NIGHTSLUG is a Sludge Metal band from Düsseldorf, Germany, and their sound certainly matches their name. Their down-tuned, droning riffs undulate and pulsate with raw energy, and they are the musical equivalent of a garbage truck rumbling down the street. They formed in 2011, and have released one demo and an EP prior to this album.

"Vile Pigs" is the first track on the album, and it kicks you right in the teeth. This album just oozes with anti-establishment, counter culture vibe. The frantic energy is only matched by a first responder answering a call of a bomb scare at the high school, and the feedback guitars act as a siren warning you of something horribly awry. Just take a look at the caution tape yellow and black album cover.

"Loathe", the title track picks up the pace a bit, giving breadth to their concrete sound. "Loathe" is followed by "The Thrill Is Gone - Repulsion" which i would imagine is a nod to the late B.B. King, although bears no resemblance to the original. It is HUGE. "Under a Bane" kicks the living hell out of you, and at the least bites a huge chunk out of your consciousness.

"Disease" is the longest track on the album, and starts with dissonant guitar, only slightly less grease-caked, and quickly propels you into a doom epic.  The mammoth-like riffs totally immerse you, as the feedback and distorted guitars are perfectly juxtaposed together. "Pure" is just downright dirty with a funky edge.  It's the soundtrack to kicking a hornets nest and getting stung multiple times.

"Tainted Throne", the final song, is very bass-heavy. It is the final round K.O. to cap off an excellent album. "Loathe" is a hot and nasty trip through the swamp, and it is a spot-on narrative to our fragmented modern society. I would definitely recommend it.