Surprises are bountiful in music, and such was the case with UK-based William English on their full length debut Basic Human Error. In this case, the surprise came after taking in the unassuming band name and looking at that serene album cover, then listening to them completely demolish every bit of the 44-minute run time. Throughout, the band shows off their penchants for Eyehategod and Rwake, among others, but while that’s a nice anchor point, it doesn’t paint the whole picture of the album as a whole.

Album opener “Bud Vessel” pulls out all the stops immediately with hardcore, ass-kicking speed and a vile attitude from start to finish. “Captain Tugboat” is much the same but adds a back end of sludge reminiscent of Eyehategod at their thickest, as the vocals vary from the hardcore, tough-guy type to garbled screaming.

“Seaweed” sounds just like its title, ebbing and flowing with an aggressive undercurrent of sludge. The song almost brings to mind Iron Monkey, what with the down-tuned monster riffs and Shane Miller’s aggressive vocals. The attitude coming across so far just speaks volumes; sometimes it’s nice not to have to think about what you’re hearing. (Not to mention: I like a truly pissed off sound from time to time.)

But the two-parter, “Grandpa Sorrow” is the true heart of the album. Part 1 carries an emotional sounding riff all the way through and splurges occasionally on louder drumming and drawn out chords. Miller again shows an impressive range with his vocals, and creates quite the contrast to the more restrained playing. This is the first track of the album that lays back enough to zone out with, and gives the listener a well-earned break. Part 2 then builds chords over weird sounding dialogue, before relenting to sludgy doom with heavy, angular guitar passages, a quick trip on the Converge train, and then a set of winding riffs that fade the album to a close.

All in all, it’s a promising debut from the five-piece. While they’re grounded in sludge metal, they never dwell in one place too long, sonically. I’m not a fan of the tough guy vocal style but here, with the unbridled anger, it fits in like a puzzle piece. Sludge will never get old to me, particularly when bands come along and shake it up the right way.

-Josh

Basic Human Error is available now on Grandad Records. For more information on William English visit the band’s Facebook page.