Chat Pile - Who Loves The Sun (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: The Flenser. Format: CD/DD/Tape/Vinyl

Who Loves The Sun - Tracklist

1.Creature
2.Deep Blue
3.Same Rules
4.PEN I S MALL
5.Shrine
6.Intruder
7.Christabel ‘26
8.Influence
9.Family Funeral
10.October All The Time

Members

Ray B. - Vocals
L. Manhole - Guitar
Stin - Bass
Drums - Cap’n Ron

Review

Noise/Sludge Metallers Chat Pile return with their highly anticipated third album Who Loves The Sun which once again highlights why they’re one of the most unpredictable, original and most important bands to emerge from the Heavy Metal scene in years. This record shows once again how the band incorporates new elements of music into their ever-growing sound such as Alt Rock, Indie Rock, Shoegaze and Trip-Hop.

Chat Pile demonstrates why they’re so highly thought of with ten tracks that captures the raw essence of the Sludge Metal scene with a grimy and seedy attitude most bands cannot capture. The moody Noise Rock theatrics keeps everything grounded and allows Chat Pile to reinvent themselves yet again with a mixture of Industrial Metal and Post-Punk beats which has a mighty Eighties Rock presence especially within the lyrics and the more somber parts of the record. There’s a great style of vicious melody and rhythm developing which is more focused compared to their previous two albums.

Who Loves The Sun even has brilliantly refined commercial aspects which can easily launch these guys further into the mainstream. The despairing Noise Rock quality reminds me of The Jesus Lizard jamming with the likes of The Melvins and Kowloon Walled City but with Chat Pile keeping their own unflinching approach with bleak lyrics holding everything together. The shift in minimalist Post-Rock, Post-Punk and Sludge Metal is quite refreshing with a subtle Grunge and Psychedelic flavour emerging which adds a real chameleon like effect to the whole journey.

The “Doom & Gloom” essence is stripped apart and rebuilt within the band’s image which they incorporate into almost every track with a filth ridden attitude that can be quite buoyant and gleefully upbeat at times. The raw sounding production values allows Chat Pile to play at their own destructive slow-to-mid paced grooves with a level of sheer heaviness only appearing when it’s really needed.

The first half of the album allows Chat Pile to explore a decaying style of Grunge, Noise and Alt Rock with songs Creature, Same Rules and PEN I S MALL adding a heap of Blackened Sludge themes for a subversive experience. This allows the lead vocals to demonstrate a politically charged energy that really does hammer the points home that Chat Pile are providing this album.

Chat Pile are fully committed to exploring different areas of music for this record on other tracks such as Shrine, Intruder, Family Funeral and October All The Time which have some of the most rewarding moments on the album. The whole mood is constantly engaging with intense progressive musical passages being quite hypnotic and brilliantly surreal. 

Who Loves The Sun isn’t an easy album to listen to but it’s one that offers a must have experience where Chat Pile doesn't even offer any easy answers or solutions. As they leave this up to the listener’s own conclusions. What is guaranteed is another masterful record from Chat Pile that once again cements their status as one of the most important Heavy Rock bands in the world currently playing today. 

This is an absolute masterpiece and is a record everyone needs to own right now!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Rarely Unable PR for the promo.

Who Loves The Sun is available to buy now on CD, Digital, Tape and Vinyl.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Fallen Letters - A Familiar Absence (Single Review)

Release Date: July 09th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Released. Format: DD

A Familiar Absence - Tracklist

A Familiar Absence

Members

Vocals / Guitars / Synths – Vishal Naidu

Guitars – Aditya Ramesh

Bass – Abhay

Drums – Mukund

Review

Progressive Metallers Fallen Letters blend Prog, Psych, Post-Metal and Alt-Metal into a myriad of different styles that calls upon the likes of OPETH, KATATONIA and Deftones. The band originate from Bangalore, India but on their latest track A Familiar Absence you would think they’re from the Scandinavian or American Metal scenes. As they have quite a highly polished and superbly realized sound that marries the Extreme Metal and Underground Metal worlds superbly well.

The vocals move between Death Growls and Doom Metal surroundings with a violent undercurrent of Thrash and Death Metal appearing the background. The subtle switch to different areas of rock and metal serves Fallen Letters amazingly well. Their 2025 album Mindfractures has a different sound to this track which perhaps allows the band to be quite grounded and progressive with their music. Their sound is quite abstract with small waves of Prog Rock, Psych Rock and modern day Doom transforming into fast-paced and intense instrumental melodies. 

