It can only be attributed to an act of divine blessing that the world has been treated to the match made in heaven that is Mastiff and Church Road Records.

For All The Dead Dreams is the latest EP from the Sludge masters that are coming off the heels of the simply unblemished Deprecipice. So not only were there enormous shoes to fill, the band also has the backing of a well-established label.

The bizarre noises don’t take very long to emerge: disorienting opening guitar melodies; zany, untamed strings that boost outros; and the audio equivalent of the workfloor found at a slaughterhouse.

All of this is meshed wonderfully with the heft and brawn that has made Mastiff such an alluring and captivating entity. Opener “Soliloquy” wastes no time, inserting chunky, bulbous riffing. Stankface vocals pave the way for the optimistic refrain: “bury me in a shit-filled grave.”

“Rotting Blossoms” begins with vertigo-inducing stringwork before a one-two step sequence explodes out of the gate. The vocals (as always) carry vigor and might. And let’s delve into those vocals a bit more for a moment.

The five-song EP is yet another notch on Jim Hodge’s belt. His delivery always comes from such a sturdy, gruff base. His shouts, yells, and bellows fuel the soundtrack of someone’s psychotic mind in a way that is rooted more in understanding and companionship. It’s the burly sound of a man who is both acting as a therapist but also doesn’t take things too seriously because hey, we’re all going to die in the end, anyway.

Mastiff continue to produce towering, domineering Sludge Metal that has the robusticity to stand tall against any other band, genre notwithstanding. Even with an EP, the group has such a wealth of aggression and bluster that is as dense as a long player.

Buy the album here:
https://mastiffhchc.bandcamp.com/album/for-all-the-dead-dreams

8 / 10
MATT COOK
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