Struck by Lightning – True Predation

April 24, 2012 • Translation Loss Records

So I've been following Struck by Lightning for a while, ever since I saw them open at a show and checked out their debut from a few years ago. This, their second album, is almost a year old by now but I'm finally catching up. Anyway, it's good. It seems that the band has moved up a bit in terms of sound and created something pretty darn cool.

The crust punk style that defined Serpents definitely still dominates the album, though (if you couldn't tell, just look at that classic cover art)—dirty, crunchy, and fast guitars, standard yet aggressive hardcore-punk-style drumming, and raw, angry, nihilistic sludge vocals. Some of my favorite elements of different kinds of heavy music all smashed together, and it's awesome.

While Serpents often flaunted a prog-sludge formula that was catchy but admittedly not terribly original, on True Predation it's more or less gone. Basically, there's less of that Mastodon sound (though the dual-guitar harmonies show up now and again). I think it's a good change for them; it seems they're a little more comfortable with their own sound and are developing a more tailored style. Songs still range from the more plodding ("Mindfucker") to fast and blazing ("Stalk and Prey"), so it doesn't get stale.

Essentially, Struck by Lightning is just as good now as they were back on their first album. I'm not totally sure if I'd say they're tons improved, but True Predation definitely doesn't disappoint. I can only wonder why they haven't done any shows around here lately (or, if they have, why I haven't found out about them).

7

The Death of Her Money – Spirit of the Stairwell

February 27, 2008 • self-released

It's tough to review any sludge album after Cult of Luna because it's probably going to feel underwhelming to me, and I hope that didn't happen with The Death of Her Money. Turns out they're quite a good band in their own right, with a very nice and varied approach to the style.

The Death of Her Money plays a standard locked-in-a-groove sort of sludge—not in the stereotypical Southern style, but there's hints of that here and there as the band sort of sits in the middle of the road between the atmospheric style and the down-and-dirty style, which is neat, if not particularly unheard-of. It has a very dissonant, syncopated style to the riffs but it also slips into more melodic stuff now and again. It's a nice balance and the band plays it off well, easily sliding from softer post-rock-like parts into really nasty palm-muted breakdowns or these strained, atonal tremolo passages. The grooves are really quite nice, even the simpler ones like the buildup at the beginning of "Newport Scars" with its all-enveloping-but-not-suffocating sound and washes of guitars—just one of a good handful of cathartic moments on the album.

I also really like how the album was mixed and produced. There is this very distinct buzzsaw-style sound to the guitars (and really, the production in general), making it a bit reminiscent of Isis' very early material with a bit of polish on it and a bit more of an emotional edge. The rare use of vocals is also an interesting touch, and when they are present they're always pushed to the background, keeping the focus on the razor-sharp riffs and walls of sound.

I'm not sure how much relistenability this album has, and Spirit of the Stairwell may not be truly unique, but the band's own personal sound is quite good and anyone who enjoys the standards of the genre will find something to like in this.

7

Build Buildings + Marlo Bright – Isomers

September 1, 2007 • Standard Klik Music

Another trip to the defunct netlabel Standard Klik Music's archives today, and another release I don't know a single thing about yet I'm going to tell you all about it anyway. Build Buildings and Marlo Bright are apparently a couple of microhouse artists who remixed each others songs and put them out.

As you probably expect, this EP has the same sort of minimalist, glitchy, stuttery, spacey music that Standard Klik seems to like. Microhouse isn't a genre I know much about, but based on what I've heard this is a relatively typical and safe example of the genre. Beats are simple 4/4 clicks and jitters with a wash of fluttery synths and thick background drones supporting them. A very "bedroom"-y sort of music, to be sure, but not without merit.

Like the rest of the Standard Klik catalog I've heard, Isomers isn't really anything terribly special, but it's a pleasing listen for what it's worth and a good way to get a small taste of a genre I'm not very familiar with. Of course I need to actually put in the time to explore the style further, and I haven't gotten around to that yet, but one day...

6

Cult of Luna – Vertikal

January 25, 2013 • Indie Recordings

Oh man. Oh yes. Okay... calm down... breathe... but how can I not be excited when my two favorite bands put out new albums within just a few months of each other? And there's no better way to start the year off with a bang—I've been hungrily following Vertikal's release info for months, and I'm so glad it's finally here (well, on pre-order, at least). Cult of Luna is one of those rare bands that has gotten better as they've aged; even though I frequently cite 2003's The Beyond as my favorite, their last one, 2008's Eternal Kingdom, turned out to be one of my top favorites as well. Vertikal is no different, offering more or less the same music I've grown to love, but in a ever-so-slightly different light.

Anyone familiar with anything the band has put out since Salvation is going to know basically what they're getting here: some of the heaviest, most crushing sludge metal there is, made with slow, plodding riffs that build up into a dense and oppressive atmosphere. It's all been done, of course, but Cult of Luna have long been the kings of the genre for me—perhaps it's the great variety of sounds they use, or the near-perfect songwriting they manage to keep cranking out. One of their biggest and most important strengths for me has always been writing great riffs, and it seems that the well still isn't quite dry. As on their previous effort, Cult of Luna can be somewhat melodic when they want to be, and still huge and heavy at the same time. The alienating dissonance of their debut and The Beyond are long gone, but I don't think melodicism is detracting from the band's quality at all (interestingly, it seems like after Isis' breakup that Cult of Luna has picked up a bit of their slack and some of the writing here is a bit reminiscent of Wavering Radiant in some of their softer sections). And they're often at their best when they keep things simple and catchy. One of my favorite things about the band is that at least once a song or so they pull out some groove that I can't help but stop what I'm doing and tap along or something. Take one of the album's best tracks, "In Awe Of", and how the band rides up to the climax halfway through its running time and just stay there for the rest of it; it's phenomenal. And don't forget the vocals on "Passing Through"—I've always loved their use of clean singing and since they use it so rarely it seems extra-special somehow.

Of course I have to mention Vertikal's particular "twist"—this time, it's the inclusion of lots of extra synths and electronics. Not surprisingly, it usually works well, as Cult of Luna has always injected a bit of dark pads and ambient sounds into their music; there's simply more of it this time. The band keeps things tasteful and uses them sparingly, but when they do it's effective. Synth leads aren't that unusual in their music but they take on a strong role in a few tracks, such as the solo in "I: The Weapon", the sprawling accompaniment in "Synchronicity", or the sci-fi-soundtrack interludes (especially "The Sweep").

On the other hand I can't help but feel that it's an attempt to make up for a few sections that are somewhat lackluster. There are a few moments, a few riffs here and there, that seem a bit rehashed from older material and thus don't sit with me as being particularly interesting. There are a few pacing problems, too, such as the overlong intro to "Vicarious Redemption" that seems to just pad the track out and really tries my patience. It's a problem with the band I've always seemed to have, but one that I can easily overlook. Fortunately these sort of moments don't come often, and even when they do I can still get behind the band's performance.

As I expected (and as happened with Eternal Kingdom), Vertikal is a bit of a grower. Cult of Luna's albums can often be hard to get into, but with patience it's absolutely worth it. Is it as good as their older stuff? Maybe not. As of right now, it doesn't grab me quite in the same way as I hoped it would, but it's still very solid and very enjoyable (and they haven't gone into a rut of repetitive mediocrity like Neurosis has seemed to). It'll probably grow on me like Eternal Kingdom did. (Or is that just confirmation bias? Well, who cares?) Anyone who liked any of their other albums will find the same things to like in Vertikal. Simple as that.

8

Abraham – The Serpent, the Prophet & the Whore

September 28, 2012 • Pelagic Records

I forgot to do my homework for this one. I have heard Abraham's debut An Eye on the Universe but I couldn't remember a thing about it until I revisited it for this review. In any case, it didn't register with me enough to go back to it at all. Their second album, however, is actually quite interesting and quite enjoyable in its own right.

One thing that stuck out to me is that Abraham's sound has changed quite a bit. This time around, they are bringing a much more heavily metalcore-influenced sound; the music is fast and intense, but still with a very dreary atmosphere, kind of like early Neurosis with a touch of early Mastodon. I suppose their first album had a touch of that extra hardcore influence above what you normally find in sludge, but in this album it's definitely turned up to the extreme. The fusion of slower, more groovy sections with pounding hardcore riffs is very well-executed and cohesive, which is great. It gives the album a very desparing and mechanical atmosphere to it which sounds very natural. The guitars have this sort of hard-yet-drawly sound to them that goes along with the clean vocals well (take, for instance, the end of "Man the Serpent").

Also note that the band's performance is much better than the debut. The vocals are most notably improved, especially the clean singing, and the production has been tightened up a lot, giving them a much-needed more-professional presentation. There are a few other neat things hidden in the album—apparently, one of the members of Cult of Luna handled the mixing, and it shows; there are some sounds and atmospheres present that definitely remind me of that band (see "This Is Not a Dead Man, Yet" for the most interesting example).

Despite maybe not being quite as musically varied as I might like (just a small flaw), The Serpent, the Prophet & the Whore is definitely a good album. I feel like sludge metal has been trending in a new direction over the last few years, and Abraham has caught on and are near the front of the wave. It'll be cool to see where they go in the future. Meanwhile, their sophomore effort is certainly a worthy one.

6