REVIEW: Hundred Year Old Man - "Rei" [EP]

By: Jay Hampshire

Album Type: EP

Date Released:26/01/2018

Label: Gizeh Records

For fans of expansive, unhurried post-metal that explores both softness and bleakness, Hundred Year Old Man serve up a three track taster that will whet the appetite.  This is an atmospheric and well executed record that will have fans hungry for their debut full-length to come later this year.

“Rei” LP/DD track listing

1). Sun & Moon (6:26)

2). A Year In The North Sea(2:34)

3). Rei (9:00)

The Review:

Some people would scoff at the idea of ordering an appetiser as a standalone meal. Surely a starter can only ever act as a warm up for a larger dish, something to take the edge off a yawning hunger before fully satiating it with the main course. For some, Leeds based post-metal sextet Hundred Year Old Man have provided just this with their three track ‘Rei’ EP. But for the more discerning audio gourmand, ‘Rei’ can be fully digested and appreciated as a stand-alone release.

Opener ‘Sun & Moon’ begins slowly, distant guitar fading in like an intensifying ethereal wind as samples echo and shimmer. Densely reverbed drums begin a slow, stately report as droning chords grind in like stone moving on stone. The wearied pace continues as Paul Broughton’s crowing vocals erupt, before the track fades into mere guitar motes and sibilant cymbals. Reigned back in by a plodding bass undertow, things bloom out into a thick haze of instrumentation, smooth as silk.

‘A Year In The North Sea’ is a caesura of sorts, a building wall of noise and sumptuous choral vocals that warp and twist, buffeted by rising guitar feedback and distant shrieks, ending in a thicket of birdcall based noise.

The title track itself jams in with tolling, brooding bass and lances of guitar, expanding to fill a vast space, winding and lurching towards a heavy, doom centric riff. They slowly revolve around this theme, instruments dropping in and out, vocals echoing into the distance, building dread before the track ends abruptly, forming into a screeching noise scape and then a creaking synth loop.

For fans of expansive, unhurried post-metal that explores both softness and bleakness, Hundred Year Old Man serve up a three track taster that will whet the appetite. Despite a slightly ropey mix leaving ‘Sun & Moon’ a little too vocal heavy and that shuns the traditional heavy/light dynamics integral to true post metal effectiveness in favour of embracing sprawling expanse, this is an atmospheric and well executed record that will have fans hungry for their debut full-length to come later this year.

“Rei” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Nomasta - "House of the Tiger King"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released:03/11/2017

Label: Independent

Nomasta keeps its debut highly listenable by balancing artistry with barbarism. It is those moments of elegant song writing counterbalanced by ruthless arrangements that are just timeless metal. "House Of The Tiger King" gets you hyped for whatever chapter two becomes.

"House of the Tiger King" DD track listing:

1. Death Rattles

2. The Book Burners

3. Sir Impaler

4. Alchematic

5. House Of The Tiger King              

6. This Trail Got The Best Of Us

7. At The Mercy Of Sleep

8. Hard As A Coffin Nail

9. Dawnbreaker

The Review:

Everyone says they can merge lots of styles. Far too much of the time, it is super awkward business or feels inferential. Many groups suggest they can make their many inspirations work as well as a Mastodon or Converge do. Nope. They end up sounding like Mastodonor Convergecover bands doing original music of vacillating quality instead. No need to name names. You can fill in the blanks there.

A new Leeds trio, Nomasta have had several iterations in its life. Formed from the ashes of Canaya, with Owen Wilson on guitars and vocals and Andy Richards (formerly of alternative metal act Nerve Engine) on drums, Canaya’sdissolution saw the entry of Kris Allen on bass. With that, Nomastawas born. It steps into the pocket of many sounds. The young three-piece does so with an aptitude beyond its years.

Billed as a thrash band with doom elements, you will most likely catch hardcore, progressive and sludge influences throughout "House of the Tiger King," the band's debut album. And what a journey it is.

The recording begins with "Death Rattles," which is a perfect introduction to a distinctive sound. Solid thrash synthesized with psychedelic and progressive essentials make this a worthy representation of Nomasta's vision. Though only two minutes, the cut's napalm spray of guitars and vocals are searing. It is a ferocious scene setter for "The Book Burners," which rips through with melodic thrash. The riffs are withering. The vocals are coarse. And here is where Nomasta also proves impressive: track selection comes in with a high musical IQ. "Sir Impaler" continues the onslaught, while introducing dashes of prog and hardcore, which flow exceedingly well into "Alchematic" one of the proggier cuts. It goes on more of a thrash jag two minutes in, but remains steady in that early tone, carried throughout.

The title track leads you into the second half of "House of the Tiger King." Here, the music picks up the pace with a driving rhythm section and vocals riding the crest of big riffs. The band's players have much experience beyond Canaya, and that experience seems evident as the mood cascades from heavy chords, into more smooth musical transitions. "This Trail Got The Best Of Us" sees Nomastaget darker and even denser in its thrash, while songs like "Mercy of Sleep" and "Hard As A Coffin Nail" rain down hell in the form of demonic percussion and forceful lyricism.

Nomasta keeps its debut highly listenable by balancing artistry with barbarism. It is those moments of elegant songwriting counterbalanced by ruthless arrangements that are just timeless metal. "House Of The Tiger King" gets you hyped for whatever chapter two becomes.

"House of the Tiger King"is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Nomasta infuse doom laden thrash amidst bursts of elephantine riffs on new track “This Trail Got The Best Of Us'

From the ashes of SLUDGELORD favourites Canaya, step forth a brand new 3 piece conjuring up their own malevolent blend of noise magic.  'With the metallic edge of Mastodon and Gojira, mixed with the punishing tones of High On Fire and Kvelertak', Leeds based Nomasta infuse doom laden thrash amidst bursts of elephantine riffs and dancing time signatures, creating a new blend of sonic brutality for discerning metal fans. 

Today at THE SLUDGELORD, it gives us great pleasure to premiere brand new music, in the form of “This Trail Got The Best Of Us'  taken from Nomasta's forthcoming record 'House of the Tiger King', set to be released November 3rd.  Owen Wilson (Guitars, vocals) had the following to say about the track, which you can also stream below

“This Trail Got The Best Of Us' is a real nasty piece of work, in the most metal way! Musically it is an ode to the extreme music scene I was introduced to when I moved to Leeds in 2004, and to the friends I made along the way. Lyrically the song is about understanding how all things can come to an end. It can take huge amounts of mental strength and humility to detach from a situation and regardless of our personal investment, to accept failure and begin starting a fresh can often be the best avenue to pursue.

Band info: Bandcamp || Facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Hundred Year Old Man release crushingly dense debut single "Black Fire"

Hundred Year Old Man a six-piece collective based in Leeds, UK are set to release their debut single “Black Fire” via Gizeh Records this forthcoming Friday August 25^th2017.

Hundred Year Old Man's sound can be distinguished within the parameters of post-metal, doom and crushingly dense heavy music. Formed in 2015, the band have spent the last 12 months touring and playing shows with the likes of Deafheaven, Ohhms, Moloken, Employed To Serve, Conjurer, Fen, Opium Lord, Canvas and Wren as well as a recent performance at the UK’s premiere underground metal festival Bloodstock

“Black Fire” is the perfect introduction to Hundred Year Old Man, indeed this track encompasses everything this crushing conglomerate  is about, 10 minutes of heavy, atmospheric riffs build and descend through the sonic ether and  the listener is ultimately  rewarded in spades. We’ve heard it all before, but this band seems intent on doing things differently.  The abrasive and the aggressive offset by  a kaleidoscope of divine light.  Today “Black Fire “can be stream in its entirety below (order here) and precedes a 12” EP due in January with their debut album to follow later in 2018.