The majority of music that I’ve experienced from the Indian Heavy Metal underground scene has been limited down to a great mix of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal bands but I was mighty impressed from what I’ve heard from Fallen Letters with their recent album and their latest track A Familiar Absence. It may take a few listens to fully get accustomed to Fallen Letters' way of delivering pounding grooves but it’s a journey worth taking time and time again. 

A Familiar Absence is a great track for the band to introduce themselves with that ultimately leaves you wanting to hear more.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Pomroe - Heavy Drama (EP Review)

Release Date: August 15th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Heavy Drama - Tracklist

1.Tabby 05:05

2.Outside 03:58

3.Cover the whole 02:19

4.Slime 04:05

5.Center 04:29

Members

Maria Zgoda - guitar/bass, vocals

Paweł Zychowicz - guitar

Bartłomiej Czajkowski - drums

Review

Heavy Drama is the debut EP from Doom/Grunge/Sludge/Stoner Rockers Pomroe who have emerged from the Polish Heavy Rock underground scene and they have similar sounds to bands that have already made their presence known over the years. There’s a stubborn and aggressive attitude to Pomroe which makes their music have an uneasy atmosphere which is heard very early on within their debut release.

There’s an early Deftones presence which allows Pomroe build a determined level of intense murky sounds with a gloomy attitude appearing within tracks such as Tabby and Outside. There’s a slight Post-Punk and Alt-Metal movement heard within how the music is delivered. This has some disjointed and stripped back elements which gives the music a slight chaotic feel but the committed enthusiasm of Pomroe to deliver some great sounding Sludge/Stoner Metal ideas throughout..

The vocals from Maria Zgoda feel quite different to what I originally anticipated. As they’re quite grounded but perhaps best suited to a full on Alt-Metal or Post-Metal style of music and not music such as Pomroe ultimately deliver. However, this works to Pomroe’s advantage as it gives the band a great sullen vibe or energy of their own making where you can hear echoes of TOOL and A Perfect Circle emerging on tracks such as Tabby, Outside and Slime.

The music on the later stages of Heavy Drama has a great Post-Doom / Post-Sludge methodology appearing whilst exploring areas of Drone and Distortion which can only be described as pure paranoia in cases. There’s an underlying sense of dread developing which has the hallmarks of early-era Nine Inch Nails but fully contained within the world of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal.

Heavy Drama does feel unpolished at times but this only adds to the uncomfortable feeling you get from listening to the EP and makes it an even better audio experience as a result. It’s not perfect and is perhaps best described as a “WORK IN PROGRESS" but Pomroe have piqued my interest and I’m definitely interested to hear what they will be releasing next. 

Great stuff.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Sauros - Offense (Album Review)

Release Date: September 04th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Offense - Tracklist

1.C2O 

2.Offense

3.The Doomsayers Are Right 

4.In The End

5.Grey Ignorance

6.A New Ego In Nihilism

7.Misanthropic Freedom

8.Unnatural Selection In The Age Of Crisis 

9.Nostalgic Anxiety

Members

Doc - Vocals

Nobbe - Guitar

Seb - Bass

Frank - Drums

Review

Doom Metallers Sauros debut album Offense is a great collection of slow-paced Doom/Sludge Metal. The music is played at a very cool slow pace which allows the band to create a highly atmospheric and destructive DOOMED OUT environment to play their music against. The vocals have that classic HEAVY METAL gruff exterior which brings the muscular lyrics to life which you can hear superbly well on the opening tracks of C2O, Offense and The Doomsayers Are Right.

Offense often plays it straight with Sauros never wandering into Prog Metal territory which makes this record feel more authentic. There are moments of Psychedelic and Alt-Metal themes that develop with hidden outbursts of Post-Doom and Atmospheric Sludge surroundings. Sometimes Sauros feels like they’re using bands such as Metallica and Type O Negative for certain sections of the record. There’s a gloomy Thrash based delivery which is quite noticeable especially with the sullen guitar tones and excellent vocals from Doc. 

The vocals remain clean throughout with some harsh tones being injected into the mix only when they’re really needed. The slowcore aspect of Sauros’s music is what makes it really standout as they never play fast-paced melodies which may perhaps disturb the equilibrium of what the band are trying to deliver with Offense. 

