Sludge Metal

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    Deathkings – All that is Beautiful (2016)

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    Delivering brilliant waves of Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal misery, today we have Deathkings and their sophomore release “All that is Beautiful”. Clocking in at 62 minutes, this four song release is both punishing and extremely melancholic. We are quite surprised that the band is unsigned due to the quality of their material and how the North American scene is eating up bands that play this style of music.

    Opening with the bleakness of “Sol Invictus”, the band slowly builds up from some spacious Post-Metal momentum-building passages (a la Neurosis) to more hectic Doom/Sludge inspired riffing onslaughts. The pairing of the combination of multiple styles of vocals with the brilliant atmosphere crafted by the roaring guitars fits perfectly with the intricate drum patterns and overall pace of the music. Reminding us of bands like Fall of Empyrean and Mournful Congregation, “The Storm” delivers a very precise Doom message with some solid Post-Metal influences, making it one of our favorite tracks in this release.

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    Leather Nun America – Buddha Knievel (2015)

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    Hailing from San Diego, CA, this Stoner/Doom Metal outfit return with another pummeling full-length release titled “Buddha Knievel”. Invoking the likes of EyeHateGod, Crowbar mixed with Pentagram’s vibe, this band delivers eleven tracks of solid music that will satisfy any fan of the genre and will further propagate the power of the riff.

    After the trippy prologue, the band presents their full-on Stoner Doom elements in the warm up “Into the Abyss”. The band’s sound is quite organic and natural, with the clean vocals working perfectly well with the nature and pace of their music. Getting fully into the groove, “Warwolf” has that warm and fuzzy vibe of old-school Doom thanks to the pulsating riffs. The melancholic clean passages offer very cool guitar leads and nice instrumentation to change the tempo of the song a few times.

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    Deep River Acolytes – From the Voids of Chaos (2015)

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    Arriving from Finland, today we have Deep River Acolytes and their superb debut EP titled “From the Voids of Chaos”. Featuring three songs clocking in at around 20 minutes, this release showcases the skills of a promising young band. Highly recommended for people that like Sludgy Doom/Heavy Metal releases, this album will get you going on a dark and cloudy day thanks to its upbeat and playful nature.

    Opening with the incisive riffs of “Misleaders”, the catchy twangy vibe is quickly evident, even before the vocals come into play. Having established a certain vibe, the band never lets go and continues to deliver catchy sections and very well crafted tempo changes that keep things fresh and enjoyable. We particularly enjoy the psychedelic rock keyboards that are used, giving the band one extra dimension.

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    Kröwnn – Magmafröst (2015)

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    Finally getting a proper physical release, today we have Italy’s Kröwnn and their debut riff parade titled “Magmafröst”. With over 45 minutes of music, this release features very Sludgy/Doomy music that will keep any fan of the genre hypnotized for the whole time. In a similar configuration to Ides of Gemini, this band features two female members (bass guitar and drums) and a male vocalist/guitarist, making this very compact lineup pack a lot of punch in terms of music.

    After the typical filler intro, the band dives into some crushing Doom riffs with “Skeksis Dance”. This track instantly shows the band’s commitment to the power of the riff. The vocals are bit on whiny side, at least for us, but very fitting for such a release. The band continues to pummel through songs like “Wyvernking” and “Wölfhunt”, both of which have a certain Sludge/Stoner vibe to them.

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    Rosy Finch – Witchboro (2015)

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    With a crushing and hypnotic mixture of Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal/Rock influences, today we have Spain’s Rosy Finch and their debut full-length release “Witchboro”. Divided into two ‘movements’, this debut release features a merciless first side and then it mellows out into a more experimental and melodic nature, showcasing the wide musical range from this very promising young trio. Filled with heavy riffs from start to end, this is one unconventional release that you should definitely check out.

    Opening with the droning “Úrsula”, we get a very hearty dose of fuzzy distortion and intoxicating female lead vocals. With both Mireia Porto and Elena García contributing to the vocals, we get a richer and more diverse aural experience in this album. Focusing on delivering riffing riffs, “Hyde Formula” is one hell of a track that will make your speakers rattle thanks to its pulsating bass guitar line and solid percussions.

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    Minsk – The Crash & The Draw (2015)

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    Having recently returned from a hiatus, Minsk delivers one of the early candidates for top 10 albums of 2015 with “The Crash & The Draw”. Following the same footsteps of bands like Neurosis, Year of No Light, and The Ocean, we get 11-tracks of brilliant Atmospheric Post-Metal/Sludge music that is both complex and crushing. Returning with a 75 minute opus is an ambitious task that Minsk manages to pull off flawlessly.

    Instantly making their mark with the 12-minute opener “To The Initiate”, we have a very playful track that changes moods and delivers a good amount of intricate percussions and powerful riffs to keep you listening to it on repeat for at least a day. Slowly building with “Within and Without”, the band crafts a very tight short piece to hold the listener over until the unleash their four piece behemoth of “Onward Procession”. In part I and II the band invokes their inner Neurosis with heavy and dense tracks that nicely evolve into the trippy atmospherics of part III and IV. This four-piece track showcases the band’s ambitions and excellent execution of a multi-faceted song that nicely evolves and dances around all the genres the band has influences from.

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    Abstracter – Wound Empire (2015)

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    Hailing from Oakland, CA, today we have the Abstracter and their 2nd punishing aural assault titled “Wound Empire”. Featuring over 40 minutes of crushing Blackened Sludge/Crust/Doom music with some Post-Metal elements, this is one hell of a punishing release that will subdue the listener from start to finish.

    The opener “Lightless” slowly builds up with pummeling riffs and a nice progression as the nearly 11-minutes of music go by. The vocals are quite strong and nicely fit the equally crushing guitar riffs. Abstracter goes into further exploration of their dark sound in the atmospheric “Open Veins”. This song provides us with some more typical Sludge/Doom riffs arranged in a very precise manner to fit their atmospheric passages and massive drumming.

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    Witches of Doom – Obey (2014)

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    Extreme catchiness arrives today under the name of Witches of Doom and their debut release “Obey”. Expertly mixing Doom/Sludge elements with Gothic Rock and infusing them with an extra dosage of grooviness, this Italian band delivers nine superb tracks that are extremely melodic and totally awesome.

    The album opens with the Southern/Twangy “The Betrayal”, a song that instantly showcases the band’s talented singer Fed Venditti. With a very deep alternative rock/gothic vocals, this is the signature element that bands need these days to stand out from the pack. As the band goes through tracks like “Witches of Doom”, “Needless Needle” and “To The Bone”, we notice influences of bands like H.I.M, Lacrimas Profundere, and other Gothic Metal/Rock bands, but with a slight Sludgy twist.

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    The Flight of Sleipnir – V. (2014)

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    Hailing from Colorado, today we have the elusive duo The Flight of the Sleipnir and their fifth full-length release titled “V.”. Featuring seven tracks of very mellow improvisational-style Psychedelic Sludge/Doom, this band delivers a very unique aural experience with over 59 minutes of very diverse and sonically pleasing music that evokes the likes of folk-induced Agalloch, Velnias, mixed with countless Doom Metal acts.

    The release kicks off with a very Empyrium-esque opener with “Headwinds”, a track that slowly builds up to some powerful Sludgy riffs and tight drumming. The mixture of and Sludge elements is quite well crafted and the clean vocals nicely fit the bill, the harsh vocals while odd at first create a very contrasting vibe that ultimately fits the song perfectly. Things get a bit more psychedelic, or should we say ‘sludge-chedelic’ in the trippy “Sidereal Course”. This song has a very nice free-flowing vibe and feels like a jam session in some places.

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    Downfall of Gaia – Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay (2014)

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    As one of the least conventional bands in Metal Blade, Downfall of Gaia delivers a punishing 60 minute musical experience with their third full-length release “Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay”. Perfectly crafting an apocalyptic sound that fuses Black Metal, Post-Metal, and Sludge elements, this band will mercilessly make your speakers pop and have you begging for more.

    Getting down to business with the bestial opener “Darkness Inflames These Sapphire Eyes”, the band spews their message with a brutality and firmness. The Black Metal sections are perfectly craved into the heavy riffing of this track, and the different vocal styles further extend the songs brutality. Just when you things are getting calm, blistering passages change the mood and direction of the songs, like in the epic “Carved into Shadows”. The underlying Doom/Post-Metal elements of tracks like this one and “Ascending the Throne”, make the band’s sound even richer and very diverse, making it harder to pin them down.

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