The slow tempo of a bass drum jolts on like a heartbeat through the speakers as the bass throbs and feedback wails. Wasting almost no time the droned, fuzzy guitars and throaty vocalist kick in. The tempo picks up slowly only to build more and more. Suddenly the song becomes a frenzy as the band chugs along like a demented locomotive only to dive and slow down once more. It twists and turns throughout, trudging through sludge one minute and blasting the next until a pulverizing finish. And that's just the first song.
Opium Morals is the newest full length by the Seven Sisters of Sleep. Released by the almighty A389 Records (responsible for releasing other amazing albums by bands like Full of Hell and Pulling Teeth), Seven Sisters of Sleep have continued to hone their sludge/drone/doom craft giving us their best effort yet.
The most apparent thing about Opium Morals is that it is a straight drive. One song after the other just jumps and pushes through the speakers with a beautiful consistency. Through and through Seven Sisters of Sleep manage to push out interesting track after interesting track with surprisingly little variance. No particular song breaks away from the structure of the previous, but there's just no need. There are subtle tweaks here and there but it's clear that that reinventing the genre is simply not on the band's mind. But those familiar with genres like sludge know that it ain't broke, so why fix it?
If there is one thing that people will pick up on is that there are some pretty badass blast beats in here and a strong punk influence on certain tracks. Pieces like the blasting “Orphans” have a lot of energy in comparison to slower tracks like “White Braid” (though the later still as a kick ass blast section). And still other tracks like “Ghost Plains” encompass both of these worlds and weave them together with riffs so baked and heavy, you'll swear your speakers are smoking. And really, if you need to know what Opium Morals is all about, look no further than “Ghost Plains.” It's a perfect song and introduction to Seven Sisters of Sleep.
Fans of bands like Grief and Doom will find Opium Morals a great listen. Those looking for someone to stray from the path should probably look elsewhere; Seven Sisters of Sleep are firmly planted in their spot right now, with roots seeping deep into the (again) drone/sludge/doom categories. If you're looking for a solid listen that doesn't require the use of the “skip” button, then look no further. Opium Morals trudges through riff after riff of ripping, sludge greatness.
8.5/10
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