Everything is quite bleak with socially aware lyrics helping Sauros’s message in spreading much doom and gloom on this record that’s actually possible on tracks such as The Doomsayers Are Right, In The End, Grey Ignorance, A New Ego In Nihilism and Unnatural Selection In The Age Of Crisis. These songs show Sauros in complete control deploying their own nihilistic style of Doom Metal which feel more unsettling and violent with the epic LOW & SLOW delivery that surrounds everything being played on the whole album.

The album is superbly aggressive in the volume department even with the stripped back production values that’s been applied here. However, this all adds to the gloomy and solitary audio experience that’s being played throughout your speakers of choice. The instrumental work is outstanding with Sauros playing each note, riff and melody with supreme confidence. 

Offense is quite a subversive record where the bleak and moody songs offer a dramatic chilling experience that even has a few nods to classic ELECTRIC WIZARD amplifier distortion which only adds a more menacing quality to the whole experience. 

Sauros really deliver on all fronts with Offense which I’m hoping allows them to become more well known within the underground Doom/Sludge Metal scene.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Bleeding Antlers - Songs Of Praise (Album Review)

Release Date: August 22nd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Songs Of Praise - Tracklist

1.The Devil of Mariazell

2.Meet me in the woods at midnight

3.Blue Jeans

4.When the Sun Bursts

5.The ghost of Oliver Reed

6.Fimbulwinter

7.Crooked Lines

Members

Simon Bismarck (Vocals)

Good Luke (Guitar)

Prince Ben (Bass)

Ghost Pete (Drums, BV)

Ren Ashlea (BV, Blue. Jeans)

Review

Songs Of Praise is the second album from Psychedelic Doom Metallers Bleeding Antlers and it’s not what I expected at all with the band adding levels of Stoner Metal, Groove Metal, Sleaze Rock and some unorthodox Alternative melodies into their music. Bleeding Antlers feel inspired mostly by the likes of Candlemass, Pallbearer and Type O Negative but that only tells a brief part of the story they develop throughout the album.

There’s some highly dramatic, over the top and superbly epic that comes across with each individual track that allows Bleeding Antlers to forge a classic Traditional Doom Metal sound before applying modern day soundscapes into the mix. The record is deliciously dark with the lyrics and excellent vocals delivered by Simon Bismarck with great backing vocals appearing from Ghost Pete and Ren Ashlea.

The Post-Gothic dynamics becomes one of the album's main strengths especially within the standout tracks of Meet Me In The Woods At Midnight and Blues Jeans which have an obsessive Folk Rock trajectory dominating almost everything being played. You can hear the Type O Negative influence taking hold as the DOOM & GLOOM sound becomes quite emotional with some sinister lyrics emerging from the darkness. The album is quite leftfield with the gloomy atmospherics and frenzied grooves that can be quite distorted which was another cool surprise when listening to the album.

Bleeding Antlers experiment with their sound once more with traces of Alt Metal, Industrial Rock, Gothic Rock and Post-Punk appearing which just adds a whole layer of SLEAZE on tracks such as: When The Sun Bursts, The Ghost Of Oliver Reed and Crooked Lines. There is also a great style of subversive humour that’s been added to this record despite the serious tone of the record. It's good to see Bleeding Antlers having fun and letting the listener in on the joke especially with the album title.

For folks not in the know. Songs Of Praise is a long running British TV Show which is best described below from Wikipedia:

“A religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Christian faith is lived out.”

However, Bleeding Antlers are quite serious with their music and they deliver some intense and highly majestic Doom Metal melodies that bridges the gap between Classic, Traditional and Modern Day themes with first rate delivery. This allows Songs Of Praise to be a thrilling record that offers a high momentum of great grooves and spellbinding sounds from start to finish. 

Bleeding Antlers are the real deal and this record only proves this point time and time again.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Bleeding Antlers and Metal Devastation Radio PR for the promo.

