Though the sludge genre has gained immense
popularity over latter years compared to its peer and forefather (in a way)
doom, I still find it hard to enjoy any upcoming sludge bombasts coming my way;
and worst of all, with prodigious quantities of bands preferring sludge over
doom, my grasp on snail-paced quality metal is becoming aggravatingly tenuous. Yes,
there are still a few high calibre and true doom metal bands out there just
doing their job, slurping around and splattering ominous drudgery all over, and
there even a few acts that are capable of mashing the two genres up and still
sound good, but the numbers are dwindling. Tumbleweed Dealer are an interesting
and little known act that became known to me only in recent weeks.
The band can be mostly qualified as sludge,
though I think I’m more fortunate than that. The Dealers basically put chunks
of emphasis on sludge’s bluesy tendencies, which, I believe, according to the
tenets of sludge can be thought as a rather unorthodox thing. I’m usually not
very open to changes or modernization in metal, but when these nuances are stretched
upon characteristics that I find agitating, I can be pretty content; and these
guys are a perfect example of it. It’s hard to even call this metal, because I’d
certainly dub it as a bastardized overtone of blues, and really, it’s the
subtle extremity and heft of those bashing blues chords that make all the
difference. The EP is pretty short in truth, ranging at ten minutes, but the
band, using all sorts of jiving bluesy manoeuvres, crams a lot of material into
the brief box of riffs. The two tracks both commence with rumbling, boisterous
sludge trudges, and the staircase of progression begins. As the rhythm section progresses, the band
starts fitting in blues-tinged leads upon each riff, and further on the
orchestration becomes even more complex as more and more leads bind into each
other, ultimately creating a sorrowful web of melodies that are neither
excessively convoluted nor too simple for the seeker of interest.
Through contrast, instrumental efficiency
and intricacy, the band has earned accolades from me, and their performance,
though not unbelievably impressive, is solid enough to catch the attention of
pretty much anyone who has some interest in sludge or blues, and with its
semi-ominous overtone flanking the listener vaguely, I believe that Tumbleweed
Dealer can achieve something that’s truly inspired and different – and even if
they somehow flounder, this EP is a recommended piece.
Highlights:
Death Rides Southwards
Crawling Through Cacti
Rating: 79%
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