More often than not, whenever I encountered any form of sludge, it tends to be paired with doom simply because the two make such a great combination in virtually every scenario. So to see any act try to bring different things to the land of sludge is always fun to witness, and add black metal with it along with that tasty doom can make for something very interesting. Running off the chaotic splendor of their last album, Turin Horse only brings further excellence to such a concept with their latest album.

Normally, the doom elements in a work like this can make the songs and overall runtime go on for quite some time and even the black metal elements can make the whole of the record downright caustic. While both of those take place in these six tracks, it’s throughout “Antipas” that it’s really the sludge that takes the center stage while implementing selective elements of both the black and doom parts expertly for different experiences across the board like a nearly ten-minute smasher or an eternally corrosive sound that permeates everything that Turin Horse brings forth. It allows “Antipas” to become something that absolutely goes for the throat at virtually every opportunity it’s given and it uses each one to the absolute maximum as Turin Horse continuously works this album to become a real force to reckon with. Each song adds a new layer of unique suffering to an already apocalyptic soundtrack that boils your very blood practically right off the bat, and it’s such a sight with such a viciously satisfying sound that it becomes all but irresistible to engulf yourself in as the flames continue to rise higher and higher.

Turin Horse definitely made the apocalypse a sightly place for their music to take residence in with their last album, but it’s here that we see the band crafting the end of the world to their will in order to make for a listen that is devastating in all the right ways. All the way to the very end, there isn’t a single shred of mercy to be found within “Antipas” and should you come out wanting more then the album is more than welcoming of a providing a second helping to those who dare.

LISTEN to “Antipas” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Turin Horse on Facebook here.