Release Date: October 04th 2024. Record Label: Pelagic Records. Format: CD/Digital/Vinyl
The Grand Scheme Of Things - Track Listing:
1.The Grand Scheme of Things
2.The Shape of ASMR to Come
3.Corpsing
4.Mulletproof
5.Spit Beach
6.New Dead Elvis
7.Jefferson Aeroplane Over the Sea
8.Office Job Simulator
9.Space Tourist
Members
Ashley Tubb (Vocals/Guitar)
Jake Healy (Baritone Guitar, Keyboards)
Chris Howarth (Bass)
Martin Savage (Drums)
Review
UK Rock/Metal Experimentalists Sugar Horse return with their second full length album The Grand Scheme Of Things. The band have been quite productive with singles, EP’s and split releases over the years and they’ve created and defined their own style of Doom, Prog Metal, Sludge and Experimental sounds which they’ve managed to capture on this record with highly intriguing results.
The album may even test the limits of their dedicated and loyal following with it’s grand style of Alt Rock and Post Doom which shine a torch on bands such as Deftones for the first few tracks of The Grand Scheme Of Things, The Shape Of ASMR To Come and Corpsing. As Sugar Horse conjures bittersweet Doom and Post-Rock melodies with soaring Ambient rhythms to match. With echoes of BORIS being a slight musical influence for this part of the album with Sugar Horse adding gloomy and thoughtful lyrics that spring into life thanks mainly down to Ashley Tubb’s superb Alt Rock inspired vocals.
So far, so good, right. Well, not quite. As Sugar Horse change musical delivery for the better in my humble opinion as a dark sense of humour comes into play with the band taking a MELVINS style SLEDGEHAMMER to the album and merging it with a surreal creative tone on tracks such as Mulletproof and Spit Beach. The uplifting energy of the opening tracks has given way to a darker tone where the heaviest and gloomiest sounds appear that has moments of Screamo, Sludge Metal, Post-Hardcore and Blackened Metal vibes.
This seems Sugar Horse is fuelled by a desire to offer the twisted and nastiest rhythms on the whole album and perhaps what they’ve released to date which feels like from a totally different band. The album delivers a nasty and unpleasant sound that feels like THE MELVINS possessed by THE DEVIL himself. The down-tuned sludgy guitars have moments of Harsh Vocals or Cookie Cutter Vocals that could be quite intense for some.
Fifth Spit Beach has small moments of the uplifting nuanced moments from the opening three tracks but this is drowned out by the nightmarish Blackened Sludge Metal sounds that can be quite GRINDCORE based at times but is always exciting to fully hear and be apart of.
Sixth track New Dead Elvis continues with a jagged experimental Post-Hardcore/Noise Rock sound that’s spliced with that harsh Sludge Metal attitude with outbursts of Sludgecore and Psych Metal with Ashley’s vocals drifting from clean vocals to the heavier screamo growls that can be quite unsettling to hear at times.
The next two tracks of Jefferson Aeroplane Over The Sea and Office Job Simulator allows Sugar Horse bleak sense of humour to take centre stage with the music superbly combining the finer and melodic strands of Post-Rock and Post-Doom before the chaotic Sludge Metal grooves appear to add a destructive force of nature to this part of the album.
The final track of Space Tourist is twenty four minutes long and features dreamlike Ambient Post-Rock textures with a subtle Space Rock delivery. The vocals can be slightly off-key in places but works surprisingly well with the style of music that Sugar Horse creates here. The song drifts into heavier Drone Metal exploration with the music not changing very much but the everlasting use of Psych and Ambient melodies once again allows the album to end on a more hopeful feeling.
The Grand Scheme Of Things isn’t going to be for everyone with Sugar Horse creating an uncompromising and highly original album that will no doubt get people talking within the Doom/Sludge Metal scene. However, if you’re looking for an album that dares to be different and offer a different sounding style of Experimental Doom/Sludge Metal then Sugar Horse are the band for you. I loved every twisted moment.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Pelagic Records for the promo.
The Grand Scheme Of Things will be available to buy on CD/Digital/Vinyl via Pelagic Records from Friday October 04th 2024.
Links
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