ALBUM REVIEW: Eye Flys, "Tub of Lard"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/03/2020

Label: Thrill Jockey Records

“Tub of Lard” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Tubba Lard

2). Guillotine

3). Predator and Prey

4). Not Ready for Tomorrow

5). Reality Tunnel

6). Nice Guy

7). Chapel Perilous

8). Extraterrestrial Memorandum

9). BLS

10). Perception is Gamble

The Review:

We are living in strange, troubling times. Times when people are uncertain of their futures, unsure of their safety and health. And yet out of Philadelphia comes Eye Flys, who somehow thought it to be the perfect time to release this irresponsibly heavy album, when the world needs peace and reassurance more than ever before. For shame!  Shame on Eye Flys, shame on Thrill Jockey Records for providing them an outlet, and shame on myself for loving every minute of it.

“Tub of Lard”, the debut full length from the Philadelphia quartet, is an exercise in brutality from start to finish.  On first listen, I came very close to breaking out a window from sheer excitement and the urge to break into a full mosh. It's that kind of record.  A familiar hardcore attitude is coupled perfectly with the cacophonous noise of modern sludge, creating a sound that demands your time and energy. With grooves that are just as hook filled as they are destructive, I find it hard to imagine what metal head would not be into this album.

Kicking off with the (almost) eponymous banger, “Tubba Lard”, Eye Flys begins crushing skulls from the get go. With very little preparation or warning, this album jumps right into a full-fledged mosh fest. Seriously, be aware of your surroundings when you start this bad boy up. You don't want any accidents to occur when the groove overcomes you. Right from the start, Eye Flys decides on the brutal beating that it will deliver and does not waver throughout the album's torturously brief twenty five minute run time.  Really that's my one complaint. Every track on this album is a winner, and I could do with a few more of them. I guess I like the abuse.

If you like heavy-ass, brawl inducing musical destruction, then “Tub of Lard” is most definitely worth a listen.  If you are especially prone to anger and violent outbursts in this odd, frightening nightmare we are living in, then I'd have to say give it a month or so. This one is not to be overlooked. Give a listen, but listen responsibly.

“Tub of Lard” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Sightless Pit, "Grave of a Dog"

By: Josh McIntyre

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/02/2020

Label: Thrill Jockey

“Grave of a Dog” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Kingscorpse
2. Immersion Dispersal
3. The Ocean Of Mercy
4. Violent Rain
5. Drunk On Marrow
6. Miles Of Chain
7. Whom The Devil Long Sought To Strangle
8. Love is Dead, All Love Is Dead

The Review:

This is not a metal album. That does not, however, make it any less heavy or nasty sounding. Sightless Pit consists of Lee Buford (The Body), Kristin Hayter (Lingua Ignota), and Dylan Walker (Full of Hell) and it is a deep exploration of the more electronic elements of each project’s respective sound. All three artists have been at the forefront of underground heavy music for years now and I would argue that this success has been aided by this shared interest in adding sampled effects, drum machine beats, and other sounds that really sets them apart from other sludge, grindcore, and noise musicians. There’s also the fact that these artists already have a bond as they have consistently toured together and collaborated. “Grave of a Dog” is the result of a strong chemistry between three artists leaning on each other to discover exciting possibilities with the music that they create. 

So the existence of Sightless Pit comes as no surprise to fans. Once the first song dropped on the public (“Kingscorpse”) I saw comparisons to the previous Full of Hell/The Body albums being made online, oftentimes with a sense of disappointment that new ideas weren’t apparent. Thankfully, these predictions are very wrong. One only needs to proceed to track two to see that this is a unique record. Every song has its own character, by far more so than most albums. Drum loops range from hip-hop grooves to militaristic and harsh. Layers of piano, synth, and distortion guide the album and give songs their melodic purpose. Dylan and Kristin both perform vocals throughout, adding their own timbres to already complex layers of sound. One of the most interesting parts is when autotune is added to Kristin’s melismatic singing in “Violent Rain”, somehow making it sound even more emotional in a fashion that recalls Kanye West’s outro in “Runaway”.

