A LESSON IN OLD SCHOOL SLUDGE
“Sludge metal generally combines the slow tempos, heavy
rhythms and dark, pessimistic atmosphere of doom metal with the aggression,
shouted vocals and occasional fast tempos of hardcore punk” ~ The definition of Sludge metal according to
Wikipedia. Dirty, aggressive, angry, filthy and violent with an attitude that showed
a penchant towards decadence was what sludge, as its name suggests was supposed
to be. It was a canvas that gained massive popularity as it was the music of
the rebels who were anti-system and which managed to be a voice of the
voiceless displaying the feelings they had towards society. It basically was
the attitude of hardcore punk amplified a million times. However, as time went
on the music scene progressed rapidly, the defining traits of what was known as
sludge were slowly lost and it turned into an easy listening, uplifting genre.
Whereas you earlier had bands which boasted names like EyeHateGod, Acid Bath
and Sea Of Deprivation, those were replaced by bands with names like Pelican.
You get my point. Enter Naga (formerly known as Kill the Easter Rabbit), a trio
from the land of doom, Italy to show us what sludge was supposed to sound like
with all its abrasive, headstrong, and destructive glory.
In mid January the band released their self titled debut EP which
consisted of 2 tracks and lasted 23 minutes. The word ‘Naga’ is Sanskrit for snake
and according to Hindu mythology the snakes were of virulent poison, great
prowess and excess of strength, and ever bent on attacking those who dared to
pass their way. This pretty much is a summation of their music. Right from the
album opener ‘The Path’ you are treated to a tsunami of grimy slush of an
atmosphere which with feedback fuelled and suffocatingly heavy atmosphere is an
instant throwback to the “Through Silver in Blood” days of Neurosis. Much as
the band name suggests, this isn’t a band that will use long post rock
influenced passages to create an evocatively beautiful landscape, but is one that
with its dense riffs, shadowy atmosphere and hypnotic drumming shows its
proclivity towards slithering away from the human eye in the deep, shadowy
caverns where no light shines. The band doesn't mind baring its venomous fangs
with its sharp riffs, screamed vocals and tumultuous song writing. Though elements
of space rock and psychedelia add a few hues to the band so as to make it a
varied listen, the bands true prowess lies in their innate talent to make each
phase of each track flow fluently with its gargantuan riffs and atmosphere of
unease, a trait which is atypical on the track ‘Vitriol’. The way the band
manages to build a fragile atmosphere and then smash it into a million bits
with an earthquake of breathtakingly elephantine soundscapes is something
that sludge has been missing for a while.
This impressive debut is a statement and a a huge middle finger to the new age post metal bands and shows them what
sludge is supposed to sound like. At times I felt that they restrained
themselves a bit , but they are a new band. Such an aural onslaught has been a
rare experience in modern sludge and for that I laud these guys. Looking
forward to more from them.
SCORE - 71/100
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