From the same fertile and aggressive Vancouver soil from which sprouted stoner metallers Bison B.C. and the crushingly Melvins-esque Mendozza come oppressive sludgekateers Haggatha. The band, who issued their self-titled debut EP in 2009, now follow with the appropriately-dubbed Haggatha II full-length on vinyl through Choking Hazard Records. It’s probably not going to catchy anyone off guard in terms of overall style or affect, but the thickened sound of its seven tracks offers a fuller presentation than most of the sludge-core end of the genre while also shunning much of the “we play really fast and just pretend it’s slow” ethic that seems to typify this generation’s take. Even on the short “These Grey Days,” just 2:37, Haggatha shows a restraint that many of the beardo-abrasion types either can’t or simply refuse to grasp, and Haggatha II is a stronger album for it. Their tactics are certainly familiar, but sometimes you just want sludge to sound like sludge, not black or death metal.

Haggatha II (also referred to as “Second Self-Titled”) opens with the seven-minute “Circle of Salt,” getting its push from quiet guitar lines later echoed in the beginning stages of “Eremozoic” and elsewhere. Braden DeCorby (guitar) and Phil (bass) share vocal duties – though it could just as easily be Terry Weight on bass and vocals; the lineup info is nebulous — lending metallic screams and growls to the sizable riffage of the former and fellow guitarist Trevor Logan. “Gulag” is especially tortured in the throat-area, but the guitars contain suitable drama to add to the affect, and the drums of first-name-only percussionist Matt, who starts off and features on late-album cut “Acquiesce,” have a consistency and professional feel that helps Haggatha II come off as a record to be taken seriously. Cymbals matter. Matt’s interplay with the bass and chugging guitars is huge in filling out the sound of these songs. On second track, “Hogtide,” they practically make the piece on their own – not as blown-out as, say, early Church of Misery, but definitely up front and cutting through the other instrumentation.

Admirable as their sludge-for-sludgers is, Haggatha don’t offer nearly as much in terms of originality as they do in terms of clarity of sound. A few quiet parts and the doomier riffing of closer “An Old Way Begins Again” keep Haggatha II from becoming redundant in its 39-minute runtime, but in approach and in execution, the same sludgers to whom Haggatha II will most appeal are inevitably those too who will most easily recognize the basic elements comprising it. Still, as we’re witnessing the growth-spurt of a new generation of international sludge in the likes of Salome, haarp, Dukatalon, Suma, Thou and others, Haggatha are in plenty good company when it comes to sonic like-mindedness. I don’t know how much of this kind of thing is happening in Vancouver – that’s sheer ignorance on my part rather than some slight-of-hand dig on the scene up there – but if modern sludge needs a representative from British Columbia, Haggatha seem more than ready to take on that role. They might go kicking and screaming, but from the sound of Haggatha II, that’s par for the course.

Haggatha on MySpace

Choking Hazard Records on MySpace

Tags: British Columbia, Canada, Choking Hazard, Haggatha, Vancouver

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 27th, 2011 at 2:04 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.