Songs Of Praise is available to buy now on Digital Download.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

The Headless - Cast Into The Firmament (Single Review)

Release Date: August 11th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Cast into the Firmament - Tracklist

Cast Into The Firmament

Members

Andy Lenox — vocals, guitar, keys, production, visuals

Gary Behling — guitar, vocals, keys

Phil Danne — bass

Jay Gauthier — drums, photography, video

Review

Cast Into The Firmament is the latest single from Alt-Metal/Shoegaze Metallers The Headless who make music similar to the likes of HUM, SOM, Failure and Superheaven. However, there’s a lot more depth to The Headless as they channel sounds inspired by Faith No More and Baroness. The music is quite euphoric with a gloomy Grunge and Space Rock aspect emerging when you least expect it.

Joining The Headless on this cosmic journey is Madison McConnell of War on the Horizon fame who provides excellent low-key and emotionally engaging vocals. The Headless have said there’s a hidden easter egg hidden within their music the band are leaving for the listeners to fully decode. Well, I can’t say what the Easter Egg is and that’s perhaps a mystery unsolved by myself though I’m happy to be told what this is. As this gives the song quite a clever and mysterious quality which you don’t really come across.

The Headless transform into Post-Doom explorers on the later stages of the track which feels like HUM jamming with THE CURE. The song is mostly melodic with it’s ethereal Post-Rock sound but when The Headless move over into their aggressive Alt-Metal identity then some heavy grooves are played out of nowhere which has a slight Sludge Rock menace to them.

Cast Into The Firmament is a great track bursting with real progressive ability which fans of the Grunge, Doomgaze and Alt Metal communities will absolutely adore. I’m not sure if The Headless have an EP or full length album being prepped for future release but I’m highly intrigued and slightly a little bit excited on where they go from here.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

The Home - The Home (EP Review)

Release Date: August 15th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

The Home - Tracklist

1.Disguise 04:25

2.Beyond It All 04:25

3.Leech 04:50

Members

Vocals - LJ Brazil

Guitar + Additional Instruments - Lewis Barnes

Drums - John Mclean

Review

Alternative/Sludge/Stoner Metallers The Home self-titled debut EP is quite an intriguing record with the band playing stripped back sounds that merge modern day Sludge Rock/Metal grooves against a classic Fuzz, Doom and Proto-Metal energy. The vocals are quite different with lead vocalist LJ Brazil performing in areas of Classic Doom, Hard Rock, Stoner Metal and even a great experimental style which has a slight Mike Patton influence.

The EP lasts under fourteen minutes but The Home creates some stirring grooves powered by elements of Alt Metal within the flashier aspects that appear throughout. There’s even traces of Soul, Funk and Blues Rock hidden amongst the Doom & Gloom melodies which provides a brutal style of amplified Sludge Rock/Metal on tracks Disguise and Beyond It All.

They’re not the finished article by no means but they have a great sound of their own making which can be quite freaky, outlandish and superbly progressive. The final track Leech allows The Home to prove they have some unfinished business for their next release as it does feel open ended where you’re expecting a massive instrumental riff to power through.

This is a great record for The Home to introduce themselves with as they do generate some HEAVY SOUNDING moments throughout and the production values ain’t half bad either. Some of the musical ideas don’t fully succeed but I’m quite excited to see what The Home delivers next.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

BandCamp | Instagram

Introduce Yourselves: Nominal Anomaly

What Is the Name of Your Band?

The band is Nominal Anomaly, a single individual passion project

What Is the genre of music you play?

The genre is difficult to pinpoint. Best I could offer is Grunge Metal, as their is some of that old 90's song structure with blues / rock influence. Some songs blend more into Punk Metal. I'm a conglomeration of the 90's mostly.

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

A buddy and myself had a band of 2 back in the late 90's early 2000s called Ark of Kaos. Never made much more than a demo tape, and ended there as people do. I quit drinking about 3 years ago, got bored with the typical drinking hobbies, and picked the guitar back up after a near 20 year hiatus. Started recording about a year later, and releasing music soon thereafter. Early 2026, released the first full album Swamp after several EP's and singles. Currently working on next year's album. Mostly just studio stuff, but a long term dream would be to play live with a band.

What can people expect from your music?

