J-Man A little over a year after Taste the Sin, and Georgian metal act Black Tusk have already returned with Set the Dial. On their third full-length album, the band delivers hardcore-influenced sludge metal just like on their previous outings. This is a highly energetic, aggressive, and non-stop display of heavy riffs and raw production just how any sludge fan likes it. Black Tusk may not have been the most original band around when their debut was released, and the fact that they're still sticking to their guns may lose the interest of more forward-thinking metalheads; still, the quality is high enough to satisfy the band's loyal fanbase for sure. Even though I wish there was a bit more originality on Set the Dial, there's no doubt that this is yet another quality effort from Black Tusk.

The music on Set the Dial is pretty similar to what we heard on previous Black Tusk efforts. This is very aggressive, fast-paced, and punk-tinged sludge metal with a heavy emphasis on filthy guitar tones, buzzing basslines, and raw shouted vocals. In that regard, not much (if anything at all) has changed since their 2008 debut album, Passage Through Purgatory. I could've hoped for something a little bit more unique and adventurous this time around, but Set the Dial definitely delivers its style pretty well. Though not every song is particularly memorable, there are plenty of great riffs throughout the album and it's ultimately a pretty fun listen. At only 34 minutes, it's a fairly short-lived one too.

For some reason I found myself enjoying Set the Dial a bit less than Passage Through Purgatory. Maybe it's because I expected a bit more innovation this time around or maybe it's because this is a slightly weaker effort - whatever the case, I feel like this album is just a tad less essential than Black Tusk's earlier offerings. Still, the quality is pretty good and fans of Black Tusk will certainly want to hear this. 3 stars seems pretty fair here.

Kingcrimsonprog Set The Dial is the fourth full-length studio album (or the third, depending on your views on the matter of record deals are) from American ‘Swamp Metal’ trio Black Tusk; it was released in 2011 quickly following up their breakthrough release Taste The Sin from 2010.

The album picks up in part where the last one left off; Andrew Fidler, Jonathan Athon and James May (not the same one from Top Gear, obviously) all return, John Dyer Baizley from Baroness handles the artwork once again and musically the band continue on their fast paced sludgey, aggressive path.

Where the album differentiates itself from earlier releases however is in the overall power and attitude, where their previous albums where rough and ready, erupting with barely contained rage that resulted in a sloppy and messy although utterly compelling sound, Set The Dial is far more direct and focused… and all the more powerful because of it, concentrating both on their Southern edge and on grooves bigger in a way.

Newcomers to the band should probably check this album out first before delving into their back catalogue, it contains some of their finest crafted and most memorable work to date, the only (potential and circumstantial) flaws in which are in relationships with old material and therefore bypassed by being a new fan.

Some older fans however may think of this as something of a commercialization upon initial listens, which is understandable, (The instrumental track ‘Resistor’ for example would be out of place on any of their other works, but is a fantastic song that could easily win them many new fans) but the fact is that Set The Dial is just an absolutely phenomenal metal album, and you really should give it a few listens and fair chance before making a judgment, as the actual quality of the songwriting is unquestionable.

Usually, the band’s speed and hardcore punk origins, as well as a lack of progressive rock influence separate them from the other Savannah, Georgia based bands with which they share sonic similarities and artwork contributions (Baroness, Kylesa) as well as non-Savannah bands like Red Fang and Mastodon who they also share elements of a collective sound with, with this new record however they now sound a little closer to the aforementioned artists thanks to their increasingly professional sound and yet the band have also carved out a new niche for themselves as well.

Set The Dial is still a dirty and raw album of aggressive and mostly brief and up-tempo numbers by anyone else’s standards, no track ever reaches five minutes in length and the still vocals are low and harsh, there are still the pounding drums that often vary to tom hammering. The only difference is that now there is more space in the mix and songs can have more moods than just raw uncontrolled hatred, there are subtleties and a lot of grooves too for example. Highlights include the (almost) title track ‘Set The Dial To Your Doom’ as well as ‘Ender Of All’ and the groove laden ‘Carved In Stone.’

Overall; If you haven’t heard much Black Tusk before you should really pick up a copy of this masterfully crafted record and if you are an existing fan look forward to it, but in the knowledge that it will be slightly different to the previous records (while still containing 90% of their signature sound of course) Regardless of what style the band play, as an album and on its own merits, this is utterly compelling stuff that I highly recommended.

Time Signature Ender of all...

Genre: sludge metal

Uptempo and with aggressive vocals, Black Tusk's hardcore-tinged approach to sludge metal is quite refreshing, given that most sludge metal bands these days seem to emphasize heaviness and progressive experimentation.

The base sound of Black Tusk's "Set the Dial" is undeniably the characteristic heavy and fuzzy sound that defines sludge metal, and the riffage is also mostly full of Southern groove, but Black Tusk largely refrain from the heavy and slow tempos that a lot of sludge artists make use of, instead opting for faster hard rocking tempos, occasionally touching thrash metal velocity.

The vocals are aggressively yelled, reflecting the punky roots of early sludge metal, but overall, "Set the Dial" does not strike me as being overly aggressive - which could be because of the 90s alternative rock/metal feel that also characterizes the album.

recommended to fans of sludge metal who need an injection of singleminded, focused uptempo music.