Callisto – Secret Youth

January 30, 2015 • Svart Records

I really don't know how to approach Callisto anymore. True Nature Unfolds has been an essential favorite of mine for ages, and Noir is almost equally spectacular. The band really shifted with Providence into softer, more melodic territory with clean vocals and a less-than-standard sludge-lite sound. I tried to like it, but I don't think it ever truly clicked for me. It seems like Secret Youth is more of the same—and equally confusing.

One one level, somewhere deep down, it's still the same Callisto I've loved since I first heard them in 2006. The slow, plodding, melancholy riffs and textures are still there, and occasionally an echo of the gritty Noir production leaks through (e.g. the intros to "Backbone" or "Beasts of Mothers"). And there are a lot of sections I really do like, sections where they might get especially heavy and rhythmic and that remind me a little bit of what they used to sound like.

But I still can't bring myself to get excited about this album, and no matter how many times I sit through it, it just doesn't do anything for me; it still feels kind of cliché. Not that their first two albums were that innovative, but they at least had this really special quality to the songwriting that made them stand apart, and it's gone now. The songs feel more like they're just trying to support the vocals rather than do something neat with the music itself. Callisto used to be the kind of band that put the music first—maybe that's what's changed them: being so vocal-centric.

I guess it's just time to throw in the towel and finally admit it to myself: Callisto just isn't really a good band anymore. And that sucks a lot, because they're such a huge reason of why I listen to a lot of what I do. It's good that they gave us two great albums when they did; I just won't really be looking forward to their next album quite so much.

Justin Jackson – Rosetta: Audio/Visual

December 25, 2014 • self-released

I love that this exists. Not many bands get their own documentary, especially when they're not huge mainstream acts, and when one that's already one of your all-time favorite bands gets one it's fantastic. Audio/Visual is more or less a brief chronicle of the band's history, from their formation to the present day, as well as some insight into Translation Loss Records and the relationship between the two. As someone who's followed the band way on the outside for almost ten years, it's really neat to see how their timeline and their experiences were going during that time.

It's really interesting to see the breakup of a band from its label from both sides at once, and a bit sad as well, as it's clear both sides wanted to make things work but the business got in the way so much it tore everything apart. The last third of the film, where Rosetta is making The Anaesthete and stressing over if they will even be able to continue as a band, is a surprisingly tense section (even knowing how things went) and makes for great film. It was pretty cool to see some details about their lives outside of the band as well, and the interviewees get lots of opportunities to philosophize and talk about their personal feelings and experiences, giving the film a very personal and intimate feel at times.

If you've seen any metal documentary before, on a technical level there isn't much to surprise you here. Plenty of interviews with the members, their friends, and their label, all paired with some nice concert footage, in-studio footage, and some montages of scenes of Philadelphia and around the world as they tour. The use of stock footage—mostly old clips of manufacturing plants—was a really great way to add some atmosphere and personality to the story.

As far as indie documentaries go, this one is very well-made and does a great job of presenting its material, especially for a topic that's kind of niche. (Or maybe I just underestimate how big Rosetta has gotten, which is entirely possible.) Even to people who aren't familiar with the band, it still paints a great story of a band struggling to make ends meet while keeping their creative vision intact, something that anyone who's into music can appreciate.

Official site

Sarin – Burial Dream

January 17, 2015 • self-released

I haven't really been listening to a ton of sludge metal lately. I still love the genre but it seems like there's less and less coming out each year that really piques my interest. But now and again I'll stumble on a band that rekindles my faith a little and reminds me why I love the genre so much. Recently it's been Sarin, whose 2013 EP House of Leaves I really enjoyed (but never covered). Their first full-length is finally out and I couldn't be happier.

There's a pretty blatant debt owed to early–mid Isis, and maybe Pelican and Godflesh, on a lot of these tracks—at points I feel like the music could have been ripped straight from Isis' Oceanic—although I bring this up in the most positive light possible. Sarin pulls off a similar combination of slow, churning, clean-guitar buildups and huge, heavy, crunchy, pounding riffs; even the vocalists sound very similar. Maybe it's just my personal love for the atmospheric sludge style (and the fact that I do miss Isis somewhat) but the band knows what they're doing and they've gotten fantastic at it.

