Sunday Sludge: Belzebong - "Dungeon Vultures"

Ah, look who's back! You're lookin' good, man. You found a little color in your face, bought some new shoes, picked up part-time work at the car lot down the street. What's it been, a year or more? What brings ya back? Well, we've got it all: Isolator, Kashmir Cream, Amnesia Haze, Super Palm, Phazer, Parvati, Double Bubblegum, Platinum Kush, OG Kush, Purple Kush, Purple Urkle, Purple Haze, Purple Blueberry, Purple Star, Full Moon, Mongout, Dro, Sonoma Coma, Strawberry Cough. We ain't got no brick shit here, goon! But wait... Hit this!

We last heard from Poland's Belzebong when Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves popped up in Seth's Top 11 of '11, an accolade as promising as it was wholly deserving. The weed metal titans are returning (On 4/20, to no surprise) with Dungeon Vultures, a one-track EP with heavy doses of riffs and drags that slowly and steadily takes the band to new heights. Sure, there's the fuzzy haze that creeps at every corner and dries your gums, but the patient and deliberate slow-motion nightmare is just another step in Belzebong's continually evolving catalog of expanded realities and hidden layers.

Given the right circumstances, fourteen minutes can easily grow much longer. The song is a changeling of sorts, but Belzebong maintain their unmistakable constants. The heady Nice Dreams sample would fit anywhere, while the crushing riffs have become a staple for the band. Grinding at a muddy snail's pace, Belzebong's sludge resin never dries out and still gets you just as lifted. Fuck the purists, you can't afford to waste a single hit.

Loaded with primitive howls and sirens reaching from afar, it'd be easy to let paranoia trip your buzz and kill your session. Trust me, you can't see shit through these gargantuan walls of reverb. The approaching storm is effectively a smoke signal with an enticing apocalyptic glaze. Within these clouds are tiers that emerge, peel away, and hit repeat to perfectly weave a smoky mesh distraction from your father's empty military school threats. Bass hits thick tar while sky-rocket guitar licks splinter and catch an atmospheric fire. The drumwork may be the most sobering element to this EP, but that's not saying much; the brawny underlayment reveals itself to be incredibly potent when the rhythms mellow.

It's clear Belzebong have pared down the minutes to expand not only their consciousness, but also their chops. A fourteen-minute release had better deliver, and Dungeon Vultures leaves out the stems and seeds for an engaging haunt. The true midnight tokers here plug more at rebirth than rediscovery, carrying forward only what's absolutely necessary: the sludge riff. Beyond that, Belzebong plant themselves as unrivaled in the unraveled. Ravaged and triumphant for all its brevity, this EP is a perfect demotivator.

Limited vinyl available here, 42 of which come with a surprise.

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Seth's Top 11 of '11

Hell. I just spent nearly six seconds scribbling a list of 2011's top albums and it somehow caught fire. I managed to salvage the wreckage and now struggle to read my own handwriting, but here's the juice: 2011 was one fuckin' fat year. My world of metal expanded far beyond the reaches of my most reliable belt. From thick, murky, crust-vomit sludge to soaring atmospheric soundscapes, this year stretched boundaries and broadened the spectrum. When I wasn't pretending to love my day job, I was casually admiring dozens of the finest heavy albums the year offered. I'll do my best to scale back the dick-suckin' diatribes, but these albums had me at "dude... you gotta hit this shit."

1. Rwake - "Rest"

"This sludge/doom opus is so broad in vision and scope, I can make no promise this discourse will suffice in validating the exhaustive (and exhausting) beauty of these six tracks. I almost feel like a violator of someone's very personal, metaphysical glaze; this haunting roll through layers of pensive fog is gonna leave a mark."




2. Ironweed - "Your World of Tomorrow"

"Ironweed have struck an incredible balance between their instruments, creating a sound that is confident, honest, and ultimately indisputable. The production of the album is slick, the track selection is dead-on. Ironweed have put together an album that's meaningful without being pretentious, heavy without being over-stuffed, and precise without being clean. What a cool vibe."




3. Vultures At Arms Reach - "+)))((()))((()))((()))-"

"+)))((()))((()))((()))- is 25 haunting and atmospheric minutes that soar, drift, and march to the beat of an otherworldly ocean of sound. Spend some time with this one and see where you're taken. You may find yourself losing track of time, needing less sleep, and fantasizing about a life that doesn't so closely resemble hell. The mood grows ominous and you begin to wonder just what impact this solid three-track EP is gonna have on your frame."



4. Black Cobra - "Invernal"

"This riff-oriented collection is far too immense and far too fast to serve as background music while you wash dishes. Give it your full attention. Let it wear you out like the drunk whore at your block party, and make sure you ask for seconds. Invernal will burn and blister, but it's gonna heal a lot better than the stupid tribal tattoo you just sat through."




5. The Dive - Self-titled

"From the album's ashy lead-off stroke to the final breath of the hidden track's primal, organic, and effortless amalgam, The Dive roll through smoky psychedelic jams that no debut album should rightly boast. Soaring, moon-shot riffs, grooving tempos, and a brilliant vocal high-five make this self-titled the perfect soundtrack to a snakebite hospital rush. Enjoy this; it may not happen again."


6. Wizard Smoke - "The Speed of Smoke"

"From beginning to end, The Speed of Smoke oozes otherworldly psychedelia, doom/stoner grooves, and prog-rock leanings. This is one of the better albums you’ll hear this year. The track placement is perfect, the sounds are jaw-dropping, and the heavy is incessant. Put The Speed of Smoke on your “must-hear” list of 2011 and sit back as you’re guided through a black cosmos."




7. Swamp Witch - "Gnosis"

"Ridiculously slow, heathenistic sludge from the bowels of some clandestine swamp located in Oakland, CA., Swamp Witch decimate your ears with eerie bellowing howls, slipshod grooves, mind-numbing feedback, and a daunting unholiness." - Reg






8. Ethereal Riffian - "Shaman's Visions"

"These thirty minutes have plenty to offer, and you won't be disappointed. Whether it's sludge, doom, stoner, et cetera, you'll find it here. What you'll also find is a trip to a dense, sweltering, untouched world of groove and mist. Bring a backpack, a canteen, and a useless map. Ethereal Riffian is taking you deep into some pretty cool places."



9. City of Ships - "Minor World"

"This album is evanescent. You'll think this is a two-way street, you'll buzz from the stomach-pit butterflies, and then you'll have the rug pulled out from under you. But, of course... you'll go back for more. On Minor World, this trio manages to deliver an effort of staggering thickness, congenial sadness, and wandering cosmic acceptance."




10. Shroud Eater - "ThunderNoise"

Shroud Eater is the reason I write for Heavy Planet. Reg featured them, Toby interviewed them, I bought their cd and t-shirt. ThunderNoise sounds like a spring morning, if spring mornings are cloudy, wet, and fraught with brilliant sludge/doom descent. Few bands play this hard.




11. Belzebong - "Sonic Scapes and Weedy Grooves"

"This twice-baked sack o' ditch is packed with serious sludge and gorgeously fuzzy feedback. Don't bogart it; Belzebong brought plenty of supplies on Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves. Your parole agent is gonna be pissed, but Belzebong can take you somewhere he'll never follow. Their Kansas Grass ain't no schwag, son. This swirling, thumping kush frolic is the perfect, uh... score to an after-school session with your pals. Clear your calendar.



I won't call this honorable mention, that sounds terrible. Let's call it "Ten More Albums That Blistered Your Ass":

Weedeater - "Jason The Dragon"
Carcinogenic Corpse - "Noise Farm"
Borracho - "Splitting Sky"
Ponamero Sundown - "Rodeo Electrica"
Giantrider - Self-Titled
Elvis Deluxe - "Favourite State of Mind"
Using Bridge - "And I Will Be Heard"
Archon - "The Ruins At Dusk"
BOAR - Self-titled
Mastodon - "The Hunter"

Sunday Sludge: Belzebong - "Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves"

I've often wondered what the soundtrack to my life story would sound like. A wife, three kids, and a line to toe probably wouldn't give Belzebong much to work with, but it was a nice thought. They'd have more luck courting the bearded, cloaked campus shaman. Y'know, the guy that speaks to nobody yet somehow (or perhaps thereby) convinces everyone that he's the coolest motherfucker around. This was my first *ahem* trip with Poland's Belzebong, and I can't stop coughing. I know rubbing my eyes only makes it worse, but I can't help it.

Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves is that completely disabling high, though the sidecar paranoia is distant. Belzebong bring no pretense, no bullshit; what you're hearing is exactly what you're meant to hear. They won't leave tar caked in the treads of your boots, they'll just shove you off a mountain of ash with double-fisted sludge feedback.

The fuzzy avalanche of Bong Thrower immediately rattles your senses with colossal riffs and a slow, deliberate plod worthy of every hourly worker's haste. Supporting riffs aren't in any hurry to get home, joining quicksand and clouds that lure you into a smoke-filled cavern. For pressing-on at more than 8 minutes, this mudslide does seem to pass far too quickly. But perhaps we should have expected a complete distortion of pace. By the time this thick haze has worn off, your dinner is long cold and your parents have probably moved away.

The album contains no true vocal, but soundbites supplement the incessant sludge drop with impeccable timing to an unsettling expanse. Names of The Devil is chaotic, broad, and bloodshot. Guitar licks from Cheesy Dude and Alky Dude (yes, all five band members have Dude monikers) get trapped in a space vacuum as the real sustain blows back your greasy mane. Good luck finding another group of stoners so dedicated to something that isn't bagged by Frito Lay.

The southern crunch of Witch Rider is thunderous, more weed-blues than acid-blues. Riffs honor Woodroe Weatherman, though parting the fur to get there is as unnecessary as it is difficult. Sheepy Dude and Falony Dude keep the sludge slow and low, dropping the heavy in perfect balance with the distortion a la Weedeater.

Acid Funeral hilariously samples a film called Alice in Acidland, a film I've never seen but will certainly seek out. The song's über-slow, gloomy atmosphere threatens to polarize the youth of America, scaring some from using hallucinogens while pushing others into full-blown addiction. Guitars suspend like fog and the bass rumble encompasses both the willing and the unexpecting. Acid Funeral's crowning achievement is sending your perceptions up in smoke. Not flames, just smoke... downtuned to excess.

Clocking in at exactly thirty minutes, this twice-baked sack o' ditch is packed with serious sludge and gorgeously fuzzy feedback. Don't bogart it; Belzebong brought plenty of supplies on Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves. Your parole agent is gonna be pissed, but Belzebong can take you somewhere he'll never follow. Their Kansas Grass ain't no schwag, son. This swirling, thumping kush frolic is the perfect, uh... score to an after-school session with your pals. Clear your calendar.

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