.

The album plays to the strengths of Morag Tongs sound, which is to harness the core duo of well thought out bass lines and drums that are memorable, whilst creating a landscape with the guitars, their tones and subtle lead work over one another. The melodies captured by both guitarists (Alex Clarke and Lewis Crane respectively) invoke memorable, beautifully soul destroying melodies that can have a somewhat emotional impact on the listener – whether it’s the moment of looking to the sky and lamenting what life could have been if things had been different (see – “We Answer”) or gazing into the void at the hopeless mess that is mankind itself (“To Soil”). A drone of sorts is created by these elements and no – not in the Sunn O))) way – a natural drone that doesn’t overstay its welcome and acts as a soft blanket.

The album has been recorded, mixed and mastered by Sam Thredder of Cros Nest studios and what a fantastic job he has done. He has been the key to encapsulating what Morag Tongsound like live, allowing the listener to become all consumed by the waves of sound. Having seen Morag Tong live 5 times already over the past year, this is something which I had hoped was going to be evident in the presentation of the mix and master. Thankfully, this happy camper got his wish granted. Warm, clear bass throughout the fuzziest of amp orgy inducing guitar tones, clear definition of each limb of the drum kit and the perfect balance of vocals within the mix, powerful yet not overbearing on the instrumental side of affairs.

The musicianship on “Last Knell of Om” is simply big, fantastic and mature. Morag Tongexcel in their subtleties, of guitar tones, bass tone and overall placing of songs, for example one need only pay attention to the placing of album concluder “Ephemera / Stare Through the Deep” with its “Planet Caravan”-esque ascending trip to the stars only to be dropped to earth again for opener “Transmission”. In essence this is to me how “Last Knell of Om” plays out, a journey that starts by allowing the listener to rise from the earth, then drift through a swell of emotions, ascend to the astral plains and be stricken back to this world, only for the process to repeat all over again as if caught in the belly of the Ouroboros.

“Through Clouded Time” was a great introduction to Morag Tong and is still essential whilst you can grab a copy (which I recommend), however “Last Knell of Om”has already in a year choc full of essential new releases from legends such as Sleepand Yob, solidified its place as a top 10 contender for myself this year. This is the most earthly, organic stoner doom band these ears have heard in a long time and as one who can usually throw around other comparisons to what a band sound like, I struggle to do this with Morag Tong. This - in my opinion, can only be a good thing.

Catch them on 16^th May at The Black Heart in Camden with Wychound and Elephant Tree for the album launch.

“Last Knell of Om” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Sleep, "The Sciences"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: April 20, 2018

Label: Third Man Records

“The Sciences” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. The Sciences

2. Marijuanaut’s Theme

3. Sonic Titan

4. Antarcticans Thawed

5. Giza Butler

6. The Botanist

The Review:        

How the hell do you approach a release like this?  Any Sleep fan had been hoping, expecting, waiting for a full-length to follow up the band-disintegrating opus “Dopesmoker”.  Even after original drummer Chris Hakius departed amicably after a series of reunion dates in 2009, there was hope of things to come.  The immediate live participation of Neurosis stalwart Jason Roeder, the sporadic trickle of new output like “The Clarity” single in 2014, and the ascension to “elder statesmen of metal” status of Matt Pike and Al Cisneros made some monumental future output all but certain.  And in a particularly keen bit of stoner humor, the trio dropped “The Sciences” on, of course, 4/20.  I actually feel pretty bad for anyone else dropping their own passion projects on a date that Sleep practically owns.  And beyond the particular bit of gimmicky scheduling, “The Sciences” is as appropriate a paean to smoke altered consciousness as stoner metal worshipers could have hoped for.

               

The introductory title jam is a wall of savage, droning fuzz.  It’s chaotic, gut churning, and LOUD even through a pair of earbuds.  Like a bongrip as rocket launch, the brief number propels into “Marijuanaut’s Theme”.  Cisneros’ bass tone and subtle variations is a welcome counter to Matt Pike’s signature MONSTER playing, and his brief solo breaks are invigorating.  Each speaker is palpable in Pike’s riffing, but he’s distinctly not hijacking as a repository for High on Fire castoffs, or vice versa.  His style with Sleep is looser and dirtier, less Fast Eddie Clarke and more Tony Iommi.  His ability to simultaneously melt faces in two distinct outfits should never be discounted, but here, with less autonomy, his soloing shows a joyfulness that you don’t often get in the gritty, paranoid shredding of the most recent High on Fire albums.  And, from a production standpoint, this is completely beholden to power trio methods – when Matt shreds, there may be multitracked lead freakouts, but there are no rhythm guitar overdubs.  The whole thing could be pulled off live and sound just as full as the record.

