TOP 16 ALBUMS: The Sour 16 (July 2017)

Olde

Yes, it is that time again O ye lover of riffs, “THE SOUR 16” returns.  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 THE SLUDGELORD Headquarters.

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). Entrails - “World Inferno” (370)

I can't find any fault with this album from intense opener to epic closer of “The Blood Breed”, the band don't put a foot wrong. This is raging death metal, plain and simple

15). Viscera/// - “3: Release Yourself Through Desperate Rituals” (373)

"If one were forced to classify the band’s current sound, post-metal might be the safest category, but even that vaguely defined subgenre does not quite do the band justice, as it fails to mention the strains of psychedelia, black metal, hardcore, death metal and the band’s grind roots to are still very present in VISCERA///

14). Eternal Black - "Bleed The Days" (374)

The sheer weight of the riffs will indeed threaten to pull you under, as they deliver just the right amount of menace to go with the fuzz. There is a hefty dose of soul in the music here, along with a pervading blackness.

13). Norska - "Too Many Winters" (393)

“Too Many Winters” is a captivating collection of powerful doom steeped in Norska’s unorthodox and compelling personality.

12). Cloud Rat/Disrotted - "Split LP" (413)

This is an awe-inspiring release from two incredible bands who can seemingly do no wrong at the moment and continue to deliver an embarrassment of heavy riches in 2017.

11). Goatwhore - "Vengeful Ascension" (458)

“Forsaken” jumps out of your speakers and down your throat and suffocates and entertains the listener in the best way possible. There’s nothing quite like what this band can deliver – the riffs, vocals and drumming is first class and unique

10). God Dethroned - ‘The World Ablaze’ (466)

If you’re a longtime fan like me, this album is everything you’d want and then some. ‘The World Ablaze’ is all of the best elements of the God Dethroned’s entire discography amalgamated into a single album.

9). God Root - "Salt and Rot" (518)

God Root have managed to craft one of the most ambitious, progressive, and emotionally harrowing offerings of 2017.  The cosmic journey of “Salt and Rot” is one that will leave you shaken to your fleeting, human core.

8). Voivod - "RRRÖÖÖAAARRR", "Killing Technology", "Dimension Hatröss" (Reissues) (534)

7). Wounded Giant - "Vae Victis" (581)

there are moments of majestic riffing and an impressive amount of variation on offer

6). Owlcrusher - "Owlcrusher" (697)

With three tracks spread across 45 minutes, each song embraces sprawl and space: the reverb heavy drum tone pounds like the pulse of a leviathan.  The low end guitar tone crackles with fuzz, while the bass rumbles so menacingly that, with the right sound system, you may get your guts churning like you’ve just been forced to smoke a whole pack of unfiltered cigarettes – you’ve got the cold sweats, your insides feel poisoned, and you’re probably gonna puke, but god damn it you’re hooked

5). Destroyer of Light - "Chamber of Horrors" (719)

I will have to say that this album falls into an epic category for its great compositions, the honest heart involved in creating such a journey of ebb and flow, the range of emotion that continues what true music is about; music that continues what early St. Vitus and Trouble were doing, but DoL are creating it their own way.

4). Cirith Ungol- "King of the Dead"(Ultimate Edition) (724)

It's a very engaging listen, 33 years on and is an absolute must have for any fan of doom- or anyone looking at how the genre started to really form into something (along with the work of Vitus, Trouble et al).  An essential album and a worthy reissue. Enrich your record collection and your life by buying it!

3). Melvins - "A Walk With Love & Death"(727)

On “A Walk with Love and Death”, the Melvins do both things that their cultish fans love about them, and do them both damn well.

2). Venomous Maximus - "No Warning" (731)

In some places on the album, those qualities are phrased in the same ways that fans have come to expect, and so admirably, but in other spots on “No Warning”, Venomous Maximus explore new ways to do that which they’ve always done: create infectiously and wonderfully diabolical music.

1). Olde - "Temple" (866)

Olde’s “Temple” is doom metal done the way it should be. It is well-crafted, forward-thinking, and a contender for one of the best records of the year.

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  July 2017’s “SOUR 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Daniel Jackson, Charlie Butler, Ben Fitts, Mark Ambrose, Mark Tremblay, Jay Hampshire, Jack Taylor & Eric Crowe.

ALBUM REVIEW: Wounded Giant - "Vae Victis"

By: Jay Hampshire

Album Type:Full Length

Date Released:01/04/2017

Label:STB Records

there are moments of majestic riffing and an impressive amount of variation on offer

“Vae Victis” DD//CD//LP track listing

1. Vae Victis (9:30)

2. Dysthiest (6:20)

3. Immanentize The Eschaton (Jim Jones Instrumental) (4:43)

4. Scum Of The Earth (7:03)

5. The Room Of The Torch (7:36)

6. Green Scar (6:09)

The Review:

If you’re not up to snuff on your Latin, ‘Vae Victis’, the title of the second full length from Seattle based psych-doomsters Wounded Giant, roughly translates as “woe to the conquered”. While this might conjure images of a record full of mighty battle hymns and victorious fist-pumping metal, the six tracks and near hour of riffing tells a much different story.

The title track opens the show with a ghostly rush, approaching as if from a great distance. It’s loud and immediate, settling into a groove buoyed by tumbling, scattered toms and military snare roll snaps. The main riff grinds and thunders like a slightly slower Slomatics, loping along before locking in and slowing down into an Electric Wizardianbuzzing guitar line. When the band start to crawl it’s much more menacing, switching up into tension building section before dropping into a tasty groove with snatches of deep bass. There’s a lot of variation here, but it’s the conclusion of the track where things really pick up, a maze of twin wandering guitars.

‘Dystheist’is all scuzzy bass and tribal drumming, growling feedback and swaggering guitars pitching the band between a slightly lighter Conan and a less woolly Mastodon. ‘Immanentize The Eschaton’ (you kiss your mother with that mouth?) chimes like an old school Hammond organ, a wah heavy bass undertow and lazy drums joined by punchy chords and a pulsing synth loop, muddled in with vocal samples that too be honest is a tad tough to comprehend.  ‘Scum Of The Earth’ is swollen with sludgy weight, straining vocals riding out the deep, bluesy undertones, a muted chugging drive dragging us through. It’s less changeable and varied than the previous, but the psyched out guitar layers, droning vocals and frantic drumming make it seem like you’re falling into a tunnel of brown acid. ‘The Room Of The Torch’ shimmers and wavers, guitars tentatively licking in, forming into a righteous riff reminiscent of The Sword. Satisfying stuff, energetic and well executed, even if the climax is a little on the standard side.

‘Green Scar’is slow, foreboding and buzzy. Sighing vocals and striding riffs match pace with restless, cymbal heavy drums, but for the album’s zenith, it seems a little weak and directionless. The latter word is perhaps a decent, if harsh, summary of the record. While there are moments of majestic riffing and canny song structure here (and an impressive amount of variation), there’s no sense of real unification of purpose. Coupled with some vocals that err a little too much on the ‘spirited amateur’ side of things, some lyrics that are a little too ’14 year old writing in the back page of a school book’, plus a music scene saturated with bands doing this exact thing (and often better), and ‘Vae Victis’ more likely won’t find its way into your heavily rotated records.

“Vae Victis”is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook