Label:PER KORO RECORDS
It’s not often that a band impresses me on first listen like Germany’s NIGHTSLUG have, but this power trio brings a brain-crushing tone that’s heavier than a thousand collapsing bridges.
Leading off with a thundering riff, like the bass-heavy rattle of album opener “No Relief,” is a grand way to introduce new listeners to the ugly piece that is DISMAL FUCKER. “No Relief” has a heavy stride that sets the stage for the rest of the album. Never getting above a solid gallop, NIGHTSLUG move through songs like “Sick,” “All Is Hell” and “Into Oblivion” with a metered groove, focused on punishing the listener as much as entertaining them.
Thankfully, the production is befitting of this wall of noise. The overall tone is centered on the crushing distorted bass of P. Slug, allowing the guitar to riff, occasionally warble, or feedback over the stomp. Shades of experimentation creep in at the edges, most notably in “On Field of Mayhem.” This near-13 minute rager closes out the album with insane levels of glacier-slow riffs and the ubiquitous reverbed vocals of J. Slug hovering over it all, ghostly and spaced-out. From start to finish, the noise of DISMAL FUCKER is unstoppable and cohesive.
NIGHTSLUG is definitely a band that has left a distinct mark on my ears. Their sludge rumble is tempered by an accomplished delivery that sounds like ten dudes in a mountain hideaway rather than the trio of guys hunkered down in some sweaty practice space they (more than likely) are. There is a definite comparison to be made here between NIGHTSLUG’s dank rumbles and the industrial-influenced doom of Brooklyn’s BATILLUS. And that’s definitely not a bad thing. Grab anything NIGHTSLUG you can get your grubby little mitts on.
-Brandon Elkins
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