In Gnod We Trust

Mesmerizing drone that I can only classify as shamanic tribal chanting. Based in the UK with an ever-changing list of band members, the group's recorded output is as varied and frequent as the influx of new musicians into the fray. Hard to describe other than as a musical collective much akin to the psilocybin-laced drum circles you may remember from college twenty years ago. Needless to say, this album is a perfect companion for your next venture into the hallucinogenic world. The band's founder (and only consistent member), Paddy Shine keeps a few websites active with news about the band and their releases/gigs/whatever - check 'em out here and here.

We are many, they are few

Shorter Vocal Chord Blues

Ear-piercing, doom-laden sludge from up I-95 in the D.C. suburbs, Salome's final LP is a quality bookend to a half-decade run in extreme music. A lot has been written about their lead singer, the relatively attractive Kat Katz (currently screaming for Agoraphobic Nosebleed) pretty much because, well, she's a relatively attractive blonde singing for Salome. I gotta be honest though, after the initial visual she just doesn't do it for me. The music is fucking awesome, hands down. But the vocals just seem thin and no matter how I try I just can't get around being somewhat irritated by them. Some old school growler/screamer in there (Jacob Bannon from Converge comes to mind) and I think the band would have really been something else. But I digress from my petty (and aberrant considering the band's diehard fanbase) bitching, it's a quality album - every song is a keeper, even the twenty-minute noise/drone opus "An Accident Of History". Enjoy.

Epidemic

Basement Split

Here is a curious little item courtesy of Argentina's Chainfuck Records. Two obscure Córdoba bands doing their best to keep the DIY lo-fi spirit going with an mp3-only split release. Starting this one off is a lo-fi grind/noise project (I assume it's just one guy) named Bisected. While the first track is pretty much a throwaway, I found myself really digging the second, "Kommandant Orgy." I can't remember what song it's completely derivative of (maybe something by Slayer?) but it still has a cool groove and kept me interested for the 46 seconds it runs. Aileen Wuornos is a self-described one-man "crust-grind-metal-lofi-cyber" project but I found his material wallowing more in the sludge/drone genre. A waaaay overused sample from Peter Jackson's Bad Taste opens the feedback-laden cacophony of howls - nothing too special but perfectly listenable. I actually enjoyed some of his other releases (particularly "Sonic Pressure") - check out another one here here and enjoy.

Descargar

Suicide Forest

Hailing from the primitive woodland known as Salem, Oregon, münn plays an oppresively slow dirge/drone/sludge/doom stew a la Otesanek and Khanate (not surprisingly most of the band is comprised of members from similar-genred labelmates Ancestørtøøth). Recorded February 27, 2008, the hour-long rehearsal set opens with the epic 45-minute "Selbstmordwald (Part I)" - a seemingly endless journey through pain and suffering which rarely gets boring (and even speeds up for a few seconds here and there). "In Defeat" follows, beginning as a wicked sludgy groove that slowly deconstructs into a slower, feedback/effect-screaming threnody. "Drone" closes the session, a 10-minute wall of amplified noise. Really powerful stuff, as obscure as it is heavy. Sadly, with the suicide of bassist Joris Brinkerhoff in 2009 the band ceased to be. R.I.P.

In Defeat

Desolation

In the mood for some suicidal, desperate, bleak-ass drone? In the cancerous vein of Otesanek (who I'm sure were inspired by these guys) comes Khanate - the eminent purveyors of absolutely minimalist doomcore. Somewhat of a sludge supergroup comprised of members from Burning Witch (vocalist with whom you'll definitely hear his influence), OLD and Blind Idiot God; Khanate slowed the tempo even more and upped the feedback. Of course - as with all bands of this ilk - there's a point reached where the song just turns into background noise but Khanate keeps it somewhat fresh with a chord change here and there and some pretty psychotic vocal nuances. Keep skinning those cats guys. Try to enjoy.

Go Viral

Meeses

I'm probably not the only one out there who still mourns last year's passing of the incredible Sludge Swamp. A part of me still occasionally stops by their sadly dry Facebook page in hopes it will someday re-emerge as the music juggernaut it once was but with the lack of any regular posts it just seems like an ever-dwindling pipe dream. I can't tell you how many bands (100? 200?) I am now a fan of thanks to the guys (and gal) who ran that shit. Actually, if I could come up with one complaint about the site (and this is being ridiculously petty) it was the incredible amount of volume that was uploaded. Before you even had a chance to finish checking out one band another would appear. And since a lot of it was dedicated to the sludge genre, a lot of these tunes pushed into the 10-minute mark - not quick (or easy) listens to determine whether you were into a band or not. Fortunately the blog held frequent compilation contests, one of my favorite being the Heavy Like The Moose volumes. Doom, drone, prog rock, stoner, sludge, psychedelic, and just bare bones metal, these five compilations will easily cover you for your next 12-hour road trip. Quality varies somewhat but most is pretty good, enjoy and thanks for the memories 'Swamp.

I II III IV V

Currently watching: Weasels Rip My Flesh

Currently listening to: Macabre Dahmer

Utter despair

Part of the burgeoning cult of mega-slow metal bands falling somewhere in between sludge and funeral doom, with a nod to the style bands like Grief pioneered in the early 90's; Otesanek take it a step further, slowing the pace even more painfully to such a level that at some point it must be deemed "drone doom". Otesanek are certainly champions of the style, on the eponymous CD above they degrade it to the slowest pace possible and deliver churning, heavy, sluggish shit; so slow and ponderous a 40-minute album fits but two songs. The drums plod along, primitively smashing near random beats. The vocals trade off growls, gurgles, and screams. The guitars are downtuned, filthy sludge riffs. It is bleak, miserable minimalism at its best. (thanks to stonetotem for review notes and Sludge Swamp (who else?) for the link).

Taste the bleakness