Harrow- Middlesex. Home of a posh school where many of the country’s elite have been churned out to pollute or improve our society for centuries. It is also the home of the delightfully monickered Hang the Bastard.
These West London Sludge lords have been fucking up ear drums since 2007 and “Sex in the Seventh Circle” is their second full length , following like a truculent teen after 2010’s “Hellfire Region”.
If you bore witness, as I did, to HTB laying waste to a tent at Sonisphere this summer or have seen them in a sweaty venue ( I would never call anywhere a dive – I love those places) somewhere in the Metal Kingdom you will have an inkling what to expect.
Riffs. In fact that does it no justice . RRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! There is an imperial fucktonne of riffs on this recording and each one is a message from the Hangman overlords to bang your head and shake your money maker. Only the pace changes. The intensity never wavers.
Opener “Keeping Vigil” opens like a track from Excalibur (the film) before galloping head first into some groove laden sludgey metal with hints of Immortal at their most epic. Then the vocals hit.
I had forgotten about Tom Hubbard and his organic throat of destruction. The rasps and Black Metal strangled style offsets the music perfectly. For newcomers to the band the first reaction may be bewilderment as the riffs at first suggest a more doomy approach to vocal proceedings but Tom – who was the bass player before taking on the mic displays pure punk sludge credentials in using his voice as the perfect foil for the rest of the band.
Everything here sounds so big – the drums and bass are thunderous and I don’t want to over egg the pudding that is the riffs but come on! The vocals are a splash of colour across a deliciously dark canvas, a slash of red lipstick across a camo painted face.
Morrs Tempest takes the listener on a slow ride round the woods, by dragging you by the ankles and hitting your head on every stump. Hornfel that follows has a familiarity that made me greet it like an old friend, yet it does not appear to plagiarise or take on loan from any other bastard. It just feels like it was waiting for me, lurking somewhere before falling into step and assimilating into my musical life. This is the one that is getting plays on The MattCave I tell thee.
There is a minute of drug based folly which can be easily skipped – “The Lesser Key” and then it is back to rib shaking heaviness with “The Majestic Gathering of Goetia “ Bit of a NOLA sound mixed with Sabs here and plenty to get fans of Crowbar hot under their beards.
“Mists of Albion” slooows things dooooowwwwwnnnnnn. Clean vocals and a psychedelic groove set the scene before a fuzzed up guitar piggy backs on the back of it. Hints of Thee Hypnotics , Loop and Trouble here and the drums manage to sound like Dr Avalanche (one for the Goffs) . At 7 mins long this is definitely one for the green fingered listener. I myself prefer the bastards when they are flying straight at me wielding a rainbow coloured cut throat razor (figuratively speaking of course). This happens with the title track. Mentioning the Sister’s just now was not a bad thing. There is a swirling melody in this track that is reminiscent of Mr Eldritch’s output between the first two albums matched. This band are like Mr Ben the sludge years. So many different hats and costumes are worn by them and each fits perfectly. The amalgamation of influences gives them an air of freshness in a genre where everyone with a beard wants a NOLA tattoo and a bongwater enema. “Absorption” and Beyond the Pale” keep my head banging and toes tapping – making typing this really difficult I am surprised there are not mure taypos
If you have read this far you would expect these North West London scoundrels to finish as large as they started and “Sweet Mother” does not disappoint. This track epitomises Hang the Bastards sound Sludgey Groove meets Psyche wig out in a Riff factory. I am not a supporter of capital punishment but for this lot I don my black cap.
(9/10 Matt Mason)
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