TOP 16 ALBUMS: The Sour 16 (October 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). Belus - "Apophenia" (710)

“Apophenia” is a breathtaking experience, a challenging listen, and an auspicious first entry from one of the few bands with the audacity to experiment and the chops to pull it off.

15). Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – “Vol. 1” (Reissue) (744)

Imperfect though it may be, "Vol. 1" is a fascinating introduction to Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats' bold vision

14). Unsane - "Sterilize" (756)

 This is a flawless collection of bile-soaked missives that set the standard for riff-heavy, ugly noise rock in 2017

13). Gruntruck - "Gruntruck" (812)

Gruntruck straddles that line between heavy, melodic, and noisey, not afraid to venture into Pearl Jam territory when it feels like it, then take a hard left and land somewhere near the sound of Alice In Chains.  Listening to “Gruntruck”, I think I finally understand what grunge was about.  Sure it was a trend, but bands like this just wanted to rock.  And that’s what this record does. 

12). Wormwood - "Mooncurse" (892)

Wormwood's performance on "Mooncurse" is doom in the purest sense. Purposeful pacing and incredibly weighty riffs aplenty.  As you make your way to "Passage of Fire," Wormwood's greatest traits are on full display: an impeccable grasp of timing, dark musical sequences and undefeatable heaviness

11). Blackfinger - "When Colors Fade Away" (934)

I cannot find anything to fault here. Blackfinger have delivered nine tracks of trad doom with style and finesse. Eric Wagner has put his name to another excellent doom album and this is recommended to any fans of Trouble, The Skull, Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and so on out there

10). Sarke - "Viige Urh" (952)

“Viige Urh” ignites stronger than the incineration of flames; forcefully ascends high up to Valhalla— it is a projection of eternality, packed up in a form of eight tracks as ferocious as incendiaries. 

09). Merchant - "Beneath"(987)

If you’re a fan of heavy sludge, doom, and death/doom, I don’t see how you could possibly not dig this album. The production is amazing and the tone is ultra-heavy. The drums pound mercilessly, the bass hits like a 50 pound maul, and the vocals pull it all together perfectly. Give this a listen now.

08). Iron Monkey - "9-13" (1383)

"9-13" offers a shredding sludge attack and is a violent rejoinder of why Iron Monkey got its reputation as a doom/sludge vanguard. All these years later, Iron Monkey remains gritty and uncompromising. Predictions for a return were invariably high. "9-13" does not blow those expectations out of the water. Nor does Iron Monkey disappoint. For that, there's much to smile about.

07). Bell Witch - "Mirror Reaper" (1440)

With "Mirror Reaper," the music conveys the reflection back of life and of death; literally that the Grim Reaper is a facsimile of the cycle of life. As with anything Bell Witch, though, such a realization is not engaged with in a fashion that rips at the pain of loss or terror, but rather builds into a deeper, though no less excoriating, meditation on the passage of time

06). Stonebirds - "Time" (1510)

The group merges many influences into a package that still sounds true to the subgenre. Stonebirds is adept at exploring concepts in their music that make it even more intriguing. To put it simply, the trio is one of the Europe's more intriguing stoner/doom performers today. "Time," far exceeds expectations and situates Stonebirds as a band to keep an eye on.

05). Pänzer - "Fatal Command" (1738)

This is a similar beast to their debut- powerful but with melody, hard driving but never out and out thrash. If you are a fan of Priest, Hammerfall, Accept and of course Destruction, there will be plenty for you to enjoy here. Classic heavy metal with a modern stainless steel sheen.

04). Enslaved - ‘E’ (2045)

‘E’ could very well be the foundation for yet another great era in a discography that is already ludicrously loaded with top-tier albums.  It is a  shift made with finesse and the second half of “Storm Son” could be the basis for a whole new era of Enslaved on its own.

03). All Pigs Must Die - "Hostage Animal" (2179)

The riffs are ceaseless as Wentworth and Izzi vary from much faster chords into a war chorus of tonality. And the results are gripping at every second. It, like previous selections, is potent with APMD's militancy. Best of all, APMD made the wait well worth it.

02). Blut Aus Nord - "Deus Salutis Meae" (2381)

What is truly most evident is an extreme music group that will not be bound to definitions, or at least is willing to experiment to ascend beyond what we think we know of a genre.

01). Primitive Man - "Caustic" (2989)

"Caustic" is an ambitious project, among the band's longest and most complex to date. Like their past work, the group explores nihilism in sound that rivals some of the most hopeless metal you've heard. That unrelenting quicksand of guitars and bass is here, as are those vocals of your nightmares.  Primitive Man offer up some of its most excellent music to date, making this sprawling and charging full length worth the wait.