Take, for instance, the intro to "Monograph". Slow—plodding, almost—drums, echoing clean guitars, pretty typical stuff. But it has this really nice melodic aspect to it (probably has something to do with the major key) that lulls you in, so when the heavy guitars kick on two minutes in, still with the excellent melody and emotional resonance, it's just an awesome experience. They take the genre's natural tendency towards repetition and make it work in their favor really well; the song shifts into a more sinister minor key by the end but you barely notice as it goes. "Reverse Mirror" does something kind of similar, but uses that kind of interplay and buildup to conclude the album in a very satisfying way.

I suppose the fact that this album does feel a bit derivative will probably keep it from being as appealing as it could to some people. I love this album anyway, so I don't really care; Sarin has more than proven themselves to me what they're capable of. Great, great stuff.

Rosetta – Flies to Flame

October 14, 2014 • Translation Loss Records

If, like me, you've been following Rosetta's trajectory for the last almost-ten years since I first heard The Galilean Satellites, then I barely need to talk much about their last release on Translation Loss, Flies to Flame. Let me state off the bat: Yes, Rosetta is still a good band; yes, I still enjoy their music; yes, this EP is still good; yes, I bought the record. (Gotta have that green vinyl.) But since they are one of my top-favorites it's too easy to judge new material harshly, like I did with The Anaesthete, and it's tough to judge releases like this.

With that in mind: Every time I've listened to this EP, all I can think is "yep, just more Rosetta songs." And that's just what they are: the slow chord progressions, walls of echoing guitar washing off every surface, drumming that just can't go without filling every eighth note with something. I mean, yes, obviously I like it. But they've got thirty other songs that sound just like it! (The guitar-drone-only "Seven Years..." is a bit unique for the band as far as I can tell, for what it's worth.)

The EP does have a very soft sound, though, especially compared to the metal juggernaut that The Anaesthete was—seriously, listen to these back-to-back; it's like getting punched. So for anyone who does dig Rosetta when they're a bit more quiet and introspective is going to enjoy this. I won't say it's my favorite of their styles, but they are still quite good at it.

But I have to say I'm still excited for the band. They've got that new documentary out (hopefully there'll be a piece on that here soon), and self-funding seems to be working out well so far, so it'll be neat to find out where things go from here. Flies to Flame is a fitting goodbye to their old label and their old ways; let's just see what comes next.

Fleshworld / Gazers / Viscera/// – Split

October 14, 2014 • Unquiet Records

Reviewing promotional split albums always feels a bit weird, but sometimes the material really is good enough that I have to share it. Today's edition is three metal bands from all over Europe: Fleshworld from Poland, Gazers from France, and Viscera/// (slashes included, please) from Italy.

Fleshworld gets the split off to a great start—I'm really enjoying their tracks. Their style of sludge metal manages to be both a little atmospheric and very driving at the same time, a bit Cult-of-Luna-esque without as much grandeur. The rhythmic patterns going on here are great—the hard-hitting drum grooves are especially irresistible, and there are lots of really nice crunchy guitar lines holding it together. They occasionally launch into some more intense punkish-blastbeating, quiet clean bridges (naturally), and even a little bit of psychedelic noodling, which are all nice enough—but man am I digging the standard sludge. I haven't heard many new bands lately doing it as well as they do. I only wish the first two songs were a little longer, as the nine-minute "Rezygnacja" is, to give me a bit more to sink my teeth into.

Gazers sounds nothing like their name implies—this is some raw and harsh screamo, chaotic riffing, blasting, some slower chugging sections, the occasional breakdown, and all. Maybe it's that Fleshworld is a hard act to follow but I'm not as thrilled about this band—though they are still pretty decent. The songwriting is a bit disjointed and hard to follow at times, but they definitely have the texture and mood down well. Admittedly I've never been a huge fan of this style of post-hardcore/screamo so I'm probably not the right person to take Gazers on, but you could certainly do a lot worse.

