You would be doing yourself a great injustice to go through life without ever listening to Ten Ton Slug. The Ireland based sludge/doom act released their first EP Brutal Gluttonous Beast back in 2016, and are proud to share their follow up EP Blood and Slime. While Brutal Gluttonous Beast is a fun release with a terrific gritty sound, Blood and Slime is a massive step up for the band, presenting a much cleaner production that comes with vicious riffs and hypnotic groovy distortion.
While the EP is only three songs long, each track packs a superb energy behind it. The vibe and musicianship of the opening track “Slug Grinder” is in the name itself. While the drumming clashes away and the bass flows to a vibrant rhythm, it’s the guitar work that takes the spotlight. Its sludge sound makes for one of the best parts of the EP, and a quality that can be found in every track. The song progresses with a hefty grit that rides along in waves. The vocals also aid in the instrumental tone, playing into the material’s more aggressive style through its three tracks.
“Matriarch of Slime” slightly switches up its flow, the sludgy sound pumping away with more of a choppy progression. It shifts back into a smoother rhythm for some time, the transitions giving the material room to keep things fresh. Through each song the band is able to keep to this aggressive style of playing, all while providing this tense doom-like atmosphere. Both of these feelings feed the other, intensifying their effects. The EP ends on “Siege”, taking the previous sludge compositions we’ve heard in previous tracks, and dropping the tempo. This brings out a heavier sound from the bass, the guitar unleashing riff after riff of distortion loving ecstasy.
Blood and Slime is such a great EP, that the only thing one may want from it is to last longer. In three tracks alone, Ten Ton Slug present a captivating sludge/doom sound that rides away on sinister waves of distortion and aggression. These songs are so damn catchy and heavy, that it’s easy to find yourself keeping the EP on repeat, lost in the blissful hypnotic nature of Ten Ton Slug.
Just the other week we posted an article streaming the entire Blood and Slime EP, which you can find here.
Score: 9/10
