Going solely by their name, you’d expect Lords of Bukkake to sound like one of those shitty goregrind bands with the pitch-shifted vocals and song titles like “Shit Eating Titty Whore Cunt Semen”. Thankfully, this is not the case. Instead of tedious goregrind, we’re blessed with some seriously classy doomed out sludge. The hack in me wants to fill this review with lines like “Lords of Bukkake ejaculate a hot sludge load all over your ears” but I’ll refrain from all the shitty puns the name inspires to simply say, that this is one of the best releases of 2010 and mandatory for all fans of sludge.

Lords of Bukkake’s second release Desorden Y Rencor (Disorder and Anger) steps up their already formidable sludge game with more diversity and a more recognizable and unique sound. Each of the four tracks balances mid-paced churning riffs with thick and spacious doom riffs, with opening tracks “Llagas” and “Alucarda” setting the tone and template. “Llagas” begins with low sheets of noise bleeding into drums and bass. The guitar is layered in ringing tones until the bottom drops out and all you’re left with is crushing doom riffage and twisting psychedelic solos. “Alucarda” ebbs and flows, starting with a churning riff, eventually decaying into a wall of feedback and harsh noise.

Vocals are coughed out in distorted, brutal screams reminiscent of Today is the Day’s Steve Austin. The production is big and clear with each instrument prominent in the mix. The guitar tone is heavy and thick while remaining clear and is a refreshing change of pace in a genre where burying the instruments in distortion is the norm. The drums pop, snap and swing with plenty of creative fills and imbue the songs with a sense of motion and dynamism.

But what really sets Lords of Bukkake apart from the pack is their excellent understanding of dynamics and cadence and their smart implementation of noise. No track ever becomes tedious despite their wholesale worship of the riff. They build and decay, rise and fall with a great feeling of momentum. Despite being on the shorter side of long (between 7 and 12 minutes), this is a surprisingly brisk listen.

The riffs are memorable and heavy and they don’t succumb the rehashitis. The usual influences of Eyehategod and classic doom are prominent but they never ape either style, opting instead of fuse them with their love of noise (vocalist/bassist Toni Lopez Querol’s harsh noise project Sons of Bronson appears on a 3 way split alongside Lords of Bukkake and Spanish doom warriors Warchetype) to create something uniquely theirs. The noise is prominent but not overpowering and accents the riffs and the flow between tracks. It’s not merely window dressing or interludes but an effective way to add an extra layer to their already crushing sound.

The only thing not to love about this release is the awful incongruity between the band name and the music. It simply does not fit the imagery of the music or the art. This is a minor quibble though because when the tunes are this good, who fucking cares? This record is a shining example of modern sludge and a must have for fans of sick, noisy metal.

[Visit the band's website]

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