Æges

This seven-inch release from sludgy metal experimenters Æges includes a remastered version of "Southern Comfort," which appeared on their most recent full-length, The Bridge, but is primarily a vehicle for previously unreleased single "Stars." Both tracks feature the weighty, almost ponderous guitars and gravelly melodic structures that defined their most recent release, every now and again brightened by the inclusion of a more muscular, definitive hard rock riff or even the dappling brightness of a pop hook. "Stars" maintains the desert-like hardcore aesthetic the band favour working within, with its sun-fried, cracking textures and dry, desperate vocal performance. However, there's something a bit more crawling and insidious about this track, reminding the listener that, in the desert, when it is cooler at night, both the predators and scorpions finally come out to feed.