Lord Mantis - Spawning the Nephilim
I'll be honest, I have a very special place in my heart for quality doom and sludge metal and Lord Mantis play music that I can't help but love.
I was late getting this release but thank god I finally did, because it is one sludgy beast.Lord Mantis hails from Chicago and features members of Indian, Avichi, and an ex-member of Nachtmystium, which might have you expecting to hear complex soundscapes and experimentation, but you'd be wrong. Spawning the Nephilim exists for the sole purpose of kicking your fucking teeth in, one riff at a time.
From a an unbiased point-of-view, which I am forcing myself in to, this album doesn't do much to expand the sludge genre on the whole, but that's not really a bad thing. There are plenty of bands trying to recreate doom and sludge and, frankly, I'm getting a little tired of it. That's not to say that I don't love bands like Kylesa and Baroness (less so for the latter), but every now and then I just want some straight forward, no frills sludgy doom metal that's free of pretension and all about being brutal as fuck. Guess what? I just described Lord Mantis.
This album plays like a wrecking ball. It's filled with huge riffs and grooves, and each track has a very distinct feeling that adds to the atmosphere of the entire album. The vocals are guttural lows and screeching highs layered on top of one another, which really helps the album stand apart from a lot of other doom/sludge bands working today. The guitars are chunky and fuzzy, while the drums focus heavily on keeping the grooves going, and at times even take on a tribal feel.
For me, Spawning the Nephilim is a winner, and most definitely holds a place on my "Best of 09" list. I can't say that the same will be true for everyone. I understand why I love this record, it's nostalgic and represents pretty much everything that metal is about. If you fancy yourself a doom or sludge fan, I urge you to check this out.
xoxo
Beardo
From a an unbiased point-of-view, which I am forcing myself in to, this album doesn't do much to expand the sludge genre on the whole, but that's not really a bad thing. There are plenty of bands trying to recreate doom and sludge and, frankly, I'm getting a little tired of it. That's not to say that I don't love bands like Kylesa and Baroness (less so for the latter), but every now and then I just want some straight forward, no frills sludgy doom metal that's free of pretension and all about being brutal as fuck. Guess what? I just described Lord Mantis.
This album plays like a wrecking ball. It's filled with huge riffs and grooves, and each track has a very distinct feeling that adds to the atmosphere of the entire album. The vocals are guttural lows and screeching highs layered on top of one another, which really helps the album stand apart from a lot of other doom/sludge bands working today. The guitars are chunky and fuzzy, while the drums focus heavily on keeping the grooves going, and at times even take on a tribal feel.
For me, Spawning the Nephilim is a winner, and most definitely holds a place on my "Best of 09" list. I can't say that the same will be true for everyone. I understand why I love this record, it's nostalgic and represents pretty much everything that metal is about. If you fancy yourself a doom or sludge fan, I urge you to check this out.
xoxo
Beardo
Its alright...I didn't really get into it..maybe I need to give it another shot. You should check out that new Mammoth Grinder..If you threw death/doom/grind/sludge/thrash/hardcore in a blender, you would be pretty close. They should probably tour with Lords...they seem to have a similar aesthetic.
ReplyDeleteI got that Mammoth Grinder when you posted it on the swamp. It's killer.
ReplyDeleteI've been listening to this Lord Mantis the past couple of days, and I'm not incredibly impressed. There brand of sludge is definitely more punk influenced than metal influenced. Not that that's a bad thing. I love bands like Damad that pull it off.
ReplyDeleteBut if sludge is a hard genre to do well. You're stuck in the middle between two very different styles: doom metal vs. hardcore punk. Lord Mantis just doesn't seem to know how to fit themselves in. They lack the theatrics of metal and the raw emotional authenticity of hardcore.
It comes off as just being bland in the end.
@Chim
ReplyDeleteI have to respectfully disagree. I feel that both metal theatrics and raw emotion are integrated well into this album.
The one thing I will say is that the sound they are going for is a very singular vision that doesn't deviate much, which for me is charming in a way, but I can see how some people would think it's bland.