Things are progressing nicely for Hull’s sludge metal outfit Battalions. Along with the positive reception to their self-released sophomore Moonburn last year, they also got to play the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Festival. Though I’m a bit late to the party, it’s time to look at what all the hype is about.
Right from the opening track “Skinjob”, you’re faced with an onslaught of filthy riffs writhing in a disgusting, fuzzy guitar tone, which is perfect for sludge metal. If you can peel through all the fuzz and distortion, you’ll notice that their riffs appear to be heavily influenced by classic metal bands such as Black Sabbath and contemporary rockers Clutch, but taken to a new level. This allows for moments such as the title track to have a bouncy classic metal tempo to them while still being ten times heavier, complemented neatly by the abrasive screams of vocalist Phil Wilkinson.
Moonburn’s approach to sludge metal seems to allow a lot more freedom for Battalions than other albums tend to do for other bands in the genre, without venturing into progressive territory a la Mastodon. They experiment a lot with less heavy progressions and grooves which, if you took out the fuzz and added clean vocals, would work well in any classic rock band, but mix it well with modern and more extreme influences to still keep it firmly in the sludge sphere, taking time to slow things to a crawl when necessary. “Betrayal & Delusion” is a good showcase of Wilkinsons’s rasping vocals, as he wails through Pete Cross and Mark Wood’s heavy as fuck riffs, which are at their most punishing here. Sam Orr’s cameo on “Amazonian Woman” is a nice touch too, adding a flashy guitar solo where other tracks beforehand had eschewed them.
The main problem for this album, though, comes in its length. At just 26 minutes, we’re left feeling like Moonburn could have had a lot more to offer. Some songs feel a bit rushed, and if they had slowed things down a bit, then they could have become even heavier, instead of leaning so much on their classic metal influences. Being a mid- or uptempo sludge metal band is not unheard of, but bands in this genre tend to be at their most punishing when they slow things down and really focus on hammering home the guitars amid a wall of noise and distortion, such as on closing track “Another Meaning for Death”. It’s clear that the guys in Battalions are capable of more, and hopefully they can show us that in their next album.
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