Seum - Winterized

 

 

Seum - Winterized
Self released - June 2021
Sludge, doom
Rated: ****

From the filthy, sludge-caked opening bass riff, Montreal's "doom 'n' bass trio" Seum make their mission known: stomp, pummel, and generally lay waste, a goal their first LP Winterized very much accomplishes. Sporting only a bass, drums, and paint-peeling vocals, Seum do more with less and deliver one of the nastiest, heaviest slabs of sludge out this year.  Opener "Sea Sick Six" blasts out of the gate with earthquake-level low end, the gnarly bass tone threatening to rumble the lower-than-low tuned strings right off the neck. Heavy handed drumming keeps pace with high impact, rolling grooves, of which there is an abundance across the record, and the first screams are appropriately blood curdling. Beneath the sludge assault is an underlying doomy vibe, however, that brings weighted nod to the abrasive aggro. "Broken Bones", another standout cut, shows off deft drumming with a bouncing, start-stop rhythm paired with barked vocals that sounds like a nastier Pod People. Doom rears its head once again with long, booming notes that don't ring out as much as drag themselves through the sonic muck. The track's conclusion is an explosion of noise, with throat destroying screams that hold their own against the instrumental chaos. Whether leaning into slower nod in "Black Snail Volcano" or smashing out an unexpectedly earworm chorus in "Red Sematary", Seum have a deathgrip hold on their particularly rotten flavor of sludge, and masterfully deliver the uncompromisingly heavy experience that is Winterized.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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