Rwake - Voices Of Omens

Rwake's abrasive onslaught positively molests your eardrums in the way that only great sludge can do, whilst adding some finesse here and there to make for a highly enjoyable listen. The band have been around for a while, releasing three full lengths, but have only really gained any 'mainstream' recognition since signing for Relapse - this album being their first on the label. Like genre progenitors Eyehategod, the riffs here are a mix of bluesy and atonal - witness the grating, torturous, dragging central riff on the album closer, "The Lure of Light" to feel the pure power of their music. Yet like their Southern counterparts Kylesa, Rwake have the knack of throwing in interesting nuances to the music, such as the gorgeous mandolin playing in the intro track - just listening to this whilst looking through the album art is pretty trippy. The lead guitar work is pretty tidy too, with plenty of whisky soaked leads that Pepper Keenan would be proud of. Whilst the albums 59 minutes of intense extreme metal can get a bit wearing, it has just about enough to keep the listener interested throughout. They'll be releasing their follow up to this record later this year - keep an eye out.

8/10

Highlights : "The Great Finality", "Leviticus"

See also - Crowbar, Eyehategod, Kylesa.

Album Of The Week : Shrüm - Red Devils and Purple Ringers

Acid Bath's stature in the southern metal underground speaks for itself, and the fortunes of bands that rose from its' ashes such as Goatwhore and Agents of Oblivion have been more then adequately documented. However, bassist Audie Pitre's side project, Shrüm, a unique act featuring two bass guitars to create an insalubrious sonic effect, has been largely ignored.

Anyone who's given Acid Bath a listen will be more than aware of Audie's musical prowess, and Shrüm serves as another example of his riffwriting talents, in a slightly different context. Shrüm doesn't have the organic sludgyness of any of Acid Bath's works, instead favoring a more processed, industrial soundscape. However, they maintain the lurid, nefandous nature of Audie's main band, perhaps even more so given the total absence of clean vocals, with similarly OTT lyrics, such as "fucking her as she dies" from Psychedelic Abomination

While the material never comes close to bona fide classics such as Finger Paintings of the Insane and Venus Blue, it has a few high points, such as the pretty instrumental Michelle Song and the Iommi worshipping riffage of Tears of a Marionette. The sheer aggression and ominous industrial textures make this an interesting listen, even if the rather one-dimensional death growls start to grate after a while.

This was to be Shrüm's one and only album, and bassist's Audie Pitre's last ever, as he was tragically killed in a drink-drive incident the same year. Not essential by any means, but those wishing to delve deeper into the enigmatic legacy of Acid Bath could do a lot worse than give this a listen.

6.5/10

Highlights : "Drip", "Michelle Song", "Tears of a Marionette".

See also - Acid Bath, Goatwhore, Nailbomb, Buzzov.en.

Album Of The Week : Soilent Green - Confrontation

Soilent Green, the legendary head bludgeoners from Louisiana, released their forth album in 2005, Confrontation. Famed for their unorthodox approach to metal, adding jazz and blues into their frenetic deathgrind mix, even if they're not everyone's cup of tea you can't deny their sheer originality and audacity

Confrontation, like it's predecessors, is the aural equivalent of having a binbag put over your head and dosed with copious amounts of LSD before being thrown into the lion's den. The third track, "A Scream Trapped Underwater", being a perfect example. It opens with an off-kilter groove riff before morphing into some classic death metal and blastbeats, with vocalist Ben Falgoust screaming "Blood on my hands, Blood on my hands" in a satisfyingly er, brutal fashion. Then you have the mind-boggling middle section, a classic blues lick fed through guitarist Brian Patton's tech-orientated mind, there's no way you can headbang to this, one has to just sit back and let the weirdness flow over you.

This is undoubtedly the highlight of the album, but the first real song, "Leaves Of Three" is a good track too, in fact there are quite a few other decent numbers found across the record. In between the more savage metal assaults are short intro tracks which wouldn't be out of place on a country record. Even if this is nice respite from the intensity of the rest of the record, they feel a touch contrived, unlike the small preludes to tracks on Sewn Mouth Secrets, which for me fit perfectly and enhance the song greatly.

This serves as a good introduction to the rest of Soilent's stuff, if you are struggling after the first few songs on this record you might as well give up. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy the wacky nature of The Dillinger Escape Plan and southern metal.

7/10

Highlights : "Leaves of Three", "A Scream Trapped Underwater"

See also - Goatwhore, Eyehategod, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Pantera.