The Sludge Metal Thread

Pig Destroyer - "Natasha" E.P. (2008)

An utterly amazing 37 minute single-track ambient sludge/doom metal excursion from this Washington grindcore outfit.

5/5

Acid Bath - "When The Kite String Pops" (1994)

The first of two critically acclaimed albums from this Louisiana-based sludge metal outfit whose sound is very difficult to pigeon-hole given the very diverse range of influences on display. Personally, I think there's as much metalcore here as anything else given the use of hardcore vocals over aggressive, often death metal-esque riffage but I've never seen a single person dare to toss around that term with Acid Bath & it doesn't really account for the significant doom metal component. You can definitely expect to hear a fair whack of sludge, stoner & Southern metal along with some obvious death metal & grunge influences tossed in for good measure though. "When The kite String Pops" is a very strong record with no week tracks however it could certainly have been trimmed a little with the 69 minute runtime being a touch ambitious. There's some particularly chunky, groovy & ultra-heavy riffs floating around & fans of Eyehategod, Crowbar & Melvins will not be disappointed.

4/5

Melvins - "Houdini" (1993)

1993's fifth full-length album from influential Washington trio Melvins (entitled "Houdini") has always left me a little frustrated to be honest. On the one hand you have some seriously high-end & heavy-as-fuck sludge/doom metal material with some particularly bad-ass vocals which see me immediately reaching for my higher scores. But this is then off-set by a few completely redundant alternative rock & experimental tracks which add nothing whatsoever to the record, particularly the very confusing ten minute closer "Spread Eagle Beagle". It's a real mixed bag stylistically as this isn't strictly a sludge metal record when taken holistically. There are various different genres spread across the tracklisting. The opening couple of belters certainly fall into the sludge metal category but the rest of the album sees everything from grunge to stoner metal to alternative rock to doom metal to experimental music. Of course the heavier tracks are the ones that appeal to me the most. It's actually pretty easy to see the influence that Melvins had on the more important (& ultimately heavier) grunge bands  & I'd actually go so far as to suggest that grunge should have equal bragging rights with sludge when genre-tagging the album. Overall, the highs are balanced out by the lows & we're left with a pretty enjoyable record that offered the potential for so much more. If you have a diverse taste palate that includes sludge (Acid Bath), stoner (Kyuss), grunge (Nirvana/Soundgarden/Alice In Chains) & alternative rock (Queens Of The Stone Age/Pixies) then you might wanna check it out.

3.5/5

Isis - "The Mosquito Control" E.P. (1998)

I still think Isis' debut release "The Mosquito Control" E.P. is one of the most underrated metal releases ever recorded. It's the very definition of what sludge metal is for me. It's ridiculously heavy & as angry as a balaclava full of bees but still manages to cover more cerebral ground than most sludge bands can achieve. I know this isn't a common opinion but this is actually my favourite Isis release & that's saying something as they're one of my all-time favourite bands. For fans of Acid Bath, Old Man Gloom & Eyehategod.

5/5

Black Cobra - "Invernal" (2011)

Thrashy, up-tempo & aggressive San Francisco sludge metal from the Southern Lord label. Black Cobra sound a lot like an ultra-angry super group comprised of members High On Fire & early Mastodon with Ministry front man Al Jourgenson behind the microphone here. It's fucking awesome actually & I can't believe it's received so little attention. I also can't believe that this has been produced by a two-piece.

4.5/5

Greenmachine - "D.A.M.N. + 3" (1996)

The debut album from this Japanese sludge metal band. Musically, this is heavily driven by stoner metal & doom metal with a dense, noise-laden guitar tone & an intense screaming performance from front man Monzawa bringing it comfortably over into sludge metal territory. The doomier moments represent Greenmachine's more appealing material for me personally but there are no weak tracks included with the overthetop vocal delivery giving even the rockier sections a healthy dose of underground street cred. I'd highly recommend chasing down the 2003 re-release pictured above over the original 1996 version as the three bonus tracks offer similar quality & only work to enhance the overall offering given the short run-time of the original release. "D.A.M.N." comes highly recommended for fans of Soilent Green, Eyehategod & Kyuss (in fact Greenmachine appear to have taken their moniker from one of the highlight tracks from Kyuss' classic 1992 album "Blues For The Red Sun").

4/5

Dystopia - "Human=Garbage" E.P. (1994)

This five song, 27 minute E.P. represents the most depressing audio portrayal of the human condition that I can remember experiencing for a very long time. The instrumentation sees this Californian trio opting for a dark & apocalyptic blending of bottom-heavy sludge metal with a rough-&-ready, DIY crust punk mentality while the raw production leans more heavily towards the latter. The whole thing is smothered in layers of audio samples that refer to sickening acts of murder & suicide though & this leaves you feeling like you've just watched the movie "Seven" by the time it's all over i.e. you feel deeply disturbed yet strangely exhilarated. Front man Matt Parrillo takes the typical screaming hardcore approach but sounds consistently unstable & on edge across the entire tracklisting. It's an unsettling experience if I'm honest but I find myself strangely attracted to the depressive atmosphere it invokes. For fans of Eyehategod, Acid Bath & Corrupted.

4/5

Dystopia - "The Aftermath" E.P. (1999)

After thoroughly enjoying 1994's "Human=Garbage" E.P. from crusty Californian sludge metal outfit Dystopia, I decided it'd be well worth my while to check out some more of their back-catalogue & I thought I'd start with this short 20 minute E.P. from 1999 which seems to be regarded in a similar vein. It's certainly not as twisted as "Human=Garbage" in that it doesn't drape itself in the blatant serial killer themes of its older sibling however it doesn't sit far behind in terms of overall quality. The hardcore vocals are spat out in pure contempt throughout while the production is suitably dirty. I really enjoy the hints at artistic experimentation within some of the compositions although it has to be said that the short spurts of blasting drums are poorly executed even if they do have an endearing quality about them. I don't find the doomier final track "Sleep" to be quite as compelling as the first three songs however it's still enjoyable & there's an impressive consistency to the tracklisting that sees me feeling significant reward at its completion. This gives "The Aftermath" a strong replay value even if there are no genuine classics included.

For fans of Sea Of Deprivation, Damad & Noothgrush.

4/5

For this week's weekend top ten list, I decided to have a crack at my all-time favourite sludge metal releases (which doesn't include any post-sludge).

01. Pig Destroyer – “Natasha” E.P. (2008)

02. Isis – “The Mosquito Control” E.P. (1998)

03. Mastodon – “Leviathan” (2004)

04. Celeste – “Morte(s) Nee(s)” (2010)

05. Black Cobra – “Invernal” (2011)

06. Greenmachine – “D.A.M.N.” (1996)

07. Acid Bath – “When The Kite String Pops” (1994)

08. Acid Bath - "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" (1996)

09. Dystopia – “Human=Garbage” E.P. (1994)

10. Dystopia – “The Aftermath” E.P. (1999)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/133

Feel free to have a crack yourselves & post your results here.

Acid Bath - "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" (1996)

Well it hasn't taken me long to make adjustments to the Top Ten Sludge Metal Releases Of All Time list I posted yesterday, has it? I've been meaning to give Louisiana sludge metallers Acid Bath's third album "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" a few spins ever since really enjoying their 1994 sophomore album "When The Kite String Pops" a year or so back & the results have proven to be equally rewarding. Acid Bath are the type of band that are very difficult to pigeon hole as the sludge metal tag seemed to be used predominantly in the absence of anything better suited. Sure, there are definitely a few sludge tracks amongst this lot however there's a lot more to this band than that. In fact, I'd suggest that there's probably as much stoner metal here as there is sludge with a very strong grunge influence & a noticeable Southern feel about everything they undertake. You can also expect to hear a bit of hardcore punk, death metal, darkwave & dark ambient scattered across the tracklisting too if you listen closely however it all somehow seems to sound like Acid Bath which is a definite feather in the band's caps. I love their crunchy guitar tone which is heavy as fuck & reminds me of Crowbar while the vocal performance of Dax Riggs is a major drawcard with his clean delivery sounding like a deeper version of Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme mixed in with a bit of a gothic influence at times. The stripped back acoustic tracks like "Dead Girl" are great but there's no surprise that it's the heavier material like the death metal-inspired "Locust Spawning" & the doomy album-highlight "Graveflower" that really float my boat. "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" is another great record from Acid Bath & I find it impossible to split the band's two classic releases.

