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Desert Storm – Buried Under the Weight of Reason Review

Desert Storm – Buried Under the Weight of Reason Review

“For nearly two decades, Desert Storm has stood at the cornerstone of England’s fuzz-drenched underground. One can imagine my surprise, then, to find that I claim the first review of their catalog here. The group’s maturation has been a process of trial and error, evolving from smoky, blues-soaked stoner and southern rock roots into a heftier, sludgy, doom-infused form. Despite the unevenness of the Oxford outfit’s earlier efforts—Forked Tongues and Horizontal LifeDesert Storm’s more recent output (specifically Sentinels and Omens) found that sweet spot where sludge, doom, and stoner rock collide.” Sand, storms, sludge.

Tarlung – Axis Mundi Review

Tarlung – Axis Mundi Review

“Vienna, Austria’s Tarlung has been coughing up thick clouds of resinous doom and smoky sludge since 2013, when, after just six months in existence and having never performed live, they released their eponymous debut album. Now, with two additional full-lengths—2017’s Beyond the Black Pyramid and 2021’s Architect—and some healthy touring under their belts, Tarlung braces to bring their fourth album in nearly five years, Axis Mundi, to the masses.” Coughing up the goods.

Blood Vulture – Die Close Review

Blood Vulture – Die Close Review

“Corpse-painted host and comedian of metal show Two Minutes to Late Night, Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall), spearheaded some nifty entertainment during the height of the pandemic. Snapping up the limited release digital covers EPs during Bandcamp Fridays allowed me to net some cool stuff. Olds and a host of musicians, including Chelsea Wolfe and members of Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Mutoid Man, Royal Thunder, and Baroness amongst others, put their wacky spin on a variety of metal anthems and other classic tunes.” Olds, borrowed, and blue.

Vomitizer – Release the Rats Review

Vomitizer – Release the Rats Review

“I’m this site’s resident “vomit” guy. I didn’t choose this life, it chose me. Nonetheless, I take my duties seriously, and when I see a band in the promo bin with “vomit” in the name, I know I have to review it (even if I’m a fucking week late in doing so). So it was with Vomitrot, so it was with the bands before them, and so it is with Vomitizer.” Womit season.

Scare – In the End, Was It Worth It? Review

Scare – In the End, Was It Worth It? Review

“Hardcore is usually pretty one-note, a hard-and-fast genre for white young ‘uns to unleash their anti-establishment rage against the machine, and it can be difficult to create anything that contains even a mere smidge of memorability. Scare embodies all the vigor of hardcore but attempts to fuse it with the bitter vinegar of sludge metal, making the sound of being beaten by police batons more like being showered by bricks. In the spirit of hardcore brevity and bleak nihilism, indeed: In the End, Was It Worth It?” They came so far…

Moondark – The Abysmal Womb Review

Moondark – The Abysmal Womb Review

“Thirty years is a long time to spend brewing up a debut album, but for Sweden’s Moondark, it’s taken precisely that. Neither the result of sloth nor overwrought perfectionism, Moondark’s cadre of musicians—composed of current members from Interment and October Tide—have put in plenty of work during this time, contributing to some of Sweden’s heaviest hitters like Katatonia, Centinex, Necrophobic and the tragically short-lived Trees of Eternity. Not so hot on the heels then of their independently released Demo #1 in 1993, which Xtreem Music reissued as The Shadowpath in 2015, Moondark and label Pulverised Records are finally ready to serve up debut proper The Abysmal Womb to the masses.” Moons, wombs, darkly lit rooms.

Alkymist – UnnDerr Review

Alkymist – UnnDerr Review

“What kind of an album title is UnnDerr? A weird one to be sure and maybe not the best for marketing purposes. The oddballs in Danish doom/sludge/prog project Alkymist may not care about such trivial capitalistic concerns as they attempt to refine and retool their heady blend of genres. Back in the Age of the Great Plague, we reviewed their sophomore outing Sanctuary and the dearly sabbaticaled Akerblogger had many good things to say about their balance of extremity and progressive wanderings. 2024 finds them back with a more streamlined approach accentuating the brutality while stepping back from the more esoteric angles.” From lead to goat womit.

Phenocryst – Cremation Pyre Review

Phenocryst – Cremation Pyre Review

“Sporting a sufficiently oozy band logo, a now revamped line-up, and a unique concept mainly dealing with themes of volcanology, Phenocryst further distances themselves from the maddening meat ‘n’ taters crowd by incorporating psychedelic elements into their sound. My cursory research revealed that phenocryst is a volcanological term representing a large crystal formation often found in magmatic rocks. The more I researched, the more I bought into the concept, agreeing that volcanoes rock.” The music is lava.