Labels: Self-Released/Howling Mine/SuperFi Records/Dry Cough Records
Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital
Release Date: 06 Feb 2026
Tracklist:
1. In Chrysalis
2. Bleeding Through The Interrogation
3. The Bunker
4. Slowly Chewing Umbilical
5. Another Family Slaughters Itself In The Countryside
6. 16.03.13
7. Mother Medusa
In February, UK sludge institution Moloch returned with their first new music in six and a half years. Bend. Break. Kneel. Crawl was self-released on vinyl and digital formats, while SuperFi Records handled a CD release and Dry Cough Records did the same on tape. A US vinyl pressing is due to come from Howling Mine too, so keep an eye out for that stateside.
As I mentioned, Dry Cough Records released a limited tape version of the album and did so with alternative artwork, which I've shared below too. I purchased a copy when it was launched and I apologise for how long it's taken me to sit down to review it.
This release definitely heralds the early days of Dry Cough’s existence. Doom and sludge were DC’s sub-genre mainstays back then, and coming from the label that helped release Moloch’s previous splits with Haggatha, Lich and Groak, it was ace to see them working together again. There is a certain weight that comes with writing about Moloch’s music. It’s hard to explain why as it’s not something I usually feel with other bands, but it’s definitely there. Opener ‘In Chrysalis’ is the first taste you get of Moloch in 2026 (being a year shy of the 20th anniversary of their first demo) and it’s got a groove to it that stands out. It may have always been there but I remember the tempos being a lot slower on previous recordings. Whatever, it’s still a proper gut-wrenching listen that epitomises UK doom/sludge.
‘Bleeding Through The Interrogation’ is a bass and feedback-drenched song that’s hard to adequately describe. It’s off-kilter at times and truly heavy all the way through. I think you need to listen to it to really appreciate what I’m trying to say. For a song to last almost three and a half minutes but feel like it lasts double that, something has to be going right. The further you get into this album, the nastier it gets. The low growls and bass-heavy doom that follows the screeching feedback at the start of ‘The Bunker’ sets the tone for what’s to come and Moloch don’t hold back at all. It’s mesmerising, showing yet again how a tried and tested formula can be moulded into something new.
As stark as its title, ‘Slowly Chewing Umbilical’ takes a lumbering form. There’s a driving tempo to its first half and by that I mean it’s not too slow. The latter half though is where that slowness comes in, which is to be expected. Considering what I said when talking about the previous song, changing things drastically would have been a bad idea for a band so revered for their honest and bludgeoning music. ’Another Family Slaughters Itself In The Countryside’ conjures up all kinds of images and those images are interpreted in musical form here. The bass/low-end guitar duo work together to weave a foreboding atmosphere, while the percussion and vocals sit either side in unforgiving union.
Penultimate song ’16.03.13’ is filled with suspense as it builds. There’s something so enjoyable (to me at least) about the mix of dissonant heaviness and screeching feedback that just can’t be beaten. The fact that it comes in the form of an instrumental song as well is even sweeter. It’s the perfect, noisy precursor to the album’s closing number. ’Mother Medusa’ is both the harrowing and the euphoric ending that nobody expected (or maybe you did?). A true mix of Moloch’s mesmeric heaviness and tempo shifts, it’s the perfect send off for an album that’s been a long time coming. Honestly, this is such a good album. Great in fact! To have a band like Moloch delivering doom and sludge like this again is just epic.
You can stream and purchase the album digitally from Moloch below, where their self-released vinyl and a solitary CD copy can also be purchased:-
SuperFi Records Instagram - @superfirecs
Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords
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