Dark Americana Briefs, Part 4

Ever Darker

Hey, you know what this is about.

Agents of Oblivion: Agents of Oblivion (2000)
4 out of 5 stars

Truthfully speaking, it should be a crime that I've done so many of these without including anything by the great Dax Riggs (formerly of Acid Bath). Agents of Oblivion was a one-off project that stands somewhere between Riggs' former life (metal) and his current one (rock). It sounds quite a bit like Alice in Chains (see "Dead Girl"), sans the stomp, and with a stronger country aesthetic at times (see "Cosmic Dancer"). His voice is the real draw, as he is both technically and emotionally more accomplished than Layne Staley ever was. It's pretty damn dark, with a couple more lively songs (see "Slave Riot"). The only real head-scratcher is the choice of samples at the end of the record; I think they were supposed to be disturbing, but they just seem comical to me.

Crowbar: Sever the Wicked Hand (2011)

Heavy Week, Part 7

Review

I normally don't keep up a 7-day per week posting schedule, and I don't plan to in the future. But I just had a lot to say about the really heavy music, and, yes, I wanted to throw in that April Fool's Day joke yesterday. Just in case you were wondering, yes, that's what it was.

Crowbar is one of the very first sludge metal bands, having been around since 1989. If you've ever wondered about the difference between sludge metal and doom metal, Crowbar is your go-to example of what pure sludge sounds like, with heavy, simple, Sabbath-inspired riffs played with that warm, sludgy tone and a hardcore-inspired attitude. Kirk Windstein's vocals are also pure sludge, bordering on hardcore tough guy but not quite venturing into that territory. Crowbar sounds like the most generic sludge metal possible, but that's for good reason: every sludge band copied them.

I'm not terribly familiar with the band's back catalog, but by all accounts Sever the Wicked Hand (their ninth) is the band's finest record. I'm not surprised, because it's very convincing. Being newly sober after essentially destroying his life (hence the title), Windstein's songwriting is great, but I also want to point out the lyrical content. Yeah, I know, I usually say lyrics don't matter, but there's an exception to every rule. Kirk claims to be a Christian, and to have always been a Christian, and it comes through in the lyrics. He accepts the fact he fucked up, acknowledges he brought pain to himself and others, wishes the best to the people he's hurt, and asks God for forgiveness. While most of what earns the "Christian metal" label falls flat because either (a) people with a perfect, unwavering faith haven't suffered enough to create good art, or (b) people who won't acknowledge imperfection in themselves can never be Trve, this falls into neither trap. It's uplifting, as written by one who has suffered, which is exactly what Christian metal should be (but rarely is).

The Verdict: No one's called it Christian metal yet, but it would easily fit the bill. And it's a perfect example of how pure sludge metal can be done well, even without evolving the form. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Haarp: The Filth (2010)

Review

Haarp is a New Orleans sludge/doom band on Phil Anselmo's Housecore Records, and anyone who's followed my reviews will know I'm a big fan of the style. The Filth is their first full-length.

Sludge/doom has had an increase in popularity generally, with the Atlanta and New Orleans scenes generating a lot of interest. The problem with this state of affairs is that you get a lot more of the bad with the good. Haarp is some of the bad. Their sound is a lot like Kingdom of Sorrow or Crowbar, but slower. It's heavy, slow, simple music with the occasional guitar solo. The vocals are in the tough guy hardcore style, with a lot of drawn-out growls--in other words, almost exactly like Jamey Jasta's work with KoS. The guitar tone is almost exactly the same as well.

None of that is necessarily a bad thing. But when your riffs are uninspired and boring, well, that is a bad thing. There are a few passable tracks, like the opener, but not a single riff on here is memorable. All of it tends to run together into an hour-long blur of vapid, going-through-the-motions sludge. Think about how idiotically stupid Hatebreed is. Now, imagine it at half the speed, and with dark lyrics instead of circle-jerking hardcore buddy punk lyrics. Voila, you have Haarp. Still idiotically stupid, so it's not going to get all the bearded sludge types on board, but now it doesn't have the adrenaline rush to appeal to the shaved-head hardcore types.

The Verdict: You could do a whole hell of a lot better than buy this album. And this is the problem with Anselmo--he likes hardcore too much, and he'll release an album for somebody he likes even if they aren't any good. For something a lot better in a (slightly) similar style I'd go with Cough or Salome. I give The Filth 1 out of 5 stars.

Thou: Summit (2010)

Review

Thou is a sludge/doom band that's been making some year-end best-of lists in the metal world, so I decided to check out Summit.

After hearing it, I'm not quite sure why they've gotten so much attention. This is not to say that it's bad, in any way. They have a very heavy, warm sludge sound, and their vocalist has a raspy screech that could almost work for a black metal band. They play some good, simple riffs at a slow pace. They seem to know when to let a note ring out in the amplifier, and they're not afraid to throw in some dissonance here and there.

But with the recent rise of sludge/doom, nothing about this makes Thou seem special. None of the riffs are going to stick with you long after you finish the album, and honestly the songs tend to run together. The drumming didn't stick out enough for me to even notice it. None of the riffs or songs are bad either, but when the songs range from 8 to 11 minutes, you might hope for a little more variety.

The big exception to this is album closer "Voices in the Wilderness", which does have memorable riffs, includes more feedback, and has some acoustic sounds and clean vocal harmony near the end, making it memorable.

Those who praise the album tend to focus on other tracks, though. Maybe I just don't get it? Or maybe this is one that's supposed to grow on you? I'm not sure. But with all the great sludge/doom out there lately (Salome, Unearthly Trance, and Cough come immediately to mind) this doesn't really have all that much to recommend it.

The Verdict: Nothing about Summit is bad. In fact, the guitars have a great vibe and the vocals are good. But it doesn't seem to stick with you for long after you hear it. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Kingdom of Sorrow: Behind the Blackest Tears (2010) Review

I finally got around to Kingdom of Sorrow's sophomore release Behind the Blackest Tears. In case you didn't already know, KoS is the side project of Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta and Crowbar/Down guitarist Kirk Windstein.

I've already hinted on this blog that I am not a fan of Hatebreed. A friend of mine started getting into them several years ago, and I tried to like it. But every song is the same simple crap. And they're not about hate at all--it's borderline homoerotic brotherly love. So, I was surprised a few years ago when I kept hearing this amazing track on Internet radio called "Grieve a Lifetime", and found out Jamey Jasta was involved.

That was of course their eponymous debut, which was OK, but nothing else on the album came even close to that track. I'm happy to say the second time around is much better.

They seem to have come into their own, instead of following the "Crowbreed" sound of the first release. (Incidentally, I think that's an awesome name for a band.) It's much heavier than any of the other projects the two have been involved in, and it works much better when it's mid-pace or slower--check out the title track. The mood they're best at is a blend of sorrow and agonized, festering rage, with the other standout track "From Heroes to Dust" the best example. On the other hand, things don't work very well when they speed up (e.g. "Sleeping Beast").



The Verdict: Kingdom of Sorrow works really well on a mood they have claimed as uniquely their own. But when they try to explore other territory, it sounds too much like Hatebreed. In all, it's a worthwhile sludge metal release, but with all the worthwhile sludge releases this year it doesn't stand out for anything besides star power. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.