10

Limb from Limb

Steeped in malevolent, decaying doom and proto-metal sounds the debut release from London sludge merchants Limb is, in no uncertain terms, a beast of a record. The three short tracks on Gift of the Sun manage to conjure up plenty of heavy touchstones - Electric Wizard, Crowbar - while forging their own grizzled identity.

Set to walloping low-end and plenty of grinding distortion the band don't forget the value of a tune and the opening title track packs plenty of riffs and a surprising show of dynamics for what is essentially a band that deal in the heaviest of metal. Vocalist Rob Hoey has the throat to match the hulking rhythms conjured by the trio of instrumentalists ranging from a bellow to scream on Quiet Earth before a fiery swansong on monolithic Dead Voice a track that invites low and slow headbanging as it slowly seeps into your skin blackening the pores.