10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2018
3. Slugdge – Esoteric Malacology
It’s unjust that it has taken Slugdge four albums to get to the level of underground heroism that they are currently enjoying. After taking their time fine-tuning their progressive death metal intensity, the Lancashire-based duo found new heights this year with the release of Esoteric Malacology: a mollusc-themed triumph of extreme experimentation.
For reasons known only to Slugdge themselves, their song titles are slime-ridden parodies of other genre hits, transforming Edge of Sanity’s Spectral Sorrows into “Spectral Burrows”, Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” into “War Squids” and so on. However, beneath that veneer of utter nonsense, one can find music worthy of comparisons to favourites like Death, Mastodon and Psycroptic.
Yes, Esoteric Malacology is a masterpiece of extreme prog, completing Slugdge’s slow crawl from obscurity to acclaim. At every stop, the album finds new ways to impress. “Crop Killer” commences with a swanky bass riff comparable to the likes of John Myung, before “Spectral Burrows” shines with its mix of melodic grandeur and Gojira-esque shredding. But, of all the great songs, “Salt Thrower” is the sure-fire centrepiece, providing a nine-minute dance of dream-like heaviness.
Hiding greatness between a skin-deep layer of “WTF?!”, Esoteric Malacology is a monumental diamond in the heavy metal rough.