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| Artwork by Matthew Mutterperl |
Hailing from Arizona comes the Atmospheric Sludge band called NORTH. While their sound does nothing to reinvent the genre, songs are solid and the record offer plenty for the listener to absorb. This album ebbs and flows with little effort taking the listener on a musical journey. Songs like Inanimate Fathers add a touch of progginess, and the addition of female backing vocals on two tracks adds softness certainly not found in the lead vocals. In fact one of the things that stands out are the main vocals. He sounds as if he gargles broken glass with rusty nails, adding a real intensity to the songs. Which juxtaposed against the slow burn of the music has an interesting effect on the listener.
Whether you call it Post-Metal or Atmospheric Sludge it is a genre that is a bit on the bloated side. And while NORTH may not be innovators. They do enough to shine above the rest. Making a solid album that lends itself to repeated listens (also one that may very well be on my end of year list). What more could you ask for?
[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]