Not being familiar with this heavy sludge-type groove metal I didn’t have much of preconceived ideas – or anything else really – to compare it to, but in a way that’s better, I think. I listened to it and on what I heard… I liked it. The Black Swamp is based on the Gold Coast, but apart from that, I’m not sure how long they have been together. They sound like they have formed a strong bond as a band and have found themselves in their own corner of the Australian Metal scene.
Foulness is the title of this EP but there is nothing foul about it. It had me grooving about with a little swagger in my step.
Everything seems to work well… heavy blues record, heavy guitar riffs, thudding bass, and drums combined with powerful vocals and a growl when needed.
The first track Medal of Horror opens up with feedback into a rolling riff with a double kick from the drums and guitars. The vocals are harsh but still, I can hear the lyrics which I liked. The Fight Inside is a bass-heavy song with a cool guitar solo, going back into the riff of the song.
This isn’t a fast-paced album but that’s the whole point. It has tons of groove and is heavy as hell. Each track has its own home style power with a touch of The Black Swamp.
The whole EP is cool and the idea of having a full-length album of this metal is appealing to me.
Now I feel like I need to sip a little of the moonshine and catch me some ‘gators.
The Black Swamp: Facebook
Release Year: 2014
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Adrian ‘Dren’ Barham
