ninehertz

Sundowner have been at this since the start of the decade, a steady presence of pure sludge from Adelaide, whose releases arrive welcomely often. They have always sipped from the well of the genre’s New Orleanian heritage, with common comparisons to Eyehategod (and from elsewhere, Iron Monkey) following the band.

Nothing has changed in that regard with the release of Cesspool. It could be viewed as a criticism or limitation of their output, but the truth is few do this better, so that you get wrapped up in their sludge and for the most part forget to care. This is pissed off sludge with croaky vocals set in creeping doom. You’ll find yourself involuntarily nodding your head away at various points of the album.

There are times when its influences are too obviously heard for comfort – 7 Shades of Shit is pure EHG, while Intoxication Blues could be an off-cut from Our Problem. Both rock, for sure, but overshadowed by nagging voices. There are tracks which depart from the formula, albeit still within the genre’s boundaries – successfully on the speed-sludge punk riot of Bleach Sniffer, with its Dukes of Nothing attitude, and maybe less so on the drunken barroom Raging Speedhorn-ish sludge of Golden Skinned Gods.

It is impossible to ignore the point in review, and everyone will have their own levels of how much this matters. What shouldn’t be in doubt however is the quality and the attitude of Sundowner, which is top tier – not forgetting some of the grimiest, sludgiest songs and riffs you’ll hear all year.