I try to write the songs with catchy rhythms, grooves, or melodies. It's fun in a metal type of way. The lyrical content is a bit here and there, building an odd background of weird lore, but mostly metaphoric to point at reality and be critical or bring emphasis to something. Swamp itself was built during a time of transition personally, so leans deeper into mental health

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

The album Swamp. BTW, Oblique, Therapy are a couple tracks from Swamp as a personal favorite

Where can people find you on Social Media?

www.nominalanomaly.com
https://www.facebook.com/NominalAnomaly
Nominalanomaly.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/thenominalanomaly/
https://mastodon.social/@NominalAnomaly

Nominal Anomaly - Swamp (Album Review)

Release Date: May 22nd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Swamp - Tracklist

1.Headcold 03:08

2.BULLfrog 03:19

3.BTW 03:42

4.Crowded 03:05

5.Carnated 03:01

6.Night Sweats 04:07

7.Oblique Mass of Foundation 03:10

8.Sleepwalker 03:54

9.Soulless Shoe Sale 03:45

10.Suits 03:56

11.Therapy 03:48

12.Andone 03:16

Lineup

All music, vocals, visuals, art are done by Nominal Anomaly (NO AI)

Review

Swamp is the debut album from Punk/Grunge/Metal solo artist Nominal Anomaly who play a schizophrenic type of Heavy Rock with a distorted and frenzied underground element holding everything together. The record is most definitely a product of living through the Nineties Rock/Metal scene. The best way to describe what’s in store for you on this record is to read the recent “Introduce Yourselves” feature the band kindly contributed to.

This is quite a hard record to describe but from the Introduce Yourselves article the band state the following how to describe their music.

“The genre is difficult to pinpoint. Best I could offer is Grunge Metal, as their is some of that old 90's song structure with blues / rock influence.  Some songs blend more into Punk Metal.  I'm a conglomeration of the 90's mostly.”

The overall sound is one of pure mayhem and fucked off carnage with Nominal Anomaly inspired by the likes of PRIMUS and FAITH NO MORE as the record does go into multiple different directions. However, there’s some excellent Post-Grunge and Alt-Rock sounds along the way which reminds me of The Melvins jamming with The Pixies. The vocals are quite hardcore based with outbursts of manic punk energy which could easily be considered as the perfect soundtrack trying to escape from a mental asylum.

However, this brilliantly works with Nominal Anomaly even allowing brutal outbursts ofExtreme Metal and Grind Metal grooves to appear. One moment you’re treated to a vicious blast of Hardcore Punk spliced with Sludge, Thrash and Grind passages before the record transforms into a subtle Heavy Psychedelic and spiky Grunge Rock attitude.

Swamp does feel a bit too long at times but the sheer fun and outrageous creative momentum that’s played here on this record does have a warped sense of humour developing from the very start. The lyrics are completely off the wall and brilliantly surreal which matches the madcap energy the Nineties Metal scene used to throw at an unsuspecting audience back in the day.

The Funk Rock and Prog Metal aspects that appear on the record does become a bit overbearing in places but that won’t stop your enjoyment of this weird, wonderful and violently wacky journey that Nominal Anomaly takes you upon. You could consider an experimental record and there are moments even I don’t know what the fuck is happening but I couldn’t stop listening to this especially on tracks: Headcold, BULLfrog, Carnated, Night Sweats, Oblique Mass Of Foundation, Suits and Therapy.

These tracks are the ones I found the most enjoyment from as Nominal Anomaly does play their heart out on this release and they’re a fantastically talented individual where the music is just so bat-shit crazy and brilliantly original at the same time.

Swamp won’t appeal to everyone but if you’re a fan of the Nineties Rock/Metal scene and not adverse for this album to take you into some pretty unexpected areas of HEAVY METAL then NOMINAL ANOMALY will speak volumes to you.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

www.nominalanomaly.com
https://www.facebook.com/NominalAnomaly
Nominalanomaly.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/thenominalanomaly/
https://mastodon.social/@NominalAnomaly

Uragh - Tempest / Wisp (EP Review)

Release Date: July 31st 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Tempest / Wisp - Tracklist

Tempest

Wisp

Lineup

Craig Murphy - Vocals

Marcelo Varge - Guitars

Sebastian Sparr - Bass

Jason Hodgkins - Drums

Review

Uragh are a Progressive Metal band who blend Groove, Metalcore, Alt Metal and Sludge Metal into a highly destructive style of music with their thrilling two track EP - Tempest / Wisp - being my first exposure to the band. The sound is melodic with its highly intricate style of Post-Metal and Thrash beats which allows the listener to be pulled into multiple different directions. The music does have some funkier moments with some great slow paced beatdowns before Uragh focuses on a more aggressive and metallic attitude especially on the thumping opening track Tempest.

The vocals from Craig Murphy have an intense quality and delivery to them with some fantastic hardcore and extreme passages shining through. The rest of the band lay down some fast-paced Heavy Metal sounds that are quintessentially modern throughout. Though, there’s a touch of classical music that appears through the sublime appearance of Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan of Belfast band Domhain who provides a chilling and emotionally charged CELLO performance.

The second track Wisp is a gloomy Post-Rock offering with shades of Gothic and Occult themes with the song mostly being a semi-acoustic track with Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan’s intense cello changing the course of the whole EP and the sultry vocals are just the icing on the cake. This is perhaps suited to fans of Chelsea Wolfe compared to the bombastic and violent opening track but it’s good to see Uragh offering different styles of music with the song ending on a Doom & Gloom note with ambient sounds leading the way.

Tempest / Wisp is a great record for Uragh to broaden their musical and creative horizons with. This may take their fanbase a few moments to fully get accustomed to but it shows that the band are aiming for a different sound for future releases whilst keeping to their core original sound at the same time.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Truster - Creeping Thing (Album Review)

 

Release Date: July 10th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Creeping Thing - Tracklist

1.The Flesh Beneath Our Nails, a Gift 00:34

2.Wretch Collector 03:08

3.She Who Requires Blood Remembers Them 05:16

4.The Fire 07:01

5.The Flood 04:27

6.Lest I Tear You to Pieces and There Be None to Deliver 06:26

7.A Home for the Lonely 06:12

Members

Stacy Burnett

Jordan LaFleche

Kevin Wunderlich

Review

Doom/Shoegaze metallers Truster debut album Creeping Thing is quite a thought provoking and highly emotionally charged record that uses the power of Post-Metal, Shoegaze, Doom and Drone to highlight the experiences that members of the queer community go through especially within their daily lives and even within the HEAVY METAL underground scene. However, the record is also emotionally uplifting throughout despite Truster’s maximum use of Doomgaze and Post-Metal that creates moments of pure chaos and violent soundscapes devouring everything within it’s wake.

Truster are also inspired heavily by the Alt-Rock and Grunge scenes with their music being more potent when it enters that grimy atmosphere. The level of Drone, Fuzz and Distortion that holds everything together is superbly impressive on both a technical and musical level. The haunting vocals from Stacy Burnett are beautifully poetic but also cuts like a knife when the banshee screams come out of nowhere which just hammers the point home on how powerful Creeping Thing actually is. You can tell Stacy is speaking from personal experience when the screams violently shake the listener to their emotional core on track Wretch Collector, She Who Requires Blood Remembers Them and The Fire. 

Those tracks make you aware how socially aware and emotionally devastating the journey that Truster take you upon with compounding Post-Rock/Post-Metal melodies that’s spliced with Shoegaze, Doom and Drone that reminds me of Neurosis, Windhand, Slow Crush, Portishead, Tori Amos and PJ Harvey in equal measure. Sometimes the music is quite hard to describe but that’s a great thing as Truster has a more dangerous element to their musical persona that allows them to take bigger, bolder and fearless risks with their music.

The music is played at a great slow-to-mid pace with the bone-crunching instrumental passages allowing Stacy’s vocals the perfect time to breathe and grow naturally. The Post-Rock/Post-Metal sounds are my favourite aspects of the record from a musical perspective as Truster brings a sense of darkness to their music and when they inject that brooding style of Ambient and Trippy sounds into the mix. Creeping Thing becomes a more sensual experience even when the dominant Sludge Metal grooves reign supreme on tracks such as She Who Requires Blood, The Fire, The Flood and Lest I Tear You to Pieces and There Be None to Deliver which is perhaps my favourite track on the whole album.

One of the strongest aspects of Creeping Thing is how Truster moves between different musical landscapes where it’s emotionally delicate one moment and the next they have the power to destroy whole musical planets with a single note, rhythm or melody. Stacy, Jordan and Kevin are masters of their own musical craft as this is a brilliantly original record which is just earth shattering.

Creeping Thing is an absolute marvel of an album to fully listen to which leaves you a shivering wreck with its brilliantly poetic lyrics and sometimes bleak vision. I’m hopeful that Truster will achieve bigger and better things on this record as they absolutely deserve it. 

WOW. What an experience. 

Words by Steve Howe

Creeping Thing is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl from Truster.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram