I am going to have to make a special note on which albums are being self released in 2014. The reason for this interest is that the divide between label representation and independent status could be in name only. While certain labels possess resources not available to every band, the possibility of reaching people is very real. I had no idea who Grey Widow was until their music came in by accident and smashed all of my front windows.

If I ever thought the vile hatred created by bands like Buzzov*en, Grief, and Eyehategod couldn’t go further in its madness, Grey Widow is there to gently remind me of sludge doom’s potential. For a full 40 minutes, I pulls back for a panorama of hate and apocalyptic despair. The band does this with a combination of low end riffs propping up an almost separate track of distorted wails. The black gargle is particularly effective an put in a small room with the listener with no possibility of escape. I have few ideas what is actually happening but I know it is scary as hell.

I is very difficult to traverse despite one’s familiarity with extreme metal. The band purposely bars all the exits and leans in with uncomfortable closeness. While I is not a party record by any stretch of the imagination, it is effective and adherent to the ideas pioneered by our sludge forefathers. Grey Widow has a goal and they accomplish this feat admirably. This is an album which woke up on the wrong side of the bed and should not be crossed at all until it calms the fuck down.