Early Sludge Metal outside out of NOLA
Sludge metal exists as a perplexing combination of Doom metal and Hardcore Punk. The seeds of Sludge metal constructed itself in the works of Black Flag and Flipper; whose works, My War and Album: Generic Flipper, deployed a groundwork for Sludge metal. Eventually groups such as the Melvins, Crowbar, Eyehategod would start to release works in the late 80s and early 90s, thus conceiving Sludge metal. These Sludge acts would be essential to the development of the genre, and even influence other Sludge bands later on. They were not the only ones, though. Sludge developed in other areas other than NOLA like Nottingham, U.K. (Iron Monkey), Wilmington, U.S. (Buzzov•en), and Oakland, U.S. (Dystopia). All these other Sludge bands invented their own styles independent from one another. This is interesting. Largely the variety of influences that would dominate each band.
I will focus my sights on each of the 90s and some of the 80s, one group, and one particular album from their discographies. I think that each of these bands should deserve more recognition, not only for how enjoyable they are, but also for how influential one might think they are. RYM Link: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/KarlJarl/early-sludge-metal-outside-out-of-nola/
Buzzov•en - Sore (1994)
Buzzov•en's most noted album, yet is still not as widely recognized. The heavy, angry atmosphere of this album is very pervasive. Buzzov•en emphasizes both the Hardcore and Doom flavors of their sound equally throughout the album. This variation of speed in the album makes its dynamic, yet not too confusing. The guitar tones are glorious. They have a nice plumpness to them that makes it feel powerful. This is one of those albums to play very loud. Buzzov•en construct an atmosphere of speed, hatred, and rage. The transitions from the Hardcore parts to the Doom are very smooth. There are some very noisy moments on the record, which adds to the aggressive mood of this record.
Sore is a perfect example of Sludgecore. An amazing fusion of the Hardcore and Doom pieces made brutally fast, but also slow. This album should be checked out by any Sludge, Doom, and Hardcore fans of any kind.
Cavity - Supercollider (1999)
What describes this piece is the absolute doominess of it. Beginning with a feedbacked guitars droning over those first few minutes begins a nice Sludge piece that is more closer to its Doom roots than its Hardcore roots. Cavity shows an enormous difference from the previous Sore record. This appeals more to the Doom crowd of Sludge, and we will see this in other types of the earlier Sludge bands (Nootgrush, Grief, and Harvey Milk). The riffs resemble Doom more than actual pure Sludge. I will also mention that the riffs in this album are massive. Very massive. So massive and despairing it feels like you are listening to something akin to Earth 2. It impresses me how much this accomplishes in 40 minutes.
Supercollider is a beast of an album, and it also has some of its faster moments freeze the monotony of the Doom inspired Sludge. Appeals more to the Doom fans of the genre but also keeps the aggressive feel constant.
Fudge Tunnel - Hate Songs in E Minor (1991)
Along with Iron Monkey, Fudge Tunnel comprises some of the earliest Sludge metal in Nottingham, UK. There is a distinct Godflesh influence (they were both labelmates of Earache at the time), yet not as prominent. The industrial or alternative metal (if you want to get general) stains on this album make it rather for time from their contemporaries in the U.K., while early Grindcore acts like Napalm Death and Carcass were breaking the limits in BPM and song structures, Fudge Tunnel conceived hateful, brooding Sludge.
For the album itself, it is relatively enjoyable for what it presents. The album highlights the riffs as the main attraction to this amusement park of sludge and fudge. Bed Crumbs has a very lethal, agressive riff to it, Spanish Fly has a riff that is so meaty and crunchy (accompanied by brief, dissonant noise guitar work in the track), and finally Boston Baby's riff resembles something from the swamps of NOLA. This album keeps a steady pace with its songs and chugs out riffs like factory machine. I can also hear Big Black somewhere in there.
Gore - Hart Gore (1986)
This album is quite interesting in its background. Gore hails from the Netherlands, and this particular album was released 1986. Quite surprising considering the Melvins also released their debut ep that same year, and the drummer apparently played in Caspar Brötzmann Massaker too. This is the earliest out of all the other bands on this list. It shows a very primitive form of Sludge before it became more developed later on.
Hart Gore's instrumentals resemble those of Scratch Acid, The Jesus Lizard, Cows, and other Noise rock bands of that era. While the whole album is quite primitive and only in instrumental form, it provides an interesting look at some early Sludge at the time. Gore not only nails a Sludgy down-tuned guitar tone, but also showcase riffs that feel Doom metal in origin.
The beginning of Axe of Revenge reveals Doom riffs at play with Hardcore instrumentation, almost as if Gore took out a page from My War. USA Is Calling also reveals more metallic Doom riffage at play. What else can be said from this album? It was released early in its time, it was conjured the same year the Melvins released their debut EP, and it preceded a lot of major Sludge acts at the time. If truth be told, this album is mostly a milestone for Sludge, a damn good one.
Grief - Come to Grief (1994)
Created by members of legendary Crust Punk band Disrupt, Grief presents itself as a depressive, harsh Sludge band that gives obvious nods towards its older Doom fathers. Come To Grief is the fabulous debut from this band, and they really establish themselves as one of the more prominent Sludge bands of the East coast. I was surprised to find such an atmosphere crafted by this band to be bitter and dismal compared to other Sludge bands at the time on first listen. Grief encapsulates the very hatred of the members and siphons it towards being lethargic and inert, instead of the charges and stampedes of Disrupt.
Grief utterly cements itself the best in its introduction. The extravagant, monumental opening riff of Earthworm clearly imposes its grandeur of grief onto the listener. After 2 minutes of such an impressive opening, the song progresses with heart wrenching vocals from Jeff Hayward. Hayward is simply one of my favorite vocalists in Sludge, he truly captures the image of a desperation and anguish along with the instrumentals. As Earthworm comes to close, the album opens up with more devasting and grief-filled instrumentals. It calls into question how members of a Crust Punk band are able to conceive something so depressive and seething with crushingly slow speeds.
Personal favorites from the album that clearly stood out for me are World of Hurt, Ruined, and the title track, Come to Grief. World of Hurt, while more brief, is the most powerful song of out of the album. It clearly has some of the most Doom influence exemplified in the riffs, giving it a familiar look towards to heydays of it. In the end it gets surprisingly satisfying as the riff starts to inject some grooves into it. It easily pays off and gives a good closer to the song. Ruined is a track that should have been extended beyond what it is. Ruined already had a great potential, especially in the drums since the cymbal work is outrageous, and extending it to something more than 6 or 7 minutes would lead to amazing Doom riddled playing.
Finally, the title track ties everything together as it culminates into a grand finisher to the grief fest of Come to Grief. The 8 minute track is very dynamic and changes between tempos in order to be engaging. It achieves this formula very well and makes the track a truly awesome finale. This particular album is just the beginning of the rest of Grief's prolific career as one of the most significant Sludge bands from the East coast.
Harvey Milk - My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment of What My Love Could Be (1994)
Quite possibly my favorite album off of this selection. Harvey Milk, as far as I can describe it, takes obvious cues from the Melvin's Drone metal era and experimental/avant-garde mid 90s-early 2000s era. A perfect love letter to Melvin's fans of that era. They exhibit strange disorders throughout the album, entirely cutting off from standard rock/metal instrumentation sometimes. This album definitely reveals Sludge being taken to its limits in terms of experimentality. What makes more sense in their peculiarities is the inclusion of Joe Preston: Melvins member during their Lysol album, Preston EP, and member of Earth for a short while (early Drone metal would not be much without him).
The beginning is most unorthodox I have ever experienced. Electronic arpeggios and acoustic cellos sparsely dance around the first half of the track before the actual Sludge work starts to embed itself. The stark contrast between these parts catches me off guard. Its very well played for one's first listening, sort of similar to the beginning of Obey by Brainbombs. However, there is something the album keeps constant, the overall emptiness and sparseness. Oftentimes echoing the production of Albini. Something which I very much enjoy. It mirrors the emptiness present by Khanate, as seen in "Women Dig It". The sparse Melvins, and similarly Shellac, drumming reminiscent of Bullhead contributes a lot to this emptiness. Even with the bass and guitar fuzztones, this album truly feels like a hollow work.
