If the opening thirty seconds of No One Wants To Speak About It by Adzes doesn’t immediately hook you, I don’t think we can be friends. Nothing hits the spot like heavy Isis-inspired riffs brutally nailed to a cross of harmonization and beauty. Sludgy and dark, angry and unforgiving, and bearing the unrelenting anti-capitalist and anti-fascist message, it is everything I want in my home-grown one man metal projects.
So many people taking the sludge route forget the immense amount of swagger that separates the truly great from the rest of the imitators out there. The pocket may be damp and muddy, but it is first and foremost deep, and if anyone is doing it better than -(16)- at this point, I don’t know them. I also don’t know a more aptly named album than Dream Squasher, which ably demonstrates that four years gone only made the riffs more gnarly, the groove baked deeper into the foundation, and the content as harrowing as the times it finds itself in. Continue reading
Creatively captivating black/doom duo hailing from Basel, Switzerland, Ashtar, has returned after five years with their sophomore album Kaikuja. The band has been in the studio since the summer of 2019 developing their sound and creating this darkly impressive work of art. The rich and idiosyncratic tracks of this album are layered with intricacies giving each listen new discoveries and appreciation. Continue reading
We know what you’re thinking. ‘Why would 9C call a band I’ve never heard of a juggernaut and particularly why in the world of extreme sludge metal.’ For several reasons but mainly because the music contained on London based Beggar‘s upcoming debut full length, Compelled To Repeat, is some of the sickest, angriest, most down-trodden sludge by way of extreme metal we’ve heard in a mighty long time. Their sludge lives, breathes, and frolics amongst the heavy burdens of society and their extreme side is akin to hacking skin from flesh then swallowing the blade with a smile. And, they’re not afraid to pull off a dirty solo or throw in some breakneck thrash for good measure. So, juggernaut it is. For now, we’re here to right the wrong of you never hearing them or knowing anything about them since guitarist Jake Leyland and vocalist/bassist Charlie Davis were gracious enough to offer insight via our set of Profile questions. Check it out below and be first in line on APF Records’ site to get your copy, links contained within. Continue reading
Receiving the Evcharist is our weekly feature where we pair choice albums with our favorite libations. Drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offering: Body Void & Keeper’s Split and Mikkeller Brewing Company’s Raspberry Blush.
