So not only do you get back-to-back sludged-up premieres, you also get to see my ass do both of them. Lucky you. This one is special as it marks the return of modern sludge gods, Black Sheep Wall, makers of the great Songs for the Enamel Queen and the classic I’m Going to Kill Myself. It takes these dudes a while to cook up new projects averaging around four or five years between them so this is like catching a rare comet sighting made of metal and despair. To say I’m elated is an understatement.
Today, we’re premiering “Rita” from the band’s new three-song EP, Ethical Scarring. It’s dropping December 11 via Silent Pendulum Records, but you can listen to exactly six (6) minutes of it right here, right now.
If you’re new to Black Sheep Wall, then holy shit, what a time for you to be alive. They are known for achieving total annihilation on an emotional and physical scale with their sundering, sludgy post-metal that’s tractor-beamed in some other influences over time. The crux has always been the same though – be heavy, be rich, be effective. Recency bias be fucked, “Rita” might be one of their best tracks ever, and one of the best in the genre since Herod dropped off the scene (RIP). I’m on loop number, uh… seven maybe, and it hits like a careening Cybertruck each time. Dense riffs, immaculate progression, throat-nuking vocals, and a sinister presence that I almost never see replicated or imitated as well by other bands in this field.
It’s actually sickening how good this song. It brings back all those times discovering bands like this over ten years ago, poring over their output, finding others like them, and building shelters in new art from all the perpetual pain beset upon us. If only we knew how bad things would really get. If you’re near Long Beach, CA, you can see the band potentially play it live for their EP release show that’s stacked with other bands like Teeth, Destroy Judas, and Bad Acid Trip on December 12 at Vine. The place will also be hosting a toy drive and fundraiser for The Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach because it is the season of giving after all.
It was an honor and privilege to share this song with y’all first, and big shout out to all of Black Sheep Wall‘s people who made it possible. Ethical Scarring is out December 11 on Silent Pendulum Records. I may or may not have heard the whole thing and let’s just say it’s poised to rumble the hell out of the holiday season. Preorder it on Bandcamp, and follow the band on Instagram and Facebook. And check out their past work! What a band.
Band photos by Jake Goldstein, show flyer by @imageofabuse
