ATAVIST

How does Profound Lore keep finding these amazing bands? This time it is the ugly, sustaining roar of England's doom/sludge masters ATAVIST. Honestly folks, "II: Ruined" is one of the ugliest sludge albums you are likely to hear this year, and at over 70 minutes in length it is one long exercise in pain peddling that any true fan of the genre must have in his or her collection. Once again, the secret is the feelings conveyed by a good sludge/doom album; bands either pull it off or they don't and there is no real logical explanation as to why some have got the juice and others can't figure out what feedback and bass buzz is all about.

And when I say "ugly," I mean ugly like EYEHATEGOD and GRIEF, probably the best comparison points in describing "II: Ruined", which does in fact mix elements of both bands effectively. While the album tortures with prolonged sonic scrapes across the concrete, it also manages to change tempo on occasion and flavor the mix in a way that keeps it from being little more than an endurance test. After the somber, subsonic drone and a bass line that creeps ominously across the cold, wet ground on "I" (and which bleeds into the next track),"II" ultimately clobbers the listener over the head like a deranged Neanderthal and proceeds to slowly crush the life out of you for 15 minutes. Even here, there is something about the tune's subtle changes and aura of disgust that keeps one's attention. The 17-minute "III" is the album's beast, bruising and battering along in a way that results in an involuntary head nod as a sign of approval for the slow decay. Offering a break of sorts are the acoustic strums, piano slivers, and generally somber tone of "IV", before another 17-minute monolith hits the form of "V", this time with a gnarly, mid-tempo groove riff/beat that comes as a welcome surprise. Some clean strumming that leads to more sludge suffering on "VI" occurs before the disc wraps up with a most appropriate cover of GRIEF's "I Hate the Human Race". If that weren't enough, Justin Greaves (CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, ex-IRON MONKEY) and "UK alternative singer" Rose Kemp make appearances.

Much like the new BLOOD RED THRONE sounds like death metal is supposed to sound, ATAVIST's "II: Ruined" sounds like sludge is supposed to sound. Call this one a quintessential (and essential) sludge album. Christ, I'm still pissed off and grinding my teeth.