Rue
Rue / Aldebaran Split (CD) 2005 Parasitic/Shifty
This disk is the product of two rampant bands from Shifty Records' stock. They both play harsh stoner metal with obvious taints of sludgecore and doom metal. It's groovy, it's bouncy, but Hell will freeze over before you find any elements of happiness here. Rue enters the stage first. Many consider stoner rock to be a relaxed genre, but these four serenades prove once and for all that this is not always the case. While their other releases show a strong doomy side from time to time, I can't say I hear much of that now. This time the focus is on aggression. The lyrics indicate that the recieving end of this attitude is the government or society. For this purpose they have adopted some lesser punk tendencies in their lyrics. Musically it's more like a hellhound on the loose, as violent and menacing as it is loud. The last four tracks are more interesting for fans of YOB. In fact Mike, the vocalist and guitarist, is the same guy who plays in both YOB and H.C. Minds. This band is not as heavy as the other two Mike participates in and like Rue they focus more on aggression on this release. This time around the loud riffage has no remorse as it pounds into the ground. Still, it's heavier than the average stoner band and YOB fans should check it out anyways. It contains a lot of the traits that people loved about their earliest releases. Whether you prefer the image of a rabid dog hanging from the throat of a politician, or Godzilla brutally laying waste to a city, you'll find both here. Recommended listening for both sludge and stoner fans.	Rue: 1. You Say One Thing 2. Shit Talker 3. Lengthy Delusion 4. Throes Of Life Aldebaran: 5. They Bend The Trees And Crush The Cities 6. The Obscene 7. Aldebaran Red 8. Tower Of Famine Approx. 38 minutes
Reviewed by: Arnstein H. Pettersen