January 22, 2008 • self-released
Swallow the Ocean is a sludge band that I've had kicking around in my library for some time now—I don't remember where or how I heard of them—and their sole release, this little debut EP, still stands as one of the best metal releases I've ever heard.
Simply put, this band does just about everything right when it comes to playing good metal. The songwriting is fantastic, with a perfect balance between angular stop-start riffing and smoother melodic lines and between crushingly heavy sections and quiet bridges; the vocals sound pretty awesome as well (both harsh and clean, and tastefully done); great guitar tone and drum lines... there really isn't anything about it I don't like.
You wouldn't think it for this sort of sludge metal to be catchy—usually that's the more stoner-influenced stuff—but Swallow the Ocean manages to make every song memorable and completely headbangable. (You know what I mean.)
Admittedly it is a bit silly that there are just as many interludes as there are regular songs, giving the EP that kind of grandiose album feel but with a bit less meat to it. It's not really a bad thing, just a bit weird, and it makes the EP feel a bit padded unnecessarily.
Regardless, as I said before, it's still fantastic and highly recommended. And when it finally does get old, apparently we finally will be hearing some new material from them soon, after six long years. Here's to hoping it's half as good as the songs here.
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