Another good example of stark contrasts between the rock/metal instrumentation and non-rock/metal instrumentation is seen in "The Anvil Will Fall". An extremely memorable track that is a clear cut from most of the album. The track samples Holst's The Planets, specifically Jupiter. Spiers' desperate voice morphs into a rather angelic one during the part. This has always complimented that segment of the track so well. The standard Sludge affair flows, but its different this time. It feels more cathartic than just pure despair. It feels as if it continued the orchestral piece in spirit. It excites me see to the see the consistency in the inconsistency.
The second largest track "My Father's Life's Work" is a return to a less heavier sparseness. A sparseness that is complimented perfectly with nature recordings of birds. Waking up would best describe this track. Again, the standard Sludge affair appears. Yet, the context benefits this greatly, similar to the "The Anvil Will Fall". I adore the somewhat bluesy riffs at play in this one, like "Merlin is Magic" which also kicks ass. The added touches of drones at the end of the song feel monumental. Spiers' vocals intertwine well with the guitar. It is like listening to a duet. There the stark contrast are mainly enjoyable and creative in the longer tracks.
The time when this album dips into breath taking acoustic guitar work is when it still kicks ass throughout at the same time is an impressive feat. "Jim's Polish" is a perfect example of this. The soft/loud dynamic in this track also rivals that of "The Anvil Will Fall" and "My Father's Life's Work". The main riff though is one of the closest you can get to NOLA bands and Melvins playing around in the studio. Theres something about the drum work too that makes this mammoth and large, especially with the shifting tempos. Being the most straightforward of all the other longer tracks, "Jim's Polish" is proof you can frustrate the listener into long stretches of hollowness but also reward them with standard Sludge.
"F.S.T.P." rounds out the long tracks by mostly granting the biggest riff in the album, and quite possibly the genre. It is colossal with an immense feeling of catharsis. Of course, other Harvey Milk albums would employ catharsis better those being Courtesy and Goodwill and Special Wishes. This would be the first time they employ in an album and it plays out very well. The more it progresses, the more hopeful it gets. It ends the song on a good note. It is also a testament to their own brand/style of Sludge they would cultivate later on. The ending of this album is one that drones. The droning in this however reflects most clearly Lysol-era Melvins. They execute this well. It ends up carrying the same load as the other songs of the album and truly giving it, its most emphatic development in it.
That is why Harvey Milk will always carry out their legacy as one of the bands outside of NOLA to make a huge impact on the genre.
Noothgrush - Erode The Person (1999)
Noothgrush are another band that etches itself in the more doom inspired realms of the genre. Noothgrush should 100% be mixed with Grief. You cannot have one without the other. There is a specific dark aesthetic that dominates both bands that makes it appealing to go out and listen to either one. Noothgrush, in particular, have an amazing album cover for Erode the Person. Erode the Person's simple cover conveys so much. Once you delve into the dirtier, dissonant Sludge of Noothgrush it becomes addicting. Its a shame however that the band disbanded in 2001 before releasing more official content. There is very few content released after their disbanding, yet if you can get your hands one of their compilations you can access a lot of their early split EPs, especially the one between Noothgrush and Corrupted.
Almost half of Erode The Person's time is taken up by Deterioration and the title track. Noothgrush do not waste any time attempting to create an evil, droning atmosphere during the run time. There might be some samples of people talking at the beginning, but they introduce the tracks so well. The album feels brief, yet also the bare minimum to be engaging. This is shown better with Oil Removed. The shortest track on the album, but it really continues the onslaught of doom and gloom in the album. The best segments are usually the ones where the bass and guitar sparsly play with each other. It lets the album breathe for a moment before continuing the harder segments of it. Its an effective way to stop monotony of riff after riff. This reminds me of Supercollider mostly. Brief, but no time wasted.