Viscera/// brings us back around to the sludge metal side of things, but in a much different way from Fleshworld. The promo kit calls them "psychedelic" but I don't think I'd agree whatsoever; they're definitely way too clean and heavy for that (blastbeating isn't psychedelic, and flanger pedals don't automatically make you so, no matter what anyone says). But they do have nice big riffs aplenty, and bigger riffs you rarely have seen. Their style is all over the place, though—they swerve from crunching rhythmic lines to almost-black-metal tremolo blasting to upbeat stoner metal, and it's a bit weird. The poppy clean singing in "Nobody's Diary" feels wildly out of place and the band can get a bit too repetitive at times, but the majority of what they've put down here is pretty great.

In short—one split, plenty of great brutality to be had, and I'm off to see if there's any more from these bands to check out, because my interest is definitely piqued.

N. Tesla – Lux Manifesto

February 20, 2014 • Lost Memories Records

I don't really listen to a lot of Russian metal—it's often either hard to find or not very good. But it's even better when a band recommends themselves to you and then turn out to be really good. And it's even better when they turn out to be really good, as was the case with this album.

N. Tesla is firmly in the classic atmospheric sludge camp (points from me right off the bat), with a sound that wouldn't sound out of place last decade but still doesn't sound dated. The riffs are the sort that are very archetypal for sludge simple—just a few notes, steadfastly chugging along, nothing too technical apart from some great stop-start rhythms—but still manage to be crushingly heavy. I guess simplicity really can be the best thing, when you can do it this effectively. There are also plenty of softer bridges with clean guitars that do a great job of breaking up the music and keep the songs progressing. I get a bit of a Swallow the Ocean or Seven Nautical Miles vibe, which is great as that is still one of my favorite kinds of sludge (too bad they didn't keep up the maritime theme; oh well).

The band definitely brings their own unique flair to the music, though, and they do plenty to shake up the standard. They manage to get a little psychedelic at times with some interesting guitar layering and effects, culminating in the freak-out noise interlude that is "Megalodon". There's even a bit of interesting folk influence, at least in some of the intermediate sections like the first track, along with this neat little jazzy section in "Determination of Giants". Despite it sounding a bit weird written down, it all fuses up and works together very well. These guys really know what they're doing, and they're doing an excellent job at it.

It's not often I say this, but I'm having a really tough time thinking of anything about Lux Manifesto I don't like. If anything, the riff style maybe gets a tiny bit repetitive about two-thirds in, but though some might have a problem with it, I certainly don't; there's definitely enough of other styles on here to keep me listening. It's as if they knew exactly what I like in my sludge metal and tailored this album just to my tastes. Fantastic stuff, and definitely a band I'm going to keep an eye on.

Junius, A Storm of Light, Mockingbird

February 26, 2014 • Kobo Live, Columbus, Ohio

The number live shows I've been going to has been a bit disappointingly smaller than usual in the last few months. But I'm never opposed to going to a show where I've already seen the majority of the bands before (if I know they're good, anyway).

Mockingbird

I've seen these guys before and I was more than happy to see them again; they put on a great show. This time was definitely better than the first, as well. I think that since then they must have gotten some new songs written and, if so, they are a sure step up from what they played last year. It's a very heavy and headbangin' doom-sludge hybrid with fantastic riffing. Still some bad mic technique, but that's okay. Good technical playing all around, too, especially with bass and drums. I don't know how much they get around, since they're from Akron and I guess still a bit "local", but they're totally worth checking out.
7 • Still the Best Mutton Chops Award

A Storm of Light

I've only heard a couple of this band's songs before so my expectations of how this set was going to go were a little off. Despite the fact that this band's frontman has been in at least three other bands I'm a fan of (Red Sparowes, Battle of Mice, and Neurosis), and that I really wanted to like them, I just couldn't get into this show at all. They play a kind of alt-sludge style with a nice, heavy, powerful sound, but the riffs and songwriting just seemed a bit boring to me. Neat visuals on the projector, though; that did add to the show in an interesting way.
5 • Most Pedals (Like Seriously, Your Bassist Does Not Need Ten) Award

Junius

Like Mockingbird, I think Junius has gotten even better since the first time I saw them. They've put out quite a bit of new material since then, and the new stuff is really quite good. They're still harping their melodic-atmospheric-post-rock-metal-Khoma-Rosetta style, which of course is great, but there are a few songs that really rock out in a unique way. I really need to check out their latest album and EP at some point. Although, I have to say that the use of incredibly bright audience-facing lights is, while neat, really annoying for anyone standing near the front. Probably contributed to half of my headache.
9 • Still Very Fine Beards Award

Bonus: I noticed someone taping the first two sets; if I ever find them up on YouTube I might post them here as well.