For fans of Eyehategod, Melvins & Crowbar.

4/5

Vinny, I'll be surprised if you don't enjoy this one as I know you liked its predecessor & this one is just as good in my opinion.

My updated top ten list:

01. Pig Destroyer – “Natasha” E.P. (2008)

02. Isis – “The Mosquito Control” E.P. (1998)

03. Gaza – “No Absolutes In Human Suffering” (2012)

04. Monarch! – “Omens” (2012)

05. Fange – “Pantocrator” (2021)

06. Mastodon – “Leviathan” (2004)

07. Black Cobra – “Invernal” (2011)

08.  Ufomammut – “Eve” (2010)

09. High On Fire – “De vermis mysteriis” (2012)

10. Celeste - “Morte(s) Nee(s)” (2010)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/133

Melvins - "Lysol" (1992)

Melvins fourth full-length album is probably my favourite release from the highly regarded Washington-based trio these days. As usual it's extremely hard to categorize as every track takes a different direction & fits under a different subgenre. The run time is fairly short by album standards sitting at just 31 minutes with the first eleven minutes being taken up by excellent drone metal piece "Hung Bunny" which was undoubtedly a big influence on the earliest exponents of the genre. We then see the band getting even heavier with an outstanding sludge metal anthem in "Roman Dog Bird". The cover version of Flipper's "Sacrifice" is pure doom metal before the record takes a noticeable turn away from metal via two Alice Cooper covers (i.e. the one minute interlude "Second Coming" & the alternative rock of "The Ballad Of Dwight Fry"), neither of which do much to excite me. Thankfully though the record returns to it's earlier glories with brilliant two minute grunge effort "With Teeth" (my album highlight) bringing things to a close in a fashion that reminds me a lot of a band like Mother Love Bone. Overall I'd have to go with the drone metal & sludge metal tags for the release overall given that those two tracks dominate the run time but neither seems entirely appropriate in all honesty. King Buzzo's vocals can be a bit hit & miss as perfect pitch has never been his strong point but there can be no denying his general coolness. The strength of the album is in just how fucking heavy it is when it tries to be though. You can really feel the reverberations of the quad boxes in the production which does a fantastic job at portraying Melvins' live energy. "Lysol" comes highly recommended despite the short lull at the beginning of the second half.

4/5

Black Flag - "My War" (1984)

This album is widely regarded as the birth place of sludge metal & I can see why. The A side is made up entirely of shorter hardcore punk songs while the B side sees Henry Rollins & co. embracing their Black Sabbath influences & getting their doom on. In fairness there's really only two metal songs out of a tracklisting of nine so I think it's a pretty big stretch to call this a sludge metal release. It's predominantly a hardcore punk album with some sludge & post-hardcore moments. It's also a wildly inconsistent record in my opinion. I genuinely enjoy over half of the material but the fails are significant enough to drag down the stronger material & leave an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The musicianship is ridiculously bad too but it has its charms in that DYI space I guess.

For fans of Superjoint Ritual, Pulling Teeth & 16.

3/5

Mastodon - "Remission" (2002)

