Bigg Men – Bigg Men CS (Home Mort Records)

Our devoted readers probably stumbled upon the releases published by Home Mort Records, a Sardinian record label highly dedicated to DIY ethics. For those who are unfamiliar with this independent record label, you may expect a comprehensive collection of various genres, such as crust punk, d-beat, melodic hardcore, powerviolence, post-punk, doom metal, doom rock, sludge, stoner, techno, hard techno, and electronica. This interesting record label continuously experiments with different artists, outlets, projects, but somehow it always stays true to the DIY ethos. Their latest release is no excuse either, but it seems this cassette release pretty much sums up their previous experiences as a publishing collective.

Bigg Men appears shrouded in obscurity and anonymity, but their heavy guitar shreds are vividly hearable on this material. This self-titled album represents a proper demonstration of sludge metal, performed by a band situated in Sicily. There is no further information about the group, but I assume the people behind Bigg Men are probably a part of the collective. Bigg Men solely relies on slow, colossal, fuzzy guitar riffages, performed with so much sense for composition and structure. Their arrangements are unquestionably entertaining, and you won’t be bored by this band even if these compositions were half of an hour each. Besides the dominant presence of sludge metal, you may stumble upon some ideas that are resembling seventies doom rock or mid-nineties stoner rock. Still, this band isn’t all about heavy riffages and robust rhythmic maneuvers. You may also notice the appearance of other instruments, such as saxophone, which uplifts these sludge metal moments on an entirely new level.

The group goes even further into sludge metal waters, but also thoroughly explores genres such as hardcore punk, deathrock, and post-punk as the album proceeds. These experimentations are allowing themselves to expand their sound, so you’ll realize you’re not dealing with another repetitious, bland, monotonous sludge metal album. With the introduction of the wah pedal effect and the pentatonic scale, Bigg Men soon seeks satisfaction in stoner rock, but the essence of sludge metal is still there in the heavy guitar shreds. Their self-titled debut showcases how sludge metal could sound interesting and entertaining if the group dares to explore a little bit further from the strict boundaries of the genre. You’ll solely relish this material, even if you’re not into this type of sound. This recording comes on a clear cassette, decorated by the nearly abstract visual identity that threatens to become a tradition in Home Mort headquarters. Head over to the Home Mort Bandcamp page and grab this sludge metal gem.