Alaskan – Despair, Erosion, Loss

January 19, 2014 • Moment of Collapse Records

I'm happy that Alaskan seems to be doing well lately. I've been following them pretty much since they started out, and have yet to hear anything by them I didn't really like. If you've heard their last album Adversity; Woe, it's more or less the same as what you're getting here, and I can't say I'm at all disappointed.

Here on Despair, Erosion, Loss the band is still treading the same grounds as on their last album. Dirty, doomy sludge metal, long gloomy buildups, and a somewhat impenetrable sound. They seem to be upping the intensity on this album a bit, though. The songs seem a bit faster and more frantic than they used to be. Heavy pounding sections, technical riffing, and almost-black-metal blastbeats aren't too uncommon here. It's still a modern sludge record at heart, though, with post-hardcore influences seamlessly integrated, as has been the trend lately. It's worked well for them before, and it works well again.

However, also as with their last album, while I like their sound and aesthetic, the songwriting still doesn't grab me. There are some good, even catchy riffs and memorable parts scattered around, but not a lot that fuses into a cohesive whole. I feel like they're almost trying to do too many things at once and it's hard to really gel with what's going on. Maybe that's just me, though.

Still, I can't say this is a bad album—not by a long shot. At the very least, it's great for background music and there's still a lot to be gained from more attentive listening. I've been a bit disillusioned with a lot of the sludge metal that's come out in the last year or so and it's good to know there are still some bands making stuff I enjoy. And I hope they stick around and crank a few more albums out.

(pst this one's free too)

Adai – Felo De Se

May 2010 • Cavity Records

Just another random find (this time courtesy of Spotify, but I'll take what I can get—they're surprisingly good at recommendations, I've found). It's rare that you see atmospheric sludge bands with tracks less than six minutes long, so I was curious about this band, and it turns out they're quite good, although the lack of material is a bit disappointing.

They have a great sound, though, kind of like a dirtier, heavier Pelican, with the same sort of stoner-influenced major-key riffs and sprawling instrumental sound. Although it does stand up pretty well as it is now, I think it would definitely be improved with more / better vocals; the music tends to drag on a little bit without them, and the bits that do exist aren't that great (they're mostly in the background and aren't terribly great, to be honest). But the music itself is very well-written and manages to be pretty interesting, if a little samey.

Although they may not sound particularly original, Adai has a really great sound and this EP is so short that it just breezes by and leaves me wanting more. I really hope they pull together a full-length sometime soon (it's been over three years already!). I guess I'll have to settle for this.

6

Pelican – Forever Becoming

October 14, 2013 • Southern Lord Records

I don't get excited for new Pelican like I used to. Like most people, I consider their first two albums and first two EPs to be quite good and everything after that not worth even bothering with. Well, surprise surprise—Forever Becoming is just as not-very-good as I had thought.

To be fair, I think they're trying. Both the first two tracks are styled pretty different to what I'd consider their normal sound; "Terminal" is a slow, hollow, trudging track and "Deny the Absolute" is fast and upbeat with a slight post-hardcore sound. Unfortunately, that still doesn't make them good; I've already forgotten the generic riffs as soon as they're over. It's heavier than their last couple albums, but not particularly; the melodies are maybe a bit more interesting, but not much; the performance is a lot less sloppy than it used to be, but it never should have been sloppy in the first place.

If you want to find enjoyment in this album, it's there. There are a good handful of moments worth head-bobbing along to, and they can still get really heavy when they want to and a lot of the time it sounds great when they do. I think it's probably better than both City of Echoes and What We All Come to Need, for what it's worth.

But if no one knew who Pelican was when they released this album, no one would care about it. I guess I can see an audience for people who don't actually listen to sludge metal enough to know what they should be expecting; sludge and post-rock have moved far on from this sound and it doesn't cut it anymore. It's not bottom-of-the-barrel awful, just mediocre enough to not bother with, which is worse in a way. It's fine enough while it's on, but it's definitely not worth getting excited about and dropping money on.

5

Katatonia, Cult of Luna, Tesseract, Intronaut

September 18, 2013 • Peabody's Downunder, Cleveland, Ohio

Yep, Cleveland. A two-hour drive (each way) just to see a show? I must be crazy, right? Nope, just Cult of Luna, who's touring the States for the first time in eight years, and this was their only Ohio show, meaning it'll likely be my only opportunity to see them play, ever. Looking back, it was kind of a silly idea and I highly doubt I'd ever drive so far just for a show ever again—not to say it was bad, though.

Intronaut

I've been listening to Intronaut for a long, long time, though only casually and I haven't really listened to their newer stuff very much. Their show was exactly how I thought it'd be—decent, but not particularly amazing. Apparently Intronaut as a band is really just a support outfit for their bassist to show off (although he really is quite good, so that's not really a complaint). The poor mixing (very light on guitar and vocals) didn't help much. They're a band that's definitely better on CD, but they were still enjoyable enough.
6 • Best Laser Light Show Award (Suck It, Tool)

Tesseract

They're a decent enough band I guess, but I never really cared much about them. They put on a good enough show, though; at the very least, it looked like they were having fun themselves. I was a bit disappointed by how much of their performance was automated, though—I guess it makes sense to play to a click track when your material is so technical, but automated guitar effects seems a little silly. (And don't bother pretending to play when it's obviously a pre-recorded guitar in that one song, it was so obvious.) Anyway, fine enough if you're a fan.
6 • Best Capri Pants Award

Cult of Luna

I probably overhyped this show in my mind—I mean, if you've seen their live DVD, you can understand how pumped I was. Now, they did put on as good of a show as they could: a fantastic heavy sound, very cool visuals (although the strobe light was a bit much), and some pretty intense playing. They did seem to have a lot of technical problems, though—broken strings, no bass for half a song, and one of the guitars seemed horribly out-of-tune for a whole song. Still, they played some great songs (nothing earlier than Somewhere Along the Highway but I'll take what I can get) and I did enjoy them quite a bit.
8 • Most Spilled Beer Award

Katatonia

I think I used to like Katatonia a long time ago, like 2005 or so, but I haven't listened to them in ages and it turns out they aren't really that good anymore. Their alt-rock-pretending-to-be-metal style isn't bad, just very unimaginative and not terribly fun to watch. Also, their entire setup was straight through the mixing board—no amps or anything, which looked really weird and made it seem kind of fake. I bailed after three songs because I wanted to get home, so it might have gotten better, but I doubt it.
5 • Silliest Banners Award

Mouth of the Architect – Dawning

June 25, 2013 • Translation Loss Records

One of my favorite and one of the most underappreciated bands in the "post-metal" scene, and it's good to see they're more or less the same band they've always been with their fourth album.

One of the first things I noticed about Dawning is that it's a bit slower than their previous material, with a lot more of the post-rock sound slowly creeping its way in more noticeably. (See "Patterns"' long, tense buildup to actual metal just in the last 20% of the song; or the slight Earth-esque country twang in "The Other Son".) Fortunately the band knows how to play that well, using loads of dynamics and jumping from quiet clean bridges to pounding, heavy sludge riffs in a way that sounds very natural.

This album also includes lots of clean vocals thrown in as well, and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about them—they seem to work okay most of the time, as Dawning is a relatively melodic album to start with; however I've always loved the band's harsh vocals and hate to hear them used less often. They definitely don't subtract from the album's quality, though.

They're definitely not breaking a lot of new ground, and there are some moments that are uninspired, like the lackluster "It Swarms". But there are some equally kickass parts too that demonstrate just how well Mouth of the Architect exemplifies sludge, like "Sharpen Your Axes" or "How This Will End". Mouth of the Architect's handle on melody is probably one of the best (if not the best) among similar bands, and it really goes a long way in helping them write good, memorable material.

On the whole, Dawning doesn't satisfy in quite the same way that The Ties That Blind did, for instance (though I do think it's a step up from Quietly). But it's still definitely a good album worthy of this classic band's discography, and it's good to see that they haven't gone to crap like a lot of bands that die way before the ten-year mark.

