PAK40 - Superfortress (EP Review)

Release Date: December 04th 2025. Record Label: Sonic Centurion / Inverted Grim Mill Recordings. Formats: Cassette/CD/DD

Superfortress - Tracklisting

1.Old Nomad 10:36

2.Superfortress 06:38

3.Ascend 05:43

Lineup

Leo Hancill - Drums

Andy Glen - Bass / Vocals

Review

Drone/Sludge/Stoner Metallers PAK40 awaken from an almost five year slumber with their new heavy pounding release Superfortress which once again sees the band explore a more minimalistic approach with their music. The mood traverses between Doom, Drone, Noise, Sludge and Stoner Metal surroundings with a sound that’s emphasized by stripped back recording techniques and production values. The EP lasts around twenty three minutes that’s spread across three tracks that allows PAK40 tap into areas of music populated by the likes of SUNN 0))), Neurosis, The Melvins and High On Fire in places.

Opening track Old Nomad sees PAK40 deliver a song that’s blessed and cursed by an aggressive Drone Metal mentality before exploding into a loud volume of noise where the music suddenly transforms into a sludgier riffier and meatier sound. You can hear echoes of BIG BUSINESS coming at the best possible opportunity with PAK40 keeping their own monolithic creative attitude appearing within Andy Glen’s outlandish vocals which has shades of DOOMED OUT PROPHECY behind them. The jagged instrumental passages are quite thrilling especially with the calm and measured drumming performance from Leo Hancill who I just featured recently with his other band’s TELEOST sublime release. 

The other two tracks of Superfortress and Ascend follow the same destructive pattern with elements of Noise, Psych Rock and even Garage Rock allowing PAK40 to add an eerie melody to their music. The sound is wonderfully violent with high levels of DISTORTED hysteria developing behind the loud levels of distorted soundscapes which one again allows Andy’s vocals to be developed with a true MADMAN persona which he delivers with pure evil relish.

Superfortress has the legendary talents of James Plotkin on mastering duties which shows PAK40 packing some serious power behind the scenes with excellent producing, recording and mixing handled by Niklas Pietsch and Eris Deimel. 

PAK40 have delivered the goods yet again with an action packed EP and despite the short running time, they don’t waste a single second in allowing the listener to fully losing themselves within the fucked up chaos that SUPERFORTESS offers from beginning to end.

Words by Steve Howe

Available to buy on Cassette @ https://www.instagram.com/soniccenturion/

Available to buy on CD @ https://invertedgrim-millrecordings.bandcamp.com/#

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

PAK40 - Bunker (Album Review)

Release date: March 05th 2021. Label: Panurus Productions / Inverted Grim Mill Recordings. Format: CD/DD/Cassette

Bunker – Tracklisting

1.Sausage Roll 08:08
2.Rain 10:05
3.Hollow Man 06:58
4.U-96 05:08
5.Pyramid 05:40
6.Elephant 14:47
7.Bunker 07:18

Members

Andy Glen - Bass, vocals
Leo Hancill - Drums, vocals

Review

Bunker is the debut album UK Sludge/Doom Duo PAK40 and it sees the band have a heavy reliance on Drone and Noise Rock to get their industrially raw message across. The album is quite experimental and heavily distorted with PAK40 delivering almost 60 minutes of Sludge/Doom Metal madness with an eerie Garage Rock atmosphere.

Helping them along the way is Esben Williams of MONOLORD fame who helped master the album which is also backed by fantastic work Niklas Pietsch and Christian 'Krischan' Deimel who produced, recorded and mixed the album. This gives the album an almost “Street Level” and “Dirty” feel. Some folks may think the album is too slow moving in places but it allows the listener to soak everything that is played in front of them.

The opening two songs – Sausage Roll and Rain – are progressive and experimental with PAK40 offering a fine balance between Industrial based Doom, Drone and Sludge Metal with that Noise Rock balance holding everything together. With this also being a Drum and Bass duo, the grooves are powerful and plentiful that seem to last an age. The music does have a “Stoner Metal” quality to it all and I can see why these guys have been compared to OM recently. As they do create long passages of post-Doom/Stoner music which then explodes into a loud volume of noise.

If you don’t like the opening two songs then you won’t enjoy the rest of the album. As PAK40 only become BOLDER and more ADVENTUROUS with the style of music they adapt and use for the rest of the album with Hollow Man, Pyramid, Elephant and Bunker featuring the most “conventional” and “experimental” music on the record.

There is also a warped Psychedelia effect hidden behind the heavy sludgy grooves with PAK40 adding clever FX sounds that bring a fresh air of despair to the album.

If you dig bands such as OM, The Melvins and Big Business then PAK40 have delivered an album just for you. The record maybe confusing at times but it’s never boring. This is an OTT album that delivers the goods. Just be prepared to work hard for your musical “HEAD-BANGING” reward.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Available on Cassette via Panurus Productions and CD via Inverted Grim Mill Recordings

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp