What the PECK IS UP, MOTHERPECKERS?! It’s your old boy Waldo comin’ backatcha to review some new releases, that either, suck, don’t suck or are just OK. I know, with such an exciting lead in, how could you NOT read on? I’m going to try something a little different here and do some more “obscure releases.”
The underground has been crowing about the band Sanguisugabogg for some time now. They’ve signed to Century Media and are releasing the utterly brootal The Tortured Whole. Now I DIG me some mother nesting death metal and this is NO exception. This is the deal here… pingy-ass snare, SUPER low guttural voclas and slams, all wrapped up in a fun package. It’s cool to see some of the bigger labels taking a chance on bands like this, who are usually just relegated to the underground. “Tr00” people will complain about how they “sold out” and this is not as good as their demo EP, but this is solid, a definite nod to OSDM with a little Memphis “swing.” There are slight (and I mean slight) nods to Morbid Angel here, but this doesn’t sound like a clone AT ALL. It’s refreshing to see someone mix filth with fun, and get some attention for it. The fact that these songs switch rhythms in a microsecond and have hooks really set this apart. Great first effort for a full length. I’m into it. 8 Fucking Pecks.
Wow, one would think that with a band name like Blindfolded and Lead Into the Woods that this would be a slam-a-riffic excursion… Not true at all… On Nightmare Withdrawls, this band (please don’t make me write it again, I don’t get paid by the word) showcases their obvious influences, without sounding derivative. There’s some Gorguts in here, and that type of dissonant tech metal that seems to pop up here and there. But they definitely experiment with different things, even in the same song. Different guitar tones, varied vocals, this all seems scattered but makes perfect sense here once they settle into a nice groove (note: NOT groove metal) I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this is pretty cool! 7 Fucking Pecks.
Baltimore’s Nixil is releasing All Knots Untied featuring Decibel photographer Shane Gardner. This is atmospheric black metal at its finest. This could PROBABLY be considered an ep, but with no tracks clocking in below the six-minute mark, I’m going to go with full-length. Dense and moody, it never really stays the same for long. It’s hard for me to describe this accurately, so I’m just going to rip off a quote from the band’s own press release. “Nixil delivers slithering melodies backed by skull shattering drum strikes and ominous fanfares of sound veering into paroxysms of blasting unhinged riff-fever and gut punching bass tones.” Sums it up pretty well I’d say. Very cool. 7 Fucking Pecks.
Until next time… Waldo out!
