Owl Coven- Cosmic Void (2017)

Kneel down in reverence because Owl Coven has arrived with an EP that's ripe for worship! There are only two songs here, but that's more than enough to make you tremble before the ghastly sludge/doom sound that they conjure. The first track "Wanderer of the Cosmic Void" will serve as your introduction to their gloomy domain. It creeps along eerily, but has an almost dream-like quality that will set you adrift in a sea of stars. You'll be propelled by a deep, booming bass and pounding rhythms as a phantom guitar lead guides you through the dark. You'll hear some chanting early on, but this devolves into a violent yet subtle rasp that seems to reach from a place beyond your understanding, but can't quite burst through to consume you. The second song "Dying Mammoth" builds on the sound from the previous track, but with a 70s psych-rock undertone featuring a little bit of groovy bass and even more trippy guitar leads that occasionally slip out during this monstrous crawl. By the end, you'll probably find yourself in a daze. Don't worry, that's normal. These songs are slow, massive, and will still threaten to crush you, even through the cosmic fog. -Brandon

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Mountains of Madness- Kick It In The Guts (2017)

You hear the name 'Mountains of Madness' and you're probably going to think of Lovecraft right away. But this Australian band isn't going in that direction at all. Their second EP "Kick It In The Guts" has no creep, nor crawl, no eerie atmosphere, and no unworldly horrors from beyond this plane. Instead, it's stoner metal that's built on straight-forward, gas-powered, Motorhead-injected attitude, a la Orange Goblin. It's the kind of sound that will get your heart pounding so fast that your blood will catch fire! The first half of the EP is savage and adrenaline-fueled with a great rock 'n' roll rhythm that'll have you driving down the highway at 150 miles an hour. The second half is more mid-paced with a dirty groove to get your body moving and your head banging. Every once in a while the band drops the tempo down low and you get a glimpse of something doomy, but then they kick it back into gear and return to the land of the lively. There's some grit and gravel in everything you're going to hear that give the tracks just enough bite to keep things interesting. In the end, this is exactly the kind of shit that's going to kick you in the guts. Man, they really nailed the name! -Brandon

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Morbid Evils- Deceases (2017)

Morbid Evils is the Sludgy Death/Doom side project of Keijo Niinimaa (Rotten Sound). As far as comparing sounds Morbid Evil retains that fat detuned low end of Rotten Sound, as well as Niinimaa's gravelly and abrasive vocals, but that's where comparisons stop, as Rotten Sound is Grindcore and speed and blast beats are their thing. This shit is nothing but slow, murky, gurgling, putrid sludge. There's a stink in the air for sure. A miasma of death and decomposition. A reek and stench of oppressive foulness. Maybe it's the cancerous looking, deformed creature featured on the cover art, meandering and dying like a beastly abomination. Maybe it's the thick sick distorted atonal tones from the strings in Morbid Evils that emit a pungent vapor and aura that is repulsive yet captivating and satisfying. Niinimaa's vocals over these filthy sewage encrusted riffs is the perfect match. A grotesque pairing that makes for a great release. The music flows and slops like rotten discharge. It moves like the excrement the riffs suggest. I know I just wrote that Owlcrusher is definitely going to be an end of the year lister, but this one is definitely going to be on there as well. It's hard to top this one. The riffs are sick as fuck, and this is some top shelf Sludge right here. Plus it's super fucking heavy! It doesn't get much better than this. "Deceases" is a killer album, figuratively and maybe literally. This shit is highly addictive! I highly recommend it! -Samir

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Owlcrusher- S/T (2017)

Filthy, disgusting, and blackened to the core, Owlcrusher hail from Northern Ireland and they play hateful sludge doom oozing with loathsome riffs. This trio of hate mongers have been around for almost a decade starting out as Dwell In Sun, and have seemed to morph into a hideously deformed creature, while honing their craft and make something truly malevolent and abhorrent. I hope you like your sludge extra long and drawn out, because with only three tracks the shortest one is at 11 minutes. No worries though, as nothing on this is really that repetitive and it's packed with plenty of slow churned bowel shattering riffs. The vocals on this are harsh as fuck throughout, while the guitars have the right amount of fuzz and distortion to get some sick tones. The bass rumblings from the low end crush and destroy, and the drums slowly pummel and demolish as the band's devastation lies in the wake of its path to total apocalyptic ruin. This shit does grow on you with every listen though. As far as shit we reviewed this year the closest I think of is "Crestfallen" by Weltesser which is definitely a "best of" for the end of the year list, and I'm thinking this is going to be on there too. I'm pretty blown away by this release. It's just so fucking heavy, and sludgy in all the right places, and catchy as fuck at the same time.  When I'm looking for good Blackened Sludge Doom, this is the kinda shit i wanna find. I highly recommend this, you will not be disappointed.

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Sulphur Dreams - The Divine Anthropocene (2017)

Uttering an otherworldly howl out of Gothenburg, Sweeden comes Sulphur Dreams baring their fangs with their first album, "The Divine Anthropocene". What the fuck does Anthropocene mean? Well I looked it up for you - it's a term for the current geological era in which humankind is the primary force shaping the environment. According to the band, the title refers to the arrogance of man in its domination. Pretty cool, but it gets even cooler when you actually hear it. These songs are spellbinding specimens demonstrating fuzzed out stoner-doom that shifts around slippery and smooth underneath all the distortion. The guitar strings must have been coated in lube when they recorded this because every note seems to slide right into place, whether the song is an upbeat headbanger or is twisting into a gloomy, psych-dusted tangent. Some of my favorite moments here are when the band kicks into something energetic and driven like on "Babel A.D." or "Wisdom Hunters". This stuff makes me think of a reverb-soaked version of the Sword, and I mean that in the best way possible. But there's a lot of other stuff to experience across the album's seven tracks, and they touch on a lot of moods: mystic, nasty, sorrowful, frantic, thoughtful, and even more as you probe deeper. It hits a wide spectrum, so if you're into this kind of music, this is an album will probably capture you in one way or another. -Brandon

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Thugnor - The End Of Time (2017)

Thugnor is a Portuguese band that's been playing off and on for quite a while now - more than 20 years! Their previous works have been slow, destructive glaciers that draw from doom, death, and black metal to create a vile mixture of brutality. However, after a few line-up changes, they recently put out their second full-length album, "The End Of Time", which moves things in a more epic direction. Gone are most of the black metal elements and the death metal influence is diminished, leaving behind a heavy doom sound that is now fronted by powerful, soaring vocals. You'll still hear some death tone and chug in the guitar, but overall this is more akin to Candlemass than Asphyx. Big changes, but the results strike with the majestic fury of a dark god. Every song seems to gradually build up the intensity, so by the end of the album you're being hammered by divine metal wrath! The rhythm pounds with a force that will make your speakers shake, but you'll probably be too busy banging your head to notice. This album might appeal to a different crowd than their other releases, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - it's definitely different, but it's definitely awesome! -Brandon

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Hawkbill- S/T EP (2017)

Hawkbill plays angry THC infused Sludge Doom from Kentucky. Think the swamp vapors and drunken shuffle of Eyehategod's Sludge meets the Whiskey Soaked southern charm of Weedeater's brand of Stoner Metal. It's got all the bells and whistles of a great Sludge release, bathed in feedback and fuzz from the strings, with hard hitting drums, and vocals/screams that are as hazy as the pot smoke that probably fills their practice space. Don't get me wrong there's a lot of anger and disdain in their music, and it's not all bong hits and spliffs. They're pissed off, with riffs that hit you like a bloodied fist square in the jaw, as it lurches forward in a drunken swagger. Hawkbill's strings manage to throw a lot of bluesy and soulful riffs in the mix, while hammering down a healthy dose of chugging as well. In conclusion, this is an excellent S/T EP and I'm kind of stunned I didn't find this sooner. Oh well, stay miserable my friends. Cheers! -Samir

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