Tunguska - Untethered Guillotine


London progressive sludge metallers Tunguska released a killer self-titled EP right at the end of last year before unleashing Untethered Guillotine unto an unsuspecting world a few months ago. It's four-and-a-half minutes (near enough) of heaviness that will appeal to fans of Neurosis, Mastodon and Meshuggah. Tunguska strike a clear balance between light and shade, with clean singing, emotion and atmosphere amid demonic growls, pummelling riffs and razor-sharp aggression. 

Opening with ominous synths and effects, Tunguska waste little time before releasing a beast of a main riff that evokes Mastodon beneath clean vocals from Sean Gibson. The heavier, more guttural style of vocals that it follows into are simply awesome. The riffs for the dirtier sections are sludgy as hell, but the technical approach to the guitars really remind the listener of Meshuggah at their best. A clear dichotomy exists within the song between the more melodic stoner-type parts and the heavy dissonance. Despite this, it feels like a cohesive track and each element is as good as the other. 

Clever off-time riffs and switches in key and mode demonstrate Tunguska's well-honed progressive flair. I have always felt that the best progressive bands manage to incorporate all of these clever compositional techniques without the music sounding over-complicated, and Tunguska are certainly part of this elite flock. This is down to, in part, their sense of groove that propels the song from start to finish. This is music you can bang your head to, but also pick special elements out of. If you like anything progressive or anything sludgy you definitely need to keep an eye on these musicians' movements! You can buy the track at this link or find them on Facebook here.

MN

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