Revisiting the debut full-length from this legendary Atlanta outfit has seen me viewing it in a new light. I'd previously felt that it was a touch overrated & found that I enjoyed it less than their later work however I tend to think that my judgement may have been clouded by to the fact that I came to it immediately after having first encountered Mastodon's most classic albums "Crack The Kye" & "Leviathan". When taken in isolation & with fresh ears though I've discovered an entirely new appreciation for the ridiculously well-executed progressive sludge metal the band were wielding at the time. As is usually the case with Mastodon records, drummer Brann Dailor is the clear highlight & boy does he go to town here! He may just be one of top few drummers of all time these days & I can't get enough of his trademark fills & snare rolls. There's a metalcore influence on a couple of tracks (particularly on short opening track "Crusher Destroyer" which is the highlight of the album for me) but anyone labelling "Remission" as a metalcore release is misguided. The tracklisting kicks off with some major impact given that tracks 1 & 2 are the best of the eleven tracks but that's not to say that the rest of the record is a disappointment by any means as there's a solid consistency to every track included. There's just not the hooks to see me adjusting my opinion from a "very solid" release to the "classic" one that some people seem to claim it is. Still... anyone who enjoys a more expansive take on sludge will get a lot out of "Remission". In fact, I'd probably take it over a record like 2006's "Blood Mountain" these days.

For fans of Baroness, Dvne & Intronaut.

4/5

Come To Grief - When the World Dies (2022)

Conventional sludge is musically not the most nuanced or complex of metal genres in the main, focussing more on bludgeoning riffs and aggressive vocalisation to present an atmosphere of alienation, frustration and down-right discontent with the world. Come to Grief don't buck that trend at all here, presenting an album that is based largely on quite basic doom metal riffing. Although it is fundamentalist in principle, it has a great, full sound that allows the riffs to expand to fill all the available space. The vocals too are fairly typical for sludge metal, but they are suitably aggressive and angst-ridden and sound authentically aggrieved. The very first verse of the album reads, "I never write about love, It's something I've never felt, Others laugh, enjoy life, I'm just a miserable fuck". So it's pretty obvious that we're not in "shiny, happy people" territory here - and, being the incurable miserablist that I am, that suits me just fine. As an aside, the vocals on that track, Life's Curse and also on Bludgeon the Soul / Returning to the Void are handled by guest vocalist, Converge's Jacob Bannon.

Ultimately what we have here is an album of straight-forward sludge metal done exceedingly well that doesn't do anything unexpected or seek to push boundaries, but that successfully conveys a feeling of frustration and resentment both musically and lyrically and as such must be considered a success. The downside of course is that, although worth hearing, it is far from an essential listen and so may ultimately become lost in the crowd, which is a great pity.
4/5

Dystopia - "Dystopia" (2008)

I've been a big fan of Californian sludge metallers Dystopia's 1994 "Human = Garbage" E.P. & 1999 "The Aftermath" E.P. for some time now so I've had their sole full-length album on my radar for a number of years but have somehow managed to avoid giving it my full attention until yesterday. This self-titled comeback release came after a gap of nine years from Dystopia's last record & is generally regarded as somewhat of a classic for fans of crusty sludge metal but I have to admit that my first few listens have been.... well..... a bit underwhelming if I'm being honest. 

The themes are clearly centered around drug addiction with the use of some decidedly negative layered spoken-word samples being somewhat of a trademark for the band by this point. The filthy crust punk production is certainly appropriate but somehow Dystopia have always found the genuinely heavy production job they so sorely require to be quite elusive in my experience. The delivery of dual vocalists Matt Parrillo & Dino Sommese is even more overthetop than ever before, at times bordering on the ridiculous in their sheer insanity & I think that goes a long way to explaining the appeal of a record like "Dystopia" as it really does push the threshold of drug-fueled depression & depravity. There are a couple of problems here that weren't visible on the band's short-form classics though. There really aren't any genuine belters with the two-minute "Control All Delete" being the only one of the proper songs to really get me going. There are also a few clear duds included, particularly the grindcore-inspired "Illusion of Love" & the God-awful waste of space that is the untitled closing track. I find it hard to see how anyone can rate a release like this one the full five stars after listening to that closer to be honest. Surely common sense has to prevail at some point, doesn't it?

