Flush It Friday: Slow News Day
Wow, I remembered my WordPress password!
Good old (emphasis on old) Iron Goddess is out of townilet this week, so with the place to ourselves, let’s go absolutely WILD and uhh… talk about some music from 2025. ‘Tis the season, after all.
Specifically (and uncharacteristically—chew cud, Brock!), we’ll check out some s l o w music. I’ve enjoyed Conan‘s singular brand of stoner doom and Primitive Man‘s monumentally ugly sludge, but in addition to the big names, I found myself coming back to a couple other slow(ish) releases this year.
Old Skin kick off their first full-length with riff-driven, groovy energy, but it’s not long before the stomping, southern-fried sludge takes a downward turn into (death) doom territory, replete with a shift to growling vocals and brief, violent outbursts of blasting. Closer “Cauterizing Hammer” puts a neat bow on things by combining both styles, but doesn’t exactly pull out of the emotional nose dive, making the record feel like a bleak descent.
Another race to the bottom of utter despair was presented by stalwart Doom/Drone project Hell. Opener “Hevy” starts in a similarly sludgy, albeit bleaker place that might appeal to fans of Thou, and the track’s instrumental second half should even make Bongrippers happy.
“Gravis,” however, immediately corrects the course by starting out slow and only getting slower, completely extinguishing itself halfway through to make room for an eerie choir. Attempts at revitalization fail, and the final destination is the droning “Bog,” haunted by only faint memories of life.
Farming is all the rage lately, so the cover of Acrid Rot‘s debut album intrigued me, and the music proved outside-the-box enough to keep me compelled. Ostensibly another mix of sludge and death/doom, the strong notes of hardcore and groove metal give this a kind of youthful energy akin to something you’d find on Southern Lord 10-15 years ago (think All Pigs Must Die et al), but played at half speed (if that). Gym shorts and a stankface may manifest upon hitting play, but the rest of your aging body should not be overly taxed.
Hands down my favorite of the slow burners was Cattlemass. One half occult, one half sci-fi, this LA trio summons Satan in the middle of alien deserts with sing-song, chanting vocals and guitars that are somehow fuzzy and crunchy, like a box of moldy cornflakes (but good). Highlights “Eternal Beast” and “Replicant” should give you a good idea if this is for you.
Alas, what’s a list without honorable mentions? Check out Old Year‘s monolithic, droning funeral death if all of the above were too speedy for you, and if you wanna transition back to more uptempo music, give Pyramid Mass a go for a great mix of sludge, grind, and coldly atmospheric synths.
Honor is also due to this week’s contributors. Stick had the news, and Roldy had not just one list for us.
Lisztomania is in full swing again, but Metal-Aged Mom and Gage fancied other composers this year.
Joe and 365 once again delved into the dark realms of *shudder* popular metal.
Need a palate cleanser? Let Falxifer and Reliquary Tower scrub your mouth with some Listorine.
Apparently, new music is still being released. Our man Sean Ghoulson is on the case.
Stick again! And Megachiles! I’m out of list puns!
G/B/Us in the comments, nards! <3 -Roldy