As mentioned, all of these elements have been present in each members’ primary project to a degree but it’s the focus on them here that makes “Grave of a Dog” such a fascinating record. I can’t help but compare it to a zombified Portishead or Burial. They’ve been murdered, dug into the ground, and resurrected as horrifying and scarred bastards. This isn’t just in the crackled sounds, its emotion reeks of mournfulness and dread. Even the screams have a strong sense of sadness, if not desperation, in them. There isn’t a single sign of light to be seen and sometimes it’s raining. It’s truly cinematic. It feels like a film where a zombie is brought back to enact vengeance on its killer but ends up still feeling empty in a very human way. The titles certainly help to bring this to mind. 

My guess is that the three were chatting one day and simply decided to make a record between them as more of a fun thing to do rather than to make some flashy supergroup display. Whatever the case may be, “Grave of a Dog” is a phenomenal and thought-provoking project. It can easily compete with the various albums released between the trio’s other works. The difference is that there are no riffs here.

Similarities are more abound to Tim Hecker’s “Virgins” and Portishead’s “Third” than anything metal or punk. I adore it all the more because of this.

“Grave of a Dog” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Sumac. "Love In Shadow"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/09/2018

Label: Thrill Jockey Records

With “Love In Shadow” Sumac take further giant steps into the heavy unknown with glorious results. No-one else comes close to achieving the balance of razor-sharp precision and intoxicating chaos on display here which edges the band closer to being the finest project in these incredible musicians’ illustrious careers.

“Love In Shadow” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1). The Task

2). Attis’ Blade

3). Arcing Silver

4). Ecstasy of Unbecoming

The Review:   

The dust has barely settled from the sensory overload of Sumac’s intense improv blow-out with Keiji Haino earlier in 2018. Now the fearsome trio are back with their third proper full-length “Love In Shadow”. 

This is a dense and initially daunting record. Comprised of four mind-boggling complex tracks, ranging from the relatively brisk twelve minutes of “Arcing Silver” to the massive opening statement of “The Task” which slowly unfurls over twenty-two hypnotic minutes, “Love In Shadow” is not an easy ride but hugely rewarding. Every listen reveals new details of these mammoth compositions and it is easy to imagine more coming to light countless spins down the line.

“The Task” immediately finds Sumac in full flow, negotiating a tumbling noise rock landscape, crushingly heavy with a coarse serrated edge. The track evolves reverse to expectations, beginning with a clanging cacophony then slowly getting quieter and quieter until it reaches its conclusion. This makes for an intriguing journey and finds the band breaking exciting new sonic ground. As the volume and complexity dwindles, the music becomes more captivating as it moves into a sparse one note dirge, led first by Aaron Turner’s crackling guitar then by Brian Cook’s seismic bass. This acts as a backdrop for Turner to take an extended, improvised clean solo that has a disorientating jazz feel reminiscent of the weirder moments of their collaboration with Haino. This is the first instance of Sumac allowing their growing power as an improvisational force come to the fore on “Love In Shadow” to great effect. Just when you think “The Task” has nothing left to give, it moves into a haunting end section comprised of just keyboards and Turner’s lone wounded bark. It is the most affecting moment on the record and brings to mind Harvey Milk at their bleakest.

“Attis’ Blade” kicks off in classic Sumac fashion with Turner clanging out a driving one chord attack that sets the tone for a pummelling rhythm section accompaniment. The band’s focused onslaught is interrupted by a shift into a passage of electrifying free-form molten improvisation. Throughout all of their albums to date, the superhumanly tight musicianship of Sumac as they navigate labyrinthine riff constructions has been almost terrifying to behold. This is still evident throughout “Love In Shadow” but it is the uncanny almost telepathic connection between these three players as they destroy conventional forms that yields the records highlights. Nick Yacyshyn somehow manages to lay down rhythms that work as a solid foundation for Aaron Turner’s wild unhinged guitar outbursts while simultaneously shifting and lurching to their own unpredictable tempo. Brian Cook operates in the middle ground between these two mighty forces, relishing the freedom to lay down a thick layer of restless low-end carnage. The track shifts back into a menacing noise rock grind as it winds its way to its conclusion, all the more effective in contrast to the roiling din from which it was born.

