ninehertz

Stain are from the teeming Finnish sludge scene, a smattering of bands that, from afar, appear to share a desire to wallow in the most bedraggled, creepy and positively evil end of the genre. Having made themselves known through splits with Peine Kapital and Taser, as well as the scene-revealing compilation Findoomland, they return alone on this short EP.

The three tracks here lasting a mere fourteen minutes, but it feels much longer, primarily due to the achingly lethargic pace. Chasm feels like it had to be dragged into being, painfully slow towards a simple but effective approach to sludge, just how it should be. It is the noise of a darkened, rough neighbourhood back alley.

The raw production aides the rotten stench atmosphere, particularly the stripped back feel of In Nothingness. This is not a weighty, full fat sludge, more the depraved and desperate face of the sound. It is happy to sit in a pool of its own filth, as vocals gurn moans into the world. Only a vague splurge near its end provides any sense of movement.

The title track closes, with some heft to it not seen earlier, less creepy as a result but still gnarly, still falling over itself as it awaits the next note to struggle into place. This is a perfect example of the sludge I’ve come to know and love from Finland, and this a perfect little release that can be consumed as a whole before it corrupts you too much.