“Sonic Titan” is one of those long fermenting cuts that first saw life decades ago, appearing as a rough cut on the Tee Pee issue of the (still incomplete) “Dopesmoker” in 2003.  Anyone professing that the “original” is better, is likely trying way too hard.  This is a honed, heavy, beefed up track.  Plus, Sleep is all about that positively pornographic tone, and while the “Dopesmoker” outtake has a raw appeal, the warmth and fuzz crackling across my speakers is perfect.  Plus, this may be my favorite use of bass wah post-Sabbath.  In my brief scrolls through social media, Al Cisneros’ peculiar vocal delivery seems to be a divisive issue: for those who followed Om, Al’s style is not surprising, perhaps a trademark, and even beloved.  For others, the flat affect is confounding.  I’m of two minds here – sometimes it sounds like the vocals are just a little too high in the mix, but I also really love distinctive vocal cadences.  To hear Cisneros fronting Sleep is a joy – and the register of his chants on “Sonic Titan” is a welcome departure from the strained yelp of the earlier, live cut of the long gestating song.

“Antarcticans Thawed”, a Lovecraftian epic with shades of spaghetti western in the opening, is the best track, and features Al’s best, most intense vocal performance on the record.  In comparison, “Giza Butler” is a bit too restrained.  It sneers but never snarls, though the riffs and mystical cannabinoid is a damned bit of fun that should be adapted into its own issue of Heavy Metal (the fantasy mag, not the genre).  And if “Giza…”transports us to outer rim planets of continental nugs, the sweet, acoustic denouement of “The Botanist” is an instrumental sendoff that brings the most bleary eyed listener back to equilibrium.

So can it possibly live up to the hype?  Honestly, what could?  This is not “Dopesmoker” part 2, or even a follow-up to “Holy Mountain”.  But even though this is heralded as a comeback record, it’s really a new permutation of the gestating giant. From the first crashes and fills, Jason Roeder establishes his own identity as a new element of Sleep.  Whether here or with Neurosis, he’s a titan of the kit.  He, thankfully, doesn’t ape Hakius’ beloved style – peppered with idiosyncratic snare work and warped cymbal crashes.  In reality, anyone doing a “Hakius v. Roeder” rundown is playing a fool’s game: they stand not so much in opposition as distinctly powerful eras of Sleep – the playful, Loki style playing of Hakius and the muscular, Thor on drums mastery of Roeder. 

So it’s a bit of a cheat – Sleep but not the Sleep you expected.  But in the course of 6 prog-infused stoner metal jams, Cisneros, Pike and Roeder earn all the goodwill they garnered in the post-“Dopesmoker”wilderness.   If anything, their well honed prowess outmatches any expectations.  Wherever “The Sciences” is ranked in the Sleep discography, it stands as a testament to a band who had to wait nearly 20 years for the critical and music-buying public to catch up.  Or, more aptly to spark up, sit down, and thrust themselves into the hazy riff worship they’ve been peddling longer than nearly anyone still relevant in the metal game.

“The Sciences” is available here

Band info: facebook

SATAN'S DOZEN: 13 Unearthly Hymns Unearthed #6 (January 2018)

Compiled by: Andrei Moose

Artwork by: Josh Mashesh

SATAN’S DOZEN is THE SLUDGELORD’s attempt to present the very best music the underground scene has to offer and whilst we’d love to review every band submission we receive, not to mention the countless recommendations you send our way, in practical terms that is just not possible.  Therefore because we don’t want killer music to pass you by, each and every month our member of the Russian chapeter Andrei Moose  painstakingly sifts through the music labelled  killer  riffs” and chooses 13 of the best new albums released via bandcamp and bundles them together into the mightiest riff sandwich.

Whilst all the albums we have included below are top tier stuff, we have compiled them into a chart on a sliding scale of 13-1. So we hope you dig our selections for January 2018 and enjoy 13 Unearthly Hymns Unearthed.  

These bands need more exposure, so go “like” “share” and “follow” their pages, but most of all enjoy some of the best music the underground has to offer.  THE SLUDGELORD most sincerely approves.   Now, go heavy or go home.

