Sludge from Hull featuring an ex member of Winterfylleth. There are no echoes of Everything But the Girl, Kingmaker (I used to live in Hull) or Black Metal here. This is 27 minutes of fuzzy sludge. Big riffs backed by hardcore shouted vocals. This going to appeal to fans of Eyehategod and Noothgrush so damn straight it appeals to me. It’s rough around the edges but so it bloody should be. Sludge is meant to rattle your teeth and rumble your ribs and these lads do just that. The fact it is free to download cements the punk ethic that is writ through this release.
The majority of the tracks have tongue in cheek titles – Shitstorm troopers, Bog Faced Roy, Deadbeat Dad Beat Dead, You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Sons and Your Souls for example. However this is no Seth Putman grind and grin. Each track gets you grooving and does its dirty business within 4 mins and leaves you panting waiting for the next instalment.
Opener “A Cowards Manifesto” sounds big, reaaaal big. Juicy riff, big drum sound before a tortured cry enters to help punctuate the cacophony. One for the neck muscles – no whiplash just head down reps! “Hoods up Knives Out” opens with a hardcore riff before settling back into Desertfest territory. Fans of Iron Monkey would dig this one. “Whiskey and Wine” is very reminiscent of The Fog by Orange Goblin , but fuck it- I love that riff so meeting it’s dirtier cousin here is still a delight.
“Blood Bed” is an infectious toe tapper – not something you can often say about a sludge track. The opening riff reminds me of summat but my hands are air guitaring too much for me to put my finger on it . Battalions certainly like to groove whilst they bludgeon you like a go-go dancer with a billy club.
Final track “Shitstorm Troopers” ends this collection in style. A dark Grungy groover with hints of Alice In Chains in its murky depths it finishes the album on a positive looooow note.
These guys from the other side of the Humber bridge are onto something here. This will get plenty of repeat spins (or MP3 clicks) in 2016.
(7/10 Matt Mason)
https://www.facebook.com/BattalionsSludge
06/01/2016 at 9:06 pm
Ooo a competition tab im on it