Friday 11 October 2019

Opium Lord - Vore (Album Review)


Release date: October 11th 2019. Label: Sludgelord Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Vore – Tracklisting

1.WWCD 03:45
2.Lead Magnet 05:38
3.Centurion 05:13
4.Suture 05:36
5.Sherwood Is Connector 05:43
6.Columbia (Featuring Mike Scheidt) 07:46
7.The Gift 06:31

Members

Nathan James Coyle
Adam Beckley
Bruce Goodenough
Luke Fewtrell
Simon Blewitt

Review

Vore is the new album from UK Blackened Doom/Sludge Metallers – Opium Lord. Coming 4 years after their acclaimed album The Calendrical Cycle: Eye of Earth which was released on Candlelight Records.

Vore is a very different sound to their last album as the band are way more aggressive with a pitch-black and bleak outlook on life. The Blackened Doom vibe is what drives Opium Lord’s music to breaking point with touches of Progressive Metal and Post-Metal all uniting to create a bleak musical odyssey which takes no prisoners.

Everything about Vore is based on dark ideas with the music pissed off from start to finish. The opening two songs – WWCD and Lead Magnet – pave the way for Opium Lord to play heavy waves of Doom/Sludge Metal grooves allowing the band to move further into a more nightmarish world that can be quite intense at times. The pulsating guitars flirt between Post-Black Metal and Doom Metal with relevant ease and the vocals can be downright nasty and vicious at times.

The lyrics are full of pain, anger and sorrow which is what you would expect from an album such as this. All of the songs have an intriguing story to tell with a beginning, middle and end that leave you wanting more on each of the individual songs. The music does move at a blistering pace that you have to admire the technical ability and talent that Opium Lord possess on this album.

Songs such as Centurion, Suture, and Sherwood Is Connector carries on with the aggressive message that Opium Lord have written for these songs. Just when you feel that Opium Lord have ran out of ideas and are about to repeat themselves they pull a HUGE RIFF out of the bag that changes the album for the better especially on Sherwood Is Connector.

The standout song has to be Columbia as the guys have Doom Metal Legend – Mike Scheidt (YOB) – appearing on this track and it’s a marriage made in HEAVEN or HELL depending on your personal perspective. The song starts rather quietly with eerie based ambient sounds building upto a spooky rhythm. The song actually feels influenced by YOB in places with the slow build up of Psychedelic sounds and Mike’s earthly vocals leading the way before the band bring the heavy thunderous and demonic sounds to the forefront of the song.

The final song – The Gift – sees one final round of bleak progressive Doom/Sludge Metal riffs with a harsher Psychedelic vibe being added for good measure.

Opium Lord have delivered a monstrous and fucked up album with Vore that may see the band turn some heads within not only the UK Doom/Sludge Metal scene but also on the International Stage as well. If Roadburn Festival is looking for more top-notch bands to appear at their festival then I recommend to give these guys a chance. As they’re seriously that good.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Opium Lord and Dewar PR for the promo. Vore is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Sludgelord Records.

Links: