DKH - S/T EP

DKH from the UK are a rare breed of band, mixing genres from hardcore punk, stoner rock, doom, sludge to balls out metal. Formed as a side project in early 2007 by guitarist Doh and drummer Slick, they were soon joined by Thor on bass. Soon after they recruited Seph as their front-man and vocalist. They have played shows with bands as diverse as Dopefight, Chickenhawk, Bad For Lazarus, Moloch, Trippin Violet, Dead Existence and Funeral Hag. The EP has 10 songs plus a outro, all squeezed into 29 minutes and its all heavy, sludge, punky and full of viscous grooves. Opener "Glasseyes" begins with a sludge / doom riff but quickly the aggression is unleashed into a blur of chaotic hardcore aggression all top off with Seph's screaming, raspy vocal strangulation's. Slow to fast to mid - tempo beats and rhythms and back again, this track is a onslaught of intense changes. Its evident from the start the band is out to destroy. "Thor Bloody Thor" is a 43 second hardcore sludge attack with a sick riff that i wish had have gone longer. "Doe Kill Hooves" has a catchy riff with a fuzzy stoner groove but played at a tempo too fast to really fit the stoner rock tag. The stop / start arrangement which is a trademark of a lot of songs on the EP make this a infectious piece of metal meets hardcore. "Chav Scum" is equally as infectious while remaining intense in its groove based intent. The bass sound is just as fuzzy as the guitar and it is most prominent in this track. There is also bursts of fury with the drumming, not so much in the thrash sense but very much in the mold of classic hardcore bands.

"Afterman" has a old school Fu Manchu type of riff but with a much more aggressive edge. The groove factor is there in this tune as well and i love the changes in tempo in this track. Their songs are fairly short but they sure pack a lot into them and this track is a instant favorite of mine. "Scaremonger" hits you between the eyes, one of the more up - tempo tracks on the EP has some of the most sludge ridden riffs you will ever hear packed into a short but filthy tune. "Steve Stevens" is the next track up and i have no idea who this "Steve Stevens" is but this is the odd track of the bunch. Its uses some flange bass sounds to get you into somewhat of a psychedelic mood but it quickly turns almost psychotic with its use of fast beats and pure screaming aggressive parts. The guitar works shreds for the most part but its their ability to combine aggression, groove and chunky riffing that makes the track so cool. On "Refrain" the fuzz level is right up not to mention the metallic crunch but its the hardcore aggressive screeching of Seph that is up - front. Not a bad thing at all because this dude is one of the best vocalists of his kind i have ever heard from the UK. "Grief" has more great sludge / stoner riffing blended with more anger, the guitar work is furious and sometimes chaotic but that sums up most of the EP. That leads you into a track called "Pain" that has more twists and turns than a lot of bands have on a entire album, the EP ends with a 44 second outro noise track. Can't really compare this band with anyone, maybe a punk hybrid of High On Fire maybe but this is pretty unique stuff in a world where a lot of sludge bands are now starting to sound the same. DKH are not 100% original by any means but the combination of genres that mangle together is very well done and the aggressive intent doesn't sound forced at all. This is a great way to start 2010, i can't wait to hear more. 9/10

www.myspace.com/dkhtheband