Stream Edmonton Sludge Grinders Culled's Debut Release

Published Oct 25, 2018

Edmonton grinders Culled are gearing up to release their debut, Thin the Herd, Fail to Learn , this Friday (October 26) via Hibernation Release , but we've got you covered for an early listen.The quartet features members (current or former) of bands as varied as progressive melo death metallers Into Eternity , grinders Wake and thrashy death dealers Death Toll Rising , which makes sense when you consider Culled bring together two seemingly disparate genres: blazingly fast grindcore and the groovier doom offshoot sludge metal.On paper that may sound bizarre, but when you listen to the release, it makes perfect sense with the band juxtaposing sharp pinch harmonics and blast beats with a heightened focus on grooves. Our review called it "an impressive debut that showcases a battle of conflicting sounds."The runtimes of "Such Benevolent Filth" and "Contagion" do a cursory job of illustrating the two main genres from which they draw, with the former blazing through in just two minutes, while the latter reaches for the nine-minute mark with much of its runtime dedicated to slowing things down.Vocalist Shane Hawco explained the musical collision and socially conscious lyrics in a statement:Thin the Herd, Fail to Learn isn't a concept album but the lyrical content is deeply influenced by the writings of Noam Chomsky and are linked to the corrosive state of the world today. From the political powers that be using fear to distract the bewildered herd and drive a wedge between otherwise rational people, to religion being used a righteous social barometer as a standard of excellence and control the masses as well as condemn those who think and act differently. But mostly it's a commentary on the historical amnesia our society suffers from as we embrace a culture of exclusivity that segregates, promotes hate and inflames violence. Our lack of empathy will condemn us to relive the atrocities of the past that we should have learned from.Musically we all come from different backgrounds in the western Canadian heavy music scene and fully intended to embrace our backgrounds while maintaining a cohesive objective. We wanted to utilize the ominous tones and pacing of doom laden riffs to lay a foundation of dread a kin to the lyrical themes all while contrasting it with the speed, complexity and chaos of grindcore which could be interpreted as a reflection of our social and cultural anxiety.Culled are going on a mini tour in support of the release with Begrime Exemious . You can check those dates below, then scroll further to listen to the full album.Tour dates: