As most of
the remakable names in sludge metal-а the releases of the Englishmen HANG THE BASTARD are born in a hard way.
In difference
to their American colleagues they have a significant debut that is full of
the dissatisfaction of the metal-core bands. The press release for their new
release informs us for the new direction of the band but the rest from this
information isa sispicious silence, and this is not by accident...
The two years
long work on the new concept has pushed the band more into the stoner metal
gender. The softening of the guitar and vocal
sound is remarkable. The taste toward more listenable melodies reminds the
early wave of the British blues bands where the ready receipts are cooked
with a measured personal touch. This retro sound is dressed into „dirty”
sound that serves us the music submerged in a constant noise with high
frequences. This noise melts modern sludge influences with some experiments
of the psychedelic rock bands of the 70es. Fortunatelly the vocals are not mutilated with studio attempts for clear
singing! From the aggressive blend kept however is taken the pulse of
sincerety. In combination with the sound
desicion the vocals are closer to some abantguard black metal projects. So to
the inevitable comparisons to CREAM,
KYUSS, BLACK SABBATH I would add THE KOVENANT, although the clishe and the
inadequateness to all these comparisons.
Century Media took
HANG THE BASTARD in this transformation in a hazard way, as it seems to me, in the hunt
for new bands. There are lots of pleasant things for listening in „Sex in the Seventh Circle“. The lack is this that can blow you
away! The standard stoner references, the boring sound decoration and the vocals with no personality made of
their songs similar tracks. The promised riffs persist here but they are not the basis for the „completely
new direction“ of the band.