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  October 2017’s “SOUR 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Andre Almaraz, Mark Ambrose, Ernesto Aguilar, Daniel Jackson, Theron Moore, Charlie Bulter & Ralka Skjerseth

ALBUM REVIEW: Wormwood - "Mooncurse"

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Full length
Date Released:20/10/2017

Label: Translation Loss Records

Wormwood's performance on "Mooncurse" is doom in the purest sense. Purposeful pacing and incredibly weighty riffs aplenty.  As you make your way to "Passage of Fire," Wormwood's greatest traits are on full display: an impeccable grasp of timing, dark musical sequences and undefeatable heaviness

 

"Mooncurse" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Infinite Darkness

2. The Undesirables

3. Forlorn

4. Mooncurse

5. Parasitic Twin

6. Burn the Psychic Vision

7. Passage of Fire

The Review:

Terms like 'supergroup' are so overused that it is near impossible to truly quantify it with anything real. Shouldn't bands from which players come from reach a particular echelon, sales threshold or, well, something? So when a fantastic band like Boston's Wormwoodgets the term hung on it, one has to resist the meaninglessness of the phrase, and instead focus on its gifts.

In the case of Wormwood, those gifts come from both intense chemistry and superlative musicianship. Drummer Chris Bevilacqua and guitarist Chris Pupecki, previously known from local act Doomriders, offered up Wormwood's self-titled debut EP in 2014. The heaviness of that premiere was so warmly received that hopes rose for Wormwood'sreturn. Three years and two new members – Mike Gowell, previously of Phantom Glue, on guitar and Greg Weeks, previously of Red Chord, on bass – later, and Wormwoodstrikes back, with the 's' word bandied about, and an impressive new album, "Mooncurse," to show for it.

When it was a duo, the band was particularly effective at setting a claustrophobic mood through distortion, rhythm and harrowing effects. Now as a quartet, Wormwoodredoubles this commitment by making even richer sounds in this regard. Wormwoodtouches down with "Infinite Darkness," whose haunting strings set up what becomes quickly a throttling opening cut. Into "The Undesirables," previewed for this album, you hear a prime example of how much larger Wormwoodsound with its extra hands and more much more penetrating approach. The pacing of this song and lyrics make it a standout. Meanwhile, "Forlorn," which follows it, a striking instance of a change up that does not sound out of place or confusing; cresting slowly, the song's guitar assault comes in fits and starts, at first with an almost folk-style chord progression into a much more rapacious attack.

Wormwood's performance on "Mooncurse" is doom in the purest sense. Even its fastest playing is in the spirit of some of the best offerings this year. Purposeful pacing and incredibly weighty riffs aplenty. A song like "Burn the Psychic Vision" is such a great listen because it is well arranged, with drums and bass that luxuriously creep through your mind's eye. The new double guitar lineup adds depth to this cut, as well as to entries such as "Parasitic Twin" and the title track. As you make your way to "Passage of Fire," Wormwood's greatest traits are on full display: an impeccable grasp of timing, dark musical sequences and undefeatable heaviness. Whether you subscribe to the supergroup tag or not, Wormwoodlives up to the road it cut in its debut, and then some, with a full-length to be appreciated.

"Mooncurse" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Forfeit life to Wormwood and yield to their bludgeoning new track "The Undesirables"

Rewind almost 3 years and a couple of old friends got together to make a heavy depressing/empowering racket. Formed by Chris Pupecki perhaps better known as guitarist in Doomridersand their original drummer Chris Bevilacqua, these Boston natives debuted their self titled EP, via PATAC Records/ Magic Bullet Records, 5 tracks that were driven by a bestial, hard-hitting mid-tempo grind and a distinctly unpolished, ugly, and bottomless bass rumble, the discordant ooze of guitars with effect-laden sludge atmospherics that consistently unsettled you with brutally effective tritonal dissonance before spacing you out with smooth doomed slow jam riffs.  

WORMWOOD's debut was a  sonic nightmare from, a dark, psychedelic journey of fuzzed out doom metal and stoner-dirge riffs that shattered all pre-conceptions… WORMWOODpours out of your stereo like a plague of carrion insects and  make no mistake the pedigree of this band is mouth watering, with members of Phantom Glue and The Red Chord rounding off this quartet.  Now following 3 years in the wilderness,  on October 20^th 2017, WORMWOOD will issue their debut full length “Mooncurse” on Translation Loss Records, arguably the best underground label on the scene today and we recently caught up with the band to get the low down on new record. 

"It's less standard "doom" this time around and now has elements of sludge, some psychedelic moments, guitar harmonies, quieter pretty parts and even a couple noise rock moments. All in all though I feel it blends together nicely without sounding like a patchwork of genres and it still retains the darkness, anger and bite of our original release, just maybe more interesting ear candy happening now."

"It does have an apocalyptic feel or a feel of isolation/rejection/depression that tends to come up lyrically as well as sonically. I truly believe playing heavy music is the greatest therapy in the world, and so for me, all the darkest stuff in the recesses of my mind seems to come up and kind of release while I play and I always feel better afterwards...for a little while at least."

With a release date set for 20/10/2017, a new label and preorders for the record already open (here), you can get your first taste of the new record with an exclusive stream of the track “The Undesirables” below, which is unapologetically crushing. We hope you dig it. Forfeit life to WORMWOOD

Live Rituals

Direct support for ALL PIGS MUST DIE
10/19 - Saint Vitus, NY
10/20 - Great Scott, Allston, MA

Band info: facebook