Album Review: Slugstain - Demo 2010

As also seen on The Klepto's Guide:

I'm trying to finish up all the pending articles of 2010 I have stashed away somewhere, and so expect several posts dedicated to last year. The first one being the band Slugstain.

Sent over from Heavy Planet, I think I was hesitant listening to Slugstain initially because their only release so far is their Demo. As a rule, I don't like demos; often times they are of bad recording quality and/or the songs change drastically from demo to debut LP, and in some extreme cases the band's style itself shifts, so you may not even recognize the band come their next release.

Excuses aside, once I did actually sit down and listen to Slugstain's Demo, I enjoyed was I was shown. The group plays a doomy blend of stoner metal, with rough vocals (not sludge), and what honestly sounds a bit of British influence - maybe I'm reading too much into that one. Although you could never confuse this group with thrash, two of the songs, tracks 1 ("Bringer of Night") and 3 ("Urban Hermit"), sound a bit like Megadeth, circa Countdown To Extinction era. There is just the bit of edge there, and the grinding fuzz guitars vaguely remind me of "Symphony of Destruction," again, maybe that is just me.

Regardless, I am impressed with what Slugstain has to offer, and I know when they do get their debut LP recorded and released, I won't be slow with my listen and my review. It is great stoner metal with a splash of doom, that really anyone could enjoy.

MySpace

New Band To Burn One To-Slugstain

The "New Band To Burn One To" is Slugstain.

These Finnish doom rockers weave sledgehammer riffs with powerful grooves and a snarling Lemmy-like vocal delivery. Slugstain is seriously inspired and shamelessly influenced by Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Trouble, Danzig, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Witchfinder General and Pentagram. They don't have the need to reinvent the wheel, it's all about the power of the dark riff!

Formed at the beginning of 2010 the band has already been busy at work recording songs. You can check out 4 songs they have available on their MySpace page.

What others are saying:

With a four track demo, SLUGSTAIN made a good start to the heavy doom scene. Hailing from Finland, they have nothing in common with the NWoWD (New Wave Of Weepy Doom), for which I am very grateful to the band. Instead, SLUGSTAIN place greater value on aggressive, mid-paced songs. All four tunes are saturated with blues and rock 'n' roll and completely free of melodramatic dissipations. Usually, I am used to receive this kind of doom from the USA, but definitely not from Finland. It is good to know that there are young musicians around who are not interested in imitating their fellow countrymen of the criminally overrated Reverend Bizarre. But in general, SLUGSTAIN draw influences from various sources, not just from the usual suspects such as Saint Vitus, Pentagram or Candlemass. Tough one hears some Trouble in 'Howlin' Susie' and 'Urban Hermit', they also integrate elements from later Entombed and Danzig. What matters is that it's heavy, and this demo is h-e-a-v-y.

Consequently, SLUGSTAIN would rather fit into a Hells Angels movie than in a gothic cathedral. In particular, vocalist Olli Onkamo sounds like a 60-years old grimly looking biker who spent half of his lifetime on the highways between Texas and North Dakota, but perhaps he is only gargling razorblades with rum. His voice is definitely pretty heavy and is a perfect complement to the filthy metal-soaked licks and riffs of guitarist Janne Savalainen. Needless to say, that each songs is black as night, whereas the consistency is comparable to fresh, black tar. If one considers that the band was founded in 2010, then it is remarkable how much experienced they sound. Even the production is extremely proffesional as well as the whole package. I'm looking fowrard to hear more material, because SLUGSTAIN show a lots of potential. They don't change the world, but will probably kick your ass.-CosmicLava.com



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