ninehertz

Old Skin, from Fort Collins, Colorado, had until now only released six songs, but their quality was clear, particularly on the two track, old school horror film VHS aesthetic, sludge ridden V/H/Death EP of a couple of years ago. Cursed Monk Records, of Waterford, Ireland, are one of the absolute top tier labels for heavy end murky and innovative doom in our - or, for that matter, any - part of the world. So when both parties announced they'd be working together late last year, it seemed a perfect union - only the transatlantic separation marking it as slightly unexpected.

And this seven track album is the promised fruit, an appealing increase in output and chance for Old Skin to come to the fore. It is noticeable that where before they tagged as "noise ridden sludge metal", this new release brings in death metal as in input via the promo blurb, and alongside self- evident, self- listed influences of Eyehategod and Fistula, there's mention of Coffins tossed about - all pointing to the foul stench of death doom wafting through the curtains. But make no mistake, the well from which Old Skin drink is primarily the sticky, churning and rotten goodness of sludge we all love.

The pre-released showcasing track is Vessel (Brainworm). It sets its stall out from the first creeping second, the croaky guitar fizzes with static, and is soon into its slow and low rhythm, a protracted and uneasy sway to and fro to the decreasing paced splurge; Hissing House sounds threateningly overbearing, this regressive riff allied to unsettlingly strange swampy background noises, its confidence and bludgeon sounds better each time you listen. The death vocals on the closing Cauterizing Hammer are corrosively addictive.

Bar some mood darkening sample and noise bridge tracks, there isn't much in the way of variance, truth be told, but it barely matters. Old Skin have provided what their small sample size of releases to date strongly hinted they were capable of - a start to finish, wall to wall, thunderous and gruesome sludge album.