The Black Swamp - I Am (blown away)

It's been two years since Sludge metal outfit The Black Swamp released Foulness, an absolute belter of an Ep, and shortly after the sonic assault of single Cold Dead Hands. In my previous article about these guys, I was purring over what developments might be on the next release and I finally get to find out. 

Founded in 2012, this band are all about playing live and the recorded work up 'til now has been making me want to sell my home to pay for flights to witness it! These guys present such a party vibe, they've even had a beer named after them!

They will be unleashing the album I Am into your aural galaxy on 29 September. It can be pre ordered on bandcamp and will be available on all your normal download and streaming services.

I AM

Opening with the acoustically led Kin,  a moody track with a spoken peice that reminded me of Weedeater's Dave Collins, is not what I expected, but I liked it, I also knew it i was about to get smacked in the ears. 

And the aural smacks come in the form of Exhale and the first track to be released, Purge. Exhale is A heavy, no nonsense groove ridden track. Purge is an immensely heavy sludge stomper. Early signs show, as I'd hoped, that the vocal performance still has the range and nuances in delivery that make vocalist Stewart Wren a frontman with few peers.

Common Crows, with it's sublime southern sludge, touched by the hand of Skynyrd style is a triumph and an ode to the song writing capabilities of The Black Swamp as a group. 

Crawl opens with a dark lo-fi opening offset by Wren's growl. Musically, it soon catches up with the vocal. It is an interesting, mood driven track, and is probably the hardest track to access for the listener. It is a grower though and it's impossible not to be drawn in by the guitar work. 

Barricade and Ours are are short bursts of energy. Barricade stepped in hardcore delivery is high on impact, whereas Ours is a stomping sludgefest. Two hard hitting, to the point tracks.

It's then that The Black Swamp take us to epicville with Mountain (I Am). And it's a track that has everything. Again Wren shows his vocal range with switching from scream to clean. Musically is heavy and melodic with a great solo and there's even a lovely warm backing vocal display from Caity Solca and a flute section by Melanie Woodley. It is not hard to see why their upcoming tour was named after this rangy, stylish, masterful track. 

Hollowed returns us to firm heavy sludge territory. With riffs it's impossible not to move too it's a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

The album ends with the journey that is Bleed Mother. A performance full of emotion vocally and musically, it is 9 and a half minutes of imagination capturing brilliance and a simply stunning way to close an album.

You sometimes hear albums where the first 4 tracks are amazing and the rest are good but not great, and you call it a good album. This is NOT that album. It ends on higher note than it left with and is overflowing with great tracks. 

I said in my first review that they display a variance of styles and perform them all well. They still have this element, however the delivery is more focused and it is a clear step up for the band from the already excellent Foulness EP. Musically, it is incredibly well performed and written throughout and has one of the best heavy vocal performances I've heard in some time. 

Conclusion

If you're already a fan of The Black Swamp, they're about to become your favourite band. If you haven't really heard them yet there's no better introduction than I Am.  

Even havin heard it, it is impossible not to get excited about the release of I Am. 

Score 5 out of 5

Stand Out Tracks: Common Crows, Mountain (I Am), Mother Bleed

Follow Them: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

Preorder here

The Black Swamp are:
Stewart Wren - Vocals
Jesse Kenny -Guitar
Grant Scott - Guitar
Rohan Downs - Bass 
Brendan Woodley - Drums. 

Article by Jonathan Radley

Photo Credits: K.C Ward

Tour: Australia Only (wipe those tears from the floor bitch)

Searu - Metanoia

My friend, Jim, told me I had to download this EP as I was going to love it. With some trepidation I gave in to his pleas.  "Why trepidation?" I hear you ask. Well this is because the previous band he ordered me to listen to sounded worse than fingernails on a blackboard echoing in a saggy snatch.

However, all is forgiven, he has redeemed his tarnished reputation, as Searu my friends, are awesome!

Who Are They?

Searu comprise of Lee Thorley on Drums, Jordan Rooney on Vocals, Thomas Pinto on Bass, Adam Hitchener on Guitar and Martin Beaver on Lead Guitar. They formed in 2012 are from Manchester and are currently, criminally, unsigned.

Style

Google tells me Searu means "work of skill" or "machine". If so, it's a fitting name as the musicianship is at a very high level.

The sound is a tech tinged groove metal, with flecks of other styles such as New Wave American Metal. The vocal performance switches between a screamed and well performed clean vocal style.


Metanoia EP

I will concentrate on Metonia as it is their most recent release, alhough other material is available on Bandcamp (you should really get it all)!

Metonia was released a couple of years ago but is still reflective of their direction although I am told their sound is evolving all the time. In it's own right though the EP is an excellent listen and a must have.

It opens with the high impact To Our Nothingness. In parts aggressive and fast, in parts vocally melodic, almost funk like. A brilliant introduction.

Revalation Reclamation has one of the best vocal performances I've heard for a while. The heavy vocal parts remind me of my favourite Randall Blythe work.  It's a technically excellent track musically from all instruments. Some of the drum fills had me keep rewinding to hear again.

Lever starts with one of those "in the distance" vocals which gets the girls all wet! (I like it too, gush) It lulls you into a belief that it's going to be a gentle melodic number then decides to kick you in the balls at about a minute in. The breakdown and build up section is an incredible and hard hitting, within a track that improves all the way through.

Spiral shows off Rooney's clean vocal skill. It's a funk infused onslaught which has hints of Incubus circa Science in it.

Visceral gets back into a heavier place. Theres melody, speed, attack and groove in this track.  The drummer even plays behind beat for about 5 seconds to please the Doomers amongst us! (That short bit made my day!)

The last track is Circulate, which is my favourite. Starting with an excellent groove, almost stoner riff and screamed vocal it develops into an extremely hardcore tune with a thrash feel. It then progresses further into tech metal before reversing back through these sound scapes.  All these different styles fit seamlessly together as the track develops and it's an excellent journey.

If you like your metal highly skilled musically with aggression when its needed and grace when its required then get to bandcamp (name your price) and download this to hear it for yourself. Then think, "if his was them 2 years ago, how good must they be now?"

Searu are actively playing live shows at the moment, having recently taken part in Techfest. So, UK readers, have a download, when you see the quality, give them a facebook like and sit back and wait to go and see the next show. Non UK readers, download and like anyway, just because they're really good! Keep an eye on these guys....

Follow them Facebook

ENJOY

Gravel Drag - Dirty Dawgs

Who are they?
Gravel Drag are 3 piece instrumental riffing band from Bedford Virginia. They are made up of  Steve McKinney on Guitar, Ben McKinney on Drums and Chris Bower on Bass.

They create heavy rockin' southern groove inspired tunes that will stick in the brain of any lover of riffs.

Are They Any Good?
Fuck Yes!

Why?
Sometimes thinking is hard, especially when you have the brain capacity of a fart. This is why I am so happy I when I find instrumental music I like. No lyrics with clever hidden meanings to try and decipher is sometimes a blessing. This is music that needs no words, it speaks for itself, out and out Rock 'n' Roll that you can listen to deeply and take it all in or have in the background while you go about your daily business.

It is also a blessing to find an instrumental band who tick all the boxes in terms of your favourite genres of metal, mine being groove and stoner. Fortunately for me (and you) these guys do all of this, and they do it very well.

The Album: Sly Fox

Sly Fox is a head banger from start to finish. One thing that caught me immediately is the snare drum resonance which makes it stand out and the which in turn accentuates the groove feeling. Also the use of the crash symbols, at times even more so that the hi hat, give you the constant feeling of satisfaction that only a crash symbol can.

The bass and guitar parts are solid, well written and performed, without ever being flashy and irritating. They provide plenty of teeth gritting, snarling, head nodding moments.

Throughout this album there is no filler, every track is a good stand alone piece of work although I will talk about a couple of tracks that particularly resonated with me. They touch on psychedelic, groove metal, hard rock and doom metal sounds at points giving enough variation for it to keep you completely hypnotised throughout.

"Warbeast" stands out as a very strong track on the album. One reason for this is because it shares it's name with the band Warbeast, who have to be seen to be believed! Secondly because the opening riff reminds me of a song I wrote back in the day of trying to be a rock star in a band with my mates. But it stands out mainly because it's one of those tracks you hear and think, "fuck me I wish I'd written this". It moves from between different riffs and each one you hear is a pleasant addition to the song.



"The Legend of Sly Fox" has some  groove parts that are simply joyous. When I sat parked up in the car listening to this track, the car was rocking so much I got reported for dogging!



"Knockout King" is a brillaint closer. Short, punchy with some of the best drum work on the album. I've listened through this record 6 or more times now and everytime this song ends a have a feeling of disappointment that the album has finished! Surely that is a sure sign of some great work?

The album has a raw, live feel which is always a bonus on recorded output for me.  The feeling that these guys are just in a room together jamming, having fun, really comes across and adds to the listening enjoyment.

You can buy this album on bandcamp for $3. Yes just $3. Or in English money £2.08! So why haven't you bought it yet? It's a small investment for a great quality listen.

Other Music

Since releasing the album they have released this video for a song called "We're on Kill". It's a great tune and the perfect visual representation o their sound.

Gravel Drag are a band that I dare say fans of every genre from straight out Rock to Thrash Metal would appreciate in some way. I've not come across many instrumental bands, especially in rock and heavy music that manage to deliver, so far, consistently quality song writing. So if you enjoyed the songs included please invest, follow and support this band.

Find Them
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

The Black Swamp - Foulness/Faultless

The Black Swamp

With them entering the studio this month to record their début LP it seems like a good time to do a little article about a band that is new to me, but one of my favourite finds in years, The Black Swamp.

If their EP "Foulness" and subsequent track (and video) "Cold Dead Hands" is anything to go by, then I am anticipating something pretty special, and I hope after reading this and hearing some music, you will be too.

The Black Swamp are already well in the process of making a name for themselves and have supported the likes of Hell Yeah and the almighty Black Label Society. Some readers may already be well versed in their sound. If you're not read on, if you are read on anyway, I'd be interested to get your opinions of this article......

The Black Swamp are a band who, for me, capture a bit of the spirit of Pantera, and take me back to the happiness I felt and the "how the fuck am I only just hearing this" feeling I had when I first discovered what came to be my benchmark band for all Metal. And from me, there may be no bigger compliment.

Now, I'm not saying this band are an imitation, because they are most certainly NOT. They do however on a couple of occasions appreciatively nod their head in that direction, namely in vocal delivery and some of the riffs.

In terms of musical style you can't really pidgeon hole them into a specific metal genre, something they seem to be deliberately trying to achieve, but they have elements of sludge, groove, stoner, doom and on occasions hard rock to their sound.

What they do posess is excellent musicality throughout, an ability to write catchy head infecting riffs and incredible vocal delivery.

Who Are They? 

The Black Swamp are currently made up of vocalist Stewart Wren, Jesse Kenny and Grant Scott on guitars, Rohan Downs on Bass and Brendan Woodley on drums. They are from South East Queensland, Australia. The material discussed and featured in this article was recorded with Ricky Collier on Bass duties. They started performing as a live act in 2012

Foulness EP

Foulness is excellent from start to finish, and this is the only way to describe it.

"Medal of Horror" contains great drum work which really drives the track in a similar way Adler's style does often for L.O.G. It's a high impact head banger from the start and throughout.

The title track, "Foulness" (obviously) is groove at its best, with a nice melodic lead in the chorus and a breakdown that'll have you slam dancing so hard you'll head butt the floor.

In the song "Legion" the vocalist, Wren, shows a talent of providing impact with his vocal delivery. There are well timed but random growls and then screaming "You will remember my... name" with "name" being after the beat where you'd expect to hear it. It may seem like minor things but these subtle nuances add so much to this track. Many bands don't seem to think about how much this can add to the groove or enjoyment of a song.

"The Fight Inside" starts with a great, southern influenced lead guitar line and riff. This then grows into a sludgy, chugging beauty of a track, one of those the more you hear it the better it gets songs.

The EP closes out with "Bastards of the Universe". This is a track that is worth the cost of the EP alone. Stewart Wren takes the opportunity to show off his impressive vocal abilities, incorporating a cleaner style whilst maintaining his usual style in places, The riffs would leave any fan of bands like Down, Crowbar or Orange Goblin purring with satisfaction.

Cold Dead Hands 

I'm not going to say anything about the track, Cold Dead Hands, apart from in a fan boy way, as I said to my mate Jim when I first saw it; "YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS NOW"!

Their releases so far have a variance of styles that are all performed to a high standard. When I think about what we will hear on the L.P then I hope they keep this eclectic mix going. But then I also think that if they concentrated on performing straight up groove (or sludge or anything else) it wouldn't be an issue as they are more than proficient all the areas they cover.

You can buy the EP here for a pittance, so its really worth the investment to discover a brilliant metal band, and start getting pumped for their LP release later in the year.

Ultimately this is the type of band that I want to go and see whilst getting hammered with my mates, rocking out at the gig then leaving ready to party more! And that's probably why they give me the "Pantera effect", because when I hear them, I want to drink and party and when music makes you immediately want to do these things, you know it's quality.

Follow

Follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and check out their Youtube channel for some interesting videos. (see the end of the article for a video about the writing process for the new album).

Band photos are by K.C Ward

Follow me on Facebook or Twitter for more articles.

You will remember my ...... NAAAAAAME!

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