Band : Ol’ Scratch
Album Title : The Sunless Citadel
Label : Self Release
Distributor : /
Release Date : 2009
Review : CD

The Sunless Citadel is a tough nut to crack. It's all solid but very crunchy doom metal with pounding rhythms, growling screaming vocals and throbbing guitars with effective, if not blistering leads. Ol’ Scratch never ventures from their sludge metal roots but they still manage to sound different than the other bands out there. The cool thing about this VA quintet band is that it doesn't fall into any particular niche, which is damn refreshing. To compare them to other bands is not easy, but just looking at the first couple of songs “Infernal judgment”, “Redneck deity”, “Draconian march” and “Bottom basement” we have elements of C.O.C., Electric Wizard, Kylesa, Earthride, Acid Bath, Orange Goblin,…and ofcourse Sabbath pushing through. There is plenty of agony and anger embedded into this record, the way this style of sludge/doom is meant to be played.

The Sunless Citadel is above all an overwhelming listening brutal experience, set to a brain-pounding score by James (g), Larry (d), Willy (g), Steve (b) and Andy (v) complemented by suitably ‘the end is near’ sound effects.

88/100

Cosmicmasseur.