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

Live Review: Oxbow, SUMAC @ Brudenell Social Club. 26/04/2017 Leeds, UK

By: Aaron Pickford & Charlie Butler

Few could argue that Aaron Turner has been one of the strongest advocates for the promotion and composition of heavy music over the last 20 years. Musician, artist and founder of the highly regarded Hydra Head Records, Turner has played a pivotal role in the release of countless classic albums, but it seemed that with the demise of the revered band ISIS (band),perhaps Turner’s appetite for producing suffocating heaviness would end too.

Whilst Tuner was far from inactive in music since ISIS (band), Turner would re-emerge on his own terms alongside drummer Nick Yacyshyn with a new project and they set about creating some of the heaviest music they had ever written, indeed over the course of two albums, their debut “The Deal”and 2016’s “What One Becomes” SUMAC'smusic seamlessly weaves between periods of crushing heaviness, fragile calm, hypnotic repetition and mind-bending mathematical chaos, taking all of their previous achievements as a foundation and building something even bigger in its own right.

SUMAC have indeed found their voice and with their following growing exponentially, they returned to our shores for the second time in 12 months and on April 26^th in Leeds, my appetite to see them was impossible to quantify. 

Now with a career spanning nearly 30 years, it was a view in some quarters that it was somewhat of an injustice that San Francisco exepermentials Oxbowwould act as second fiddle to tonight’s headliner, however the band were consummate pros tonight and their talent was clear to see, showcasing their truly unique sound.  Trying to categorise their music, is the equivalent of putting a square peg through a round hole, it’s like musical algebra, but impossible to quantify by way of rationale mind.  For me the commonalities of their music is indicative of Nick Cave esque post punk circa The Birthday Party, songs laden with staccato guitar and flagrant discordant keys, giving the listener a sense of nausea, whilst front man Eugene Robinson in a typically rambunctious manner spits out his laments, stalking the stage like a prowling cat.  Given that Oxbow was entirely new to me, to my ears their music evokes the quirkiness of The Butthole Surfers, whilst not entirely draped in acid, the songs are of kilter , unconventional and the antithesis of anti pop.  This is a band who don’t play by the rulebook indeed their din of exultant noise leaves you queasy green like a 5 years first boat journey.  With a promise to return next time in under ten years, the final track opens with layers of feedback like the swell of an ocean enveloping your senses, guitars , bass, drums coming at you even more cacophonous than what has come before it and their set is over and my anticipation for SUMAC has literally reached fever pitch. 

It is hard to frame concerts without resorting to the clichéd response of “man it was awesome”, in fact the use of a simple adjectives to describe an experience cannot truly encapsulate that experience and yet here I am attempting to do just that, however truth be told, words fail me for what I witnessed with SUMAC.  Given the dense nature of their recorded material, SUMACbrilliantly translated their music from record to the live arena, shimmering between pummeling heaviness, and more free spirited jam movements.  “Blackout”, “Rigid Man”, “Thorn in Lion’s Paw”, “Image of Control” all were aired tonight, at times the music is as subtle as a brick to the face, with the bass at times overriding the guitar, but SUMAC are more than just a vessel of heaviness, live there is a genuine symbiosis between Turner and Yacyshyn, so much so in fact that if you didn’t know the songs, you could be forgiven for thinking they were improvised jams, Turner flipping between dense riffs to master noise manipulator, allowing the feedback to ring out then we’re awash with psychedelic passages, Turner producing a drumstick to tap the strings, Yacyshyn pulling off impossible drum beats and at times giving the impression this is a man built at a cost of six million dollars, given his apparent bionic abilities.  This was not perhaps a gig that everyone would enjoy, yes at times you're banging your head , but live these compositions are more about feel, dynamic shifts, the manipulation of sound and for me it was an absolute pleasure to witness.  It was a lesson in absolute power.  

Band info: Facebook