Bandcamp Yuggoth is the frozen world at the edge of Lovecraft’s cosmos, and you might expect a band named for it to drift in ambient space. This Dresden trio do the opposite: and ever since my paths were crooked and forsaken is four tracks of aggressive, harsh-shouted stoner-sludge-doom that build tonal walls in the Conan tradition and only let the cosmic drift in around the edges. It is an EP with something to prove, and it mostly proves it.
The production is refreshingly honest. Across most of the EP nothing is loudness-maximized: the guitars carry an earthy, slightly muddy saturation with real note clarity, the bass holds the bottom with a dry pick attack and a defined growl, and the drums stay organic, a wooden snare and a kick with actual mid-thump rather than triggered plastic. “My Paths Were Crooked And Forsaken” is the highlight, swinging between spacious, reverbed intro and bridge passages and huge riff densifications so the compression in the chorus never tires the ear, and “Thy Serpent Eyes : Reprise” leans furthest into raw, room-recorded sludge with its harsh vocals sat inside the wall rather than on top. When the trio let a song thin out and then crush, the Lovecraftian dread genuinely takes.
The limits are polish and reach. The opener “A Crimson Dawn” leans on a slightly plastic, clicked kick that sits oddly against the organic feel of the rest, the densest crescendos crowd the upper mids around the 2-to-4 kHz band, and the closer “Deathlike Living” tips from doom into straight thrash-groove in a way that is fun but slightly breaks the spell. This is a young band’s EP, aggressive and promising rather than fully formed, and it is heavier and more direct than its cosmic name suggests.
and ever since my paths were crooked and forsaken is a raw, honest, genuinely heavy little EP from an obscure German trio who clearly mean it, and for anyone who likes their stoner-doom shouted, room-recorded and shot through with Lovecraftian cold it is well worth the four tracks. Come for the weight and the wall, not for drifting space. The paths are crooked, and they hit hard.
Four tracks of aggressive, harsh-shouted stoner-sludge-doom with post-metal dynamics and Conan-esque tonal wallbuilding, heavier and more direct than the cosmic Lovecraftian name suggests. Most of the EP is refreshingly un-maximized: earthy, slightly muddy guitar saturation with real note clarity, a dry-pick growling bass, and organic drums with a wooden snare and a kick with genuine mid-thump. “My Paths Were Crooked And Forsaken” swings between spacious reverbed passages and huge riff densifications so the chorus compression never tires the ear, and “Thy Serpent Eyes : Reprise” leans into raw room-recorded sludge with the harsh vocals sat inside the wall. Reservations: the opener “A Crimson Dawn” uses a slightly plastic clicked kick against the otherwise organic feel, the densest crescendos crowd the upper mids around 2 to 4 kHz, and the closer tips from doom into thrash-groove. Aggressive and promising rather than fully formed.
Standout tracks: My Paths Were Crooked And Forsaken, Thy Serpent Eyes : Reprise, A Crimson Dawn
