If there’s one critique I have of 20 Buck Spin — and it’s hardly a negative one — it’s that the label so consistently releases solid music that it can be a little hard to keep up. The current set of five albums from Hulder’s Verses in Oath through Atræ Bilis’ Aumicide may yet prove to be one of the strongest in the label’s history. So what makes the second offering in this run so special? On a label best known for death metal, this is some damn good death metal! After a trio of EPs released between 2019 and 2022, England’s Slimelord are finally unleashing their debut full-length Chytridiomycosis Relinquished; a filthy, weird, and consistently exciting slab of death doom metal. Sink into the bog and let the sounds of the slime lords consume you.

Chytridiomycosis Relinquished has so much going for it — and so much going on within each and every song — that I find it hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the album work as well as it does. I think the defining feature of the album is its sonic textures, but what the hell does that even mean? Bear with me here, as this is not just atmosphere (which the album certainly possesses in spades); it’s the actual feeling and variations of the music as it enters your ears. Slimelord don’t just have riffs so heavy they make you feel like you’re being weighed down in the muck of the swamp, or truly exciting songwriting that’s almost dipping toes into progressive and improvisational pools, but it’s all the extra sonic flourishes on top that make this album truly special. The heavy usage of guitar squeals, pinch and other harmonics, dissonance, flourishes of technicality — all this is what struck me so hard upon first listening to initial single “The Beckoning Bell.” And that’s just the opening track! If you ever wanted to hear what Gorguts might sound like if they decided to become a death doom band, Slimelord might just be it.

In keeping with the idea of “sonic textures” a major shoutout has to be given to bassist John Riley; not only do some of the best moments on the album come from the bass serving as a counterpoint to the guitars (rather than just following the riffs or playing simple root notes), but the instrument itself sounds absolutely amazing. If the bass at the conclusion of “Splayed Mudscape” isn’t meant to emulate a chorus of frogs, I’ll go lick a cane toad. Horrendous founder (and Nine Circles Audio Thing alum) Damian Herring did a perfect job mixing and mastering Chytridiomycosis Relinquished; he’s the other unsung hero of the album. Of course riff and solo masters Alexander Bradley and Krystian Zamojski can’t be ignored; not only do their guitar theatrics properly showcase the theme of the band (“The Hissing Moor”) but when the crushing dumb guy riffs come in, they hit even harder (“Gut-Brain Axis”) when compared to everything else surrounding them. And as if the music itself didn’t lend enough to the atmosphere, there’s a number of non-musical recordings to keep you grounded in the bog: the geese calls that open the album, gurgling liquids, howling wind, and more.

If this release doesn’t get the metal world to take notice of Slimelord, I’m not sure what will; with Chytridiomycosis Relinquished the band absolutely deserve a place alongside acts like Spectral Voice and Worm in the modern pantheon of death doom (and beyond). Just as a droplet of pond water harbors an entire universe of microorganisms, so too does nearly every song contain an album’s worth of riffs and musical ideas. There’s so much more than I was even able to cover here, so do yourself a favor and give it a listen to experience everything else in store. Your ears (and perhaps the local amphibians) will thank you.

— Colin

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Chytridiomycosis Relinquished will be available March 8 on 20 Buck Spin. For more information on Slimelord, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.