Ludicra’s long overdue praise is finally here in the form of their Profound Lore debut, 'The Tenant'. Anyone who has been following American black metal before it was even considered a force separate from its Scandinavian forefathers can easily trace a strain of USBM back to the Bay Are with Weakling’s soul crushing, and only album 'Dead as Dreams'. Think of Ludicra as the phoenix that came out of the ashes of Weakling. If you know modern Bay Area metal you’ve probably run across metal busy man John Cobbet who’s had his hand in Lord Weird Slough Feg and his other project Hammer’s of Misfortune, and let’s not forget bass player extraordinaire Ross ‘The Boss’ Sewage who plays with gore fiends Impaled and recorded on Wolves in the Throne Room’s last studio effort. In theory this band should have been big years ago just on name recognition alone, but somehow they fell through the cracks.
With a proper label backing them (let’s face it, being the only metal band on the punk label Alternative Tentacles isn’t doing anybody favors), the San Francisco misanthropes have created an album that will make their contemporaries rush back to to the drawing bored. I hate to say it, but they were doing this a lot of the 'newer bands' were thinking of Black Metal, kinda. For those who know the band, imagine everything Ludicra has done, but on steroids. This is Ludicra at their best. For the uninitiated, put aside your Krallice and WITTR, 'The Tenant' blends a fine mix of metals progressive and black that sits perfectly accessible between raw and complex. Laurie Sue’s vocals sound like someone who was left out in the rain and can’t come inside. Her lyrics tell a story of urban decay. Raw pounding two steps, acoustic interludes, soaring guitar solos; there’s a reason why some call this band ‘grey metal’. For those already in the know 'The Tenant' will fit nicely in your collection. If you’re not already on board the Ludicra bandwagon this album will make you a believer.
Torche has plenty of reason to be happy. 'Songs For Singles' is a happy album. The opener, U.F.O., has one of the most happy riffs I've heard that remains somewhat heavy. 'Songs For Singles' is Torches latest offering, and boy is it something. Following what their genius-piece, 'Meanderthal' Steve Brooks has stripped the band of their post-Mastodon ways and created something, well, totally rad. The great thing about this album is that it's so up beat and still so damn heavy. Imagine if Big Business and Weezer joined forces and made the best pop-fused sludge album of the year. That's what it sounds like. Torche has had some less metal tendencies in their mix and I have always found it to work most excellently. 'Songs for Singles' seems to be possessed by pop/alt-rock hooks. By the time Hideaway (track three) come through you're not sure if you've got the right album. It's so damn rocking. And it even has a Van Halen-esque solo in the mix. Cast into Unknown captures a very similar 90s alternative rock thing, too. The album comes to an abrupt halt will the slow jammer, Face the Wall, which is the longest track on the rather short album. (The album is just shy of 22 minutes). Simply put, 'Songs For Singles' manages to do what probably not many bands in the business of heavy would care to do. The songs are catchy, the album is perfectly thought out from start to finish. I can't find something bad to say. Go listen to this album and be happy.
