No relation to UK Doomsters Sea Bastard, the equally brilliantly named Cave Bastard were formed in 2014 by former Cattle Decapitation bassist Troy Oftedal and ex-Bridge Jumper guitarist Nick Padron. Based in San Diego (which, as everyone who has seen Anchorman knows, was discovered in 1904 and is German for “a whale’s vagina”), the band soon added rhythm guitarist Chase Ferguson, drummer Steven Reed, and former Gutrot vocalist Steve Pearce. Releasing a two-track demo in 2016 and appearing on a split LP with Texan act BLK OPS in 2017, Cave Bastard are now ready to unleash their debut album The Bleak Shall Devour The Earth (Accident Prone).

Combining all the soothing and relaxing qualities of Sludge, Thrash, Doom, Death Metal, and Hardcore, the album kicks off with ‘Throes of the Devourer’, a semi-instrumental which sounds like classic Black Sabbath with shades of Paradise Lost. The apocalyptically heavy ‘Neo-Genesis’ takes over rather explosively before winding down into a crushingly oppressive doom riff and building to a furious crescendo.

‘Methane Epistaxis’ is just over a minute of fast and furious riffing, punctuated by brief stabs of bass, ‘Massacre Reaction’ is another blastingly fast and heavy noise explosion, while ‘Trapped in a World of Formlessnesss’ is no less heavy, but possesses a slow, almost laid back approach, that underneath Pearce’s tortured vocals, even manages to hint at melody and progression.

‘Martial Asphyxiation’ is another pulverising minute or so of spleen-venting hardcore sludge death, the Sabbathy ‘Purity Through Oblivion’ contains a simple but effective chugging riff, but becomes a little more complex as it progresses, and closer ‘Liar Betrayed’ is a suitably angry, crashing, thrashing wall of noise which slows down to an epic crawl at the end.

Although not the best-produced record you’ll ever hear (whether by accident or design, the vocals appear to be quite low in the mix at times), there is more than enough here to display the band’s clear potential for the future.

You stay classy, San Diego.

7.0/10

GARY ALCOCK