Saturday 1 July 2017

Causticgod - Sullen Sanctuary (Album Review)


Release date: July 1st 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Sullen Sanctuary – Tracklisting

1.Mourning Scorn 07:31
2.Bound To Abandon 05:15
3.Convergence 05:59
4.Epoch 04:46
5.Precelestial Sojourn 03:27
6.The Infected 05:37
7.Warning High 05:23
8.Illusory Solution 06:22

Band Members:

Tom Clarke - Vocals
Ross Duffy - Guitar
JJ Harrison - Bass
Dan Walsh - Guitar
Stephen Todd - Drums

Review

Causticgod's debut album – Sullen Sanctuary – is finally upon us and it's a FUCKING MONSTER. There's no other way to describe this album. Sullen Sanctuary is built upon a foundation of Doom, Sludge, Stoner and classic Heavy Metal riffs. The band are made up of members from bands such as Astralnaut, Two Tales of Woe, Bad Boat and War Iron. So that should tell you that this band knows how to create a loud, mean and heavy riff.

Causticgod style of music owes much to the classic sounds of 80s Heavy Metal but the band inject a more modern sounding Doom/Sludge/Stoner based sound. Opening track – Mourning Scorn – is a pissed off and mean sounding track with the band having a cool DIY approach to their music. The vocals from Tom take some time to get used to. Though it's great to hear vocals such as this. As Tom's vocals are raw and straight from the heart. The riffs have a slight DOWN and NOLA based influence to them. This song is a great indication on what to expect on the rest of the album.

Second track – Bound To Abandon – has a more classic rock feel compared to the opening track and it shows Causticgod's versatility as a band. The sound can be quite “tinny” at times but you can see and feel what the band are trying to create here. With Traditional/Heavy Metal riffs with against modern sounding riffs. Tom's vocals are centre stage yet again and he makes his presence known with his OTT performance.

Though that's one of the album's strengths as Tom doesn't hold back at all on this album. You can feel and hear every note that he sings. Some people maybe put off by Tom's vocals and the slightly underwhelming production that appears on the later stages of the album. Sullen Sanctuary is still a genuinely exciting album that has a lot to offer for the more traditional heavy metal fan.

Other great songs to check out are: Convergence, Epoch, The Infected and Illusory Solution. All showing Causticgod are a highly talented band indeed. This album may fly under the radar within the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal community and that would be a shame. As Sullen Sanctuary deserves to find a bigger audience as possible.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

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