A lot of debate surrounds the subgenre of sludge metal. Fans find it hard to pin down exactly who started the it and where it's roots lie. One side argues The Melvins, hailing from the American West Coast, kickstarted sludge with their debut in 1987. The other side argues that New Orleans acts like Eyehategod, Acid Bath, and Crowbar laid the foundation for the genre. Honestly, why not find some peaceful middle ground? There is already enough in-fighting within the nearly infinite world of genre labeling. A better argument would be The Melvins started sludge metal and the New Orleans scene perfected it. The American South acts as a hotbed of sludge metal bands with Louisiana and Georgia turning out some of the genre's best. Soon after the debuts of New Orleans sludge bands came a wave of sludge metal from all over the globe like Iron Monkey in the UK and Corrupted from Japan. Now, sludge is a mainstay and like any other genre of music, is constantly evolving.
Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, sludge trio The Ditch and the Delta present a short but sweet follow-up to their 2017 Prosthetic Records debut Hives in Decline. That record showed a lot of potential for what the band could do. It's full of crushing riffs, laid back bluesy twang, and in-your-face dual vocal performances. Hives, much like this self titled follow-up, clocked in at just over 30 minutes. While short, the album acted as an easily digestible listen into TD&TD's sound. Despite being labeled as sludge metal, the band does more than the typical sounds seen within that genre. Even their label describes them as "sludgy math rock." The best descriptor comes from Hellound.ca from a review of TD&TD's EP We Rust. "One may hear early Melvins or Eyehategod one minute and the next hear Intronaut or even Pure era Godflesh sounds coming from their headphones." The band shows their respect for the progenitors of the genre while also including some other elements from other genres that they love.
With The Delta and the Delta, the band continues down the same path established on their debut while adding new elements to their sound. "Maimed" starts the album off with a bang. Pummeling riffs and dual vocals from bassist/vocalist Kory Quist and guitarist/vocalist Elliot Secrist get right to the point. The track bobs and weaves between the heavy hitting riffs of the intro to dissident chords and to pure drones. The bass is distorted but props up the heavily fuzzed out guitar tone well. The cymbal heavy, frantic drumming from Brian Fell is excellent. The track fades into the next "Exile" which starts with overdriven chords with some slight modulation. The lyrics "I felt old far too young. Gave in to dragging days" and "Stones, tell the stones, that I'm already gone" repeat throughout the song; focusing on how aging is a constant part of life. The track takes a more chordal approach with a few breakaway riffs (like the one featured in the outro) to keep listeners engaged.
The band slows things down considerably in the beginning portion of "Aesthetics of Failure," the longest track on the album. Fuzzy drones and discordant bends go on until the four minute mark, where Secrist atmospherically swells in various notes while the distorted bass drones and the drums maintain a slow pace. "Molt" and "Bleed the Sun" see the vocals take center stage with interesting lyrics. "Awake and alone, the night it started. Sweaty and fevered, I’m floating. Below me, my body molting." The lyrics reflect an out of body experience or a loss of self. The starting, reverb drenched riff is mimicked in a lower register later in the track. The lyrics of "Bleed the Sun" paint a more desolate picture of a doomed future. "Power is meaningless. All I’ll leave in this bizarre dream is this fact, your generations blew the future, and mine will end it." The riffs are loose, bluesy, and catchy with the drums keeping a tight beat.
Post-metal tones and the bending dissident chords see early in the album layer the penultimate track "Hiraeth." The song keeps an even mid-pace until a chugging heavy outro with the thought provoking question "Was it a life well lived?" being shouted out at the listener. The closer "Tectonic Selves" sees Secrist play a fast and mathy scalar run with some added octave effect at the start. The track features more of the bending and swelled in riffs return from "Aesthetics of Failure." The lyrics of the closer reflect a life changing experience, a huge shift, and being born anew."Shift. Take us under. Bend and break, melt us, take us under." With a huge ending riff accompanying the lyrics "Push us up anew. Through seasons of grieving and rejoicing."