13) Sons Of Nibiru – “Hellspirit” (Rzeszow, Poland), Released December 16, 2017

Psychedelic / Stoner-Doom

   
12) Borgonaut – “Borgonaut”EP (Trieste, Italy), Released January 31, 2018

Stoner-doom / Sludge

   
11) FILTHxCOLLINS / SKINLOVER – “Split 7” (Cardiff, UK), Released January 21, 2018

Sludge / Grindcore / Powerviolence

   
10) Taser – “Social Exclusion Blues” (Lahti, Finland), Released January 19, 2018

Sludge

   
9) Dowager – “Hymns for the Dead” (Los Angeles, California), Released January 1, 2018

Stoner-Doom

     

8) Nerveshatter – “Madhouse”(New York(, Released January 9, 2018

Noise / Hardcore / Sludge

   
7) Troll Teeth – “Boiled Alive” (New Jersey), Released January 1, 2018

Psychedelic / Stoner-Rock / Stoner-Metal

   
6) Psychic Lemon – “Frequency Rhythm Distortion Delay”(London, UK), Released January 12, 2018

Instrumental / Psychedelic / Kraut / Prog / Rock

   
5) Floaters – “WAITING FOR AMNESTY” (Tokyo, Japan), Released December 29, 2017

Stoner-Doom / Sludge

4) Smoke – “Stoned To Death” (Houma, Louisiana), Released January 12, 2018

Stoner-Doom / Sludge

   
3) The Mothercraft – “Pillars” (Edmonton, Alberta), Released January 5, 2018

Stoner-Rock

 
2) Legalize Crime – “Beat The Law” (Wroclaw, Poland), Released March 30, 2017

Sludge / Hardcore / Stoner-Metal

    

1) Orphans Of Doom – “Strange Worlds/Fierce Gods” (Kansas City, Missouri), Released January 26, 2018

Progressive/ Sludge / Doom / Metal

Band info: Orphans of Doom || Legalize Crime|| The Mothercraft|| Smoke || Floaters || Psychic Lemon || Troll Teeth || Nerveshatter|| Dowager|| Taser || Skin Lover || FilthXCollins || Borgonaut|| Sons of Nibiru

ALBUM PREMIERE: Polish stoner space riders Red Scalp unmask "Lost Ghosts"

Red Scalp is a four piece stoner rock band from Pleszew, Poland, a country it seems with no shortage of awesome bands who plow the furrow of tar thick riffs, against a back drop of hazed out fuzz.  You know the type, riffs and tones that envelop you with that warm and space out glow.  Describing their influences as Sabbahis perhaps no surprise; however an underlying theme running through their music is their love of Native American (perhaps more commonly known as the indigenous people of the Americas) history.

Formed in 2012 Red Scalp attempt to encapsulate the spirit of their source material, often using samples of authentic chants against a backdrop of psychedelic riffadelia, delivering a unique and mesmerizing behemoth of stoner doom jams.  Following their debut EP in 2014 and their first full length in 2016, these polish stoner space riders are back with a new album, set for release on 31/10/2017.

Today ahead of it’s official release we can exclusively premiere their  new album “Lost Ghosts’ in all of it’s ritualistic splendours.  Check it out below. You can preorder/buy it here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Cities of Mars - "Temporal Rifts"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released:29/09/2017

Label: Argonauta Records

Cities of Mars' unique songwriting and evolving musicianship have much to offer to the doom scene

 

"Temporal Rifts" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Doors of Dark Matter Pt 1: Barriers

2. Envoy of Murder

3. Gula, a Bitter Embrace

4. Children Of The Red Sea

5. Caverns Alive!

The Review:

Sweden's Cities of Marsmay not initially jump out as you as you first listen. As a doom trio mixing in heavy psychedelic overtones and even classic metal melodies in the spirit of Black Sabbathor Uriah Heap, you might just lose them in the traffic of artists traveling similar roads. However, all credit to the band and its label, ever a connoisseur of original musicians, with this self-awareness, and for shaping a concept from start to finish.

Dubbing itself "a heavy band with an integrated storyline," Cities of Mars makes its proper debut this year with "Temporal Rifts,"coming after its 2016 EP, "Celestial Mistress," and two tracks in 2015. However, its collection is all based on the same concept, a broad and ancient conspiracy that is unearthed by Russian KGB cosmonaut Nadia, who lands on the planet Mars as part of a covert mission in 1971. With an assist from Monolord's Esben Willems on production, Cities of Marsoffer promise at an invigorating premiere.

