Lordship - Lordship

Lordship - Lordship

Self released - February 2020

Sludge, doom

Rated: ****

Unearthed from the dark corners of Cincinnati, Ohio, sludge trio Lordship emerge with their self-titled debut to flatten all before them. Right off the bat, the guitar tone of opener "Lizard Queen" sets the mood with a disgustingly thick, crackling mass of fuzz that drags itself forward into Electric Wizard-style riffing. After layering on crashing drums and guttural vocals, the bass somehow tops the preceding heaviness with cavernous bottom end that's no doubt a physical experience live. This lethal combination continues throughout the five tracks, lurching from the desert groove of "Leviathan" to the unrelenting Conan-level pummel of "Age of Fire". There's a strong current of doom within the ear-splitting sludge as well, essential in the realization of Lordship's suffocating and morose sound. The guitar slices into the lumber of "Tunnel Dweller" to fill the cut's second half with a wailing, classic solo, and builds off the head-nodding momentum of closer "Light Bringer" with a lesson in epic doom shredding before crumbling into a bass-and-drum wall of sound.Lordship's debut is one of the heaviest releases of the year so far, combining ungodly tone with an expertly crafted, engulfing atmosphere to deliver five gripping slabs of doomed sludge.

(Written by Shastabeast)

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