Mastiff – Bork

Mastiff, Hull’s filthiest and heaviest export return with ’Bork’, a 25 minute assault on everything you hold dear

Following on from 2016’s self released eight track album ’Wrank’, Mastiff have now teamed up with APF Records and recorded a 6 track E.P. that really raises the bar. Again recorded in their hometown of Hull, ’Bork’ sounds so much more polished than its predecessor whilst retaining that core Mastiff brutal sound that got them noticed in the first place

Kicking off with the downright dismal ’Agony’, a track that kind of trudges into your ears before Jim Hodge’s vocals throw you across the room and an aggressive riff bombardment that pummels your ribcage before finally leaving you in a bloodied heap. It’s at this point that you sort of get a sense that your listening to something very special develop before your senses, there’s heavy and there’s heavy but this is off the scale. ’Nil By Mouth’ comes in on a wave of distortion and feedback before transcending into an almighty riff fest that would blow many a band away

Tongue in cheek, the band used the phrase ’volume over talent’ to describe their antics from previous years, a phrase that now could not be further from the truth, this is testicular crushing stuff that will nail you down screaming. The whole E.P. is fueled by an unrelenting mission to produce the heaviest, sludgiest, most doom ridden hardcore sound that can be conceivably laid down in a studio, and it genuinely is mission accomplished

‘Everything Equals Death’, an aural tale of misery and horror, bludgeons its way into your soul, whilst ’Threats’ if it ends up being performed live, will destroy a venue in the blink of an eye. ’Tumour’, at the moment anyway, is my pick of the bunch, incredible downtuned doom at its finest with an almost ethereal guitar outro that just about allows you to draw breath before fading into closer ’Eternal Regret’, a track that in its six minute or so duration encapsulates exactly what Mastiff have become, a rabid beast

I’d like to tell you that this E.P. is diverse, has a ballad, symphonic elements and monastic chanting…but instead it just rips your face off. An incredible release that sees the band really step up to a new level, and now with a record label backing to push the Mastiff brand to the masses, exciting times lie ahead

Recommended Track – Nil By Mouth

Track Listing ;

Agony
Nil By Mouth
Everything Equals Death
Threats
Tumour
Eternal Regret

Mastiff line up ;

Jim Hodge – growls
Michael Shepherd – drums
Phil Johnson – guitar
James Andrew Lee – guitar
Dan Dolby – bass
‘Bork’ sees its release through APF Records on August 31st

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