(BOG REVIEW) - SEA BASTARD - 'CYCLOPEAN' (SLUDGE, ROAD TO MASOCHIST, RELEASED OCTOBER 30TH)


Stenchers! At f*-c-k-i-n-g- last, Bog can indulge in a cuss spree, which has been a long time due to reviewing genres that don't bring forth the puke!
So, let's send a grime-ridden maw shout to Sea Bastard for enabling us to do this.
1. Dark Altar - The intro riff conjures up the feeling of being a scab about to detach from someone's limb in a toxic sea that is about to face a f*-c-k- off wave that is going to utterly obliterate your one-inch ass.
The track is down-tuned, vile, and has lecherous, nasty-ass riffs sounding like some creepy f*c-k-e-r- hanging around in the back who is weirdly excited about bingo.
At 6:19, the bass drops into a transition that had Bog's gob dripping as the pace is about to change and sync into the vocal drop. The first six minutes or so are the intro build—the calm, the scab slipping off the leg into the toxic ocean—then the wave of terror arrives, and this is the exact moment we are now at.
There is an extended riff that almost sounds like an extended blues, jazz, or psychedelic tone, but it's not gentle. It's chaotic and adds to the encompassing sonic despair hanging in the f*-c-k-i-n-g- air.
Bog is aware that not all listeners may be able to dive into this. It's really long, clocking in at 22:15, but for those who can appreciate the journey—the builds, the drops, and the flows back and forth between different levels of musical dirt—then keep listening. Okay, back to it. Bog now feels like a little flea on a ledge, waiting to jump on something to catch him.
It's a slow dread, a patient churn. The drums are nice. They frequently signal the drops and the changes in mood or tone, and are supported by the riffs and a vocalist who sounds like he had to listen to a politician reciting f*-c-k-i-n-g- poetry for 15 hours. The point is, he adds to the sound—the p*-s-s-e-d off attitude combined with an unearthly deep core of a beast who doesn't appreciate Creepy F*c-k-e-r- Jim's bingo ramblings.
At 16:22, the f*-c-k-i-n-g- riff drops again and it's a dredge of a beast that also introduces you to the vocal/drum drop to transition into a mid-paced sludge vibe. You can feel it; it's like wading through water with boxes floating everywhere and little maggots dancing on top of milk cartons bobbing up and down.
The vocals change up again into a visceral tone with those sick guitar-tone riffs that are as nasty as suffering eczema on the back of your ballsack.
Dark Altar is blistering, leaking, pus-ridden filth dropping into the ears. Please read this section to a romantic significant other while enjoying dinner. It would set the tone nicely.

The gradual decrease into the outro build is nicely orchestrated, like having your head trapped between the cymbals on the drums, before nasty riff time arrives again.

2. Entombed with the Pharaoh has a solid drum count to drop the chugging grime riffs with the p*s-s-e-d- off in the dark vocals again. The instrumentation and first section are like a sinister count (not a vampire hanging out at a castle shouting at seagulls who keep diving down to steal his blood wine—those f-c-k-e-r-s are the real vamps, not some posh-ass shirty man and his MotoGP glasses).
There are sick guitar tones on Entombed with the Pharaoh complementing the mood to offer a tightly packaged track.
At 4:27, f*-c-k- Bog! It was necessary to increase the volume on Bog's headset to appreciate what was happening. The bass and the riff drop, then the f*c-k-i-n-g- drum drop follows with the lead vox at 4:58, and it's carnivorous, like a beast let loose in the scrap across the Bog Lands.
The dark, kinda psychedelic vibe returns, and then the track builds back to the limescale grime. The vocals are good on this section within Entombed with the Pharaoh.
Bog struggled to share the track timestamps because he kind of went out there in the sky and was lost in the music. Stenchers, some of the guitar tone drops are so f*c-k-i-n-g- nasty and they hit the pants hard.
Bog was doing like a two-finger dance thinking he was at a DnB fest when he wasn't, but when you hear this, the urge to "Ohhhh" with your face and shake your head side to side while feeling this shit will quickly become apparent.

The later section after nine minutes or so goes to the mid-tempo dredge of doom. The drum/riff patterns are synced nicely, and the down-tuned feels are strong. Okay, it's kind of like the vibe of raw punk/d-beat, but much, much slower obviously, but to the point where it's that low-ridden sonic sound setting off the reaction in the blood to make you think, "This is badder than bad."

3. Prophet Of The People has a sick underbelly bass intro with a tight drum pattern, then the lead riff layers on top, followed by the vocal drop to transition into a sick af signature tone. Bog can barely stand up, but f*-c-k-.

