Black Tusk : "the Way Forward"

 On their new album, Black Tusk bridges the gap between hard-core and sludge. The 2016 album "Pillars of Ash" was the only album I have paid attention to by them and this was due to the fact I knew Cory from Kylesa was playing on it and I am a huge Kylesa fan. I liked that album though it felt more like fuzzed-out aggressive punk than metal. The vocal approach still owes more to punk. However, there are more metallic smarts to the songwriting that rather than unloading a flurry of drunken punches, places them more effectively and the guitar is more melodic here as well. There is more of a burly drive forward on "Brushfire" that punk in more of a GG Allin manner. I like the vocal trade-off that allows for more colors, though both are pretty in your face.

There is more of a galloping metal groove to "Harness". The vocals bring more of a chaotic punk scream this time. One thing I like about this album is that it seems they picked up a touch of the darker underpinnings of crust from their time spent with Cory. "Lessons Through Deception" feels like the jammed-out extension of the previous song. There is a more reckless rock feel than what I would call sludge. They have more in common with AC/DC on "Breath of Life or "Lift Yourself'"  than Neurosis. Motorhead is another sonic point of reference and the blown-out bass tone winks in Lemmy's direction.  When they let their punk side out on the loose, the songwriting tends to default to the conventions of that genre., It does not resonate with me much on "Against the Undertow".

"Ocean of Obsidian" is more of an atmospheric interlude than a song, which is a shame as it would have been more interesting to have heard those sounds woven into the fabric of what they do. "Flee From Dawn" is a slapper for those who miss the band Mastodon was before they went prog. The last song gets the job done in a manner that straddles the punk and metal fence. I will give this album a 9, which places it above "Pillars of Ash" as it takes that sound and fine-tunes it in favor of songwriting. This does not sacrifice much in the way of aggression for the sake of long-time fans.This album drops April 26th on Season of Mist .  

 

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