DREADBEGGAR is a sludge/doom band from England; "Sludgefuck Blues" is their debut release. I picked this promo from our ever expanding list because of that crazy title. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I'm not disappointed because this five track, 25 minute EP is a straight up banger of an album. Have you ever wanted to know what kind of band sounds like being lit on fire, placed into a barrel then thrown over a cliff?  DREADBEGGAR answers that burning question.

As abrasive and uncompromising as this album is, it is all memorable with a metric ton of replay value. How does an album call "Sludgefuck Blues" pull this off?  Excellent song writing. Despite its brutality, all five songs are written to sound like, well songs, that push, pull and mold all this molten sludge into coherent tracks that are held together by undeniable groove.  There is also a stoner vibe to the songs, which helps offset some of the more extreme measures.

As the tittle would suggest, the riffs do indeed have a blues tone to them—-think old school doom metal but 700% nastier. "Sludgefuck," throws a muddy (with rocks too) groove at the face the moment the song begins. The bass and drums add an even more fervent layer to the muck. By the time the one minute mark has approached, the band has settled into beast mode, with the insane screaming vocals leading the way. Few things in life are better than a slow, pounding song laced with screaming and growling so the song's middle portion tickled my fancy.

"9mm Painkiller" speeds up the groove machine but the bass takes the atmosphere to a new level—primitively crushing. At this point, the vocals change the song into nothing more than angry noise—–hell yes!. If you're into bands like THOU and PRIMITIVE MAN (you better be), this song will appeal to your inner demon. Well, the whole album will appeal as well.

"The Scarring Of Succubus" begins slightly tame but the bass threatens to push it over the edge. What little restrain that makes up this slow and low groove is removed by the vocals. Have I said how much I enjoy them and how much more they help these songs bring out their insanity? The drums at the song's middle mark keep one hellish beat going while the bass hammers it in. It is downright beautiful in the worst way.

The album's sound seems to want to burst from my headphones and throttle me on "Misery Reciprocated." A simple but effective groove starts the song off right but once the band pushes it into overdrive,  all senses will fall as a musical steamroller crushes like a tube of toothpaste. The riffs stop and start for a half a second a time at the 2:34 mark, making the song into huge waves of pressure that just pushes into a broken shore. The vocals them explode in a spastic manner as the band rages out in such a dominating way that I almost didn't recover. A thick, slow riff begins the last song of the album, "Torment Addiction" but quickly gets an extra layer of punishment with the vocals that almost seem palpable. A scream around the 1:55 marks signify a slight tempo change. Notes grow more and more intense. Remember that barrel from earlier? Its in total free fall now.

"Sludgefuck Blues"  was a nice surprise and a vicious listen that pulled me back into its musical meat grinder for many listens.  I can't wait for a full length album—I bet it will crack the earth.