Time Signature
Carnivorous forest...
Genre: death-thrash / power-thrash / groove metal
Sludgehammer are not, despite what their name might indicate, a sludge metal band. They are a thrash metal band, and "The Fallen Sun" is their debut full-length album.
Stylistically, Sludgehammer's music combines power-thrash and death-thrash, sprinkling it with groove metal influences every now and then. On paper, this might sound like a blend that doesn't work, but in practice, it works very well. Sludgehammer seamlessly combine fast and aggressive thrash metal riffage with more melodic guitar figures (some of which even venture into traditional metal territory - 'Carrion Eater' even has sequences that sound like Slough Feg), and this blend is reflected in the vocals, which are a combination of guttural growls and a more melodic rock or traditional metal singing style. It may take a couple of listens for this to sink in, but the two singing styles actually complement each other very well. Drawing on influences from the likes of Lamb of God, Sludgehammer's brand of thrash metal is riff-centric, and their riffs work to great effect.
The guys in Sludgehammer are very proficient musicians and skilled songsmiths. The guitar solos in particular are very good without being show-offy. The production is pretty crisp and well defined which suits the music itself very well.
This is a very strong debut album and it should appeal to most fans of thrash metal who don't mind a bit of melody, a bit of groove, and a lot of brutality.