Poland's Spaceslug, Bartosz Janik (guitars/vocals); Jan Rutka (bass/vocals) and Kamil Ziółkowski (drums/vocals), have not put a foot wrong since the release of their debut album "Lemanis", they are one of those rare bands who constantly deliver whether it be a full album, a one off track ("Event Horizon") or an appearance on a split album ("4 Way Split"). This year (2024) that delivery takes the form of an EP going by the name of "Out of Water" (Electric Witch Mountain Recordings), a release that sees Spaceslug cementing their place in the upper echelon of the Polish underground alongside artists like Dopelord, Weedpecker and Sunnata.
The opening song "Tears Of Antimatter" showcases Spaceslug's subtler take on heaviness, balancing crushing segments with moments of languor and restraint both musically and vocally with the songs thought-provoking lyrics delivered in a blend of guttural harshness and smooth melodic harmonies that are quite different in texture from other bands utilizing those same vocal dynamics. Janik's resonant circular guitar refrains are the force driving following track "Arise The Sun" merging with Rutka's deep rumbling bass lines and Ziółkowski's solid tight and busy drumming to create an atmosphere that is both dense and expansive, an atmospheric further enhanced by those superbly crafted vocal harmonies mentioned earlier and the outstanding musicianship of each of the participants involved.. Title track "Out Of Water" finds Janik utilizing his pedal board to add a fittingly liquid tone to his guitar work which is supported by Rutka and Ziółkowski laying down a solid tight bass and drum groove, a groove once again topped by a delicate mix of wafting lead and lilting vocal harmonies. "Delusions" sees Spaceslug jamming a more intense sound that, despite also featuring a delicious lysergic tinted middle section, is characterized by its crunchier guitar tones and more thunderous drumming. Final song "In Serenity" boasts an undulating dynamic, a dynamic that is at times soaring and uplifting at others melancholic and introspective, its cleverly arranged and superbly executed vocal interplay taking its overall sonic impact to a whole other level of enjoyable..
Polish underground bands are known world wide for delivering off the scale levels of intensity, complexity and heaviness and Spaceslug are no shrinking violets in those departments, however the complexity, intensity and heaviness Spaceslug bring to the table with "Out Of Water" is of the measured variety, there is a deftness of touch to the heaviness on this album that does not so much pin you to the wall as invite you to stand against that wall and allow the music to flow over you.
Check it out ....
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