Kingcrimsonprog
Black Tusk’s 2010 release Taste The Sin is the band’s third full length studio outing and something of a breakthrough album in terms of popularity.
Sharing the Savannah Virgina hometown with Kylesa and Baroness, as well as artwork duties from John Baizely who is in Baroness and has also painted for Kylesa, it would seem that the marketing for this sludge and hardcore punk influenced trio is perfectly set up to recommend them to fans of Baroness and Kylesa (and by extension Mastodon.)
Black Tusk’s sound is much less psychedelic/prog influenced than the aforementioned bands; a lot more dirty, low-fi and punk feeling, delivering that pure rock and roll attitude through fast and hammering songs with a sort of grimy and sweaty production sound. The band themselves have been known to use the term ‘Swamp Metal,’ to describe their sound.
The album itself is all about attitude, delivering buzzing bass tones with slapping drums and noisy feedback-mess mixed with expertly handled big grooves and heavy riffs. The kind of songs where you can actually feel the musician’s fingers on the strings, and the power in the drummer’s shoulders as the hammers the toms.
Highlights include the speedy ‘The Way Of Horse And Bow,’ the crunchy and groove filled ‘Snake Charmer,’ as well as lead single ‘Red Eyes, Black Skies.’
Overall, Taste The Sin is a solid and enjoyable album from Black Fang. There is a lot to like on this particular album, in terms of energetic and heavy material and they are certainly worth checking out as a band if you like this type of music, dirty and sludgy as it is.