Toadliquor - The Hortator's Lament (2003)
Toadliquor was a small band that formed in relative obscurity in California. Their legacy was timeless, however. I remember the first time listening to The Hortator's Lament. It did not interest me as much as I thought it would. Recently I have become addicted to this record. The clear dread in tracks like "Fratacide: A requiem" are drowned in sludge and painful vocals. It demonstrates perfect catharsis in progress. While I was not able to find any lyrics to the tracks, I expect them to deal to with the heavist of topics as seen in the track titles. On the other hand the cover, designed by Stephen O'Malley, evokes the sound in a strange way. The little men rowing the boat reveals the journey one takes through some the heaviest, strangest songs in Sludge. Toadliquor puts a unique spin on some of the songs in this album. An experimental approach that rivals that of Harvey Milk or the Melvins.
Another highlight from the album is cover of Also Sprach Zarathustra. The amazing tone poem is covered wonderfully in the raw dissonance of the Sludge guitars. It truly surprised me at first that they accomplished this well, stayed true to the original, and also added more dread in the context of the album. The band were not afraid to go into a more atmospheric approach in Tatteredmalion. In addition to the guitars, a string synths and a chorus are present. The mood is massive. It serves as a really great follow up to Also Sprach Zarathustra. The consistent heavy, gigantic sound is present in different forms, whether it be in more straight-forward or atmospheric efforts. The Horator's Lament is a great attempt in making some unique, depressive Sludge. I don't I have heard material as unique as Toadliquor's. It is saddening to see how the band went into obscurity, but it also makes them a gem in Sludge outside of NOLA.
Dystopia - Human = Garbage (1994)
Dystopia is another band Sludge band that has its origins in Crust, like Grief. Unlike Grief, Dystopia is on the Sludgecore side of things, or Stenchcore. Labels aside, they are an early, foundational band for the beginnings of Sludge. Like all other Sludge bands they emphasize depressions and doom, but Dystopia is not afraid to get political. What also distinguishes them the most are the clean, psychedelic guitar interludes that they incorporate in their works. They have a very eerie feeling to them to greatly contributes to overall gloom of their works. Dystopa was not afraid to step out and incorporate more hardcore influences compared to other west coast bands like Toadliquor and Noothgrush.
Mutter - Ich schäme mich Gedanken zu haben die andere Menschen in ihrer Würde verletzen (1990)
Another isolated case in the evolution of early Sludge, like Gore. Mutter is interesting because it heavily takes from the rawer noise rock style of Flipper, Kilslug, and Upsidedown Cross. These "pigfuck" bands would be heavily influential in early Sludge, and Mutter obviously takes some cues from them. In fact, "Hören" very much reminds me of Flipper's "Ever", to the point of the band even including some hand claps. Mutter are another great, forgotten band showcasing Sludge's more primal, noisier roots. However, people searching for heavier, doomer acts won't be as satisfied with this release. The production is a lot more trebly, and while the Sludge tones aren't as chunkier, they certainly have a much more distorted, twisted sense of playing overall.
Other bands/albums that I didn't have time to write much, don't fit into the period, or don't fit exactly into Sludge, but are must listens:
Naked City - Leng Tch'e (1992)
Naked City's take on drone metal. Far removed from what would be considered "Sludgecore" in the likes of Iron Monkey, Eyehategod, and Buzzoven. Still a monumental effort that isn't shy to add some agression, like in maniac vocals of Eye. Perfect for those into Noothgrush, Toadliquor, and Corrupted.
Which brings me to Corrupted. Corrupted is a rather unique band in Sludge in general. You would find something a bit more upbeat compared to Leng Tch'e, but the guitar drones are still there and crucial to getting an experience of depression and self-hatred.
Another album far removed from Sludge, but has the essence of it tingling in the atmosphere and riffs. A female fronted band that took me a while to recognize it was a woman on the vocals. Runhild has a wide and varied vocal style consisting of death growls to melancholic clean singing.
A band that consisted of former Corrupted members that dishes out a 16 minute onslaught of Sludge. Somewhere in between Zeni Geva's Noise Sludge and Corrupted's Doom Sludge, the amount of variety from the noise sections to the midtempo ones are amazing. The members would form Birushanah which is also a whole another beast of its own.
If you thought Volume 1 by Sleep was too Sludgy wait till you hear this one. The previous band of Sleep that took a direction that is not far removed from the NOLA Sludge bands. During its short existence it managed to put four amazing, atmospheric Sludgy tracks. Included in those tracks are somewhat clean guitar parts.
One of the big Sludge bands from Japan. Zeni Geva. Taking early Noise rock Pigfuck elements and combining them with Sabbath riffs, Zeni Geva created a raw style of Sludge early in the genre's years. To further reveal their Pigfuck influence they even collabed with Steve Albini.
Burning Witch - Crippled Lucifer (1998)
Burning Witch's Crippled Lucifer was a continuation of the sound explored in Dommedagsnatt, but more depressive and doomier. Here both Sun O))) members return to hammer down their best songs, along with one of my favorite vocalists Edgy 59. His vocals are as versatile as Runhild's vocals in Thorr's Hammer. Switching between harsh screams to more doomier clean singing gives it a strange, yet consistent mood throughout the record.
Already from the cover you can see this is prime Noothgrush worship. Shrouded in their b/w aesthetics, Meth Drinker's self-titled is one of the best modern takes on the older Sludge-doom bands of the last two decades. Meth Drinker took the best they were given and put out an underrated masterpiece that more Sludge fans should unearth.
From the tail end of the 90s comes Leechmilk, a Sludgecore band that came too late, but left too early. Their small discog represents only the best of Sludgecore tradition, and Starvation of Locusts represents well. Easily a lasting monument of the original idea of Sludge, Hardcore kids playing Sabbath. It might be only me, but I also hear some Metalcore influences permeating through this one.
A bit of a stretch, but Thoughtless is a certainly a pioneering Sludge record. Man is the Bastard was somewhat of the black sheep of the original Powerviolence scene in West Coast. Mixing Noise tracks with an extreme form of Hardcore would certainly make you stand out and form an influential part of modern Hardcore. Man is the Bastard is no exception.
Greenmachine - D.A.M.N. (1996)
D.A.M.N. is a kickass album period. The aggressivity of this record is unprecedented. Like their contemporaries, Zeni Geva, Greenmachine leans to Sludgecore in the most brutal and noisy way possible. The same formula bludgeoning riffs, feedback, and distorted vocals are present, and they never get old.
More Sludgecore! This time its mostly seemed to derive itself from Noise rock/Pigfuck pioneers like Flipper, Kilslug, and Gore. In fact, vocalist Larry Lifeless formed Kilslug. While the vocals of Lifeless might turn some people off compared to the more aggressive styles in general Sludge, it contributes well to the dark, maniacal atmosphere of this piece.
Koreisch - This Decaying Schizophrenic Christ Complex (1999)
Now this one is a very unique. Koreisch's only album and their most distinctive one. It is quite hard to describe what is contained in this album, but it is generally an amalgamation of Industrial Noise, Sludge, and Grindcore tracks. Industrial and Sludge taking a majority of it. Its a freeform experience and certainly a journey to the deepest depths of Sludge.
Abuse - A Sunday Morning Killing Spree (1999)
Sea of Deprivation rips a page off of Dystopia and releases Catharsis in Disharmony with some very Death metal moments in it. The clean, psychedelic guitars are even in this one. Not to mention of my favorite songs from them, The Cycle of Misery. The Pulp Fiction sample at the beginning always gets me.
Another Sludge metal/Noise rock combo. I can mostly hear the sound of Karp and Upsidedown Cross as a huge comparison to this. As another isolated case in the development of early Sludge this one is impressive since they formed in Canada. Only other one band that developed a similar sound to them in that area was Kittens.
Wellington - Thank You Jesus (1996)
2/3rds of the legendary Metalcore band Unruh make up this band. Closest I can hear is Grief in its sound. They nail the mood of Grief and its other Sludge Doom contemporaries very well. For a very short record its worth a try.
Members of Fistula came together to create this contemporary Sludge Doom album. One noteworthy thing is about this album are the guitars. The guitars are downtuned very low. So low, I don't think I can hear much of bass in the album, unless they blended together. It might be on the monotonous side of Sludge, but its a Competent album either way.
The other Canadian Sludge/Noise rock combo next to Shallow North Dakota. Don't expect much from this album if you have already Karp and Shallow North Dakota's take on the genre. Still, it is another isolated case in early Sludge.
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