What do you do when the slimelords of Galway send you their new album for review? At risk of getting ground up in spirals of death-teeth, and bereft of the world’s largest salt cellar, you put it into the downloads folder, hit play and… get hit by wave after wave of nematode-bearing heavy metal.
I’ve listened to Colossal Oppressor multiple times over the last couple of weeks, I’ve just had no time to pause and draft a review. What strikes me is that despite it being a particularly heavy slab of doomy, sludgy loveliness there are many other influences throughout. What really appeals to me is the seeming simplicity. It makes for a very easy listen, but with a ton of depth to it once you’re on listen ten or eleven.
Take the intros, for instance. Opener “The Ooze” kicks off with some gentle, clean guitar that harks back to Metallica’s “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”. “Balor”, on the other hand, goes with a riff that someone like Hatebreed could use to start winding a crowd up. “Mindless and Blind” has some superb chug for the ride in at the start which just begs to entice heads to bang in rhythm.
There’s some decent amounts of ear-melting heaviness, but they’re not afraid mix up the crushing pounding with some faster bits, and frankly there’s a lot on here that would pull in the “classic” metal crowd. It’s not all ripping and tearing (and dissolving in slime). The brief instrumental “Ghosts of the Ooze” is a welcome and airy respite which slips in perfectly before “Mallacht an tSloda” (Curse of the Sludge)’s heavier beat.
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This is a good track to pick out to demonstrate the production, too. Even on my PC speakers, which ain’t bad but certainly aren’t top end, you can hear every plunk of the bass guitar during the solos – something that’s often lost in murkier recordings. The multi-layered vocals, too, are impressive and overall this is about as “showboat” as you get with sludgy death doom based on large Mollusca.
Despite only being eight tracks long, you get your money’s worth (and you should be spending money on this, don’t just stream it) as it runs for around 40 minutes, including the 9-and-a-half minute closer “Mogore the Unkind”. Oh, the last The last few notes on this song were played using a guitar plectrum made from 20,000 year old mammoth ivory. That’s pretty bloody awesome.
Vinyl, CD, Bandcamp download (it’s released on Bandcamp Friday)… all good. Just support these mad, and rather lovely, gentlemen.
Death by scary slime beasties has never been more appealing. Although I still have issues with the (otherwise superb) cover artwork.
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Artwork by Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustration)
Colossal Oppressor is out on May 3rd
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