Detroit

Hedorah are another one of those filthy bands that mix sludge with all that is filthy. While they are competent at what they do, many other bands in this vein have done it better. This is another one of those albums steeped in degradation, drug abuse and all consuming misery. They definitely have a handle on this vibe. That said, this is rather sloppy. Obviously sloppiness to some degree fits the style, but here this is sloppy as in it's just messy and not fully cohesive. It surely meets its objective of feeling fucked up and thoroughly revolting, but there really is just nothing here that makes it any more worth listening to than the next band of this ilk.

Like many bands sharing this sonic aesthetic, they can be described as a rotten cesspool of all that is heavy and scummy. Besides the predominant sludge element, these guys really go to town on what influences they allow to creep in. We've got a pretty prominent hardcore/crust inclusion, especially present in the anguished shouting. Grindcore, death metal, doom and even lingering black metal tremolo also worm their way into the mix. Although many bands successfully integrate these influences seamlessly, here cohesion is not fully attained. I suppose it could have been even sloppier, but this just isn't a fully realized package. Perhaps the biggest problem with this release is a lack of viable flow. Everything has a difficult time meshing together. Instead of forming a convincing sound of their own, it just feels like fragments thrown against the wall in order to see what will stick.

The mixing is pretty bad, as instruments almost seemed juxtaposed over each other, rather than everything seeming like it was meant to be that way. The drums themselves are well executed, but don't always work with everything else that is going on, often operating at uncomplimentary tempos. There are also sections based of swirling feedback, which does fit the sound, but it just sounds unconvincing when these dudes try their hands at it. Many of the riffs are also unmemorable. The intro and outro to this EP are quite the nuisance. Being entirely unnecessary and rather irritating. The faux-demonic voice or whatever the hell they were attempting is a half baked inception with a poor execution.

These guys just come off as filthy sludge band with insert other abrasive influences here number 4567. Their playing is sloppy, their sound is not cohesive and this really doesn't have anything to offer that the next band playing a similar style couldn't provide better. It also seems a bit weird that the band released this as an EP and not a demo. It certainly is demo quality. This shows little potential and doesn't really provide a reason to come back to it. Completely disposable.