As far as album teasers go, Denton's Bludded Head know how to do it right. For starters, the new LP -- announced just yesterday and due to be released through New York imprint Sleeping Giant Glossolalia on October 6 -- is titled Reign in Bludd. That's a good start; we always appreciate a good Slayer reference. Second off, the first track, which started streaming yesterday, is called "Shitsucker Blues." This is also a good thing. Oh, and it's also eight minutes long.
The best thing about it, though? The song doesn't disappoint.
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There's almost a full minute of slow, chugging guitar and a single drum, taunting the listener with false starts as the sludgy guitar riff draws inexorably closer. Then with a drum fill, "Shitsucker Blues" hits all at once, as a colossal guitar line grinds along the first verse before a spoken-word break, where lead singer Nevada Hill mumbles about everyday mundanities and personal anguish. Though the song remains slow in tempo, it retains an obliterating power through its latter half, with howling, larynx-straining vocals from Hill and a patient, persisting drum track.
Bludded Head have two EPs behind them, but this new track has a polish to it that lets the heaviness blare in sonic clarity. The fuzz and low fidelity of previous EPs have their own appeal, certainly, but hearing all the in-between notes of a guitar line is all the more satisfying when it's produced with a bit more finesse.
Their last EP, "Bludded Death," featured similar ebbs and flows between loud, thundering verses and meek, thin guitar interludes. But what "Shitsucker Blues" alludes to is a depth beyond a loud/quiet dynamic (although it still retains it). The record was produced in Chicago, at Electrical Audio studios when the band was touring in May of this year.
Its interludes aren't as bare. They're more rich and intricate, and it keeps the track bubbling at the surface before erupting into a volcanic surge of doom. By keeping the energy a bit higher, it keeps anticipation high as the lengthy tracks build up to each climax.
Bludded Head is currently preparing a West coast tour for "Reign in Bludd," and should be releasing tour dates as the album release date draws nearer. Look out for them around Denton - they're known to play at Macaroni Island.
"Reign in Bludd" Track listing: 1. Shitsucker Blues (8:28) 2. Fuckitdry (4:07) 3. Pouring Rain (10:29) 4. Pea (3:46)
BLUDDED HEAD: Nevada Hill - Vocals, Guitar Ryan Williams - Upright Bass David Saylor - Drums
