Tempest - Passages

Cruuuuushing local (Vancouver) blackened crusty doomy sludgey metal... I'm not well versed in metal sub-genres or culture or whatever but I'm sure Cam or probably anyone else on the blog would be able to give you a better (or more concise) classification of their sound. I've posted this with permission from their singer Roger, a great dude. There are only 13 more copies of their LP left (according to their bandcamp) which you can order through that site. I think. Snatch them up before they tour Europe (!!!)

My favorite jam is Hierarchy of Greed.

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GRIEF- DEPRESSION

Well, rather than wait around for the newbies to make their first posts, I'll share this with you. For the uninitiated, Grief are one of the most crucial sludge bands of all time. They existed from 91-01 and only got better with age. This is their first record and the name really says everything there is to be said about the music contained within. The guitar tone is devastating.

HERE

MELVINS- (LYSOL)

While on the sludgy tip, let's give a nod to the masters. The monotony of Gluey Porch Treatments' endless sludge, The brevity and dynamics toyed with on OZMA and the synthesis of those qualities that resulted in the perfection that was Bullhead. Where does a band go when, in the minds of fans, they've made a perfect record? well, the answer turned out to be going where no one expected. Starting off your eagerly anticipated follow up with a nearly 20-minute two-song suite centered around two very slow and basic riffs, following that with a Flipper cover, two Alice Cooper covers and then an oddly haunting song to end things on a weird note... not exactly Who's Next. I hated this record the first time I heard it, waited a few years and hey! It's now great! If you're new to the Melvins I recommend the aforementioned Bullhead or the follow up to this, Houdini. Stay away from recent efforts

HERE

DYSTOPIA- SELF TITLED

This record is the ultimate in filthy, harrowing and disgusting hatred/depression. Those two emotions are the ones chiefly at play here and Dystopia have mastered them like no one else. Musically this is super depressing sludge, a la Grief, clashing head on with Disfear. Now sure, that doesn't sound entirely compelling but the song structures, riffs, shared vocals and use of samples really make this stand out from other bands who wander the same sonic wasteland. Another thing going for this band is their mastery of tension/release. The intro of 'Learning With Intent to Fail' demonstrates this quite wonderfully.

This is not one to play at parties or for a loved one... unless you are trying to send a message... one that says "you are all scum and nothing will be right in the universe until the human race has been eliminated entirely"

HERE