Release Date: May 23rd 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
#1 - Tracklisting
1.Don’t Mess With The Bull 01:34
2.Knives 03:05
3.Seagull Apocalypse 01:38
4.Comfort & Grace 04:40
5.Forks 05:01
Members
IAN COOTE - DRUMS/VOX
JON LAUNDER - GUITAR
OWEN STREET - BASS/VOX
Review
#1 is the debut EP from Welsh Doom/Noise/Sludge/Stoner Metallers MWN who add a chaotic and metallic vibe into their overall sound. The EP feels inspired by the likes of Faith No More, Cave In and The Melvins for the most part as the record is quite choppy, surreal and highly experimental but that doesn’t stop MWN constructing thuggish Sludge/Stoner Metal sounds throughout. There’s a sense of danger and unwanted aggression forming from the opening tracks of Don’t Mess With The Bull and Knives.
The vocals provided by Ian Coote and Owen Street feels out of place at times but they’re also superbly engaging and brilliantly match the demented instrumental passages that MWN conjure up throughout the whole EP. There’s even moments of brief GRINDCORE aggression being delivered at times though MWN keep the music firmly within the Sludge / Stoner Metal world with forays into Experimental surroundings on Seagull Apocalpyse and Comfort & Grace.
I'm beginning to wonder if this is the same Owen Street from Sludge Metallers VAILS, Desert Rockers WAXY and Stoner Rockers Little Villains. If that's the case then the sudden shift of different genres, sounds and melodies that MWN plays here makes more sense now.
MWN embraces a heavier Progressive Sludge Metal creative attitude that will delight fans of Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Mastodon and Kowloon Walled City on the final two tracks of the EP.
MWN fully reached their creative peak on the final two tracks of Comfort & Grace and Forks as they had more time to develop their challenging and superbly inventive grooves that left me on the edge of my seat. The music is fast-paced and builds upto some wicked instrumental solos and frantic melodic interplay allowing Ian, Jon and Owen battling amongst themselves for complete creative control of the whole project.
Another unexpected surprise was finding out that TORCHE’s very own Jonathan Nuñez mastering the album and I’m a huge fan of Jonthan’s recording work especially with ORBITER recently. You have to give credit to Owen Street for mixing and engineering the EP that allows #1 to sound so good and super intense from the very start.
MWN have released a highly promising and brilliantly unusual debut EP where I feel emotionally invested already into seeing what they release next. Yeah, this is great. Check out when you can.
Words by Steve Howe
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