Our Slow Decay (Small Stone, 2010) begins all in: full band plus vocals. The lack of introductory niceties is bold. Even bolder are the vocals – sung, forward, melodic. What American sludge metal has worked towards for the past decade has crested and broken.
“There Is Nothing”
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Singing is just part of it. The whole picture is that American bands have learned that tuning down and playing slow need not be an abject endeavor. I used to think that Eyehategod were the be-all and end-all of sludge metal. And they still are, if sludge means (a) channeling Black Flag, Black Sabbath, and Melvins; and (b) being miserable. But so many bands have chipped away at this definition that it’s now incomplete. Their names are familiar: Mastodon, Kylesa, Baroness, Torche, Isis. They’ve taken once-miserable (in a good way) music, and added colors and textures so that it’s no longer miserable.
This is not to say that sludge is now happy-land. Kylesa’s Static Tensions, for example, is musically bright but lyrically dark. Our Slow Decay quivers with mortality; it states that not only is there “no happily ever after”, “Death is the only moment we are fated for”. But it’s far removed from Eyehategod, who often sound like they’re either diving into coffins or clawing their way out of them. Black Sleep of Kali have their feet on the ground. They’re just men making their way in this world.
“The Great Destroyer”
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They’re also self-aware men. Our Slow Decay lacks the exploratory quality of Isis’ and Kylesa’s careers, which have occurred via incremental change. This record is crisp, catchy, and so neatly wrapped, it’s paced for vinyl, four songs to a side. I’d guess that these guys listened to Kylesa and Torche records, learned their lessons, and thus avoided whatever growing pains those bands underwent.
Which is fine. Too many bands put out too many releases now; it’s refreshing to hear a band whose songwriting skills match its business acumen. Black Sleep of Kali know what they’re doing. They’re taking sludge metal into the next decade. Our Slow Decay is a smart summation of where it’s at now.
Amazon (MP3)
Amazon (CD)
Small Stone (CD)
All That Is Heavy (CD)
Support the band directly (CD & t-shirt)
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Wow, those vocals really remind me of Chavez, especially the more melodic bits. A more metal Matt Sweeney. Now for a “V” review…
GREAT, great album. Can’t get enough of it. “In Time” is a crusher.
And great insight about “miserable music”. It explained why I’ve found Isis so dull in the last albums. (Though top-quality, not memorable to me.)
Love me some sludge. Fistula is one of the more underappreciated bands out there. Abject, unrelenting misery. No bright colors whatsoever.
listening to these samples…REALLY digging it…kinda reminds of kowloon walled city…which is a good thing
you can get BSOK shit here http://blacksleepofkali.bigcartel.com/ if you are interested, and thanks for the review and the kind words.
One of the albums of the year.
not bad, but it sounds like a mix of Baroness and Goes Cube. I’d rather listen to Thou when it comes to “sludge”, but you all know that already right?
taylor – Thanks for the band merch link. I’ve added it to the text body.
well fogel, listening to bands isn’t a competition. i’d rather listen to thou than black sleep of kali too, but the great thing is, I can listen to both if I so choose…. but I don’t, because I’ve been listening to summit and the new deerhunter record all day.
Sounds like every other beard metal band, the cover art and title alone repels me. The only difference is the singing sounds like early 90s grunge mixed with early 90s pop punk, I’ll just keep listening to Eyehategod thank ye very much.
Pretty good, I wish my band sounded this great! I’m totally out of touch with whatever passes for variuos kinds of metal. Don’t have a clue really, I just think “Like” or “don’t like” and unfortunately don’t have alot of time to broaden my knowledge, but, this sounds good. I like your definition of Black Flag, Sabbath and Melvins. Sounded like a winning combo to me.
Of note, Kurt Cobain once described his music as “The Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Sabbath and Black Flag”.
I’ve been liking a lot of sludge lately this band is now one of the sludge bands I’ll be enjoying…..online
This is pretty rad, thanks for posting this. As you mention, there are a bunch of bands going for this song now but this guys really pull it off well.