STONEBIRDS is an post stoner/sludge/doom metal band from France.  "Collapse and Fail" is their fourth full length album, in addition to having  an EP and one split under their belt. The overall sound of "Collapse and Fail," nails down the sludge/doom side of the album.  The instrumentation is often times firmly planted in between "crushed by an elephant," and "bludgeoned by giants," but it isn't heavy for the sake of it.  The post elements and vocal variety make this an album that is rather adventurous for the style.

"Only God," brings in feedback and, in turn, launches into an explosive force of sludge riffs that unlike early MASTODON or CROWBAR.  Swampy groove is used to move the song forward against the rolling snare attack.  Slight melodic dissonance dances around the guitars to create that post wall of sound that makes this band's brand of sludge/doom sound expansive even while it crushes. The vocals are somewhat more buried in the mix than a I usually prefer but this does drop a stoner rock/meal vibe over it all.  There also some growls and screams and I found that combination to be a better experience than the regular cleans but to each their own. After the halfway point, the devastating riffs and the echoed cleans turn the song into a cavernous approach to sludge that sounds deep as a cave.

"Stay Clean," pops out immediately because of the bass but quickly turns quite a bit more rumbling, the different vocal styles all competing for attention.  The riffs are a haze induced melody that switch back and forth to a heavier crunch.  The last three and a half minutes of the song is among the album's best moments, a muddy dirge of a post anthem musical landscape that reminds me of a doom version of ALCEST.

"Down," is where the album hits a slight lull.  It isn't a bad song, per say, but it doesn't really go anywhere and isn't as detailed as the rest.  Still it does serve as a decent bridge to the album's second half. "Turn Off The Light," is perhaps my favorite on the album because it is quite a bit more dark and sullen than the rest.  The interplay between the riffs and the bass, especially around the 2:41 mark, is interesting and carries to the clean portion around the half way mark.  Here, the music gets a little psychedelic and introspective before the song grows back into more metallic structures.

"Fade Away," is an odd track because I only really cared for part of it.  The first half is a sort of laid back dirge that just kind of goes with the flow.  However, around the four minute mark it picks up again by combining the intensity and the laid back portions together for a true post sludge movement that finishes the song with a bang. The title track, "Collapse and Fail," ends the album strongly as it encompasses all the elements and style the band was going for in the previous five tracks.  The first few minutes are used as an ambient build up to the later half but it was interesting to see how it reaches the fury around the three minute mark where the screams are almost as heavy as the riffs and drums.  The next couple of minutes are a wall of sound, the likes of which bands like NEUROSIS often do.

Even though I found it to have a couple of lulls, overall STONEBIRDS' "Collapse and Fail," is an interesting example of how doom and sludge can step outside their usual boxes and still be enjoyable.