Glamorgan Sludge

Oh man, is it about fucking time for some heavy music. Merciful thanks to the Welsh sludge quartet Hogslayer for not falling into the typical post-debut breakup rut and staying together long enough to release their sophomore studio album Defacer. What a surprise it was to randomly stumble back upon Hogslayer’s bandcamp page only to discover they released a motherfucker of a full-length album way back in July last year. Jesus, where the fuck was I? Another crushing audio siege from these Welsh sludgelords, the 8 tracks pick up exactly where the previous eponymous EP left off, pounding Iron Sloth-influenced dirges overlayed with a howling vocal assault. Don't expect any big pick guitar solos or wailing harmonies - each song opens with a blister of feedback and followed by a hypnotic bombardment of downtuned riffs. Highly recommended.

Bludgeon

Central Jersey Sludge

Very little out there on this sludgecore three-piece other than they seemed to be active around 2012 and even got a gig at the sadly defunct New Brunswick, NJ Alamo club. Which was dutifully recorded by someone no less! And here it is. Blasting a wall of lo-fi shit-Peavey-amp feedback-laden nonsense at the surely confused barflys, Thorn wallow through twenty minutes of respectable sludgecore. Lotsa screaming and shrieking and there are times it almost sounds like blur. I've also included the bands' three-song demo, recorded a month earlier sans vocals and lead guitar (possibly as show prep?) which show the guys as committed musicians who gave a shit about what was going on at the time. Three years later I'm sure the band has long since dissipated but hey, they accomplished more in a few short months than some idiots achieve over years.

I II III IV

Faith

Straight outta Finland comes another incredible slab of vinyl from some nameless four-piece playing the most desperate doomcore sludge. Regardless of what that says about my internet searches (or basic musical tastes in general), Usko has been on my playlist radar for the last couple years after their solid debut Kuusi LP which was admittedly a tad more dronish (think Loinen... Stumm... yeah you get it) than this 2013 single which mainlines the meth, turns up the gain and elevates the tempo to a resounding 4/4 with excellent results. Some powerviolence influences in there as well - it's an enjoyable 10-minute fix.

Golden Hill

Broken Lung II

Is there really anything more to say other than this band is without a doubt the second incarnation of Abominable Iron Sloth? While there are some subtle differences (mainly in the vocals), I can't help but be reminded of "I Am Your Carcass" while listening to this excellent slab of sludgecore. Pounding, sluggish downtuned metal to destroy. There are some slight stoner/Southern sludge-esque influences, especially in "There Was A Bloodbath" and "Take Back The Hive" to keep it interesting but make no mistake, this is textbook chugging riffage here. For those who care, the band is busy putting finishing touches on their second album (preview track here) and I posted a couple demo tracks from this LP a few years ago. Enjoy.

A Grudge In The Key Of Sludge

Saturday Hors D'oeuvres

Honestly, I am beginning to thing that Weekend Nachos are the best heavy band currently on the planet. Not do they have an amazing amount of output - all of their shit is fucking punch-you-in-the-grill fucking violent. It's kinda grindcore then sludgy then almost metalcore-ish... the band slays through riff after riff of sick mania without missing a beat. And the songs flow one into another which makes you feel like it's all part of some giant master plan. Worthless is my favorite record by them and is anything but - an untouchable assault of catchy downtuned grooves played by a bunch of fuckers who couldn't give a rancid shit if you like 'em or not.

Distaste For Humanity

Making Of A Mountain

24 minutes of riff-heavy instrumental euphoria by Polish stoner sludgelords Major Kong. It's a pretty amazing debut - a totally listenable garage jam of a record that one could easily be convinced was an unrehearsed one-take demo session. Still, the "songs" each bring something different to the table, not only in basic riffage but in simple progressive grooviness - the opener "Witches" is a standard sludge track while the next song begins to tinker with time signatures and effects, leading to "The Swamp Altar", a blues-drenched jam that would make Orange Goblin or Electric Wizard proud. The seven-minute closer is a worthwhile culmination of feedback and wah-wah, the jam actually feels like it finishes... A really nice record, the drums sound absolutely amazing bar none, the fucking recording is worth listening to just for them. Enjoy.

I don't give a hoot in Hell how you do it, you just get me to the Primary, ya hear!

Harsh-out sludge made by three otherwise well-adjusted men...

I am always stunned when I stumble upon an amazing band offering their shit up for next to nothing on Bandcamp. Reminding me of a cross between and Fudge Tunnel and Snailface, No Anchor offer up an overwhelming discography of sludgy hardcore spanning the last 5 years. These crazy Australians hold nothing back, their feedback-laden scream-a-thons are a welcome reboot to the shitty deathcore/brutal death metal I've been stuck with lately. I cannot imagine you will be disappointed with this band, if you are then it's time to leech off another fucking blog.

Come Again

It's Impossible To Keep A Body Count

11 minutes of sheer blitzkreig mania from this well-bearded Northhampton, UK trio. Their obscure 2008 EP features five assaultive blasts of tight-ass old-school grindcore before wrapping up with the 5-minute sludgecore epic "Throne Of Bile." While some of the songs are over before you even realize it the record beckons repeat listens without even trying. Since One In One Out the band has released a shitload of material - thankfully it's the same old crazy shit - check out their bandcamp page here.

Scissors

Crushing Split

Jesus, why don't they make split CDs like these anymore? First you have an absolutely blasting assault from prolific Tokyo sludgelords Coffins. These guys have been at it since 2000 - simple downtuned heavy-as-fuck death metal... the audio equivalent of someone punching you in the face with a molten sledgehammer. "Acid Orgy" is a cover of Las Vegas blasphemers Goatlord and sounds a little hokey at times but fuck it - it is so distorted and loud you will be absolutely reeling in sludge glory. Regarding Otesanek, I cannot say enough about this defunct and sadly elusive Philly-based drone/doom/bleak-as-fuck shit band. The most miserable dirge ever recorded (putting such compadres as Khanate, Moss and Nadja to shame) - production-wise this is easily their strongest song (all wretched 20 minutes of it). Don't be fooled, they probably were actually vomiting as they recorded this one... The cover art was created by artist Steve Mullay shortly before taking his own life, and is offered in tribute to him. Enjoy.

To Hew Children

†┼†┼

In sharp contrast to yesterday's happy-go-lucky post I bring you the latest wretched release from Finland's reigning mutacore legends. Not to be confused with their eponymous albums of 2005 and 2007, Loinen is the band's first non-collaborative full-length release since the suicide of primary vocalist Secundus in 2009. Information on the band is annoyingly scant (other than on this somewhat current page), solo vocalist Primus steps up to the plate with commendable aplomb but just doesn't have the tortured desperation Secundus conveyed with his ear-bleeding vocal assault. Still, the record doesn't disappoint. The opening two tracks are reminiscent of the Loinen of old; slow and pounding sludge that may or not still be played with two bassists (no liner notes on this one) - it's brutal and heavy as fuck. "Jerusalem" can best be described an experimental jam - probably influenced by a recent collaboration (2012's Mutajazz) with improvisational jazz outfit Paanin Kuoro - interesting but ultimately forgettable. "Rubber Jesus" showcases the band's faster, grindier talents while the 10-minute closer "Useless Animal" is the real star of the album. A miserable dirge of angst and despair, it plods along for the first half before exploding in a lo-fi feedback-laden tumult. Reminds me of the shit GG was doing on Suicide Sessions - absolutely raw as fuck and never boring - a true keeper.

Nauttia

Shitapple Driving A Shitmobile

One of the first albums I downloaded after discovering Bandcamp, Teeph spawn from the northern Butte County suburb of Chico, CA. Citing influences as far ranging as Converge to Frank Zappa, the band's 2009 debut is a whirlwind of groovy tempo changes, screaming, sick guitar work and the occasional jazz drum lick while not devolving into annoyingly technical mathcore. Tough to describe, the band calls themselves "heavy math rock/post-metal" but I think they're selling themselves short. They are definitely heavy and have a few Mr. Bungle-ish proggy breakdowns but it's still linear, coherent sludgecore with enough extra shit to keep it interesting. "Hipster Killers" is my favorite - and the killer opening chord progression in "Part II" is simply awesome. Check 'em out here and give generously.

So Sic!

Drudgery

Solid sludgecore from Maryland mixes the better aspects of black metal and grindcore into a miserable mash of screaming groove-heavy noise. This 6-song EP barely lasts 15 minutes but it's a great ride - a gritty, lo-fi, feedback-heavy assault recorded by two dudes who are either musical virtuosos or fucking insane. "Cowards Of The New Age" and "Bleached" are my favorite tracks but I'm an aging sucker for fast fucking songs with cool riffs. The band is still active it so head north up I-95 and check the boys out. Enjoy.

Matt and Nick

Idle Genocydewinder

Pretty cool (albeit miserable and depressing) sludgecore from Kansas City. Shades of a slower Soilent Green, slightly more "metal" than some of their genre compadres. Cool mythological Egyptian theme going on as well. There's a bit too much of a metalcore-ish sound vocal-wise which they could probably stand to lose but seeing how the band has been on hiatus since 2011 it probably doesn't matter aymore. Released with the sister album Resurface which is equally as good. Enjoy.

Within The Bowels Of Evil

Fuck yeah RVA

Amazing. Straight out of my backyard comes a tough-as-nails sludgecore act Captives. Elements of stoner, hardcore, even Hendrix here and there keep this relentless 2012 release going like a fucking freight train. The epic "Cairns" is my favorite, a blistering feedback-laden scream anthem to cut yourself to. Awesome. They are recording some new material to drop in February, keep up-to-date on these boys here. Enjoy.

No One Wins

Black Slabs

Hailing from Leamington Spa, UK (my dad's hometown - no shit) and skillfully blurring the lines between grind, death and sludgecore comes Parole. Their 2012 full-length Grams Of Hate is significantly more refined then their (demo?) EP released a few years earlier while still retaining the Eyehategod-ish feedback and general grittiness of the former. The vocalist(s?) vary between Coffins' Uchino and Exit-13's Bill Yurkiewicz (giving a somewhat cool sludgecrust vibe) while the music is relatively basic groove/death played slow and sleazy. Enough filthy riffs gurgle throughout to satisfy even the most discerning heavy music fanatic - especially the concluding 14-minute epic "Lice." My only complaint is that there are only five tunes. Check 'em here. Enjoy.

Waste On

And Another...

Sheesh, not a day passes and here we are again. Searching the internet for anything by evasive Finnish sludgelords Frogskin, I discover yet another Nordic compilation rife with some of the sicker bands the genre has to offer. Starting this one off is the semi-stupidly named Demonic Death Judge, but what they lack in a cool moniker they make up for with some great Coffins-inspired death sludge. Each of their 7-minute anthems are pounding slabs of tortured riffs and bloodcurling vocals. Next up is Semtex playing a faster quasi-hardcore style much like some of the older Soilent Green material. Lastly is the twisted Nurmijärvi trio Frogskin who deserve to be lumped into the category championed by Loinen and other such lo-fi feedback sludgemongers. Amazingly dismal doom with a slight tinge of Southern States stoner grooves amidst the chaos - well worth the effort this CD took to track down. So grab a euro and head over here to buy it.

Lataamaan

Low Slow Ragnarök-core

Yep, another heartwarming compilation CDr of abominable lo-fi sludgecore straight from the icy republic of Finland. Opening the aural assault is GranG, a brutal three-piece playing wretchedly distorted sludge with so much overdrive it almost degrades into an inaudible wall of noise. Awesome stuff for purveyors of Loinen, Stumm and their miserable ilk. Phenylketonuria follows with an epic half hour of trippy sludgy funeral doom which has its moments and is much better then most offerings in a genre that I don't really like anyway. The warm hum of blazing amp tubes adds a unique layer on this surreal melodic ode to destroying the world - it's surprisingly hypnotic and almost sounds like something Ween could have done had they gone into darker places with The Pod. Wrapping up F.F.13.1970 (named for the release date of Black Sabbath's debut record) is the aforementioned Loinen and their abject composition "Lapamato" ("Tapeworm"). Imagine summoning the worst memories of your life and condensing them into a agonizingly bleak 16-minute opus and you get an idea of what to expect. Truly one of their best recordings (in the feedback-laden cassette-deck lo-fi style of Muta Core) from a band who constantly amazes me with their unrepentant self-loathing. Speaking of whom, I just discovered a webpage apparently written by one of the band members which showcases their entire discography, lyrics and song history - cool stuff. Enjoy.

Hail The Klaan Of The Anal Witch!

Biting The Hand That Feeds

Dude, what the fuck is up with Finland? The sludgecore/doom coming out of that country is the most depressing, bitter shit I have ever heard. Fleshpress is probably the most established act but insofar as mere bleakness, Loinen and Usko come to mind - absolutely tortured soundscapes of screams and double bass-guitar blasts to send you to hell. Turku's Stumm is from the same gutter as the latter. Painful, unending riffs with the most miserable gurgling screams to keep it all together. Each of their four ten-minute or so songs could be an album in themselves - simple feedback-laden, misanthropic blasts of misery - awesome shit.

I

Snackfood

Fucking awesome two-song E.P. from these Chicago sludge metal mainstays. Imagine spinning a brutal death metal 45 at 33 speed and you will kinda get the idea of what absolute bleak dirge to expect. Pounding riffs to mesmerize and rape your soul accompanied by the most pained vocal screams I've heard in a long while. Fucking bleak ass shit. The boys are still hard at it with their present style a chaotic mix of sludge, grind, hardcore and powerviolence. Check 'em out.

Bleed

What's in a name?

Don't let the handle fool you. No gorenoise/pornogrind nonsense here. Instead prepare for some bitter sludgecore courtesy of this Devonshire four-piece. The band managed to release two solid demos before splitting up in 2006. Demo I has a bit more of a stoner vibe to it, kinda reminds me of Hail!Hornet in a way. Demo II finds the band deteriorating into a bleaker sludgecore sound - think Fistula and some of the early Sloth big bass stuff. Significantly darker and harsher then their 2003 recordings - vocals have been reduced to acrid screams through a continuous wall of feedback. Fucking awesome stuff. And I don't know if it's just me but song "III" on the second demo sounds a lot like a sludge version of GG's "Beer Picnic." Just sayin'

Rose