Battalions ‘Nothing To Lose’ DD 2015

Heavy sludge from the wastelands of Hull, if that doesn’t sound depressive to you, then I don’t know what will get you down. You probably listen to the wrong kind of music, but that’s another matter. We’re talking here about Battallions (from Hull) who are set to release a new album titled Nothing To Lose.

One thing we can directly state, is that Battallions definitely is not a band made for the more lofty and complex work, this is full frontal, groovy sludge that feels like a straight punch into the gut. There is little subtlety in the music of these Britons, but there is a lot of riff. So much and so good, that in a way it’s all I want to talk about.

Surprisingly, the band is not limited to thick, heavy guitar work, but also knows how to put a little bit of melody into their tracks. This puts a bit of extra groove sauce onto the thick mixture already in place, giving the band a bit of a desert vibe as well. I mean, if this band was standing in the kitchen that would be one hell of a heavy meal with some fat, thick sauce. That’s kinda how they sound, with a whole lot of groove, like on the smooth sounding Hoods Up Knives Out.

The band features Mark Wood, who used to play in black metallers Winterfylleth, but there’s not much of that influence still there. The guitars are downtuned and heavy, the vocals are more like hardcore shouts and the band is way closer to Kyuss and EyeHateGod then any band in the black corner. All the titles seem to have some funny word jokes going on, like Bog Faced Roy and Deadbeat Dad Beat Dad.

In just 27 minutes the band goes through their 8 songs, which all sound as bad ass as you’d think they do. The production of the album is excellent, creating the right balance and leaving the fuzzy distortion where it should be. It helps creating that full on sound the band needs. Only once does the gang have some sampling, which is on Shitstorm Troopers, which is another title by an addled brain. It matters not, the band produces an excellent record with Nothing To Lose that should be a no brainer for those who love their sludge thick and tasty.

Label: Self Released
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | SoundCloud

Scribed by: Guido Segers