Release
date: October 26th
2018. Label: APF
Records.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Stop
Being Naive
– Tracklisting
1.Malcontents
07:46
2.The
Climb 04:41
3.Traitor's
Gate 06:38
4.Big
Joke 05:54
5.P.
Irving 04:23
6.Grave
Diggers 04:28
7.Happy
02:53
8.An
Inch Of Sun 06:03
9.Circadian
Driftwood 04:31
Members
Andy
Preece - drums, vocals, keys
Matt
Franklin - bass, vocals
Simon
Mayo - guitar, vocal
Review
It’s
been 18 months since UNDER released their debut album – Slick and
now this brutally filthy and heavy power-trio return with their epic
offering – Stop Being Naive. UNDER carry on the their heavy
distorted brutality they crafted on their debut album but with a more
gloomier outlook. Sounding like the bastard offspring of The Melvins
and Torche, UNDER continue to impress with distorted progressive
sludge grooves that have a bleak vision and feel to them.
The
vocals are a mixture of clean and distorted growls which you’ll
either love or hate. There is no middle ground with UNDER. You either
love them or hate them. Choose a side as this album will make you
love the band even more or make you run screaming into the opposite
direction. Stop Being Naive isn’t your most straightforward album
to listen. As UNDER create a dark vortex of different riffs and
noises that have a surreal nightmarish quality to them.
The
opening track Malcontents is a
Melvins/Torche
tyle song with heavy industrial/doom based guitars that pulls no
punches with it’s undeniable dark themes and lyrics to match. The
experimental sounds can take some time to fully get used to but you
have to admire UNDER creative vision they take with this album and
this song is perfect proof that you’re in for a wild ride.
Stop
Being Naive is a more complex and progressive album than SLICK. As
the band try their hand playing different sounds on this album.
Psych, Acid Rock and Prog Rock have been added to the mix and the
results are majorly FUCKED UP but UNDER never let this stop them
creating some truly hard-rocking moments of top-notch
Sludge/Noise/Stoner Rock riffage.
Songs
such as The Climb, Traitor’s Gate, P. Irving, and An Inch Of Sun
are the tracks where UNDER impress the most. As they play their
through some of the albums heaviest and weirdest sounds. Even when
the calmer aspects of the album appear UNDER manage to find a way to
still mess up your world with even more distorted industrial
nightmarish sounds and the overall feel of the album leaves you in a
shattered state.
Maybe
that’s the point with UNDER. They want to make you feel
uncomfortable listening to this album. They pulled this trick on
their last album. However it’s with this album that UNDER have gone
even further by creating an album that exposes some of the darkest
and filthiest sounds from the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene you’ll
likely to hear this year.
Stop
Being Naive is another superb album from UNDER and showcases why
these guys could be serious contenders in the UK Doom/Sludge Metal
scene in the years to come. If you’re in the mood for a dark slice
of Experimental and even Avant Garde Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal then
STOP BEING NAIVE and listen to this great album now.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Polymath PR for the promo. Stop Being Naive is available to
buy on CD/DD/Vinyl now via APF Records.
Links: