Review Summary: Mildly frightening.
Master, We Perish - the first release from sludge duet
The Body since 2010's aptly-titled
All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood - wastes absolutely no time in making its intentions clear. 'The Ebb and Flow of Tides in a Sea of Ash', the first number from this 18-minute EP, is a maelstrom of fuzz, incomprehensible shrieks, and even more fuzz, conveying the utterly dastardly nature of the band's music better than they have ever been able to in a studio setting. It and the other two, longer tracks on this release draw most of their quality from this new, incredibly powerful energy that
The Body seem to have discovered with the recording of
Master, We Perish. Most of the weaknesses of the duet's past studio efforts have related to, despite their successfully apocalyptic vibe, their usual inability to capture the frenetic nature of their notoriously harrowing live performances. However, with this newfound shorter-form approach to their uniquely bleak brand of sludge
The Body has finally struck that critical balance of experimentation and energy, turning this most recent effort into their most engaging and accessible piece of music to date. The formula still has yet to be perfected - the fact that an EP this brief harbors a moment or two that feel far longer than they actually are speaks to the distance
The Body have to go before they drop the truly astounding release that they are almost certainly capable of creating - but even so, their sound here is stronger and more frightening than it has ever been in a studio setting. From the haunting and tastefully-used choir contributions of 'The Blessed Lay Down and Writhe in Agony' to the slow build of the EP's closer and centerpiece 'Worship', utilizing
Neurosis-esque tribal drumming and the drone doom-influenced style brilliantly showcased by their astoundingly good collaborative effort with
Braveyoung to create one of the best songs in the act's career,
Master, We Perish stands as
The Body's strongest solo (again, I point you to their brilliant
Braveyoung collaboration,
Nothing Passes) studio effort to date and bodes great things for their future.
