Burden of A Noose - The Forgotten Plague EP

I've featured a couple of bands from Birmingham recently, including Opium Lord and Black Veins. I might as well make it a trio with the inclusion of self-proclaimed "Stoner Punks" Burden of A Noose. They released a seven track EP in March and sent it over to me too check out. It's funny when you think about it because even though we all complain about different genres getting over-populated, metal in general couldn't be in better health right now, especially here in good old Blighty.

Tracklisting:-

1. Bitch Goat
2. The Begging Game
3. Funeral Witch
4. Cancerous Bollock
5. Art of Being Weird
6. Family Affair

7. Lucifers Path

The first things that struck me with this EP was the cover art. It looks like they've gone all crust and I suppose when you listen to Bitch Goat, you'd be forgiven for thinking that was the case. Once the initially feedback has dispersed though, Burden of A Noose lurch into some sludge inspires noise, with a mixture of low bellows and high-pitched screams. That whole crust sound is more evident during The Beginning Game, thanks to the bass heavy instrumentation. It seems to me that the UK is the best place for this slow paced hardcore at the moment. No other country or scene comes close!

The music here is subtly heavy. Burden of A Noose don't play at a thousand beats per minute, don't set their guitars to stun but do slay, just by the sheer rumble of their low guitar. It's this sort of sound that would make you loose your bowels in a live setting. It's only made better to by that occasional melody and soaks through the mire. The lead guitar during Funeral Witch is a prime example, it's not too elaborate but it breaks up the dirge for a brief moment. The intro to Cancerous Bollock sounds just as terrifying as it's title. It's also one of the heaviest tracks on the EP. 

They have their moments where they groove along, like during Family Affair and they tend to stick at a similar pace during the whole record. They're not a hardcore band playing at sludge; they are more a sludge band that incorporates hardcore into their sound, so they don't seem like just another copyist. By the time Lucifer's Path comes to an end, it feels strangely serene, like the feeling that you've escaped some harrowing ordeal and just got out alive. That's how bruisingly heavy Burden of a Noose are!

Now as with all bands worth their salt, Burden of A Noose have this EP streaming on their bandcamp page:- 

The EP is also up as a name-your-price download via the same page.

Burden of A Noose are here https://www.facebook.com/burdenofthenoose666.