Dystopia are certainly at their best when they get their doom on & you can clearly see that during the first half of lengthy opening track "Now and Forever". I also enjoy it when they go for broke in a crusty hardcore direction like they do on the before-mentioned "Control All Delete" but when they start to tail off significantly for me is when they employ groovier riffs &/or bouncier beats & there are a number of those moments scattered across the tracklisting. It would seem to me that Dystopia have made a huge effort to take their strengths & to amplify them in the hope of maximum appeal for their underground fanbase but I don't think it's had the desired effect because the creativity & focus that I found so appealing on their previous material doesn't seem to be here. Sadly, I can't help but think that Dystopia's day in the sun had already run its course & they would have been better off leaving their 1990's legacy untainted.

For fans of Tragedy, Sea of Deprivation & Damad.

3/5

Eyehategod - "Dopesick" (1996)

Every now & then I find a major gap in my knowledge of a fairly significant player in the global metal scene & that was certainly the case with New Orleans sludge metallers Eyehategod when I realised that I’d never actually heard one of their releases in full the other day. I did actually have a ticket to see them play live at one point but they ended up cancelling the show so it never actually eventuated. Anyway, I went about filling this glaring hole in my understanding of the more significant metal releases over the last couple of days & I’ve gotta say that I really enjoyed the experience.

The term “Sludge Metal” is often misused in my opinion. Some people seem to think that it’s required whenever a band opts for a particularly dirty (read: “sludgy”) guitar tone which was never the intent of the label. What it’s really referring to are bands that use the aesthetics of doom metal & stoner metal yet give the music the vocal delivery, aggression & general abrasiveness of hardcore punk & you’ll rarely find a better example of that than Eyehategod. Much like California’s Dystopia, this band have taken the crushingly heavy stoner doom model & combined it with a never-ending stream of drug-addicted depression & depravity to create what can only be described as one of the most hopeless & discouraging atmospheres you’re likely to find. Front man Mike IX Williams sounds like a man possessed with so much spite & resentment that he’s about to tear his own limbs off start attacking people with them as he spits his words out with an enormous amount of malicious intent.

Musically, Eyehategod’s sound tends to drift between slow & crushingly heavy doom riffs & groovier Black Sabbath style stoner metal riffs with the occasional up-tempo hardcore section tossed in for a bit of variety every now & then but never over-staying its welcome. I personally love the doomier parts but find the stoner sections to be noticeably less appealing which is very much a reflection of my taste profile more than it is anything to do with the quality of the music on offer. There’s not a single track of the twelve included that doesn’t offer some level of enjoyment but I don’t think there’s anything here that I’d claim to be a genuine classic. Even the best material includes some element that brings it back down from the upper heights of my affection with album highlight & closing track “Anxiety Hangover” being a prime example of that as it taints its wonderfully doomy first half with one of those groovy stoner riffs right in the middle of the song. It’s also worth noting that the production doesn’t offer any sort of brightness or light which is likely intentional but it does make for a record that sounds pretty samey. Thankfully I enjoy the depressive atmosphere enough to make the whole experience a very enjoyable one though.

There’s no doubt that “Dopesick” is a quality example of the sludge metal genre as it ticks all of the critical boxes. Is it the classic release that many make it out to be though? I’m not so sure about that. Perhaps if I had of come across it 25 years ago I might think so but right now it would seem more like a record that you’d cherry-pick for those occasions when you’ve simply had a gut-full & want to fuck shit up to the soundtrack for your own self-destruction.

For fans of Acid Bath, Iron Monkey & Grief.

4/5

Much like yourself Daniel, I had never sat down and listened to an Eyehategod album all the way through until earlier this year when I was looking for some well-regarded sludge to feature on the monthly playlist. I took the plunge with their previous album Take As Needed for Pain but also took in Dopesick pretty soon after and loved them both. It's easy to hear why the band are considered such giants of sludge metal. I must admit that the genre doesn't always do it for me, but those two albums are an object lesson in the unremitting bleakness, bitterness and self-loathing that best defines sludge and are fully deserving of their legendary status.

Chat Pile - "God's Country" (2022)

Last year's debut album from this Oklahoma four-piece seems to be getting major attention recently so I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about. "God's Country" is being tagged as a noise rock & sludge metal hybrid but there's a lot more going on here than that. There's certainly a strong Sonic Youth noise rock influence present but I don't think this a rock release so I find the use of a rock subgenre as a primary tag to be a little deceptive. This is more of a metal meets hardcore thing in my opinion with the vocals being firmly planted in psychotic hardcore realms & the instrumentation being predominantly metal with post-hardcore & noise rock leanings. The thing that most listeners seem to be missing though is that the biggest influence being championed on "God's Country" would seem to be Godflesh &, as a result, I'd suggest that this is actually just as much of an industrial metal record as it is a sludge metal one, perhaps even more so. There's even a noticeable Korn influence in some of the rhythmic riffage which is done very tastefully. All that aside, "God's Country" is also a high quality release that's worthy of a lot of the attention it's receiving. The vocals are emotion-charged & meaningful while the riffs are heavy & intense. The field recording/acappella piece "I Don't Care If I Burn" is a bit of a waste of space but the rest of the tracklisting is very consistent without ever really hinting at any genuine highlights. Fans of Godflesh & Fange should definitely check it out.

4/5

Gore - Hart Gore (1986)

Now here's an interesting release that may raise a question or two, first of which is "what actually constitutes sludge metal?" If sludge metal is defined by it's hardcore-derived vocal style then where does that leave an album like Hart Gore as it is a completely instrumental release. If it's a thick, doomy, stonerised guitar tone instead that distinguishes sludge, then it's two thumbs up over here for the Gore guys. I don't know the answer to the question, but what we have here, I would suggest, is something that sounds suspiciously like early sludge metal, but without any singing. Thick, syrupy riffs abound, reinforced by a powerful drum sound and occasional use of feedback, but where you would expect an album of instrumentals to have a ton of guitar leads, this has very few and really does sound like a sludge album without the vocal track. It is dual-tagged on RYM with noise rock and I can kind of hear that as it does sound quite rock-y in places. Without any meaningful leads it does sort of pale a bit before the end, but it is only just over half an hour long as so doesn't require a huge commitment on the part of the listener. I enjoyed it, I must admit, as it's something a bit different and if the truth be told sometimes the vocals in sludge metal piss me off, so that is never an issue here - and I really loved that drum sound. This pre-dates any of the Melvins EPs or albums, so I guess sludge wasn't even really a thing back then, so if ultimately this isn't a sludge album because of the lack of vocals then I would posit that it must be a stoner rock/metal album. Either way, you should probably check it out because it is an interesting release in the history of sludge metal and it sounds ahead of it's time.

3.5/5

Sonny, here's a definition of sludge metal that I wrote a couple of years ago. I was intending on doing one for all genres but haven't gotten around to finishing it. I'd be interested in your feedback on whether you think it's accurate or not as it's 100% my personal perspective but I think these guidelines do allow for an instrumental sludge metal artist.

Sludge metal shares several of the characteristics of doom & stoner metal in its use of heavily down-tuned guitars & crushingly heavy, groove-driven, riff-based song structures however the influence of hardcore punk sees sludge possessing a noticeably angrier, noisier & more abrasive atmosphere that allows for the use of faster tempos & harder hitting rhythms. Sludge metal vocalists predominantly employ harsh hardcore-style screams &/or grunts which also provide a clear differentiator from doom/stoner. The trademark sludge metal guitar tone is very dense, dirty & bottom-heavy with feedback squalls & noise being regular features. The consistent use of slower tempos is quite common & often leads to crossover with doom metal however (unlike doom) this is not compulsory with predominantly up-tempo & thrashy examples of sludge metal maintaining their ties to the genre through their harsh & aggressive vocals, filthy guitar tone & angry atmosphere. Average track lengths are shorter than those traditionally employed in doom metal.

The above description was very useful for me when trying to understand what sludge metal was. I think Daniel actually wrote this in response to my confusion.

That seems to echo my understanding of sludge very closely, Daniel. I have always considered the thick guitar tone to be just as important as the angry, anguished vocal delivery and the sludge guitar tone is definitely different to that used in doom. Following your definition, Hart Gore is most definitely sludge metal in my book and I hadn't really cottoned on to how much the feedback / noise aspect defines the genre until listening to an instrumental album.