Cortisol - Meat

Cortisol's "Meat" came out nearly 4 years ago but its only now that its getting noticed by doom, sludge and drone fans. I have only discovered the band myself a few months ago but after searching the Internet for information on the band and coming up with very little, i thought its about time this album got some much overdue attention. This album is not for the weak stomach or for the timid doom metal listener, this is some sick, crushing noise that at times is closer to drone than sludge or doom. There is only 4 songs on here ranging from 7 to 16 minutes in length and listening to these songs is a slow, almost painful experience that only the most hardcore doom fan would appreciate. The guitar/ bass and drum sound you have heard all before but its the vocals that are the real stumbling block to get over with this CD. They range from black metal style shrieks, blood curdling growls, tortured screams but they are mixed so far in the background it produces a truly terrifying effect at times. They can be compared to Mike Williams from Eyehategod but the way it is mixed makes it sound even more harsh and threatening. Its a hard listening to this at times, the songs are so drawn out it can be a excruciating experience getting from one track to the next. Don't know anything about the lyrics, the album came with no lyric sheet and it is impossible to decipher anything this dude is singing about and i use the term "singing" loosely but the distorted guitar sound does fit in well with the vocals (whatever he is going on about).
Even though there is four different tracks on here, they all sound similar and so much so that it could just one long 45 minute track. There is no such thing as variety, no light or shade, it just sheer crushing brutality. There is also no breaks in the sound, if a guitar riff stops then the noise will be replaced by the vocals and vice-versa. The feedback-laden guitar riffs do drag at times however and even though i generally enjoy most of these type of bands, this one is a tough one to get through. It is a real skill to make a album like this and keep it interesting but this band is lacking in such skill to my ears. The urge to skip half a track is something that is hard to avoid with songs like this especially in the 16 minute title track. Musically they don't do anything that hasn't been done better by other bands but they are so crushing, it still makes for a good album. The thing that the band has going for them is the vocals that are at the same time are grotesque but also very well done. A lot of thought has gone into how the vocals have been mixed with this album giving it a unique edge even though there is nothing original with the actual musical content. This is a album that you will love or hate or may just leave you somewhat confused which is where i stand. This is a album where i will have to be in a certain mood to fully appreciate but they are a band that deserves to be recognized a lot more than they currently are. 7/10

Cortisol @ MySpace