Boomslang Recordings isn’t even a year old yet. But, they have had one hell of a debut year. Knocking out one killer release after another. This month they bring us the highly anticipated sequel to the ‘Slither EP’. I hate to sound cliche’ but I’m just gonna say it…do not sleep on this.
SST – Feeling Strange
Some atmosphere and then a snare high hat intro rolls into some heavier atmosphere at at the drop it’s all business. Great buzzing bass and clean drum arrangements working to build the tension. The drums do this really cool thing about half way through the first section where it seems like they are speeding up. SST adds in layer after layer here as the song progresses so it’s giving you more to listen to as the track progresses. Love those dark subs and the “bounce” vocal samples are subtle. The random sounding glitches in the background really add texture. A good balance between “heavy” sounds and a “bouncy” feel.
Noize Komplaint – Chubs
Retro sounding key stabs give way to filthy reese sounds in the intro. A bass hit and some nasty atmospherics to float us into the drop and they go straight for the throat. Driving drum pattern, grinder of a bass line, subs that vibrate yer feet and high squelcher synth stabs that pitch up and down. What more do you want? Sounds like robots arguing before they get into a fight. And I’m pretty sure they’re gonna come to blows. These synth lines have all this tension with the swelling bass and drums underneath it for an impressive effect. The argument continues and get more complicated in the second half. So maybe I misjudged it and they’re really having a conversation about philosophy or something.
Bad Martian – Hard 2 Be A Martian (ft. Werd MC & Drea)
A ballad intro with tagging lyrics including guitar and everything that lists the challenges of being a Martian. At the drop it goes full anthem and this track does an amazing job of fusing heavy metal with drum and bass. A lot of the instrumentation sounds as if it was recorded live in the studio by an actual band. I have absolutely no clue how it was recorded; and frankly I’m not sure which possibility is more impressive. I’m always impressed by live band drum and bass. On the other hand I’m pretty impressed by reproducing that sound digitally. A great anthem that really stands apart from the rest of the crowd.
Vmbrella – Ectoplasm
The drama sounds epic right from the start on this one and it pulls this psych out at the drop. Instead of going for a big main stage sound goes the opposite direction but still with plenty of epic drama. With just this minimalistic pulsing bass, single snare drums and sampled and key stabs it punctuated by ripping reese sounds and tortured effects. This is a really deceptive track cuz on the surface of it it seems really minimal but there is so much going on. It breaks all the conventions of structure and style and completely breaks your expectations. The breakdown sounds like it could be in the main body of the track and vice versa. And to make it all more fun there are more layers of complexity in the second half. A completely unique track from start to finish.
Overall a worthy sequel. Everything on this EP stands out. You can pre-order ‘Slither vol 2’ now from the label. It’s available on all platforms August 27th.
Buy
https://boomslangrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/slither-ep-vol-2
Boomslang Recordings
https://www.facebook.com/boomslangrecordings
Source: https://dnbvault.com/various-artists-slither-ep-vol-2-boomslang-recordings/