Cities of Marshas gotten comparisons to the band Sleep at points for good reason. Their distorted, stoner-esque orchestration and other flourishes may spark visions of that San Josetrio. Still, Cities of Mars presents a few areas of its own to be excited about.

First and foremost, it is storytelling. You'll have some quick catching up to do if you are not familiar with the tale, because Cities of Mars pitches you right in. Vocalists  Christoffer Norén and Danne Palm together do a respectable job at conveying affairs, which, as you can guess, get fantastical and spaced out. "Envoy of Murder" is a good instance of this. Johan Küchler's drums lead the way as the story comes down to lyrics that feel mirthless in emotion. But in "Gula, a Bitter Embrace," there is a growing determination, as the trio strike a thicker and faster doom rhythm. The arrangement on "Gula" is solid, but feels like it could benefit by being just a bit more compact. However, the eight-minute "Children Of The Red Sea"following it manages a sublime trance into something that feels like truly memorable doom. Gentler chords grow insistent, as the bass swells and vocals float in an otherworldly way against the guitar strings caging it. The composition here harkens somewhat to Below the Sun's spectacular summer release, but Cities of Mars feels bold in its own way.

The album closes with the psychedelic "Caverns Alive!" It follows the same footprint of some other cuts – lighter open, churning build – and yet the band keeps it sounding fresh. Such, however, might be the biggest question for Cities of Mars. Where does a band whose name and music come from a single concept go after this? Space is, of course, infinite. And as you will come to appreciate, Cities of Mars' unique songwriting and evolving musicianship have much to offer to the doom scene. Without giving away the story, fans will have to simply await to which planet this innately discrepant act flies the next light year.

"Temporal Rifts" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Tronald - "Tronald"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 30/09/2017

Label: APF Records

…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.

"Tronald" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Monolord - "Rust"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 27/09/2017

Label: Riding Easy Records

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.

"Rust" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Where Death Meets The Sea

2. Dear Lucifer

3. Rust

4. Wormland

5. Forgotten Lands

6. At Niceae

The Review:

Doom and sludge metal both have a handful of performers who can create a truly melodic listening experience. Not a melodic, pop-music-style sort of atmosphere ala Ghost, but rather sounds that are faithful to the subgenres while injecting the kind of talent that reminds you there is so much more to doom mastery than dropping the sixth string down to decent B flat.

Hailing from Gothenburg, Swedish doom metal group Monolord formed in 2013, and its members have set a frankly frenetic schedule, dropping three full lengths and an EP, including the 2014 debut, "Empress Rising." That amount of output is quite unusual, let alone delivering content that has been as well received as Monolord has since it began. The big question is, can the team's newest, "Rust," develop the music while giving its base what it loves?

Monolord hits all the superlative notes when it comes to doom, though the group knows how to plant a strong post as far as different music too. On the opener "Where Death Meets The Sea"the trio strikes a brisker pace than one might expect from a sludgy bassline. Regardless, the track is incredibly satisfying – it's tight, the vocals are exceptional, with a touch of wash-out though audible and story-based, and the mood is thick with dread. The track progression is also superior, as it is followed by "Dear Lucifer,"which flows well out of the opener's assiduous pace, matching it until it evolves into an ultra heavy entry befitting the vocal. On the strength of this pairing, Monolord will get a dozen positive comparisons. Likely the best you can say is that more acts are going to be compared to this band before too long.

Monolord's chemistry is palatable. Singer Thomas Jäger deserves a lot of praise for his work. Drummer Esben Willems and Mika Häkki on bass ratchet up the tension throughout "Rust" as well. There are also some creative additions – the strings in "Wormland"or the title track's organ and effects – that are brilliant touches.

In addition, what makes the new release so satisfying is how well Monolord grasp sterling arrangement. That sounds rather technical, but frankly you know an atrocious song by how weakly it is structured. This album's closing tracks, "Forgotten Lands" and "At Niceae," is as close to perfect as you can get. At 15 minutes plus, it is a cut with quite a build. However, the instrumentation by Monolord, the song's pacing and lyrics are presented in a way that keeps you listening, over and over.

"Rust"available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook