Sludge Metal

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    Kruger – Adam and Steve (2014)

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    Having released one of our favorite albums of 2010, Kruger finally returns with an even more impressive follow-up with “Adam and Steve”. With a very melodic and yet crushing sound, the band takes Post-Metal/Sludge to new heights in this eight track assault.

    The insanity beings with the very intense opener “Bottoms Up” and never lets go. Vocalist Renaud Meichtry delivers a savage performance with his charismatic screams and greatly elevates the level of intensity presented by the music. The band’s ability to craft intricately layered songs like “Discotheque” and “Charger” is truly unique and its one of the factors that makes them stand out from the rest.

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    Colossus of Destiny – In Lesser Brightness (2013)

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    Arriving from France, today we have Sludge/Stoner Metal band Colossus of Destiny and their debut full-length “In Lesser Brightness”. Featuring a barrage of crushing riffs divided into 6 neck snapping tracks, France is greatly stepping up their game in terms of bands and this is one of the better ones.

    Opening the album we have the expansive “Dismay in Empty Eyer”, clocking in at 7 minutes this song features a wide variety of movement and greatly shows the band’s composition skills. Layering their Sludge/Stoner elements with some Neurosis-like Post-Metal antics, the band nicely keeps things fresh and interesting on tracks like “Unleashed” and “Get Lost”. While considerably shorter than the first song, they greatly develop the band’s sound.

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    Sarvas – Sarvas (2014)

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    Completely redefining what we know about Sludge Metal, today we have Sarvas and their self-titled debut release. Fusing elements of Death/Doom Metal with some Groove and a base of Slude, this Finnish band manages to craft a very unique sound that is far from the traditional (and sometimes dull) Sludge Metal genre. Delivering 6 punishing tracks, this release will surely have something that everybody will love.

    Opening with “Kindle”, we get a traditional beginning to this song that slowly that sets up the stage for the forthcoming onslaughts. The album quickly evolves into catchy, groovy, atmospheric brilliance, as we get to listen from the emotional “Dead Pilot”. Don’t you even think for a minute that the Sludgy riffing is lacking in this release, since “Pit” makes it quite clear that you will feel the power of Sarvas’s Doomy riffage.

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    Blood Red Water - All the Ills of Mankind (2013)

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    In a world mostly filled with harry odd looking dudes as drummers, today we have Italy’s Blood Red Water and their sexy female drummer Fiorica Gasparini. Delivering five tracks of gut-wrenching Sludge Metal on “All the Ills of Mankind”, this band rolls punishing riffs since the first minute and never let’s go.

    Opening with the heavy as fuck “A Ride In The Funhouse”, we are left with very slow and devastating Sludge riffs that will appease any connoisseur of the genre. The vocals are slurry and have a certain Motörhead/Southern snarl to them, nicely complementing the music. The bass guitar is quite present on “Megalophobia” as the band switches into more punishing riffs and all out headbanging brilliance.

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    Year of No Light – Tocsin (2013)

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    If you ignore the weird side-step that was “ Vampyr”, “Tocsin” is the perfect continuation for the band’s previous masterpiece “Ausserwelt”. Year of No Light arrives from France with a pummeling dosage of Instrumental Doom/Sludge Metal that will make melt your faces. Crafting over 57 minutes of music, this six-piece outfit delivers one of the most intense and complex Doom/Sludge releases we have heard in quite a while.

    The album title track kicks things off with a heavy atmospheric intro that slowly melts into a full-on Sludge riff-aton. We particularly love how the track around the 5th minute takes a turn to the Doom side of things with some think melancholic guitars. The band’s versatility is pushed further with the Post-Metal/Rock-ish anthem “Géhenne”. The guitars are pushed to the limit and so is the pulsating bass guitar line on this one. The band keeps the intensity going and instead of being the typical band that climaxes and then slowly drifts away, they keep pushing the intensity of their sound further and further.

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    Albatwitch - Only Dead Birds Sing Over the Graves of Fallen Kings (2013)

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    Being used to receive very weird and unique releases, we can’t say that we ever expected to come across an album as unique and puzzling as Albatwitch’s “Only Dead Birds Sing Over the Graves of Fallen Kings”. Mixing Folk with Americana, Drone, Sludge, d-beat, crust, Black Metal and a slew of other influences, this is one hell of a rollercoaster ride that is better left to fully unravel rather than try to understand it.

    The album opens with a Folk track that brings back memories of the banjos in the movie “Deliverance”, but it quickly transforms into punishing Noise with hellish vocals. And this is just in the first 3 minutes of music. Sludgy Black Metal quickly follows in “Beneath The Flood”, just before we jump into Burzum-esque territory (his instrumental stuff) and then back into more lush Neo-Folk/Folk with very melancholic vocals and the album’s title track.

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    Oruga – Oruga (2013 Reissue)

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    Today we have Oruga and the re-release of their 2011 self-titled EP on Apathia Records. Delivering six punishing tracks of an excellent mixture of Doom, Stoner, and Sludge Metal, this French band makes quite an impact with their powerful sound. If like bands like Neurosis, Year of No Light, Dark Buddha Rising, and The Ocean, you cannot afford to miss this pummeling release.

    Starting with the incisive riffing of “Northern Promises”, the band immediately gets a hold of the listener by the neck with their raw brutality. The guitars have a certain Stoner/Sludge inclination, but the overall Doom vibe is quite vibrant. The screams of Cedric M. are quite fitting for the genre and nicely resonate over the powerful song structures. Reminding us a bit of Hacride, “Kissing the Void” keeps the intensity with interesting tempo changes and imposing drumming.

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    Glorior Belli – Gators Rumble, Chaos Unfurls (2013)

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    After causing a lot of frowns and confusion with their solid “The Great Southern Darkness” release, France’s Glorior Belli returns with a more compact and fully integrated sound. In “Gators Rumble, Chaos Unfurs” their combination of Black Metal elements with a Southern Rock and Sludge comes to full fruition and delivers one of the best albums of 2013. With their previous album being a bigger jump of what we expected, we are glad that they regained control of their sound and produced 45 minutes of brilliant music.

    Immediately as the album opens we have crushing twangy riffs that bleed Sludge and Southern Rock influences. The vocals are quite powerful and nicely complement the band’s knack for intoxicating melodies. While the band’s style change was very evident and in your face on their previous album, songs like “Wolves At My Door” and “Ain’t No Pit Deep Enough” quickly show how the tamed their explosive sound and combined better in this release.

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    Moonbow – The End of Time (2013)

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    With a huge Southern influence, today we have Moonbow and their extremely catchy release “The End of Time”. Featuring seven tracks of whiskey infused Hard Rock/Metal, this odd group of characters manage to craft one of the most complete and engaging releases of 2013. With a Survivor participant on vocals and members of Hank 3’s and Hermano, this odd mismatch works wonderfully when it comes to producing excellent melodies.

    The album opens with a very Southern vibe on “End of Time”, all down to the riffs we get that awesome feeling to immediately start drinking. The gracious vocals of Matt Bischoff are a true perfect fit to the band’s sound, perfectly complementing the Stoner Metal infused guitars. David McElfresh does a great job in handling the guitar duties to create a very lively and authentic atmosphere. While “Journey Of Their Iron Horse” is a superb and catchy tune, we found that the distorted vocals sounded a bit odd, taking some of the magic away.

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    StoneBirds / Stangala – Kreizh Breizh Session 1 (2013)

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    Making its way from France, today we have two very interesting Stoner/Sludge/Doom Metal bands that make up the “Kreizh Breizh Session 1” split release. While StoneBirds are a more traditional Sludge/Stoner Metal band, Stangala delivers their lyrics in the Breton language and have a very trippy mixture of Doom/Sludge with a certain retro psychedelic vibe. We can say that we completely enjoyed how the both bands complement each other and make this unique split release very different from what we usually receive in the mail.

    The StoneBrids gracefully open this release with the hard-hitting “Red is the Sky”. In this Sludgy tune the band shows their riffing powers and how engaging their lead vocals are. Having that certain Southern/Stoner vibe in their catchy sound allows for the band to sound like The New Black, Chrome Division, and similar acts. As “Game Over” and “Outro Drama” roll by, the band’s sound is nicely consolidated and keeps the crunchy riffs flowing. “Red Lights” shifts gears into a fuzzier and more distorted track with heavier vocals, giving the band a certain edge that makes them sound different from your run of the mill artist. Saving the best for last, “Dark Passenger” closes out the band’s ‘side’ of this split with a mellow doomy vibe.

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