DEAD - Raving Drooling

  

DEAD - Raving Drooling
WeEmptyRooms/Wantage USA/Rock Is Hell/Forbidden Place Records - 2020
Sludge, stoner, doom
Rated: *****

The latest in an outrageously prolific catalog, Aussie sludgers DEAD have re-released new full length Raving Drooling with the excellent Forbidden Place Records, and it's a monster. From the outset of opener "Remorse", the two-piece, co-owners of label WeEmptyRooms, make no bones about their massive sound. The drums are booming and ominous, avalanching like some march to war, and the tectonic low end busts in to hammer the point home. A mix of clean and growled vocals furthers the already dynamic instrumentation, and running beneath the noise is a taut sense of danger. "Digging Holes" adds a catchy chorus to twisting riffs and a molasses-thick churn of distortion, broken up by wild drum fills. The combination of sludgy riffs and big drums is DEAD's recipe for success, topped with a weirdness and aggression that mixes perfectly with their Big Business sensibilties. There's no weak track in the bunch, but if one were to be highlighted, "Nunchukka Superfly" is a special treat. The quaking bass rumbles through the tune's thrash attack, resulting in Black Cobra and High on Fire levels of heaviness. Closer "Follow the Breathing" takes the opposite approach with a relentlessly slow plod, the bass grinding out its murky tone while the drums trudge slowly on. Raving Drooling is unique and thrillingly creative sludge that stands tall and then some among today's heavy.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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