Zac's "Double Dose": Camel Of Doom / Grass

Camel Of Doom: Psychodramas: Breaking the Knots of Twisted Synapse 

Huddersfield, UK (so very close to the rock hub of Leeds, UK) is home to a brilliant one man machine known as Camel Of Doom. Mr. Kris Clayton is the talented young lad at the helm of this Camel. He began this journey some ten years and six albums ago. After pulling together a band to play gigs, dissolving, line-up changes, playing for another band you may very well know (Esoteric) and re-materializing Kris decided to go it alone for Camel Of Doom's seventh and soon to be released album Psychodramas: Breaking the Knots of Twisted Synapse. Here listeners will find a variety of influences from death metal to 70's era progressive rock, but Camel Of Doom always stay firmly rooted in doom. Throughout the album Kris uses a plethora of vocal styles ranging from hardy shouted lyrics to darkened growls, while the dynamic guitars cover a vast range of genres. The release is made up of eight tracks running sixty minutes. Forty of those sixty minutes come from only three leviathan songs; The Anger of Anguish, From the Sixth Tower, and Machine of Annihilation. The remaining five songs act as connectors between these mountains. This is truly a monstrous feat considering there was only one individual manning all stations. Therefore I feel confident in describing him as brilliant. Get over to bandcamp to take The Anger of Anguish for a spin and mark your calendars because the entire album will be available for purchase December 3rd on Amazon, bandcamp, iTunes, and Spotify!

 

Members: 

Kris Clayton

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Grass: Grass Demo 2012 

Recently, I've had a hard time listening to any extra curricular stoner rock, focusing my time on other genres. There's a time when it seems stoner rock is hopeless and nothing fresh can possibly put you in the mood for the likes of a Kyuss inspired head-banging fit. Suddenly a group of Spaniards come knockin' with a new bag of Grass restoring my faith in the style and enslaving my head and neck to their version of the almighty and eternal RIFF! Lets just get this out of the way, nothing new or ground-breaking is happening here only thought-out and herbally-calculated stoner rock. The release is labeled a demo but in no way sounds like a demo. The RIFFS are what is expected from a stoner rock group, yet original enough to snap me out of my stoner rock funk. Grass display a cohesion which sounds as though each strum, beat, and sound attract to and support Dani and Ofer's gratuitous RIFFS. Grass's Demo 2012 reminds me why I've enjoyed this style of music for such a long time. Check out my favorite track Sank in the Mud below and then head over to bandcamp, because this demo is FREE and its hard to argue with that price tag!

 

Members: 

Alan - Drums 

Artur - Bass 

Asaf - Vocals 

Dani - Guitar 

Ofer - Guitar

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Sunday Sludge: Sadgiqacea / Grass Split LP

I tend to be leery of splits, sometimes failing to give enough attention to bands that would otherwise have me reaching for my wallet. It's easy to worry you're not getting the bands' best material or perhaps there's a contractual obligation being met using tracks that may be otherwise tossed off. Today we feature two bands that slapped duct tape over my mouth and dragged me into an epic, haunting marsh of progressive sludge that shoves a boot straight up my expectations: Philadelphia's Sadgiqacea and Grass.

The four-track Split begins with Sadgiqacea's distant, painfully melodic The Great Divide, a track that manages to remain thoroughly complex without stuffing its own shirt. Guitars buzz and chew on reverb as Fred's drums scamper just until a thrash pick-up buzzes through timber with listeners under one arm. Tempos shift abruptly, slowing to thick layers of hot crunch that ultimately tell us we won't soon dismiss this sticky sludge duo's beaten, bloody lumber through splintered hopes and fears.

Remaining dense and ominous is no challenge on Avianizer, a beautifully creepy hum just beyond the pass. Evan's intermittent axe-grind spits and rhythms multiply, effective and well-placed. You won't know if this is a dream or a night terror, but waking on a damp battlefield is the best way to describe the unique, accomplished meld of crunchy bounce and misty despair. Evan and Fred do their part to echo and engage in cavernous vocal conflict. Sadgiqacea's coup de grâce, however, is smoldering buzz leading toward a web of intricate progressive sludge rolling out on Avianizer's impressive closing wave. We only get two tracks, fellas?

What makes this split work so well is that Sadgiqacea and Grass sound similar enough to notice no jump, yet different enough to differentiate themselves from one another (and from their influences). Future Ruins gradually adds one layer after another before fully embracing a devastating sludge drop. Combative and weathered, the progressions put Grass on a map closer to Savannah than Philadelphia. Grass relentlessly deliver successive blows until listeners can barely realize they're on a cloud. Moving from a full sludge assault to a spell in your grandfather's rocking chair, patience pays off. Minimalist by comparison, the heart of this 11-minute opus grows into cosmic swirls of psychedelia before creeping back to a thick bog, complete with a vocal tandem that enhances complexities. Whoa.

Slapping your face and stomping your chest, abrupt and vicious guitars introduce Chasing Demons Out the Holler. Southern sludge metal has its place in Philadelphia, complete with swirling guitar blasts and pulverizing drumwork. Letting dirty boots cake a bit, the track hits neutral under speckled licks and a sea of cymbal taps. You knew this hammer was gonna drop, though, and severed sequoias return to breakneck tempos.

The four tracks contained herein don't separate themselves from one another as they manage to expansively showcase the merits of two incredible Philadelphia progressive sludge giants. My hope is that the split is a sort of precursor to what audiences can (and will) expect from Sadgiqacea and Grass in 2012. But let's just focus on what we've got on our plate: this split delivers as well as any full sludge album you'll hear. From the skies to the swamps and within every haze in-between, these bands are both intent on re-writing the rules.




Sadgiqacea Facebook | Grass Facebook | Anthropic Records