7

Cult of Luna – Vertikal II

September 21, 2013 • Indie Recordings

This was unexpected—more tracks from the Vertikal sessions! Admittedly, it's probably for the best that these tracks were left off of the album, although it is neat to hear them regardless.

What this EP has to offer is a bit different from Cult of Luna's normal heavy sludge sound. Instead, the songs are much lighter, atmospheric, and less about riffs and rhythms than they are about buildup and mood. In the first two tracks, you won't hear much in the way of "regular" drumming, guitars, or vocals. Okay, there's a little bit, but it definitely takes a back seat to the electronic ambience and Earth-esque doom-rock buildups. It's a sound they've done a bit before on their albums as interludes and such, just on a larger scale. "Shun the Mask" is a bit more standard Vertikal fare.

While I don't want to say these tracks aren't good, they're definitely not up to the high standards the band has set for themselves over the years. As B-sides go, they're fine; they're definitely listenable and there are plenty of interesting moments scattered around. And, naturally, Justin Broadrick's remix of "Vicarious Redemption" is stellar. (I don't think I've ever heard him do a bad remix.) But they simply don't bring that same huge, enthralling feel that their songs usually do. Rather I just feel like I'm along for the ride, listening passively, without much going on.

That said, I'm still happy to have heard the EP—I never say no to more Cult of Luna, of course—and it's not a blemish on their discography or anything. Maybe I just set my own expectations a little high.

6

Mouth of the Architect, Before the Eyewall, Beggars, War Elephant

August 31, 2013 • Ace of Cups, Columbus, Ohio

War Elephant

Two-man doom, thunderous metal. Mostly slow, pounding jams with a bit of black metal thrown in to keep things interesting. The mix was terrible so I couldn't tell what the guitar was doing at all for the whole set (the overdone reverb effects didn't help), but it was definitely interesting for the standard obscure-local-metal act. At least they live up to their name.
6 • Most Metal Hairdos Award

Beggars

Normally, I'm not one to enjoy much stoner metal or bluesy rock, but for some reason I really enjoyed these guys. Really groovy and catchy stuff with an old-school rock and roll flair to it, like a stoner version of Kvelertak or something. Probably not a band I'd go out and see on purpose, but it was still a pretty fun set. Clip
7 • Most Shirtless Award

Before the Eyewall

I'm not really too sure what I thought about these guys. They were more of a post-rock outfit, or at least one that focused a lot more on ambience and buildup, so much so that the short, heavier sludgy climaxes didn't seem to be sufficient payoff. Not to say they were bad; I did like the noise/ambient stuff and when they did bring out the heavy riffs, it was pretty good, but the overall balance seemed a bit boring (especially coming after Beggars).
6 • Most Baffling Use of Trumpet Award

Mouth of the Architect

It's always hard to describe the set of a band I already know really well, even ones like this who I haven't listened to in a long time. Still one of the best atmospheric sludge bands of all time, and seeing them live was even better than hearing them on CD. I especially liked how they played mostly older material, so there was a good bit of it I recognized, which always makes it easier to get really absorbed in what's going on. Anyway, definitely a great set and a band worth seeing.
8 • Best Beards Award (Sorry Junius)

The Tragedy We Live In – The Tragedy We Live In

March 1, 2013 • self-released

I'm pretty sure I'm officially tired of the whole post-rock-and-sludge-metal thing. I thought the scene was dead, but bands keep cranking out material and a lot of it turns out to just not be very good at all.

The Tragedy We Live In doesn't do it much differently from anyone else—long buildups, sandwiching breakdown riffs with some really filthy guitar sound and pounding, tom-heavy drumming. There are some outside influences leaking in, however, such as some black metal riffing and a punk edge to some of the rhythms, the drums in particular. It's a nice change, and it helps keep the album interesting (especially since there aren't vocals), but sometimes they feel a bit out-of-place. It doesn't help that the songwriting in general feels very thrown-together and it doesn't feel like the songs have any logical progression tying them up—just bits and pieces put together.

So this album feels less like an album and more like a bunch of people just kind of messing around without a clear goal. It's difficult to listen to and I don't feel like I got anything out of it. (It doesn't help that the playing is often very sloppy, which takes me right out of the experience.)

So tread with caution. (It helps that it's free.)

5

KEN Mode, Rosetta, Lo-Pan, The Black Antler

August 18, 2013 • Kobo Live, Columbus, Ohio

I had already had an amazing weekend, and I couldn't think of a better way to top it off than a show with one of my favorite bands. I'd already seen Rosetta back in 2010 but I wouldn't pass up another chance to see them here in Columbus, especially at Kobo which I love going to. Unlike that Carabar show, it actually ended just after 11 PM instead of 3 AM so people were actually around to see the bands!

The Black Antler

The pleasant surprise of the night (there's always one)—these guys were really awesome. A sort of doomy sludge combined with grind-infused hardcore, definitely a case of sludgecore-done-right. Not a single dull moment throughout their set (although I could have done with better sound mixing). Definitely would see again.
8 • Best Hipster Mustache Award

Lo-Pan

I'm a bit surprised it took me this long to get to a show these guys played at. They've been around a while and it seems like they support every other metal show in the city. Anyway, they weren't really my thing, but it was still an enjoyable set. I've never really liked stoner metal, but Lo-Pan's style was especially interesting. Very groovy, catchy stuff. The bassist especially was giving his all, doing a lot of complicated stuff and really squeezing all the range out of his instrument he could.
7 • Farthest-Away Vocalist Award

Rosetta

It's tough to review any band you have a lot of emotional investment in already, but yeah, this was an amazing show. Not much has changed in the last three years, although everything they played was off of their new album. I was a little disappointed at first that they weren't playing some older stuff I would have recognized more easily, but it didn't matter much—their new material works excellently on stage, especially the heavier material. Anyway I'm just glad they came back here again; I could tell everyone had a hell of a time.
9 • Most Normal Clothes Award

KEN Mode

I don't know what KEN Mode's deal is but they must love Columbus or something; I saw them back in November and they've played here at least three other times since. Anyway, I already knew they put on a good show, and they didn't disappoint—although I think the first show might have been better. It's tough to follow up Rosetta, I'd think. As always it was a very energetic and dramatic performance; they don't care how big of an audience they play to, which is great.
7 • Best Spitting Distance Award

Rosetta – The Anaesthete

August 8, 2013 • self-released

I'm starting to have mixed feelings about Rosetta as a band. Back in 2006 or so when I first heard The Galilean Satellites, they became an instant favorite, and I've highly enjoyed everything they've released since. And yes, I have found myself enjoying The Anaesthete. But at the same time, I feel a bit let down by it. It's still good, though, and worth a listen for sludge fans.

For anyone who hasn't heard them, Rosetta's sound is near the peak of the sludge metal and post-rock fusion style. Staples of their sound include layered, delay-rich clean guitar contrasted with heavy crunching power riffs, complex and intricate drumming with some interesting time signatures, and a thick reverb-drenched atmosphere. While they've stuck with that for ten years now, like A Determinism of Morality they've been slowly trending towards some shorter songs with quicker tempos which suits them well. The band finally seems to be exploring minor-key tracks a bit more as well, with songs like the dissonant and heavy "Oku / The Secrets".

But on The Anaesthete, the band's writing skills don't seem as sharp as they used to be and I feel like they're just treading a lot of old ground. Unlike a lot of their old material, the songs here don't have a lot in the way of memorable lines or melodies the way The Galilean Satellites; instead, many of them are just a barrage of endless guitar and drum noodling until they reach a generic power-chord climax: rinse and repeat. Of course the formula worked back in 2005, but by now it hardly seems interesting, especially when it feels very structureless and hard-to-follow as well. There are a few exceptions, like the awesome riff that closes "In & Yo / Dualities of the Way" or the practically-hardcore "Myo / The Miraculous" (they can still slam a heavy section with the best of them), but moments like that aren't as frequent as they should be.

Their performance skills, on the other hand, are just as good as ever, even when things get a little messy. The drumming is easily one of the best parts, technically-speaking; he is always doing something cool. (I do wish, though, that the vocals were a bit more interesting than one clean guest spot per album. Not to say Armine is bad; he just can only do one sound.)

I can see how it'd be hard to top an instant-classic like The Galilean Satellites and they've definitely tried (Wake/Lift was absolutely a success in my mind), but I don't see much of a future for them if they continue to stagnate like this. I know this review probably sounds really harsh, probably unfairly so—for sludge fans this album is definitely worth listening to, and it's got plenty of good moments in it. I've already heard plenty of people say good things about it, so judge for yourself. Just know that it's almost certainly not going to stand up close to their best.

6

Amber – Lovesaken

April 27, 2013 • self-released

It's all too easy to feel jaded and dismissive about yet-another-relatively-typical-atmospheric-sludge-album. I was at first. And sure, Amber doesn't really try anything new in the genre, but that doesn't mean they can't make a generic album that isn't good. And I was surprised to hear that they, in fact, do.

While you won't get much more than the standard soft-loud-soft-loud dynamics and heavy one-note riffs, there's enough going on in Lovesaken to make it work. The drumming is a bit more interesting than usual, using some more complex rhythms and fills than in your average dirges. The guitar sometimes follows suit as well with some neat layered arpeggiated delay sections. And of course you have your chugging breakdowns too, which are actually quite well-done. It's hard not to groove along to the end of "Silent Lies".

The vocals are a little unique, if nothing else; you don't often hear female vocalists in sludge and it's a nice change. She's not fantastic, but she's not bad either. Unfortunately the vocals only have one setting, and often don't seem to fit with what's going on (for example, the intense screams don't sound good over the somber, clean guitar at the end of the first track).

Although there's not much to it and I wouldn't say it's a particularly memorable album overall (or I just haven't listened to it enough yet), it's still definitely one of the better sludge albums I've heard in the last year or two. (It helps that I hear a lot of garbage, too.) Definitely worth a listen (and it's another free download, too!).

7

Maidens – Shallows

November 25, 2011 • self-released

Another day, another sludge band to listen to. I don't even know how to start these reviews off anymore since I do so many of these.

Maidens waves the atmospheric sludge banner high, piggybacking right off the great bands of the genre. However, they don't reach much farther than that, and the EP is definitely lacking in the originality department; the opening to first track sounds like it was almost lifted wholesale from an Isis song (for the life of me I can't remember which; maybe it was Cult of Luna?). Now, I love Oceanic and I don't really mind hearing a bunch more music that sounds exactly like it, but this is really blatant. (At least their Bandcamp tags prove they're open about it.)

With that out of the way, Shallows is a pretty well-done record. The songs aren't the most engaging I've heard, but there are plenty of good riffs, some really nice and tense buildups, and great production on it. The atmosphere itself isn't particularly dark or oppressive, more introspective and neutral, but that's not really a bad thing.

Anyway for an early EP it's definitely not a bad start. I've heard their more recent album and I can't say offhand if the originality issue has changed any in the last two years, but even that aside Shallows is still worth a listen.

6

Rituals – Rituals

March 20, 2012 • Replenish Records

Welcome back to another edition of the All Sludge Metal All the Time Review Hour. Today's derivative, generic entry is Arizona band Rituals, performing the typical atmospheric sludge act I've seen time and again. Maybe I'm just desensitized to the better elements of one of my favorite genres, or maybe I'm just grumpy today, but to me this is nothing to write home about.

Expect some long post-rock-based buildups (half the song, in some cases) and huge, heavy, doom-laden riffing for the rest of it. Granted, it's something they do pretty well for what it's worth; the slow tempos and strained vocals create a very despairing atmosphere which works pretty well.

The main issue is that the album is just kind of boring. I'm not saying it's a bad album, but there's absolutely nothing unique going on and not a lot keeping things interesting or worth listening to. The riffs are very repetitive, and each song goes on far too long for its own good. There isn't anything unusual in terms of production—no unusual instrumentation, nothing outside the vocals-bass-drums-two-guitars paradigm—although the existing production is handled pretty well. It's just that there simply aren't any neat, new ideas being explored. And of course while it's possible to make a good album with old ideas, it still has to be interesting. And Rituals isn't.

On the other hand, I bet Rituals would put on a killer live show. This sounds like it'd be great in a small venue, the kind of place where this sort of massive sound does take you pretty far.

5