OLDE - Pilgrimage (Album Review)

Release date: March 19th 2021. Label: Seeing Red Records / Sludgelord Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl 

Pilgrimage – Tracklisting

1.Pilgrimage
2.A New King
3.Medico Della Peste 
4.In Defiance
5.The Dead Hand
6.Depth Charge
7.Under Threatening Skies
8.Wastelands

Members

Greg Dawson & Chris Hughes | Guitars
Doug McLarty | Vocals
Ryan Aubin | Drums (and two fiery guitar solos)
Cory McCallum | Bass

Review

Pilgrimage is the new album from Canadian Heavy Sludge Rockers – OLDE – who come out all guns blazing on this release with a heavier and different release compared to their previous albums. Moving away from their earlier “Stoner Metal” sound and more further in to the land of Sludge Metal with the band balancing Progressive Doom/Sludge ideas that has slight “High On Fire” flavour. This allows OLDE plenty of opportunities to play “fast and loose” with the standard rules of Doom/Sludge Metal and rewrite them in their own aggressive style.

Opening song – Pilgrimage – first half of the song is a superbly played Psychedelic Instrumental track with a Post-Doom/Post-Sludge metallic atmosphere being created at first before Doug’s impressive vocals come in and fully take over. The music has pinpoint accuracy with it’s heavy sludge riffs with an early “High On Fire” edge being noticed between the different styles of music that OLDE employ here.

Second song – A New King – has a more “Crust” vibe with the gloomier aspects of OLDE shining through this early on with this song. OLDE are unforgiving with everything contained in this song. Lyrics and Vocals offer a bleak sense of the world with the pulsating riffs having a blackened approach to them. The song also offers moments of THRASH grooves with a not so subtle 80s sounding Psychedelic and Progressive Rock being heard as well. It shouldn’t really work but OLDE will keep listeners entertained and on-board with their adventurous blend of Doom/Sludge Metal. VOIVOD fans will be interested to know that Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain appears on this song.

Third song – Medico Della Peste – which translates as “Plague Doctor Mask” well according to Google and you would assume this would see OLDE go full on DOOM METAL. However, this song is perhaps the most catchiest and addictive song on the album with OLDE playing a modern blend of NOLA grooves splashed with a spice of Classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. 

Fourth song – In Defiance – is another track where OLDE fuse Psychedelic Metal with their own style of Doom/Sludge Metal for perhaps one of the best tracks on the album. The music is quite epic in places with a world-weary vocal performance from Doug with OLDE playing a more Progressive and Post-Metal style of music towards the later stages of the song.

OLDE continue to impress even more on songs: The Dead Hand and Under Threatening Skies. With perhaps some of the heaviest parts on the album on these two songs alone.

OLDE have delivered a superbly heavy and entertaining album that is without doubt their best album to date. The overall sound of the album is excellent with OLDE’s very own Greg Dawson producing, mixing, mastering and recording the entire thing. He does a first-rate job in making OLDE new album quite contemporary in places but still thoroughly modern as well.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Pilgrimage will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Seeing Red Records (USA) and Sludgelord Records (Europe) from March 19th 2021. 

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Goblinsmoker - A World In Haze, A World Ablaze (EP Review)

Release date: February 7^th 2020. Label: Sludgelord Records. Format: Cassette/DD

A World In Haze, A World Ablaze - Tracklisting

1.Smoked in Darkness

2.Let Them Rot

3.The Forest Mourns

Members

A - Guitars, vocals

M - Bass

C - Drums

Review

Goblinsmoker return with their latest EP – A World In Haze, A World Ablaze – and it carries on their distorted, trippy and down-tuned Sludge/Doom/Stoner hybrid sound. The EP is actually quite a clever release with it’s progressive sound and interesting song titles that all add up for a more disturbing taste of WEEDIAN inspired sounds.

The EP has three songs and runs for about twenty six minutes in length but this record feels like a full-length record as the band use their time wisely to create a rich and highly fulfilling album that’s got so many dark great riffs to it.

Opening song – Smoked In Darkness – is nine minutes of heavily played down-tuned Sludge grooves that have a slight NOLA feel to them with the band carefully plotting an intricate style of Doom/Sludge Metal that is thick and brutally heavy from the start. The vocals are used sparingly but are excellent when they appear. The music always drowns out the vocals on this song but lead vocalist “A” holds his own against the pounding riffs that the band have included on this record. I feel the band are inspired by early-era THOU on this release but still maintaining a slightly distorted Stoner Metal vibe that is quite refreshing to hear.

Second song – Let Them Rot – another long round of aggressive Doom/Sludge Metal which the band make no apologies for. The dark psychedelic vibe lurks in the background with the band slowly playing a trippy blend of Post-Doom atmospherics before the bleak and nihilistic Sludge Metal riffs appear. Goblinsmoker take their time with song and it builds upto a nightmarish atmosphere that leaves you wanting more. This is perhaps the standout song on the EP with Goblinsmoker making no apologies for their deliberately slow paced style of Doom/Sludge Metal which oozes menace at each passing second.

Third song – The Forest Mourns – is the final song with the band continuing their blend of progressive bleak riffs and dark lyrical content that makes you think what is being said in the overall context of the song. This song is more “riff-centric” compared to the other two songs on the EP. As the band play a more familiar style of Doom/Sludge Metal with a deep thumping bass leading the way. The song continues with the overall bleak theme of the EP but the band don’t feel as aggressive but this song still allows the EP to finish on a high.

A World In Haze, A World Ablaze allows Goblinsmoker to develop their sound even further compared to their previous EP and makes you realize that we need a full length album from these guys as soon as possible. This is a quality release from a band that I want to hear more from. If you’re looking for your next addictive fix of bleak and progressive Doom/Sludge Metal, then please look no further. Goblinsmoker are that band.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Curtis at Dewar PR for the promo. A World In Haze, A World Ablaze will be available to buy on from Sludgelord Records from 7^th Feb 2020.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

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:

Facebook | BandCamp