Husmanskost - Ambi-Valence (2018)

Husmanskost are certainly no stranger to this blog. I have reviewed their last release at the beginning of this, which I have enjoyed thoroughly, and here we are again with another release from them. In the previous blog post I made a comment about wanting to stray away from focusing on Stoner, Sludge, and Doom, and while I feel like I had my moments this year, not much has really changed from the usual fare I tend to review. With all that being said, here's a pretty sweet Grindcore release I recommend checking out.
It's kind of interesting to see how much of a difference can occur between two releases that are put out so close to each other like this. My personal expectation is that I would be hearing more the same, which in the case of Husmanskost is not a bad thing. Their previous release "Ründpült" was a fucking ripper of an album, so the bar was set kind of high for "Ambi-Valence". While I would also like to point that "Ambi-Valence" is a ripper in its own right, the band's growth in songwriting and musical ability should also be pointed out for sure. I personally have no idea how much time had passed between the actual writing of the two albums, but there is a notable difference between the two with "Ambi-Valence" delivering a heavy onslaught of brutality and carnage unlike anything they have done before.
Husmanskost still maintain their stance as being primarily Grindcore, however their Crossover and Thrash influences come out more on this album. There are some pretty sick grooves on this one especially when the band puts the breaks on it, and slows down to a mid tempo assault. I even detected a hint of Technical Death Metal throughout as well with the drums and guitar showcasing their chops. Speaking of drumming, holy shit! I don't know what happened, between this album and the last, but the drumming on this album is far superior. Either it's a different drummer or it's the way they were recorded on the last one, however it really doesn't matter to me, because the blasts and double kicks on this are so fucking insane! So yeah I dug this, and think if Grindcore is your thing, you'll probably dig this as well. Cheers! -Samir

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Gnosis - Dweller on The Threshold (2018)

I had been meaning to check this one out for a while, and it was for sure on my radar as something I need to check out. So I finally got around to listening to it, and holy shit Gnosis fucking rules! The riffage on "Dweller on The Threshold" packs a crunch but also oozes with Sludge. Very simple at times, but also very effective. Not sure what kind of distortion they are using but I detect a hint of an HM-2 pedal in there, unless it's just the way the fuzz and distortion are mixing. Doesn't really matter because I really like the sound whatever it is. It's a little different for Sludge Doom, and makes it stand out. The mix between the guitar and bass are fucking fantastic and the low end of the bass really comes through adding that extra weight to each riff. The drumming isn't constrained to the typical Sludge Doom plodding, and is more in line with Old School Death Metal.
In fact I think the band's approach exudes Old School Death Metal, but it's really like a best of both worlds sort of thing going on here, especially with their contagious Sludge Grooves. It's like as if some Old School Swedish Death Metal band decided like they just wanted to change gears and play Sludge Doom from now on. There's nothing is overly technical riff wise, and the pace is often mid tempo (with some blasting flourishes here and there), but the band epitomizes what I would expect from great Death Sludge. The album artwork really sets the tone and the atmosphere for "Dweller on The Threshold" for the listener. It's like ancient primordial dread, drained of its color to be super fucking bleak. It pairs well with the brutal nature of the songs. Overall, I really fucking dug this one. I mean there are some really great fucking riffs here, and if you haven't check it out yet you definitely should. -Samir

Southaven - Belcefuzz (2018)

The city of Caracas, Venezuela is no longer safe - the fiends in Southaven have gathered together in secret and summoned the Belcefuzz! For more than a year now people have been catching glimpses of Southaven's terrifying hell beast through singles and EPs but now the full thing is out and running loose on the streets! If you haven't yet come toe-to-toe with the Belcefuzz yet it is a demonic entity made out of overblown, fuzzy as fuck stoner-doom that drowns itself in a flood of distortion. Its overwhelming waves of gnarly fuzz and riffs will crush you before washing out into drone-inspired passages where you find yourself floating and getting lost in the dark and dirty tones until it starts to feel trippy. Every once in a while things will quiet down for a little while to allow eerie notes to drag a sense of dread up your spine, but then the riffs will start roaring again and once again you're bashed up and set adrift in the hoarse and hazy sounds. When the devil lets out its harsh cries they seem to get torn apart in a wild mess of static and distortion and create a vortex into the endless void - don't bother trying to escape. This behemoth groans its way through 7 original tracks of murky doom before possessing 3 classic tracks - White Magic / Black Magic, Into the Void, and White Rabbit are all swallowed whole and given the Southaven treatment and the results are awesome. So when you're ready for your inevitable demise in a sea of fuzz give yourself up to the Belcefuzz! -Brandon

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Ursular - S/T (2018)

Out in nature, in the woods - even just a short way removed from human presence - there is a mystic, primordial energy that seems to hang in the air. Ursular have managed to capture that feeling and blend it into their music on their self-titled debut EP resulting in a shadowy, druidic magic fit for the modern world. The band hails from Berlin and combines stoner-doom with heavy psych to build up a kind of psychic-electric enchantment that looms in the darkness. Bewitching vocals call you into a gloomy dream world as riffs churn and creep through the night. Ursular have deemed their sound "saxodoom" for the smoky saxophone additions that evoke a sense of mystery and even a touch of the noir. Everything treads lightly at first, delicately drawing out the primeval spirits and letting you slide slowly into the atmosphere but eventually the doom starts booming and the witchery comes into full force. The tone is like smoke and mist intermingled, harsh and smooth all at once, rolling off of the songs and dissipating in the night sky. Ursular only has three songs on this EP - they're all pretty incredible, but it's got me wanting more! I'd love to hear how this kind of sound plays out across a full-length, so I'm just gonna hope that they've got more in the works and they'll be putting out more soon! -Brandon

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Conan - Existential Void Guardian (2018)

I mean it's kind of a no brainer that we would review this. I think once I heard the singles, I knew "Existential Void Guardian" was going to be one hell of an album. As far as newer fans or people who are unfamiliar with Conan go, I would say "Existential Void Guardian" is more accessible in terms of reaching a wider metal audience. Not saying that Conan suddenly gained pop sensibilities, and have "sold out". The same old Conan is here again, playing the barbaric Hyborian Age Sludge Doom we have come to know them for. What I am trying to say is that the songs seem to chug along with a noticeable uptempo beat throughout without being overtly droney, and while there is plenty of fuzz to go around on this one, there is also more clarity between the strings, and the bass comes through now deeper and heavier than I remember on previous releases. Both of which are tuned super fucking low as always which I like a lot.
Then on the other hand the band seems to explore other musical possibilities on this one as well. I know on "Revengeance" they experimented black metal-esque blasts however with "Paincantation" the band goes full on Grindcore. I know I can't be the only one right now who is wishing for Conan to do an all Grindcore album after listening to that. It looks like Conan switched drummers again on this one, and with new drummer Johnny King, the drumming on this one seems as versatile as ever. The band never lost their groove though, remaining mighty and heavy as ever, and it's apparent on "Existential Void Guardian" Conan is still a force to reckoned with in the overall Doom Metal scene. I can see why this album was highly anticipated. Overall, I really dug it, and if you're reading this I'm assuming you already heard it and dug it too. If not then you should probably listen to it immediately. Cheers! -Samir

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Medicine Noose / Spewn - 12" Split (2018)

I'm usually pretty skeptical about writing reviews for splits, because it's like what if I like one band, but I don't like the other? Then it gets all awkward when I only review one side of the split, however I really like Medicine Noose, having reviewed them already once this year, so I trusted their judgement, and yeah this is a good split.
Medicine Noose is Germany's answer to Eyehategod. I mean why wouldn't they sound like them, they're named after one of their songs. I feel liken this past year I haven't encountered too many bands who are into Eyehategod worship, but Medicine Noose do it right, and they are the shit. They have a real strong 90's style Sludge/Doom sound that's slow as molasses, but just super pissed, with that raw swampy bass heavy sound. It has all the bells and whistles you would expect, with the piercing harsh feedback from the strings, and the tortured screams from the vocals. The bass sound on this this is super fat and thick, and I really liked that. Plus the riffs were really great. Overall, Medicine Noose continues to slay, and you should check them out if you haven't already.
I am new to Spewn and had not heard them before, so I had no idea what to expect. After the two songs from Medicine Noose, the genres sort of switch, and while Spewn is slow and sludgy, what they play is more in line with Man is The Bastard. Nothing but super distorted bass, drums, and screams. It's super fucking filthy and it's great. It's almost as if you played Medicine Noose or similar sounding band and played them at a slower speed. There's some blasts on the second track along with some bludgeoning double kicks from the drums, but it's mostly played slow. Like I said, I didn't know what to expect from them, but I ended up liking this as well, so overall it was a good split from two bands that do not sound anything like each other but share a commonality for slow sludgy abrasive music. Cheers! -Samir

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Zombie Eater - Slumberjack (2018)

Crawling out from underneath a scummy rock near Helsinki, Finland comes Zombie Eater - a three piece that's ready to tear a hole into you with the stoner/sludge assault on their debut EP "Slumberjack". It's a short trip for what's normally long-winded genre - clocking in at under 20 minutes - but that's all the time these dudes need to bludgeon you with savage riffs, spill some booze on your wounds, and then leave you to rot. It kicks off with "Turbo Liver" (that's gotta be a Judas Priest reference right?) which grinds through the slower side of things to start before picking up the pace and kicking into driven stoner energy fuming with weed, whiskey, and decay. These vocals are so destructive that they're burning through burning through the guy's vocal chords before they even get out of his mouth and then corroding anything in earshot. Next song is "Nuclear Jesus" which keeps things hot and nasty, featuring some nice bass groove that keeps popping out at you. "Slumberjack" is the final track on the EP and it's the longest. It's got fat riffs swinging around like an ogre's fist but the band takes a quick break from the harsh and heavy stuff mid-song to stir up some primitive grooves plus they let you wander through a forest of feedback and ambient noise at the end. Awesome set of filthy tracks right here that will have you banging your head until you're dizzy! Dopethrone fans need to hear this right away and everybody else should turn their volume up too! -Brandon

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