2024-04-24 07:00:14
(c) Scary Adams
The proverbial way back can sometimes be damn hard, you know that Black Tusk only too well. When life is crumbling around you, it can be difficult to pick yourself up and start once more. This is exactly what the Sludge quartet wants to entice you to do, which was now in the studio as a four-piece for the first time and – of course – also distributed the vocals among all four members. „The Way Forward“ was inspired by private setbacks and wants to show that things can go on, musically of course in the usual chaos of sludge, metal, hardcore and punk.
Right from the first songs, the band, which is broader in every respect, makes it clear that there is a completely different, fresh breeze here. “Out Of Grasp” gets things going right from the start, is noisy and uncomfortable, tries to set sludge speed records and stirs the kettles with increasing enthusiasm. In the following “Brushfire” new bassist Derek Lynch gets to work at the forefront for the first time and does a damn good job. The frothy, hoarse vocals and constant drive forward make the muddy powerhouse a treat. Ultimately, “Harness (The Alchemist)” likes to sit between the two stools and reaches out with great courage. This causes wonderful pain, especially when the whole thing is disrupting what’s going on.
In general, the quartet format seems to give Black Tusk the tools for even more digestible madness. In the final title song “The Way Forward” there are two-part lead guitars, which harmonize surprisingly well with the drastic, angular gestures around it. “Breath Of Life”, a second overlong song, also promises high entertainment value with its massive presentation, which – like a steamroller turned into music – razes everything to the ground with thrashed sludge punk, while restrained melodies take hold. But the stubborn, pointed brevity, as in the broken “Lift Yourself”, also works wonderfully. The uncompromising mania in every note makes hearing and seeing pass by.
Black Tusk hasn’t been heard so incredibly strong and playful since their early days. These almost 36 minutes sound as if a huge burden had been lifted from the gentlemen, as if this new line-up had sought and found each other. “The Way Forward” takes everything that made the US band’s previous records so entertaining and simply lets the action escalate further. More hardness, more brute force, but also more melody come together as the four protagonists casually pass the balls to each other. Here someone is playing freely with growing enthusiasm and, following waiting almost six years, creates a little surprise hit. Welcome back.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: April 26, 2024
Available via: Season of Mist (Soulfood Music)
Website: blacktuskband.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlackTusk
Category: Magazin, Reviews
1713948035
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