SLOWER – Rage And Ruin

Formed as a vehicle for playing Slayer classics at a doom metal tempo, Slower had the potential to be the greatest “novelty” band ever. They were smart, though: once you’d got past the amusement of hearing some of your favourite speed-oriented metal bangers played as funereal dirges, their debut album held up on its own merits. Fu Manchu man Bob Balch and members of Kylesa, Monolord and Year of The Cobra each bought their own unique talents to the project, and each of the tracks played out like the ultimate in classic doom and sludge fare. The result certainly wasn’t what Tom Araya had envisaged, but it was fantastic to hear a new twist on the classics.

Realising that such a novel concept just wouldn’t stretch to a second album, Slower branch out on ‘Rage and Ruin’. Not musically, especially, but in terms of material. The six track offering adds two more Slayer classics to the Slower canon, but also introduces the world to the supergroup’s own songwriting styles.

Exploring those Slayer tunes first, both are worthy successors to the picks on the Slower debut. The once relentlessly fast and death metal tinged ‘Haunting The Chapel’ is the stronger of the pair, since it’s clearly been rebuilt from the ground up. A burst of feedback opens the piece, promising a volume driven affair, and within seconds, Slower hit upon a classic stoner-doom groove that doesn’t disappoint. Tonally, it’s very ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’, but presented with a little extra crunch and a touch more swagger, it has a much more contemporary feel. Sliding into the verse, things feel a little darker, but there’s a great melody cutting through Amy Tung Barrysmith’s vocal, which takes on more of an occult doom style. It’s practically unrecognisable as the old Slayer number, but in the best possible way. A great track eventually becomes a superb one when Slower approach the middle eight which, here, actually allows them to inject a little more speed. Bob Balch switches from a classic doom riff to a punchier stoner metal groove; drummer Esben Willems drops in a couple of massive fills, and bursts of lead guitar convey an extra energy. Making room for a lead break with a buzzing edge, Balch plays up a storm, but it’s when his second solo appears – augmenting a backdrop that’s closer to the original groove – that his playing really makes a mark. Filling the second half of the number with an extended metal lead that fuses stoner rock sounds with shrill blues fills and, eventually, a few mangled sounds that obviously came from the Jeff Hanneman school, he really steals the show. Perhaps the best thing about this cover, though, is that it isn’t actually slow at all, at least from a doom metal perspective; it’s just slow compared to the source material. As you’d hope, this is vastly different from the original cut, but strong enough to stand up on its own terms. If you enjoyed the Slower debut then this cover is worth the price of admission.

‘Chemical Warfare’, meanwhile, is almost as impressive. By opening with a sludge metal tone and chugging guitar set against tribal drums, it wastes no time in advertising Slower’s heaviest side. The grumbling bass is equally powerful, since it adds more weight to a perfect doom-sludge hybrid. Slowing down for the pre-chorus, the band explores a pure doom sound, which shares a riff that’s in no hurry to go anywhere, but knows its perfect for the haunting cry delivered by Tung Barrysmith. By repeating the whole sequence, Slower allow the listener to really get to grips with this sludge version of a classic on its own terms, before the second half of the track introduces more of a classic metal sound. By mixing elements of the NWOBHM with a stodgy doom groove, it allows Balch to deliver another fretboard melting solo. By going straight back into the doom after that, Slower sound weightier than ever, but there’s plenty about the echoing vocal and a second solo from Bob – this time with a bluesier feel – that feels like classic Slower.

The very best of the original tunes, ‘Sins of The Dead’ kicks off with a classic sludge riff sounding like Sabbath played at half speed, and the massive, swampy sound is more than complimented by a great vocal where Amy gets to explore a much bigger crying tone. There’s a definite shift from the Slower/Slayer blueprint, allowing the vocal a little more space, but never so much to destroy the great atmospheres that have already been set in place. This slow, classic doom-centric workout also showcases fine guitar work from Balch, whether working a sludge riff buried in layers of distortion or sharing a semi-atonal solo which comes full of mangled notes in a faux Hanneman style, mixed with a couple of great bluesy runs. It’s one of those heavy tracks that, no matter where you drop in, you’ll find some superb riffs, along with an atmosphere that runs rings around half of the bands on the doom circuit at the time of release.

‘Gates of Hell’ gets off to a slow start with Balch sharing an unaccompanied doom blues riff. Even when the rhythm section kicks in, this is a number that doesn’t really move far from a basic heavy and doomy remit: the drums are approached in a funereal fashion, with Esben dropping a very slow groove against the guitar, and even the vocal notes appears to have been stretched to extremes. Like a deep cut from Crowbar slowed for dramatic effect, the weight in the sound is hugely oppressive, and the first three minutes of this number seem to go on for an eternity! Realising this needs something to temper it, Slower approach the remainder of the track in a very different way, with Esben adopting with a tribal rhythm, Amy bending her voice around a faster riff, and Bob mixing more of a Sabbath-esque sound with some great lead work. Even when the original riffs make a belated return, the drums are afforded a more interesting approach, with Esben adding a few busier bass fills to lift everything. Perhaps due to the best bits of this record being so strong, this misses the mark a little, but fans of Tung-Barrysmith’s vocal style should still find something to enjoy.

Bookending the record, you’ll find a couple of very solid sounding, sludge-filled workouts. ‘Hellfire’ opens with a mix of spooky riffing and heaviness that takes influence from Slayer’s slower numbers like ‘Dead Skin Mask’ before Balch drops into a mid tempo sludge groove. The contrast of the two styles presents itself as “classic Slower” even at this early stage, and the way he adds extra interest via a few bluesy leads shows off a track with a strong musical root, whilst the repeated vocal refrain of “he walks through the valley of death” gives the album its strongest hook. For your average sludge/doom fan, there won’t be any musical surprises here, but the playing is top notch, and the way Balch interjects with a busy lead break still manages to tip the hat to Slayer’s love of huge solos, despite this being a wholly original work. The title cut boasts a horror themed intro that, again, wouldn’t be out of place on an album like ‘South of Heaven’, and as the haunting melody continues, Amy’s choice of quiet, spooky vocal is inspired. Things don’t stay on the mellow side for long, of course… A full sized guitar riff, introduced somewhere around two minute mark, plays like a doomy tribute to the main riff from ‘Raining Blood’ and the twin lead sound adds a genuine bombast to a doomy feel. In addition, a couple of fills take in an almost Arabic influence to make this feel very different to the rest of the LP. Amy’s voice sometimes feels a little lost in the swamp, but if you’re happy to approach this as a dense and haunting piece where Slower’s riffs value atmospherics over everything else, it’s still an enjoyable listen.

This album gives fans another largely superb slab of doom. You’d not expect much less from the musicians involved, but it plays brilliantly for the most part. Most people will likely approach it wanting to hear a couple more Slayer tunes put through the wringer, but in fairness, those are outshone by the immense sounding ‘Sins of The Dead’, which ranks as one of the best sludgefests of ’24. In short, if you’re disappointed that Slower MKII isn’t wall to wall Slayer, or are miffed by the absence of Kylesa’s Laura Pleasants or Kyuss legend Scott Reeder, then you really shouldn’t be. This is everything you’d want from a top notch doom-sludge outing…and more. Heavy, slow, and wonderfully swampy sounding, ‘Rage and Ruin’ is a riff-laden treat.

October 2024

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