Cook’s relentless one note riff jerks “Arcing Silver” into life, an uneasy, menacing groove that somehow manages to keep building up tension throughout the majority of its duration. When it finally breaks into furious blastbeats and feral roars at its climax, the effect is exhilarating. This demonstrates Sumac’s ability to judge when it is best to take a direct, bludgeoning path rather than opt for the more torturous route. Another example of this is in “Ecstasy of Unbecoming” when Turner’s searing solo fretboard meltdown is mowed down by the band ripping into their approximation of driving dumb punk rock. 

With “Love In Shadow” Sumac take further giant steps into the heavy unknown with glorious results. No-one else comes close to achieving the balance of razor-sharp precision and intoxicating chaos on display here which edges the band closer to being the finest project in these incredible musicians’ illustrious careers. 

“Love In Shadow” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Keiji Haino & Sumac, “American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On”

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/02/2018

Label: Thrill Jockey

“American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On” demonstrates there is chemistry between Keiji Haino and Sumac that results in dark magic and although the lack of structure and orchestrated riffage is initially disorientating, once immersed in the intense atmosphere of this unpredictable ride there is no turning back. 

“American Dollar Bill...” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On

2). What have I Done? (I Was Reeling In Something White and I Became Able to do Anything I Made a Hole Imprisoned Time Within it Created Friction Stopped Listening to Warnings Ceased Fixing my Errors Made the Impossible Possible? Turned Sadness Into Joy) Pt. 1

3). I'm Over 137% A Love Junkie And Still It's Not Enough Pt. 1

4). I'm Over 137% A Love Junkie And Still It's Not Enough Pt. 2

5). What have I Done? (I Was Reeling In Something White and I Became Able to do Anything I Made a Hole Imprisoned Time Within it Created Friction Stopped Listening to Warnings Ceased Fixing my Errors Made the Impossible Possible? Turned Sadness Into Joy) Pt. 

The Review:

The jagged opening of “Image Of Control” from Sumac’s incredible “What One Becomes” LP hinted at an interest in more chaotic realms of musical expression. It’s no surprise to see they have found a kindred spirit in Keiji Haino, a veteran of free improvisation and explorer of the outer limits of noise. “American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On” documents the results of the meeting of these two sonic heavyweights for a session of unrehearsed, improvised mayhem in Tokyo.

While undoubtedly heavy, the five tracks that make up this LP sit more in Haino’s usual domain rather than Sumac’s. Coming at it as a fan of the latter, the lack of structure and orchestrated riffage is initially disorientating but once immersed in the intense atmosphere of this unpredictable ride there is no turning back.

The title track is a 20 minute rollercoaster of shifting moods where both parties bring their own distinct essence to the table. Aaron Turner provides guitar that builds from disembodied ominous chords to pillars of furious noise and back again while Brian Cook rides the shifting waves with rumbling bass. Nick Yacyshyn demonstrates his mastery of the kit continues outside of his usual style, relishing the opportunity to freak out with bursts of octopus-limbed rolls and providing more subtle accompaniment during ambient passages. The most striking element in all of this is Haino’s vocal performance. From intense muttering to impassioned barking, Haino covers a startling range of sound that encompasses inhuman squeals and howls that are particularly unsettling against the unexpected calm at the centre of the track.

Parts 1 and 2 of “What have I Done? (I Was Reeling In Something White and I Became Able to do Anything I Made a Hole Imprisoned Time Within it Created Friction Stopped Listening to Warnings Ceased Fixing my Errors Made the Impossible Possible? Turned Sadness Into Joy)” are slabs of full tilt insanity with each player thrashing their instrument to within an inch of its life. Each one breaks down into a stuttering groove that threatens to coerce into a riff but collapses back into noise-ridden uncertainty once more.

Part 1 of “I'm Over 137% A Love Junkie and Still It's Not Enough Pt. I” is the closest this record comes to a standard track. Haino and Sumac create a warped lullaby that sits somewhere between a jazzy shuffle and a slowcore lament. The bizarre vocals complete the otherworldly feel, as if the players were providing the music behind the red curtains in the Black Lodge. Part 2 erupts into a pummelling racket that comes across like broken grindcore before falling back into the weird ambience of Part 1.

“American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On” demonstrates there is a strange chemistry between Keiji Haino and Sumac that results in dark magic. Hopefully another meeting is on the cards soon to see how far they can push into the beyond.

