Silence of the Lambs Reference?

I've had a little break in quality sludge after the deluge earlier this year. Well hello there, The Moth Gatherer. Fancy seeing you and your crunchy tunes at my doorstep. These Swedes describe themselves as "atmospheric doom metallers, with strong sludge and post-rock influences." Not a bad summary, though there is definitely an electronic/industrial element creeping in that could get lost in translation. The latest album is The Earth Is The Sky, which also features guests, including David Johansson from Kongh, Wacian from Code, The Cuckoo from Terra Tenebrosa, and Thomas Jäger from Monolord (who also had a nice release release earlier this year). Settle in and turn down the lights. This one was meant for winding down.

This music is beyond moody. It's an encapsulating bubble of tension. The Earth is the Sky is certainly still soothing in a way, but even listening to this in the background keeps me in a state of hypervigilance. And the riffs aren't exactly filler either. Things can pick up, as on "Atticus Atlas." That rapid, buzzing strumming followed by the Tron-ish electronic warble have a very industrial feel. These moments remind me of another recent release in Crown's Natron.

The vocals, on the other hand, are mostly from the hardcore rule book. I may have found another contender to battle with my current personal favorites in the genre of Wovoka and Alaskan. They all just hit this style so perfectly right in the solar plexis. You can feel the impact. And the unique synth additions that continue throughout the album help The Moth Gatherer stand apart at the same time.

"Probing the Descent" and "Dyatlov Pass" make that point even more directly by creating an instrumental experience more akin to the dark ambient synthwave you might find from Blood Music's label. It's a gorgeous soundscape that stands just as well on its own as backing the crushing waves of guitar and aggressive screams. Images of an isolated, snow covered landscape fit the generally cold and icy feel of the album. This is just one more way the band show how to get the same point across.

This diversion also helps make the heavy impact of tracks like "The Black Antlers" all the more intense. Those cranking lines of bass distortion and deranged vocals contrast sharply with the aforementioned images of tranquil introspection. But no matter which way they go, this is another must-listen. It jumped right up into my top 40, which is currently a very tough list to crack. Another added bonus: the thing is only $4.50. What the hell are you waiting for?  ALTERNATE STREAM