ALBUM REVIEW: Hollow Leg, "Civilizations"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/01/2019

Label: Argonauta Records

This Florida outfit come on like a freight train- an unstoppable band channelling the spirit of early High on Fire

“Civilizations” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Litmus
2. Dirt Womb
3. Mountains of Stone
4. Black Moon
5. Hunter and the Hunted
6. Intro
7. Chimera
8. Akasha
9. Exodus

The Review

This Florida outfit come on like a freight train- an unstoppable band channelling the spirit of early High on Fire but moving a little slower. From the opening pounding of “Litmus”, you expect sludge and that's what you get.

That said, there is much more to this record- acoustic guitars and clean vocals on “Black Moon” are just the start. There is a fair amount of stoner-ish atmosphere (“Hunter and the Hunted”, “Intro”) and some really cracking riffs. The production and mix are great; weighty and pleasing to listen to and the tempos are not just one slow pace. There are some real head-nodders in here too; “Chimera” is one of them and it utilises a mid-paced but oddly groovy approach. 

If you prefer a bit of gloom, then “Akasha” covers it well with some very doomy sounds that will appeal to even the most ardent Sabbath purist. The closing close-to-eight-minutes of “Exodus” is an expansive finish to a blinding record.

Hollow Leg inhabit the same kind of space as High on Fire (first album) but also cover the territory of Sleep, The Sword (early) and other bands who are on the doom/stoner/sludge spectrum whilst not quite fitting into one bracket. Recommended and really good.

“Civilizations” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TOP 16 MOST POPULAR ALBUMS OF 2018 SO FAR.... THE SOUR 16 (JAN - JULY 2018)

It has been hectic 2018 to say the least, so forgive me readers for I have sinned, it has been 6 months since our last SOUR 16, and our usual presentation of the 16 most popular albums of the month.  So given that I have failed to deliver the chart for the last six month, I’ve decided to present not only the most albums of the 7 months , but also the individual charts for the months you missed.  So by my reckoning that 112 albums for you to check out.  So apologises normal services is resumed, here is our TOP 16  MOST POPULAR ALBUMS OF 2018 SO FAR and the SOUR 16 (JAN - JULY 2018)

Here’s a quick recap, 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. (Total views are highlighted in brackets)

16). Black Label Society, “Grimmest Hits” (2134)

15). Tribulation, “Down Below” (2249)

14). Harakiri for the Sky, “Arson” (2504)

   
13). Phantom Winter, “Into Dark Science” (2532)

12). Fu Manchu, “Clone of the Universe” (2657)

 
11). Verheerer, “Maltrer” (3504)

   
10). Somali Yacht Club, “The Sea” (3651)

   
9). Witchcryer, “Cry Witch” (3884)

   
8). Earthless, “Black Heaven” (4071)

7). Monster Magnet, “Mindfucker” (4744)

6). Forktail, “Forktail” (5194)

5). Sleep, “The Sciences” (5931)

4). Hooded Menace, “Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed” (5924)

   
3). Winterfylleth, “The Hallowing of Heirdom” (9958)

   
2). Amorphis, “Queen of Time” (15574)

1). Wolftooth, “Wolftooth” (19820)

June/July 2018

16). Aseethe / Snow Burial, “Split” (413)

15). Witchsorrow, “Hexenhammer” (415) 

14). Drug Cult, Drug Cult” (451)

13). Witch Mountain, “Witch Mountain” (463)

12). Grave Lines, “Fed Into The Nihilist Engine” (503)

11). Uniform & The Body, “Mental Wounds Not Healing” (517)

10). Smock, “Interstellar Nobody” (520)

9). Wytchhazel, “II: Sojourn” (535)

8). Yob, “Our Raw Heart” (649)

7). Tomb Warden, “Reflection of the Mistake” (690)

6). Dopethrone, “Transcanadian Anger” (702)

5). Acid Priest, “Drop Out” (771)

4). Orange Goblin, “The Wolf Bites Back” (1097)

3). Cult of Occult, “Anti-Life” (1129)

2). Churchburn, “None Shall Live...The Hymns of Misery” (1305)

1). Bongripper, “Terminal” (1963)

May 2018

16). Tunguska Mammoth, “Breathless” (465)

15). Garganjua, “Through The Void” (477)

14). Mol, “Jord” (500)

13). Behemoth, “Messe Noire” (521)

12). Skinless, “Savagery” (580)

11). Cist, “The Frozen Casket” (581)

10). Iron Void, “Excalibur” (615)

9). Bong, “Thought & Existence” (709)

8). Wychhound, “Earth Orbiter” (730)

7). Chrch, “The Light Will Consume Us” (847)

6). Barst, “The Endeavour” (909)

5). LLNN, “Deads” (942)

4). Morag Tong, “Last Knell of Om” (997)

3). Nibiru, “Netrayoni” (2018) (1040)

2). Speedclaw, “Beast In The Mix” (1123)

1). Amorphis, “Queen of Time” (15574)

April 2010

16). Vomitor, “Pestilent Death” (428)

15). Boss Keloid, “Melted on the Inch” (438)

14). My Silent Wake, “There Was Death” 510)

13). Beneath Oblivion, “The Wayward & The Lost” (537)

12). Conjurer, “Mire” (565)

11). Will Haven, “Muerte”(610)

10).Foehammer, “Second Sight” (641)

9). Judas Priest, “Firepower” (721)

8). Hashteroid, “Hashteroid” (975)

7). Lychgate, “The Contagion in Nine Steps” (1000)

6). Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard & Slomatics, “Totems” (1084)

5). Eagle Twin, “The Thundering Heard” (1090)

4). Ulvesang, “The Hunt” (1189)

3). Aerosol Jesus, “Failure” (1444)

2). Sleep, “The Sciences” (5931)

1). Winterfylleth, “The Hallowing of Heirdom” (9958)

March 2018

16). Vile Creature, “Cast of Static & Smoke” (498)

15). Blheg, “Solarmegin” (527)

14). Dead Empires, “Designed To Disappear” (598)

13). Ilsa, “Corpse Fortress” (617)

12). Mournful Congregation, “The Incubus of Karma” (668)

11). Hemelbestormer, “A Ring of Blue Light” (683)

10). Solleme, “The Infinite Violence” (888)

9). Rivers of Nihil, “Where Owls Know My Name” (969)

8). Leechfeast, “Neon Crosses” (1053)

7). Ministry, “AmeriKKKant” (1210)

6).Blaze Bayley, “The Redemption of William Black (Infinite Entanglement Part III)” (1308)

5). Coilguns, “Millenials” (1437)

4). Ancst, “Ghosts of the Timeless Void” (1727)

3). Earthless, “Black Heaven” (4071)

2). Monster Magnet, “Mindfucker” (4744)

1). Forktail, “Forktail” (5194)

February 2018

16). Marriage + Cancer, “Marriage + Cancer” (763)

15). Cultus Profano, “Sacramentum Obscurus” (845)

14). Lowered, “Lowered“(890)

13). Oryx, “Stolen Absolution” (897)

12). Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, “Choosing Mental Illness Is A Virtue” (926)

11). Green Lung, “Free The Witch” (962)

10). Mammoth Grinder, “Cosmic Crypt” (1264)

9). Keiji Haino & Sumac, “American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On” (1336)

8). Necrophobic, “Mark of the Necrogram” (1394)

7). Windhand / Satan’s Satyrs, “Self Titled” Split (1431)

6). Against The Grain, “Cheated Death” (1507)

5). Visigoth, “Conquerer’s Oath” (1709)

4). Harakiri for the Sky, “Arson” (2504)

3). Phantom Winter, “Into Dark Science” (2532)            

2). Fu Manchu, Clone of the Universe” (2657)

1). Verheerer, “Maltrer” (3504)

January 2018

16). Greber, “Cemetary Preston” (731)

15). Corrosion of Conformity, “No Cross No Crown” (751)

14). Greyfell, “Horsepower” (786)

13). Agrimonia, “Awaken” (805)

12). Haunt, “Luminous Eyes” (EP) (826))

11). Possessor, “The Ripper” (872)

10). Come to Grief / Fistula & Fistula / (16) Splits (946)

9). Druid Lord, “Grotesque Offerings” (956)

8. Watain, “Trident Wolf Eclipse” (999)

7). King Buffalo, “Repeater” (1397)

6). Black Label Society, “Grimmest Hits” (1665)

5). Wolftooth, “Wolftooth” (1723)

4). Tribulation, “Down Below” (2047)

3). Somali Yacht Club, “The Sea” (2388)

2). Witchcryer, “Cry Witch” (3676)

1). Hooded Menace, “Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed” (5646)

ALBUM REVIEW: Witch Mountain, "Witch Mountain"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/05/2018

Label: Svart Records

The record can most certainly be filed amongst Witch Mountain's best and will slot right into the collections of doom heads alongside The Wounded Kings, Electric Wizard, Cathedral, Castle and so on. This is slow and bluesy doom of the finest vintage with a vocalist who is fantastic.

“Witch Mountain” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Midnight

2). Mechanical World

3). Burn You Down

4). Hellfire

5). Nighthawk

The Review:

A doom institution of the last twenty years, Witch Mountain are back with their first full length post Uta Plotkin's departure. Kayla Dixon has stepped up to the mic and she absolutely delivers a vocal tour de force on this low, slow record. The bass is as deep as a mine shaft (supplied by another new addition to the line up- Justin Brown) and the whole sound consists of self assured performances alongside a very big sound.

Whether you will like this album depends entirely on your liking of doom; if you like Sabbath, you will probably like this. Likewise, if you like Sleep... ditto. Hell, even those at the more sludge end of the doom spectrum will find much to enjoy here. Dixon employs a ferocious growl at times to go with her crystal clear soulful vocals (double tracked for effect at times) which should appeal to all sides of the doom coin.

It's not perfect- the pace is uniformly slow and the fact that there are only five tracks here might irk some listeners- even if track five edges towards the fifteen minute mark! Opener “Midnight” tells you much of what you  need to know about the new record; it's weighty and atmospheric in equal measure, while utilising a lot of what is best about the genre in terms of sound and themes. From there, “Mechanical World” successfully captures the right mood and the record is starting to take firm form.

The sound is darker for “Burn You Down” and the pace is no quicker. “Hellfire” offers up a two and a half minute interlude of acoustic and folksy melancholy which acts as the perfect bridge to what is the grand finale.

Clearly, the closing “Nighthawk” is the heavy artillery here; a sprawling epic of huge proportions- but the rest of the album fits together perfectly and the five tracks absolutely work as a whole piece. The record can most certainly be filed amongst Witch Mountain's best and will slot right into the collections of doom heads alongside The Wounded Kings, Electric Wizard, Cathedral, Castle and so on. This is slow and bluesy doom of the finest vintage with a vocalist who is fantastic.

“Witch Mountain” 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 Tong exist. Ironically, when I first became somewhat smitten with Morag Tongs sound 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 Tong touch 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 Tong sound 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 Tong excel 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 Sleep and 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

FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: Riffs of Canada with Hashteroid [Vancouver, British Columbia]

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/04/2018

Label: Independent

Hashteroid’s self titled album is truly one of the most enjoyable experiences one can have from heavy music in 2018.

“Hashteroid” DD track listing:

1). Freak Power

2). Black Tide

3). Stan the Wolfman

4). Green Caramel

5). Godspeed Below

6). Cool Ghost

7). ...Return to Hash Planet

The Review:

From the outset, Hashteroid’s self titled record seems like an average stoner metal experience. From the album’s artwork aesthetic, to the band’s implied interests in psychedelics, the listener gears themselves for another exercise in Sleep worship. Once the music starts however, all of these pre-conceived notions are gone. From the sheer speed, guitar solos, and focus on song melody, “Hashteroid” is an experience impossible to pin down to one genre. “Hashteroid” is an album that is forward thinking, but packs enough nostalgia to speak to die hard Mötorhead fans. If you’re looking for a truly unique experience in heavy music, look no further than “Hashteroid”, it is abundantly filled with riffs of all kinds. From the thundering rock and roll of “Freak Power” and “Godspeed Below”, to the doomier “Stan the Wolfman” and “Cool Ghost”, there is something for everyone. Each track transitions between multiple riffs, constantly keeping the listener on its toes.

None of this would be work, however, if it weren’t for great song writing by the band as a whole. The band has a great understanding of how to utilize pace, and how to properly incorporate guitar effects. Songs like “Godspeed Below” are elevated with the bands ability to incorporate small subtleties throughout.  Hashteroid’s debut record breathes new life into heavy music, while at the same time striking the right amount of nostalgia listeners love from retro metal. Hashteroid’s self titled album is truly one of the most enjoyable experiences one can have from heavy music in 2018.

“Hashteroid” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook