Thursday, January 4, 2018

The Asound - Commanding The Sword 7 Inch (2017)


Here's a fun fact for you - according to the Metal Archives, in their 8+ years as a band North Carolina natives The Asound have put out 4 completely separate releases named "The Asound", all of which have different artwork and track listings. Thankfully with their latest output the band chose a different name! "Commanding the Sword" is a very limited 7" (25 copies only! ... and an endless supply of digital downloads) with two tracks of stoner-doom goodness. The title track begins with some bright, stoner guitar picking before the whole band kicks in and floods the sound with doomy darkness. The drums here ring out loud and clear, almost creating their own melody through devilish riffs and rough wails. After a little over 2 minutes the guitar solo kicks in sounding vivid and colorful over the rest of the band's deathlike march. The second song (which you can't call a b-side - it's on the same side of the record!) is a cover of Loanin' by the band Floor. Starting with an agonized shout that echoes through your mind, this is a sludgey assault on the senses with a riff that grunts and whines. It pays great homage to the original with a noisy, rhythmic fervor. Put both of these tracks together and you're still at under 6 minutes! I'd call it short and sweet, but "sweet" doesn't describe the gnarly sound. Instead, let's say it's short and just the right kind of nasty that you'll want to hear. -Brandon
 

No comments:

Post a Comment