After signing on with Season of Mist, Sludge titans Weedeater had their entire back catalogue re-issued and one of the notable highlights was the re-issuing of the legendary “…And Justice For Y’all”, their debut album and one considered to be a seminal classic in the genre. Now, almost a year on since they signed on to SoM, Dixie, Shep and T-Boogie are ready to unleash “Goliathan” on us all.
“Processional” opens up the album and right away that unique brand of humour the band has features. With a sound which is very reminiscent of the ‘demo’ button on a Casio keyboard from the late 90’s and some bass and bluesy guitar fills, Dixie’s raw and raspy vocals set the tone for this album. He hates, he hates a lot. After vowing to bury us in the bright little opening number, the three piece do just that as a howl of feedback only means one thing – the sludge is starting. “Goliathan” is up next and the feedback gives way to an evil sounding, slow paced, fuzzed out bass line. The mood is set and when the band enters with the steadily pounding drums and controlled bursts of feedback from the guitar before the guitar joins in too giving us some crushingly heavy riffs. Vocally harsh in true Weedeater style, this slow paced colossus sounds evil and does its job well with plenty of pounding drums, droning guitars and heavy as hell bass.
“Cain Enabler” follows on with a seamless transition and by doing this, it retains the heavy sound and the momentum of the previous track. However, this one is a slight bit faster. It has a real groove laden feel to it which kicks the pace up a notch whilst still retaining that crushing heaviness the band are known for. With even more harsh vocal work, it’s impossible to resist shouting along and banging your head to the big riffs. The song takes the simple approach, a minimalistic amount of riffs, and it executes it to perfection! “Bow Down” slows it down as it follows on well from the previous track. It’s slow pace and real heavy groove hit hard as there is a slight droning feel from the guitar and bass which have gratuitous amounts of fuzz, giving them a real thick sound. Before the verse kicks in, there is a sinister sounding slow paced lead which doesn’t feel like it fits, but fits surprisingly well, giving another edge to the song and this intensity of the musical and vocal interplay creates for a very hostile sounding track. Round the 2:30 mark there is a break for feedback and a drum fill before a real murky styled Black Sabbath riff section kicks in, picking up the pace a little before the drums take the lead for the end of the track.
“Battered And Fried” brings back that sense of humour I mentioned earlier. As soon as the opening twangs on the banjo are played I started picturing ‘Deliverance’. The southern style with the hillbilly twang and raspy vocals is rather unique and its bouncy feel probably makes it the brightest sounding song on the album. Props for the harmonica leads too… Trust me, you just have to listen to this one to get it! “Claw Of The Sloth” brings back the sludge with a vengeance. It’s hard, its heavy and its steadily solid groove, backed up with some wonderful drum work is just crushing. The vocals are a little harsher and more subdued in parts, giving it a sinister feel at times but the big moment is the slow down round 3 minutes in. Another Black Sabbath styled section kicks in with a very Iommi-esque solo to boot – precisely timed licks and little bluesy fills twist and turn across the rhythm. Once the solo ends, the powerful, pounding chorus comes back once more to end the track.
“Bully” is probably the fastest sludge track on the album. The thunderous bass-line brings in the song and sets the tone – in your face and hard hitting with a real kick to it. Pounding away at a quick pace, the band powers through a song filled with childish insults which are fantastic when they are delivered in that signature Weedeater vocal howling. Punctuated with manic laughter and even intense screams of “Doo-doo, Doo-Doo” and “Wee-wee, Wee-wee”, only Weedeater could pull something this insane off. “Joseph (All Talk)” brings us back to the more serious approach. Its rich, heavy sludgey groove has a real powerful riff to it which is quite laid back. The easy going pace helps the chorus hit with some real impact to it as it comes in with a heavier feel than the main riffs and the simplicity of it all is great, clearly proving that less can be more in the right hands. Full of groove this track brings the pace back to what we expect from Weedeater and it is some classic southern sludge.
“Reprise” revisits the big riffs from Goliathan as a short instrumental which would seem like it brings the album full circle but as its slow heavy riffs fade out, “Benaddiction” follows it up to close the album. Another instrumental, this one is a bass solo. It’s heavily delayed sound makes for a hypnotic feel as its slow pace with the bluesy licks and its melodic approach bring the album to an end in a more subtle and interesting way.
Overall, “Goliathan” is what it says it is – a massive slice of heavy and evil sounding sludge delivered by one of the best groups in the genre. It has the right blend of serious to humorous and it comes off well. Heavy as hell, powerful, crushing and intense where it matters, it’s an enjoyable listen and a fine album.
(8.5/10 Fraggle)
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