“American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On”

is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: The Body & Full of Hell - "Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/11/2017

Label: Thrill Jockey

The Body and Full of Hell have created an album not easily forgotten

"Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Light Penetrates

2. Earth is a Cage

3. The King Laid Bare

4. Didn't the Night End

5. Our Love Conducted with Shields Aloft

6. Master's Story

7. Farewell, Man

8. I Did Not Want to Love You So

The Review:

Split 7-inchers are everywhere. For great reason: they're easier for bands to issue are less costly than solo pressing, and they keep one's name out there. In the case of experimental metal act Full of Hell, though, it is not enough to simply put out music with others. The quartet, which pitches punk, death metal, noise, black metal and avant garde into its blender, has generated lots of attention for full-on collaborations with others, to impressive results.

Full of Hell's 2014 recording with Japanese noise master Merzbow was widely hailed as a superb achievement. The collab was easily one of the most indurated pairings in recent memory; its ultra-short tracks clocked in at under a minute, and were nothing less than an airplane propeller of bluster and apoplexy. Full of Hell followed that effort up with "One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache," a 2016 collaboration with Providence, Rhode Island sludgers The Body. It turned out to be one of last year's better albums, showing up far better than most probably expected at least. The Body and Full of Hell return as a Legion of Doom once again, with this year's "Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light."

Much like "One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache," The Body and Full of Hell combine for a sound on the upcoming album that is related to doom and sludge in only the slightest ways. You may hear a chord here or a muddy bass there. Rather, "Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light" is definitely more in the wheelhouse of Full of Hell, for fans of its intense brand of grindcore. Even if that is not quite for you, extreme music aficionados are sure to find something they like in disparate efforts included in "Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light."

What has always distinguished Full of Hell as well as The Body is boldness. The groups are willing to permit genres you would not normally hear together very often, including industrial, a touch of electronic and, of course, mountains of hard guitars. "Light Penetrates" the opener, is a great instance of this. The oscillating guitar and drums quite nearly brush an indie vibe until the blitzkrieg vocals and curtain of sound crash in. As they build to a crescendo, those screams are going to stick with you. The vocals get even fiercer on "Earth is A Cage," which features its own unique effects. Presumably you are hearing The Body's Lee Buford's hand with some of the unusual elements. The Body has had its own nondenominational relationship with sludge, and has been seemingly more open than many to diversify its arrangements. The bands merge to creative music with impact on this track.

"The King Laid Bare" is among the release's most abrasive cuts, and it is seemingly where the release starts its most furious stretch. Where the Merzbow disc was unmatched in volume and "One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache" set a standard for the pairing's fervor, this song and "Didn't the Night End" raise the bar. However, instead of pure bombast, The Body and Full of Hell amalgamate the harsh guitars, drums and dissonance with noise rock trappings that ramp up the constriction you feel as you listen. It is hard to overstate just how taut that gets in "Our Love Conducted with Shields Aloft," where the drums are teeming and the screaming mirrors a sort of mania that rattles you from all directions.  When that trance-sort-of drum machine and in/out effect assaults you, it's pretty much over.

There are moments when the experimentation takes a little getting used to. "Master's Story" feels like a Ministry outtake that doesn't quite work as well as it sounds. "Farewell, Man" slips into this mode too. Fortunately enough, Full of Hell and The Body get back on track in time for the closing, "I Did Not Want to Love You So." It meanders through a doom or drone energy until it slams into its final note. Chances are, you will get into "Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light" understanding it will not be your typical metal record. The Body and Full of Hell make good on your assumptions, and make an album not easily forgotten.

"Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light" is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: The Body || Full of Hell

ALBUM REVIEW: Pontiak - "Dialectic of Ignorance"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/03/2017

Label: Thrill Jockey

“Dialectic of Ignorance” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Easy Does It

2). Ignorance Makes Me High

3). Tomorrow is Forgetting

4). Hidden Prettiness

5). Youth and Age

6). Dirtbags

7). Herb Is My Next Door Neighbor

8). We’ve Fucked This Up

The Review:

Discordant, heady riffing to the groove of a monotonous drum beat while a down and out singer gets lost in his own reverb are the building blocks for Pontiak’s new album, “Dialectic of Ignorance.” Dark and gloomy are key words here and though the music may not be heavy, it’s certainly weighty.

Such a post-punk stoner-gloom approach is rather consuming, and if you allow yourself to get lost in it all, Pontiak will swallow you up with their heavy handed rhythms. The drummer’s control on the bell of his ride is second to none. The constant pinging may be “too much” at times, but that’s also the point. This is how Pontiak walks that fine line of over-indulgence without losing focus on the task at hand which, in case you forgot, is to swallow the listener whole.

If that’s your bag, then this album is highly recommended. Don’t rush through it; let the tunes come to you. That’s how they’ll make the most impact.

“Dialectic of Ignorance” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Live Review: Oxbow, SUMAC @ Brudenell Social Club. 26/04/2017 Leeds, UK

By: Aaron Pickford & Charlie Butler

Few could argue that Aaron Turner has been one of the strongest advocates for the promotion and composition of heavy music over the last 20 years. Musician, artist and founder of the highly regarded Hydra Head Records, Turner has played a pivotal role in the release of countless classic albums, but it seemed that with the demise of the revered band ISIS (band), perhaps Turner’s appetite for producing suffocating heaviness would end too.

Whilst Tuner was far from inactive in music since ISIS (band), Turner would re-emerge on his own terms alongside drummer Nick Yacyshyn with a new project and they set about creating some of the heaviest music they had ever written, indeed over the course of two albums, their debut “The Deal” and 2016’s “What One Becomes” SUMAC's music seamlessly weaves between periods of crushing heaviness, fragile calm, hypnotic repetition and mind-bending mathematical chaos, taking all of their previous achievements as a foundation and building something even bigger in its own right.

SUMAC have indeed found their voice and with their following growing exponentially, they returned to our shores for the second time in 12 months and on April 26^th in Leeds, my appetite to see them was impossible to quantify. 

Now with a career spanning nearly 30 years, it was a view in some quarters that it was somewhat of an injustice that San Francisco exepermentials Oxbow would act as second fiddle to tonight’s headliner, however the band were consummate pros tonight and their talent was clear to see, showcasing their truly unique sound.  Trying to categorise their music, is the equivalent of putting a square peg through a round hole, it’s like musical algebra, but impossible to quantify by way of rationale mind.  For me the commonalities of their music is indicative of Nick Cave esque post punk circa The Birthday Party, songs laden with staccato guitar and flagrant discordant keys, giving the listener a sense of nausea, whilst front man Eugene Robinson in a typically rambunctious manner spits out his laments, stalking the stage like a prowling cat.  Given that Oxbow was entirely new to me, to my ears their music evokes the quirkiness of The Butthole Surfers, whilst not entirely draped in acid, the songs are of kilter , unconventional and the antithesis of anti pop.  This is a band who don’t play by the rulebook indeed their din of exultant noise leaves you queasy green like a 5 years first boat journey.  With a promise to return next time in under ten years, the final track opens with layers of feedback like the swell of an ocean enveloping your senses, guitars , bass, drums coming at you even more cacophonous than what has come before it and their set is over and my anticipation for SUMAC has literally reached fever pitch. 

It is hard to frame concerts without resorting to the clichéd response of “man it was awesome”, in fact the use of a simple adjectives to describe an experience cannot truly encapsulate that experience and yet here I am attempting to do just that, however truth be told, words fail me for what I witnessed with SUMAC.  Given the dense nature of their recorded material, SUMAC brilliantly translated their music from record to the live arena, shimmering between pummeling heaviness, and more free spirited jam movements.  “Blackout”, “Rigid Man”, “Thorn in Lion’s Paw”, “Image of Control” all were aired tonight, at times the music is as subtle as a brick to the face, with the bass at times overriding the guitar, but SUMAC are more than just a vessel of heaviness, live there is a genuine symbiosis between Turner and Yacyshyn, so much so in fact that if you didn’t know the songs, you could be forgiven for thinking they were improvised jams, Turner flipping between dense riffs to master noise manipulator, allowing the feedback to ring out then we’re awash with psychedelic passages, Turner producing a drumstick to tap the strings, Yacyshyn pulling off impossible drum beats and at times giving the impression this is a man built at a cost of six million dollars, given his apparent bionic abilities.  This was not perhaps a gig that everyone would enjoy, yes at times you're banging your head , but live these compositions are more about feel, dynamic shifts, the manipulation of sound and for me it was an absolute pleasure to witness.  It was a lesson in absolute power.  

Band info: Facebook 

11 IS ONE LOUDER: Iowan atmospheric doom trio Aseethe discuss their Top 5 doom (sort of) records

By: Brian Barr, Eric Diercks
& Danny Barr

Thrill Jockey Records continue to bolster the impressive heavy end of their roster in 2017 with the latest LP from Iowa trio Aseethe. “Hopes of Failure” sounds destined to follow in the footsteps of label mates Sumac and The Body and bother many an end of year list come Christmas time.

Over the course of four lengthy tracks the band entrances the listener with their distinct brand of bleak doom. “Hopes of Failure” is sparse and minimal yet packed with detail and intricacies, like Yob and Unearthly Trance, Aseethe’s compositions are stripped of their psychedelic tendencies to let the raw oppressive riffs do the talking. Vocally things are kept to a minimum, carefully deployed when necessary for maximum impact such as the pained howls that accompany the snail-paced downward spiral into misery at the climax of “Barren Soil”. In part Aseethe eschew vocals entirely on, instead relying on aggressive riffage that slowly degenerates into a jerky discordant locked groove reminiscent of Harvey Milk at their most awkward.

On “Hopes Of Failure”, Aseethe have crafted a slow-burning masterpiece that reveals more with each listen. Every spin increases the pull of its hypnotic spell and leaves you with no option but to submit to its crushing power.  Today we have invited Brian Barr, Eric Diercks & Danny Barr, better known as Aseethe to choose their Top 5 doom albums as we take our weekly trip into the extreme, by cranking it to 11.  Why do we go to 11,  because “It’s one louder, isn’t it?”

1). Neurosis – ‘Through Silver and Blood'

“Through Silver in Blood” was a game changer for all three of us. This album is the soundtrack to the apocalypse. It’s dark, epic, abrasive and beautiful from start to finish. In my opinion there isn’t an album that is more poignant in its catharsis. I could probably spend the rest of my music career trying to achieve this level of craft.

2). Mare – ‘EP S/T’

The writing on this EP is masterful. The discordant chords and amazing riffs carry this entire record. I try to follow the changes in some of the riffs, only to get lost in them. The vocals are both hellish and beautiful. The drums and bass are well done, and compliment the guitar work perfectly. Still hoping they eventually release a follow up.

3). Switchblade – ‘S/T 2009’

This album gets a lot of play in the van. The music is 1 piece divided into 3 parts. “Less is More” is the mantra used by the band, and it is especially apparent on this album. The guitar and bass utilize little gain, instead relying on resonance and sustain to create atmosphere and tension. A minimalist approach to writing adds to its bleakness. They only bring in the fuzzed-out doom in certain key sections for the pay off. It is like Khanate with structure, without much emphasis on the vocals.

4). Examination of the… - ‘The Whitest of Elephants’

These guys started out as a hardcore band, then put out this record. Unfortunately, this ended up being their last release. Personally, it’s one of my favorite records of all time, and I wish someone would give it the vinyl treatment. Recorded by Kurt Ballou, it has the catharsis of Converge combined with the sonic leanings of Neurosis. The album just sounds big and distorted. The drum work alone is some of the best writing I have heard on a doom record. It’s amazing to me that more people don’t talk about this record, because it is fantastic! A definite sleeper.

5). PG. 99 - “Document 7”

What, a PG. 99 record? Besides some fast moments, this album is mostly a slow dirge, only a group like PG. 99 could accomplish. Once again it almost flows as one continues piece. The riffs are discordant and repetitive, with slow building changes. It’s like floating in the ocean, with the churning waves crashing into you.

It was hard for all 3 of us to agree on 5 records, so here are a few honorable mentions:

Will Haven – “El Diablo” & “WHVN”

Ocean – “Pantheon for the Lesser”

Black Boned Angel - “Verdon”

Khanate – “Things Viral”

Isis – “Mosquito Control EP”

“Hopes of Failure” is available to buy/preorder here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook