Old Mayor

In a limited edition of only 500 copies, OLD MAYOR’s crushing EP offers a refreshing sojourn along the well-worn sludge/doom metal route. Demonstrating a wholly organic sound and approach, the focused two-piece shovel forth six tracks of zeal-laden, shattering extreme music.

Down-tempo dirges are peppered with energetic and surprising drum fills; at times, the drummer seems like a tightly wound coil that lashes out sporadically before returning to a consistent, heavy-handed beat. The guitars ache with that “wall-of-sound” wail typical of the genre while managing to remain varied enough to hold the attention of the listener. Over this is laid an excellent vocal performance that ranges from guttural howls to high-pitched, gnarling shrieks reminiscent of BURNING WITCH.

There is a tangible, yet oddly inexplicable, effervescence to this release, an energy that brings a freshness to the BURNING WITCH, and subsequently, KHANATE-like (in parts!) proceedings.

Adorned with ambiguous visuals - something now commonplace in contemporary extreme sounds, especially of this genre - they act well to mirror the stripped-back approach found on the record while also working to unsettle when placed next to the fantastically bleak and challenging lyrical content: “I gave her two black eyes, for her troubles…”

While this is a record that could, unfortunately, slip under many a radar, OLD MAYOR do not look set to remain quiet for any length of time. Having already supported the likes of BORIS and RUSSIAN CIRCLES, the London/Brighton-based noise merchants look prone to push their wares and to reverberate in countless ears in the near future.