Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Album Review- o.d.r.a - 'Karl Denke Blues'

Location: Wroclaw, Poland

Label: BSFD Records

o.d.r.a hail from Wroclaw in Poland, which Wikipedia tells us is the fourth largest city in Poland, and has been selected as the European capital of culture in 2016,and is soon to be host to events such as the 2014 men's volleyball world championships.However, one might advise the powers that be that it might be pertinent to make sure these Southern sludge psychos have no hometown gigs penciled in around either event, so as to avoid upsetting some of the more delicate visitors to the historical capital of Silesia.These boys aren't fucking about, this is some seriously heavy, twisted shit.

From opener 'Widelec Heretyka' onward, the band do their level best to pummel the listener into a kind of nauseous, giddy pulp, through some of the most disgustingly groovy Southern-fried stoner-doom riffage we've heard around these parts.Over riffs that pull like tank tracks, singer Chudy Byk proceeds to lose his shit in terrifying fashion, his demonic howl making Mike IX of Eyehategod sound like nothing more than a temperamental toddler in comparison.Comparisons to the NOLA sludge legends are apt and unavoidable, however, o.d.r.a summon enough of their own rancorous energy  to avoid sounding like a mere facsimile.

Much like their aforementioed spiritual New Orleans godfathers, the band suck in influences from old school doom, hardcore, crust, and sludge to create a sound that is at once oppressive and addictive.Take the title track, with it's elephantine central riff ,or the catchy as all fuck 'Zdzivca'y Lump' , with it's gloriously tongue in cheek gang chants, as just two examples that as well as being able to rape your ears with a barrage of hateful noise, the quintet can also write a banging heavy metal tune.In their punky exuberance combined with leaden,evil grooves, the band also evoke memories of another legendary sludge outfit, Iron Monkey,their nihilistic,bombastic riffathons   begging to be blared as the soundtrack to a three day bender involving shitloads of whiskey, some class A narcotics, and access to dynamite(for duck huntin') .Quality from start to finish.

Rating:8.5/10

For fans of : Eyehategod, Iron Monkey, Weedeater, Rites

Buy the album here: bsfd.records@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/odraband/info

Stephen O ' Connor

bornagainnihilist@gmail.com



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