New York sludge puppies Negative Reaction celebrate their 16th anniversary with their most straightforward doom album yet. Under the Ancient Penalty strips away the bands onerous Crowbar/Pro-Pain hardcore, replacing it with Bayou-dripping swamp riffage. "Lost sports an immediately recognisable Eyehategod-styled groove, form-fitting to the band like greasy rubber gloves. Front-man Ken E. Bones isnt singing in his usual high-pitched, Muppet-ish growl; instead, hes reverted to a midrange growl, and he even whispers during the bridges of "Pain. The ambitious "Loathing spotlights Bones clean vocals in the choruses (for possibly the first time ever), and the tune has a good bit of EHG swing with a dollop of old Cathedral for extra dankness. He stretches out in "Suffer with a Wino-styled guitar solo, and "Linger boasts a solid drum & bass outro. Bones uses his deepest growl throughout "Alone, giving it a Soulpreacher-esque gloom, and ends with a fantastic double-timed segment. Like mid-career EHG without the feedback, the clean riffs of Under the Ancient Penalty will appeal to fans of old school sludge like Hawg Jaw, Grief and Burning Witch.
(This Dark Reign)Negative Reaction
Under the Ancient Penalty
BY Chris AyersPublished Sep 1, 2006
