Angry Gods : "The Clearing"

I like sludge core. It makes sludge angrier and thus darker and heavier than your average hard-core with it's more metallic than punk approach. That is what happens on the new album from this Chicago band. The lack of punk is addressed in the second which sounds more like Black Flag. These guys are all from other heavy underground bands so know what they are doing.It's not until the fourth song that the lines are drawn to distinguish the bass from the guitar tone. There is a chaos to their song writing style that goes from energetic to more of a mush, which ironically comes at a time when the singer is screaming ...'there is no focus now". The burly bass continues to dominate the sonic scope of what they do on "Go Forth In Ruin".

It's about five songs in when things begin to take on a more monochrome sound. The early Swans influence is traded out for more Black Flag. There is an angular slant to what they do that begins to come more into focus. The bass doesn't relent, but the hammering of "Greyscale" seems like they are giving us more room to breathe.  I like the tension they create on this and how if collides into a more powerful dissonance. Here is where they find a sound that is their own.The sludge side of what they do is more pronounced in this song's third act. There drummer also proves himself to be a monster here. The darker throb of 'Slow Burn" is condensed into a mere two minutes that is more of an interlude than a song.

They rip into a more feral attack on "Undertow" which is more of a grind core song at a minute and a half of spastic outburst. I'll round this album up to an 8. I enjoyed it, it might not be melodic enough to earn it's place on my iPod as something I would listen to on a regular basis and since I have both early Swans and Black Flag in rotation, Nails is currently holding it down as heavy as hell go to angry music. But you are probaly younger and not as jaded as I am when it comes to this stuff so you might need it in your iPod. I'll round it up to an 8, because when it grabbed me it got me good.