Labels: Dry Cough Records
Formats: Tape/Digital
Release Date: 07 Apr 2023
Tracklist:
1. Anxious Wretch
2. Encrusted In Eschar
3. Untethered
4. Foul Occurrence
5. Mentally Dissected
6. Bound Forever To This Body
Less than twelve months after their last EP Untold Horrors in May 2022, London's Liquid Shit returned with their latest EP Repulsive Bodies. Self-released by the band in April 2023 while at the same time getting a tape pressing via Dry Cough Records, it sees Liquid Shit delving deeper into the world of noise and sludge, while also keeping their feet rooted in death metal.
I absolutely loved Untold Horrors when it was released in 2022. I don’t know, there was just something so warming about it. So much so that I ordered a tape copy of Repulsive Bodies as soon as I could. I’m just sorry that it’s taken me a year to write about it. Today’s muggy atmosphere (coupled with the obligatory allergy flair-up) seems the like the perfect conditions to finally put my thoughts about this EP into print and as opener ‘Anxious Wretch’ lurches into life with slow/sludgy death metal, it makes me wonder if Liquid Shit will be the band that genuinely finds that elusive brown note.
It’s not a fast song by any means but ‘Anxious Wretch’ acts as a precursor for what’s to come. What does come next is ‘Encrusted In Eschar’, which begins with a whole heap of proper doom/sludge-laden bass, leading to similarly downbeat instrumental all round. The vocals don’t give off any light either, in case you were wondering.
There’s a heavy psych influence in the riffs on ‘Untethered’, which might take you by surprise slightly but have no fear, they’re in absolutely the right place and add a huge amount to the song given how minimalist it is in places. I’m not saying that being minimalist is a bad thing (because it’s not) but I always felt like Liquid Shit had psych vibes in them when listening to Untold Horrors.
Having said all that though, you couldn’t get a more apt song than Foul Occurrence. What you get here is another slow number that drags death metal into the deepest of places. It comes across as the bastard love child born of Cynic and Primitive Man. Picture that if you will. Slightly progressive/psychedelic death metal mixed with the nastiest sludge/doom.
Penultimate song ‘Mentally Dissected’ dials up the off-kilter musicianship and general noisiness even more, but manages to retain a healthy dose of what made old-school death/doom so engrossing during the song’s first half, before it descends into chaos later on. Closing with ‘Bound Forever To This Body’, unnerving samples lead to a cacophony of deep growls, screeching feedback and minimal yet crushing instrumentation.
I really like the path that Liquid Shit have chosen to go down with their extreme sound. It would have been easy for them to just follow what others are doing but their music has a more experimental edge to it. This EP follows on from Untold Horrors perfectly and gives the slightest of glimpses into what may be coming next.
You can stream and purchase Repulsive Bodies digitally from Liquid Shit below, as well as the last few white/black long sleeve t-shirts too:-
Dry Cough tapes are sold out.
Liquid Shit - @liquidshitsludge Instagram
Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords
