Mollusk grab my attention with an air of mysterious, volatile viscosity. Majestic, reverberating riffs and subtle, superb drumming give Mollusk's debut the vibe of a subaqueous séance. The band plumb the depths of doomed sludge and shape abyssal flows into compelling textures, producing ambient accretions that bring Withered to mind.
Mollusk rise from the remains of Sabre, a band whose debut was a personal favorite in 2010. The flailing, churning sludge of these compositions is a welcome holdover from that previous incarnation. The band also display a similar penchant for ambiance, but instead of sepia hallucinations, Mollusk produce visions of yawning chasms and unfathomable doom.
Mollusk rarely move faster than a lumbering march, but each beat is borne with crushing compression. When the band kick up the tempo, you'll experience a whirlpool of ritualistic fury. These passages have induced repeated bouts of sudden-onset-headbanging. The drums are filled with a simmering buoyancy, played and produced with a pleasing, organic elasticity. Beautiful bass tones buffer the guitar's pressurized distortion to great effect. The blunt, bludgeoning riffs are elemental but deceptively seductive; their throbbing immediacy is oddly addictive.
Much like Sabre, Mollusk feature maniacal, yelled vocals that seem to convey an urgent, incomprehensible message. We may never grasp these submerged tidings, but we can certainly appreciate the music at hand. I look forward to further missives from these irate invertebrates.
8.0/10
Mollusk is available for cassette pre-order at Pact Ink Records, and available now at Bandcamp. You can stream the entire album below:
