Bible Basher - Loud Wailing

Labels: Sludgelord Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 26 Jun 2020

Tracklist:

1. So Samson Sang

2. Plagued

3. Burning And Blackened

4. Sodom & Gomorrah

I like heavy music and I really dislike religion, which probably doesn't come as a big surprise. Sheffield's Bible Basher is not a religious band but it's members do put bible verses alongside a mixture of doom and death metal. Loud Wailing is the band's very first release, seeing the light of day digitally and on tape via fellow Sheffield blog turned sludge/doom/metal label extraordinaire Sludgelord Records. 

You can’t get more stark than the closing line of the spoken-word sample delivered by an American preacher that states “Hell Is Real”. Of course, neither heaven nor hell are real and all we have is now. EP opener ‘So Samson Sang’ is heavy, slow and it’s death metal tones are very much real, especially in the vocals. The mix of shrieked growls and super deep bellows make for uncomfortable listening when pitched against the groove of the instrumentation.

‘Plagued’ is uptempo and it’s bass-heavy sound rumbles on like an earth-shattering disaster before the full band breaks loose and provides a hymn for the end times. This is definitely where the slamming death comes into play and it’s glorious because of it. 

The sludge is king on ‘Burning And Blackened’. The percussive power here is joined by some great feedback-laden riffs of the low variety, as well as a proper feeling of dread and claustrophobia. If they played this to a truly evangelical congregation, there’d be more than just people speaking in tongues. Like when Moses parted the sea, the ground would open up and this time it would swallow the lot of em.

One of the things that devout Christians fear the most is ‘Sodom & Gomorrah” , It’s sinful and disgusting, and while they believe that other people partake in the acts regularly, they are just as bad. Ending with a song of the same name, Loud Wailing is delightfully uncompromising. It’s hands down the heaviest song on the EP.

If you fear god then you’ve not felt real fear. Don’t put your trust in a false deity that’s only here to gain from the vulnerable and the gullible. Be yourself, form your own thoughts and use this EP to help you do that. There is no god…long live the death of religion.

You can stream and purchase Lous Wailing on both formats below:-

Sludgelord Records - https://www.facebook.com/SludgelordRecords/

Wallowing - Planet Loss

Labels: Sludgelord Records/Black Voodoo Records/Astral Noize Records

Formats: LP/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 13 Sep 2019

Tracklist:

1. I. Prologue

2. II. Earthless

3. III. Phosgene

4. IV. Hail Creation

5. V. Vessel

6. VI. Epilogue

I've spoken many times before about my admiration for the scene that's contained within Brighton. my main introduction to it was through Headless Guru Records back in 2012 and while I've lost touch with it slightly, it's great to see more bands coming though from the South coast city. Wallowing formed in 2018 and after a demo, released in the same year, they released their debut full-length last month with amazing artwork from Luke Oram (Atomck, Let It Die, Monolithian and more). It was released on vinyl by Sludgelord Records/Black Voodoo Records and on specially crafted cassette via Astral Noize Records.

It’s feels so nice to get to this point in the week and sinking into some new music makes it even more worth the wait. Wallowing provides that new music thanks to their debut album “Planet Loss”. Opening track I. Prologue is an instrumental intro of sorts with samples and wailing feedback that drags you into II. Earthless. Unlike the band of its namesake, this song is heavy, sludgy and cavernous in delivery with no upbeat grooves or melodies. It crawls along with retching guitar riffs, feedback and percussion/harsh vocals that sit within the mix adding to the claustrophobia that you’ll feel while listening.

III. Phosgene was the band’s first demo release back in 2018 and it shows a faster side to Wallowing, with grinding passages and breakdown-like riffs. Its urgency is more obvious and there’s a level of technicality that shows they’re not just here to play loud, brutish music. It’s a journey all of itself. Hell  appears during IV. Hail Creation, which weaves post-metal, black metal and doom into one intimidating collage of sound.

They go for the long anticipation-building intro on V. Vessel, which is actually fantastic as it grows in both volume and musical layers. It’s a song of multiple movements. Experimental, progressive and even sometimes slightly improvisational (maybe), Wallowing pulls off something that won’t just appeal to sludge/doom purists, but to those who also like rock at its noisy best. Ending with VI. Epilogue in the way that the album began, calmness is restored but the chaos and dissonance is much missed. Wallowing’s debut full-length is really strong. It sets the standard for what comes next from them but something tells me that they’ll have no problem reaching and even beating it. 

You can stream and purchase "Planet Loss" digitally from Wallowing below:-

Wallowing - https://www.facebook.com/wallowingnoise/

Physical copies can be purchased from these links:-

Astral Noize Records - https://astralnoize.bandcamp.com/merch

Black Voodoo Records - http://blackvoodoorecords.limitedrun.com

Sludgelord Records - https://thesludgelord.bandcamp.com/merch

Astral Noize Records - https://www.facebook.com/astralnoizerecords/

Black Voodoo Records - https://www.facebook.com/BlackVoodooRecords/

Sludgelord Records - https://www.facebook.com/SludgelordRecords/

Torpor - Rhetoric Of The Image

Labels: Truthseeker Music/Sludgelord Records/Moment Of Collapse Records/Smithsfoodgroup DIY/Medusa Crush Recordings

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 Sep 2019

Tracklist:

1. Benign Circle

2. Two Heads On Gold

3. Enigmatic Demand

4. Mouths Full Of Water, Throats Full Of Ice

5. Mourning The Real

It's been an honour for me to be able to write about Torpor's music over recent years. My first introduction to them was the 2012 tape "Bled Dry" that was released via Headless Guru Records. Then came their first full-length "From Nothing Comes Everything" in 2015 released via Head Of Crom on vinyl and Black Bow Records on tape (alongside a self-released CD version). A mere twelve months later came their "Split" LP with Sonance through Truthseeker Music and now they're back with a brand new full-length "Rhetoric Of The Image" where they once again team up with Truthseeker Music, as well as other like-minded labels for a double LP release. Everything they've put out thus far has been unique and has painted them to be one of the strongest sludge/doom bands in the UK.

Embarking on the journey that is “Rhetoric Of The Image” is a mixture of both the familiar and the unknown. Familiar in the sense that Torpor has built a truly enviable reputation with the noise that the trio creates but unknown because you don’t know the level of progression that faces you. Album opener Benign Circle is immediately heavy and intense, with a sound and a volume that’s beyond anything you’d expect from a three-piece and a groove that’s subtle yet also full of momentum. It’s gloomy and the bellowed vocals are deep, but the metallic additions add light. The lengthy instrumental mid-section is meandering (in a good way) as Torpor weaves ambience and atmosphere into the song before once again, your senses are assaulted by the rapturously bleak riffs and powerful percussion. What a start to the album!

Talking of ambience, Two Heads Of Gold is a prime example of how noise can co-exist with organic instrumentation in the most unnerving of ways. The spoken-word vocals that sit within the mix don’t make things anymore comfortable. If you were expecting a straight-forward sludge album, then you’re probably still wet behind the ears. The haunting soundscapes continue into Enigmatic Demand, which like the opener, passes the ten-minute mark and then some! The long build-up is now a characteristic of Torpor’s music and here its oddly soothing while also being climactic too. The groove is back at this point and as it reaches the mid-section, the explosive dissonance hits. The bellows are real and as painfully delivered as you’d expect. They even drown out the incessant helicopter noise outside (Harrogate is currently hosting a major global cycling event and I’m on the flight path). 

Torpor settles it all down slightly with penultimate song Mouths Full Of Water, Throats Full Of Ice. It’s another ambient song with melodic vocals that will penetrate even the darkest of souls. Closing song Mourning The Real is the longest of all five on “Rhetoric Of The Image” and its as mighty as promised. The low-end is as heavy as it’s ever been and the whole band seems to be at it’s most comfortable. There’s a lot to be said for momentum, but as mentioned above Torpor just deals with it. Once again the mid-section is filled with ambient instrumentation but it doesn’t detract from the overall feel and sound of the record. It adds to it and continues to show how much this band has grown over recent years. 

We’re racing head-on to the end of 2019 (at least that’s how it feels) but there are still many great reasons to embrace the music that’s been released so far this year. This album is one of those reasons and Torpor is to thank for that. UK heavy music for the win!

You can stream and purchase "Rhetoric Of The Image" digitally below:-

Torpor - https://www.facebook.com/torporsound/

Physical copies are available below:-

Truthseeker Music - https://www.truthseekermusic.com

Sludgelord Records - https://thesludgelord.bandcamp.com/merch

Moment Of Collapse - https://kollektif.eu/34-preorder

Smithsfoodgroup DIY - https://smithsfoodgroupdiy.bigcartel.com

Medusa Crush Recordings - https://medusacrushrecordings.bandcamp.com/merch

Truthseeker Music - https://www.facebook.com/truthseekmusic/

Sludgelord Records - https://www.facebook.com/SludgelordRecords/

Moment Of Collapse Records - https://www.facebook.com/momentofcollapse/ 

Smithsfoodgroup DIY - https://www.facebook.com/Smithsfoodgroup/

Medusa Crush Recordings - https://www.facebook.com/medusacrushrecordings/

The Glorious Rebellion - Scholars Of War

Labels: Sludgelord Records

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 29 Mar 2019

Tracklist:

1. Turn Around, Bright Eyes

2. This Is Fine

3. Burn It Down, Lemon (Burn it Down)

On March 29, Floridian noise rock band The Glorious Rebellion will release their latest EP "Scholars Of War" digitally via Sludgelord Records and their own Bandcamp page. Since their formation in 2014, the trio has been garnering plenty of attention both in the press and on the stage, as they played alongside the likes of Jucifer, Black Tusk and KEN Mode (amongst others). It's been nearly three years since their last release "Euphoric" and TGR are ready to ensure that they've not be forgotten.

TGR’s rock is most definitely noisy and sludgy too. Turn Around, Bright Eyes is like stepping into a bar brawl with no chance of winning. It’s loud and there’s a fair bit of metal attitude coursing through it. It’s off-kilter and brutal thanks to the cacophony of authoritative instrumentation and powerful growls. It doesn’t get any calmer as TGR rips into This Is Fine. Again, it’s filled with off-kilter riffs and the kind of mentality that will make you slightly afraid of them. The atmosphere created by the feedback and those angry vocals won’t comfort you either.

Burn It Down, Lemon (Burn It Down) starts with a scathing blast of feedback before TGR fully launches into what is a nine-minute plus beast. Despite it’s length, the song flies by with choral backing-vocals, constantly driving aggressiveness and towards the end, they dial things back for a brief moment in order to at least take a breathe. This is a heavy release and one that’s bound to make an impact on anyone that hears it. The Glorious Rebellion is the soundtrack to all of 2019’s ills, of which there are plenty. You may as well bang your head and let it all out now.

You can stream This Is Fine via TGR's Bandcamp page below, where you can also pre-order the EP digitally if you're on North America:-

For us Brits and others, you can head to Sludgelord Records here - https://thesludgelord.bandcamp.com/album/scholars-of-war

The Glorious Rebellion - https://www.facebook.com/thegloriousrebellion/

Sludgelord Records - https://www.facebook.com/SludgelordRecords/