Throughout our lives, we are told that there are ‘three little words’ that will make us feel special, connected, and valued more than any other. Words that are magic, and have inspired countless generations. After listening to Nightslug’s latest release, Loathe, it’s perfectly clear that these three little words are ‘German Sludge Metal’.
Besides winning points for their name alone, the Dusseldorf natives have crafted what could well be one of the sludge albums of the year. Opener ‘Vile Pigs’ kicks in with a truly filthy bass line and a spoken word sample from House Of 1000 Corpses , before continuing with a relentless doom infused assault. ‘Loathe’ is angular and aggressive, with F. Slug’s drums possessed of a simplistic punk intensity, and a riff that is brimming with jagged grooves.
The trio really start to lock into something vital from ‘The Thrill is Gone – Repulsion’ onwards. It’s a huge, doomy, lumbering beast that is the darkest and most introverted track on the record, with P. Slug’s tone an edifice of filth. ‘Under A Bane’ is utterly rampant, a savage of tempo and clattering drums, where all three instruments mesh into one whole that bludgeons you around the face.
‘Disease’ is the album’s centerpiece, a lengthy, methodical monster that starts with a buzzing stoner-esque riff before a dense wall of tone crushes you flat, and somehow inexplicably gets heavier and dirtier as the song progresses. Things tale off a little from here, with the more minimalist, electro-oddity infused ‘Pure’ and closer ‘Tainted Throne’ being capable, but less stand-out than the previous tracks.
Nightslug keep it relatively brief at seven track, which allows you a decent chunk of sludgy goodness without forcing you to drown in too much of the same thing. What you have instead are a sextet of sludgey tunes possessed of the bleak, nihilistic horror fond in acts like Indian but with the burly, angular riffing of genre staples like Eyehategod. If they can kill the over-reliance on vocal effects, their next release could stand up as something nearing perfection.