Stenchers, they are long tracks, but it's worth it for the drops, flows, and varying tones. Prophet Of The People is particularly nasty with a solid early breakdown with standout vocals selling this section, including the riffs and drums.
After three minutes or so, just like Bog said, he is struggling today to convey the timestamps. He keeps falling off his magical device in amped-ness, but he will try once he recovers his breathing.
At 10:29, the sick af transition moves into the mid-dredge again with the maggots on the milk cartons dancing once more to the excellent guitar note. It's like a special celebration cake sat there smug af, then a pair of boots drop from the sky and splatter it. The weight of the riffs. F*-c-k- man....

The gentlest aspect of Prophet Of The People is the fade-out, which is probably the lightest part of the whole EP, and it's a very short passage.

4. Nameless Purgatory gradually builds from the intro into a nasty-ass riff drop and supporting lead vox. The track features a very sonically psychedelic, chaotic, and flavored palette of audio terror, which reminded Bog of some dude sat in his chair already enduring the horror of shitty soccer on every channel accompanied by the on-the-payroll commentators displaying better PR for professional cheating than politrick sorcerers.
At 1:55, the disgusting lead riff drops, perfectly capturing the chair dude's horror, then the drums and riffs churn up further.
At 5:21, Nameless Purgatory is full of despair and absolute misery, before a lighter interlude drops, which is darkly cinematic, painting a picture of the chair guy falling through the chair into a hidden world beyond the surface. The riffs and vocals drop, images flash by him, and there are windows into otherworldly, frightening realities.
This is what Nameless Purgatory sounds like. Unapologetic grime and slime like a giant slug slithering in the mud.
It's the longest track and the most disturbing, with a f*-c-k-i-n-g- f*-c-k- off riff build at 10:34 to bring our falling chair man back to sonic terror. When it drops, f*-c-k- man...
There are cinematic, atmospheric guitar tones dropping in and out, before the vox return with the riffs transitioning to ancient, dark tones again.
If we removed the vocals, this would be a dark af post-metal track for sure. Bog felt a nice sensation of patient dread, like when you are about to lick an ice cream and some f*-c-k-i-n-g- fighter-jet bird grabs the f*-c-k-e-r, or like that one time when Bog opened a fridge door, and it fell in slow motion on his leg.
Again, some folks will find the track to be too long, but as mentioned earlier, for those who enjoy the genre, or appreciate how really dark, moody music is structured with the many transitions, notes, and cinematic-esque appeal, you will stay on the train.
Bog views Nameless Purgatory as sonic foulness for foul ears that like to hear dirty music filthier than a three-year wax build-up escaping when you sit down.
The outro build transitions back to the vile riff stomp with the sick vox and drums counting the track to the finish.
It is a noisy end section featuring a constant riff churn, and Bog wasn't too crazy on this. That said, Bog gets the reason why, because it's to add the sonic terror prevalent in the earlier parts of Nameless Purgatory. So, it runs as a sign-off. Another brief, sick riff note drops, which is different from the churn, and then the track returns to the outro patterns.

Bog also noted Nameless Purgatory finished cleanly after the pacing tones and notes.

BOG'S THOUGHTS:

Cyclopean is definitely for those who appreciate longer, grime-ridden sludge or sonic constructions expanded to lengthen the overarching atmosphere of musical destruction. This is definitely worth a listen.
The frequencies are tight, the audio levels shine, and the vocals and riffs are unsettling af, including some solid drumming patterns.
For those who prefer nonstop speed, Cyclopean probably won't be suited for your ears, but Bog reminds folks again that this is like listening to a gritty, dark journey with some interesting transitions.
So, as Bog delights in sharing visuals, here is how we wrap this up for the Stenchers.
Ultimately, Bog felt like he was nothing other than the dirt between his toes when he hasn't showered for around six to 12 months. It sticks to the skin between, and you can actually peel it off to drop on the floor. When a fingernail is used, it can be picked off in a kind of ancient, gray, and dusty color.
Cyclopean is an EP as muck-fueled as the above described experience and draws the listener into a scum-ridden, muddy, and dystopian horror full of giant slugs, fleas, and maggots. There is no escape; the only choice is to embrace the music and join the chair guy on his fall through sonic terror to frighten the wax out of your ears!

Sea Bastard:

https://www.facebook.com/seabastarddoom

https://www.instagram.com/seabastarddoom/

https://www.youtube.com/seabastarddoom

https://seabastard.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5bKWZ1zPK1bXb7j64jN02w


Road To Masochist:

https://roadtomasochist.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/road_to_masochist/

https://www.youtube.com/@RoadToMasochist

https://www.facebook.com/roadtomascochist



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