When I'm in the mood for some Sludgy / Doom music to teleport me into a dark cryptic dimension, I lock my bedroom door and play me some BARONESS, some MELVINS, and even some ELECTRIC WIZARD. But having never delved into the catacombs of Sludge Metal, my ears desired something new, something up to date, and less mainstream. That's when I decided to check out ZATOKREV's new release.

The band hails from Switzerland, and labels their sound as Sludge-Apocalypse. Here, I was already full of interest. Moreover; "The Bat, the Wheel and a Long Road to Nowhere" is the band's debut on Candlelight Records, the palace that holds some of the most prominent Metal giants in the scene, like FEAR FACTORY, SIGH, etc... Knowing this, I prepared myself, armed my ears with my new Ear Pollution headphones, and shot towards the play button.

Allow me to add a small warning. If you're looking for something cheery and jolly, you best turn away right now, because this is not album for the happy. With that said I stepped into the Swiss-made crypt to find myself welcomed with "Goddamn Lights", a song that was released prior to the album. The track is heavy and filled with darkness, and although it's nine minutes in length (which may turn down some listeners), it manages to keep the listener's ears wide open due to how different every two or three minutes turn out. Same goes for the 8 minute track "9" and the demon possessed "Medium".

Vocal-wise, there's a lot of variety, with the Black Metal shrieks, the Sludgy roars, and those captivating throaty spoken passages like in the tracks "Rodeo With Snakes" and "The Wheel". You're bound to experience a very promising sound, I assure you that.

Instrumental-wise, all I can say it that I've never seen such simplicity make an album so enjoyable; the guitars are so well done and noteworthy. As for the drums, they rarely do anything noticeable really; though they do manage to be the steady rock-hard backbone to the album.

Overall, the album proved to be a very interesting listen and managed to bring upon me a very heavy experience. The band managed to fuse their great musicianship with something so unique and outstanding that is beyond my acquired knowledge to explain. They did not manage to stand beside any Sludge Metal giants, but they managed to perfectly separate themselves from the countless replicas out there. Have patience in the 72 minutes this album offers and know that this band will mature more with next release if they stay on this road that they have discovered.