Thursday 15 October 2015

Space Bong - Deadwood To Worms (Album Review)


Release date: October 20th 2015. Label: Art As Catharsis / FALSExIDOL Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Deadwood To Worms – Tracklisting

1.Slow spring
2.Burnt by time
3.Deadwood to worms
4.High priests and petty thieves
5.If I'm in luck I might get picked up (Betty Davis cover)

Band Members:

Dave: guitar
Jamie: vox 1
Gully: bass
Michael: drums
Monster-D: guitar
Kegan: vox 2

Review:

Space Bong play the sort of music that would scare people of a nervous disposition with their intoxicating mix of sludge, drone, stoner, crust and black metal combined with the some of the bleakest doom you can imagine. Having gained a sizeable following upon the release of their debut album in 2009, Space Bong follow it up with their second full length Deadwood To Worms and this album is going to get them even more riff worshipping fans.

Deadwood To Worms follows up from their mini EP In Doom We Crust which was released earlier this year and continues their rich vein of blackened sludge to the extreme. Much like Eyehategod and the much missed Iron Monkey, this is a bleaker than bleak noise with so much hate that it's infectious.

Opening up the album with the monolithic Slow Spring gets things started in the most misanthropic way possible with the opening riffs spewing as much hatred as possible. When the blackened vocals kick in, things get even nastier and the intoxicating and vile atmosphere on the song marches on with an unsurpassable level of dread pervading and the riffs on Slow Spring are so remorsefully negative but also have a hypnotising effect that makes them feel strangely uplifting after a while and basking in this negativity is something that Space Bong do extremely well.

This is the perfect way to open the album and lays Space Bongs agenda firmly on the table. The band have shot an accompanying short film for the track that every fan should check out as it is as crushing and mesmerising as the song and has to be seen to be believed such is its complete headfuck of a concept with stunningly horrific visuals that have to be seen to be believed and visuals that complement the song perfectly as its negativity burns as deeply into your psyche as the songs does.

Burnt By Time is no less hateful and again when the mammoth strung out opening riff dominates into life over a surge of feedback and the pounding drums, defiant snarling and screeching of the dual vocals kick in (and the contrast the differing vocals are pitted against each other works well) there really is no escape from the relentless heaviness and nobody listening would want to escape from that heaviness to be honest such is its power in the hands of Space Bong. The phenomenal guitar solo towards the end of Burnt By Time fully seals the deal that you are listening to sludge metal perfection.

The rest of Deadwood To Worms is no less intense and hateful with the albums title track being a nihilistic slice of pounding riff laden brutality laced with some smoke and hate filled epic grooves complete with some of their abominable vocal assaults while Deadwood To Worms finishes off with the brilliantly heavy High Priests And Petty Thieves and a cover of If I'm Lucky I Might Get Picked Up by Betty Davis that is fully given the Space Bong treatment to the full extent.

Space Bong have taken the extremity of their debut and upped it to an even more extreme degree and Deadwood To Worms should see them playing to more and more people eager to worship their blackened sludgy doom and its epic riffs. A magnificent album and one that revels triumphantly in its its negative outlook and execution.

Words by Gavin Brown

Thanks to Lachlan at Art As Catharsis for the promo. Deadwood to Worms will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl from Art As Catharsis / FALSExIDOLRecords from October 20th 2015

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