Review by Richard Henry for MPM
Here we go, the debut album from these guys, a couple of Eps out already but this is the first full length from these local guys, let’s dig in and see what they have to offer…
(Oh, by the way, hardly any slugs were salted during the making of this album)
The Ooze
An almost medieval style acoustic intro is the first thing to great you here, before a lone melody guitar comes in as well, nice guitar sound I might add when the main riff comes in, good production as well, tight and crisp, now there is some lovely bass work going on here as well, I like the shifting tempos and riffs on this, same as the vocals, lower gutturals to a more mid voice sort of growl, this is really reminding me of Mastodon for some reason, really nice melody riff in the middle changes the feel, almost like a Paradise Lost style part before we plough back into the more driving riff again, great opener, really sets the mark!
Balor
A nice sort of dragging groove on this and a nice sliding riff, screaming vocals over the top of it all, it’s a real ominous sort of pace and your expecting something to creep out at you, but we stay on that course till the middle section where we get a rolling tom groove over the riff and it splits up the track, then a bit of a more forward groove and a bit of double bass coming in, its riff after riff and there are some sledgehammer parts on this where it picks up the tempo in the last minute of the song before some lovely drum fills as the song goes thrash to the end!
Ancient Ways
Another almost COC style riff with a good dose of double bass then we settle into a really cool bass groove for a second before the guitars slam back in again, some nice harmony parts in there as well, I like the tempo shifts as well, keeps you guessing as to what’s coming up next and really propels the song forward, ooh that riff at the three min mark, that’s nasty, I love that, as it hits a really grindy section, some nice work on the bass there as well, and what’s this, the first solo so far, a really melodic almost Iommi affair in feel, really suits the track to be fair, then bang back into the riff-fest again!
Brutus
I like the start of that, almost like a slow thrashy riff, it’s a proper slow heavy, headbanger of a start to this one, aggressive vocals, then it changes again and a cool riff with an open string part then yet again it changes to a more syncopated riff that the kicks follow, this one definitely has a really aggressive character to it, some almost black metal feeling parts and that slower thrash blast part as well, short, sharp and to the point!
Mindless and Blind
Kicking off with the riff and then the bass and drums start to build alongside it, the bass sound is huge, and it really adds the weight into the verse part of this, oh is that a sort of blast before we hit a really heavy section before it goes to a double bass guitar riff, then the breaks and then there is a real stop start bit that will be brutally heavy live, there is a really nice counter point part between the bass and guitar in the middle section, it just adds a really nice feel to this section, that riff around 3:20 is really nice, still heavy but adding a bit of melody with the open strings around it, the songs just keeps grinding, unrelentless, then at the end there is a drum groove that follows the accents on the guitar riff, really cool songwriting there!
Ghost of the Ooze
The acoustic guitars are back for this track along with a sort of soundscape in the background, then the electric guitars creep in playing a melody, but quite far back in the mix so the acoustic is the main voice of this interlude.
Now why does this remind me of Morbid Angel, no idea but that’s a sludgy riff, then the groove hits and the whole song changes on its head, it’s a real sort of bouncy feeling verse part and then there is ana awesome sort of melody guitar riff comes in, Moonspell, that’s what that just reminded me of, not a bad comparison as I love those guys, that part about two mins in where it drops with the double bass is pretty crushing as well, that is some lovely bass work in the background of that melody guitar section, 100% my favorite track on the album!
Mogore the Unkind
Buckle in, this is a long one, Gojira anyone for that start riff, oh yeah 100% when the drums and bass come in, it’s like Toxic Garbage Island for sure, I love the two types of vocals and it’s used to great effect in this one, it’s an ominous slow dirgey groove to this, takes to near the four min mark till we get a change in direction and it picks up a bit, again really nice bass work in here as well, and the first taste of a spoken cleaner vocal, changes pace and riffs fly in and out, as you think you are heading to the track slowing and slowing down then it thrashes out and you realize how long the track was!
8.5 out of 10
It’s a great first album for sure, good playing and production, some of the tracks outstay their welcome or some sections could be shorter as in the last track, but apart from that, this is a great debut, hopefully I will get to see these guys up north at some point as I think live these songs will absolutely take on a life of their own, they do have two dates coming up at the start of May for anyone in Ireland, so get yourself down and support these guys!
Music, Merch and Tickets: HERE [1]
Socials: https://linktr.ee/tentonslug
‘Colossal Oppressor’ LP – May 1st
Pre-orders open now:
https://tentonslug.bandcamp.com/album/colossal-oppressor
