Chaotic doom-sludge metal assault from Khost on Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us (COLD SPRING RECORDS CSR313CD); this is the fifth full-length from this Birmingham band, prompting us to think for about five seconds about what Black Sabbath would have thought of how their legacy has quickly mutated into this form of messy gigantism.
Last heard some years ago with the suffocating Buried Steel album, where Andy Swan and Damian Bennett came forward as the main perpetrators of this sonic violence, whereas today the presentation is more anonymous, apart from the named guest contributors. Jo Quail’s cello on ‘The Fifth Book of Agrippa’ is admittedly pretty outstanding, and the combined effects of this harrowing track are considerable. Elsewhere we find Terence Hannum from Locrian, Manuel Liebeskind from Berlin adding vocals, and even a sample handed in by Iron Fist Of The Sun. While at least 50% of these guests are tainted with one extreme metal genre or another, the inclusion of Quail is almost worthy of a Sunn O))) extravagance.
According to the press, the band aimed to produce the most “disorienting” production possible, feeding on their own live shows and soundchecks to reap further ideas for this unholy mix of deathly-doom poundage, nasty electric noise, and industrial-inspired moves. Even remix culture is in their sights; Adrian Stainburner and Bereneces have been roped in to remix two tracks on the CD, and apparently the vinyl pressing offers a different mix, made by the band, instead of the Martin Bowes production. Grim fare, but occasionally exhilarating, and bonus marks for the stylistic mix of flavours and styles thrown into the basin. (10/10/2024)