The Bendal Interlude plays a mixture of thrash and sludge "with bits of psychedelia thrown in for good measure." They have been recommended for fans of 16, Rwake, Eyehategod, and Down; and shared the stage with the likes of Sunn O))), COC, Church of Misery, Red Fang and more. As far as my own interpretation goes, I like to think of them as a blackened version of Clutch. Southern and stoner rock meets blackened hardcore and a bit of sludge. Guitarist Stu Taylor says the following about Reign of the Unblinking Eye:
"After releasing four EPs through Crack Zombie Records, we decided it was high time to write a full LP containing full-bodied tracks the listener could sink their teeth into. We took a shift in direction when writing for the album 'Reign of The Unblinking Eye'. The songs are much more elaborate and have a lot more going on sound-wise than previous releases. We played with time signatures, guitar harmonies, key changes, even laying down a 10-part resonator guitar part. It is by far the heaviest but also most dynamic thing we’ve written to date. Previously, lyrical content has been more of an abstract collection of ideas and imagery based around loose themes. With this offering, a more autobiographical approach has been taken with some songs, with themes including time spent with partial face paralysis, a tendency to lose things, favourite tapestry, bare-hand toilet unblocking, plus the usual collection of vaguely connected lists of obscenities. We wanted to write a dynamic LP that had melody and atmosphere through use of guitar solos and cinematic samples, whilst maintaining solid, heavy groove."
If you only took one thing from that, it should be the last word. Groove is paramount to what makes this record so damn fun. It's s the type of thing you want to crank up to 11 while racing a dune buggy through the desert. This is what Mad Max and all of his ilk listen to as the blow the ever-loving crap out of eachother. Just listen to "Buckfast for Breakfast" or "The Unblinking Eye" and tell me I'm wrong. The riffs are just so unbelieveably bluesy, bringing to mind everything from Every Time I Die to White Zombie. The first 4 tracks have more excellent hooks than some bands achieve in a discography.
But where the rubber meets the road for me is how the freestyling solos, gigantic chords, and energetic drumming meet with the harsh vocals. This is the sound of a larynx being ejected from the body. Converge is a worthy comparison here, and I just love when they are doubled up at key moments. Like much of the second half, "Pint of Bodies" settles more into a stoner doom and groove territory, but there is a perfectly-placed bit of energy around the middle that shows The Bendal Interlude really care about the writing process.
I was lucky enough to hear this album all the way back in November (which is when I am writing this). But I couldn't bare to share such a glowing review without backing it up with something you could sink your own teeth into. Fortunately, the album comes out today and I highly encourage you to catch up on what I have been jamming now for a good 4 months. Don't forget the gasoline.