ninehertz

In direct correlation with the Out For Blood review, here we have another band fond of chucking the word 'Sludge' about the shop. This Vienna-based three-piece's website (which, rather handily, appears to be riddled with AdWare...), however, prefers the use of the term 'Brutalized Stoner' which is certainly more accurate as, if OFB are more or less Sludge, these Austrians are clearly no such thing.

What they are, however, is actually all the better off for it. Basically, what we have here is fairly standard, ramped-up stoner with an Isis style roarer, able to avoid many of the Sludge cliches that can have such a negative effect on other bands humping the Iron Monkey dream. A good comparison would be to think Karma To Burn or maybe SixtyWatt Shaman with the edgier, more aggressive vibe of Clutch's 'Trans-national Speedway' era. Unfortunately this 'edge' can sometimes feel rather tacked on as if as an after thought ("Wait a minute lads... It doesn't sound very angry. Quick! Add a 'malevolent' sounding intro!") but fortunately doesn't really spoil the flow of the cd as I don't think they could actually write a 'nasty' riff if they took a bucket full or bad speed and spent an hour slapping each other in the face before trying to do so...

In reference to the vocals, I have to say that it's probably rather fortunate that the singer has adopted the roaring approach as the lyrics printed on the sleeve (as Mike mentioned about foreign singers trying to write in English in the Heirs To A Vacant Throne review) are verging on absolute gibberish. I'm sure the singer refers to them as 'hate fueled' but rest assured, this is not the case. I think the poor boy's maybe trying just a little too hard to reach the misanthropic depths plumbed by your average Sludge/Grind screamer without realising that such bands tends to be at least a little bit tongue in cheek about it, with the end result that it just feels like a twelve year old trying to write 'clever' free-form poetry...

Still, daft pseudo-English aside, everything on display here is enjoyable enough and well played throughout. I'm sure it will have those with a place for stoner in their hearts nodding their heads well enough with a good production quality letting the fairly simple song structures employed here shine. I won't lie to you and say I'll be listening to this regularly (or indeed, probably ever again) but I certainly wasn't disappointed whilst it was on.

Now if only they'd stop worrying about trying to sound so evil all the time...