Overall, The Ditch and the Delta is a great follow-up to the band's debut. It is the perfect length as to not overstay it's welcome but keep listeners wanting more. This album evokes vibes of Turbid North, another band with roots spreading far and wide in metal while still remaining true to their desired genre. Fans of doom metal will definitely enjoy the album and honestly, any fan of metal can find something to enjoy here. TD&TD have firmly planted their feet in the sludge metal genre while still being able to show love to their roots.
Stream/buy this album and the rest of The Ditch and the Delta's discography here
Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, sludge trio The Ditch and the Delta present a short but sweet follow-up to their 2017 Prosthetic Records debut Hives in Decline. That record showed a lot of potential for what the band could do. It's full of crushing riffs, laid back bluesy twang, and in-your-face dual vocal performances. Hives, much like this self titled follow-up, clocked in at just over 30 minutes. While short, the album acted as an easily digestible listen into TD&TD's sound. Despite being labeled as sludge metal, the band does more than the typical sounds seen within that genre. Even their label describes them as "sludgy math rock." The best descriptor comes from Hellound.ca from a review of TD&TD's EP We Rust. "One may hear early Melvins or Eyehategod one minute and the next hear Intronaut or even Pure era Godflesh sounds coming from their headphones." The band shows their respect for the progenitors of the genre while also including some other elements from other genres that they love.
With The Delta and the Delta, the band continues down the same path established on their debut while adding new elements to their sound. "Maimed" starts the album off with a bang. Pummeling riffs and dual vocals from bassist/vocalist Kory Quist and guitarist/vocalist Elliot Secrist get right to the point. The track bobs and weaves between the heavy hitting riffs of the intro to dissident chords and to pure drones. The bass is distorted but props up the heavily fuzzed out guitar tone well. The cymbal heavy, frantic drumming from Brian Fell is excellent. The track fades into the next "Exile" which starts with overdriven chords with some slight modulation. The lyrics "I felt old far too young. Gave in to dragging days" and "Stones, tell the stones, that I'm already gone" repeat throughout the song; focusing on how aging is a constant part of life. The track takes a more chordal approach with a few breakaway riffs (like the one featured in the outro) to keep listeners engaged.
The band slows things down considerably in the beginning portion of "Aesthetics of Failure," the longest track on the album. Fuzzy drones and discordant bends go on until the four minute mark, where Secrist atmospherically swells in various notes while the distorted bass drones and the drums maintain a slow pace. "Molt" and "Bleed the Sun" see the vocals take center stage with interesting lyrics. "Awake and alone, the night it started. Sweaty and fevered, I’m floating. Below me, my body molting." The lyrics reflect an out of body experience or a loss of self. The starting, reverb drenched riff is mimicked in a lower register later in the track. The lyrics of "Bleed the Sun" paint a more desolate picture of a doomed future. "Power is meaningless. All I’ll leave in this bizarre dream is this fact, your generations blew the future, and mine will end it." The riffs are loose, bluesy, and catchy with the drums keeping a tight beat.
Post-metal tones and the bending dissident chords see early in the album layer the penultimate track "Hiraeth." The song keeps an even mid-pace until a chugging heavy outro with the thought provoking question "Was it a life well lived?" being shouted out at the listener. The closer "Tectonic Selves" sees Secrist play a fast and mathy scalar run with some added octave effect at the start. The track features more of the bending and swelled in riffs return from "Aesthetics of Failure." The lyrics of the closer reflect a life changing experience, a huge shift, and being born anew."Shift. Take us under. Bend and break, melt us, take us under." With a huge ending riff accompanying the lyrics "Push us up anew. Through seasons of grieving and rejoicing."
Overall, The Ditch and the Delta is a great follow-up to the band's debut. It is the perfect length as to not overstay it's welcome but keep listeners wanting more. This album evokes vibes of Turbid North, another band with roots spreading far and wide in metal while still remaining true to their desired genre. Fans of doom metal will definitely enjoy the album and honestly, any fan of metal can find something to enjoy here. TD&TD have firmly planted their feet in the sludge metal genre while still being able to show love to their roots.
Stream/buy this album and the rest of The Ditch and the Delta's discography here
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