ALBUM STREAM + REVIEW: Ill Neglect / Lambs ‡ – Trisma 7″ (Sludge Grind Split)

If you’re looking to give 2017 a heavy, bombastic start, here is just the split to get the job done. Titled ‘Trisma’, this 7″ vinyl release brings together two sludge grind mammoths in Italian band Lambs ‡ and German entity Ill Neglect. A collaborative release by multiple DIY labels, this split is a bleak, dreary record that contains a monstrous tone overall. Though it clocks under just twelve minutes, the shear abrasiveness and the intensity of the riffs would have you playing this record over and over again. To give you an idea about what this album holds, we have a full early stream of the album, followed by my review below.

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Sludgy, monolithic riffs coupled with pounding drums on Cold Turkey start off the Ill Neglect side of split. The band wastes no time before they unleash blast beat aided sharp grinding riffs. Alternating between rapid bursts of abrasive grindcore riffs and compelling sludge grooves, this track offers quick tempo shifts which gives their sludge / grind sound a very chaotic flavour. There is a stronger hardcore tinge in the infectious groove of follow up Permanent Euphoria. Ill Neglect inject little spurts of grind before slowing things down and locking into a skull crushingly heavy groove, which eventually ends with words from Terrence Mckenna.

Compared to the alternating sludge / grind style of the first half, Lambs ‡ have a slightly more technical riff work that delivers some sharp cuts. The staccato riffs that open You, the Drawback are a good example of this. Lambs ‡ also have a more atmospheric, post-hardcore tinge to their sound. The band tends to progressively increase the level of chaos in the riffs eventually culminating in an atmosphere rich climax. Unfeeling gets a more blackened start before the mind bending chaos in the riff work makes an appearance once again. Even when the band slows things down, the dissonant guitar work tends to create a sort of cerebral chaos in the listener’s mind.

‘Trisma’ is an absolutely perfect split where both bands deliver punishingly heavy tracks. Ill Neglect and Lambs ‡ are two bands to watch out for and this release gives a perfect glimpse into what they’re capable of. The album will be jointly released by Wooaaargh, Drown Within Records, Hackebeil Records, Abekeit, Earthquake Terror Noise, 5 Feet Under Records, Aktiver Ausstand in Plastik on the 13th of January.