Turbid North – The Decline

Turbid North returns with their third album, “The Decline,” a sludge metal offering that dives headfirst into sonic desolation. This release promises a punishing exploration of emotional turmoil and societal decay. Let’s delve into this abyss, track by track, and see if “The Decline” lives up to its name or becomes a monotonous slog through sonic mud.

A Descent into Crushing Doom:

• Eternal Dying (7:12): The album opens with a slow and deliberate intro, setting the mood for a crushing experience. Distorted guitars churn beneath a melancholic drone, creating a suffocating atmosphere. Vocals, courtesy of Nick Forkel and Chris O’Toole, are a guttural rasp, echoing with despair. The lyrics, though veiled in metaphor, hint at a sense of impending doom and the inevitability of death.
• The Oppressor (6:48): The album picks up slightly in tempo, but maintains its crushing heaviness. Layered guitars create a wall of sound, punctuated by moments of melancholic melody. The drumming is slow and deliberate, hammering home the feeling of inexorable decline. The lyrics delve into themes of oppression and the struggle for survival in a dying world.
• Withered (5:27): A touch of sludge metal swagger emerges here. A groovy bass line provides the foundation for a mid-tempo chug. The vocals take on a more aggressive quality, snarling with defiance amidst the oppressive atmosphere. The lyrics explore themes of societal collapse and the struggle to maintain one’s humanity in the face of hopelessness.
• Apathy (4:58): The album takes a brief detour into a more atmospheric territory. Distorted guitars and haunting vocals create a sense of eerie desolation. The song feels like a desolate soundscape, reflecting the emotional numbness brought on by “The Decline.”
• The Devourer (6:13): The crushing heaviness returns with full force. Blazing guitars and pummeling drums create a sense of sonic warfare. The vocals are a desperate scream into the void, reflecting the struggle against an unstoppable force. The lyrics likely explore the concept of a metaphorical or literal devourer, representing the destructive forces at play in the world.
• Obliteration (8:12): The album’s epic centerpiece arrives. This sprawling track features a dynamic range, shifting from moments of crushing heaviness to melancholic interludes. The instrumental interplay is impressive, with each member contributing to the overall atmosphere of despair. The vocals are a mix of guttural growls and mournful cleans, perfectly capturing the emotional turmoil of the protagonist. The lyrics likely depict the final stages of “The Decline,” a point of no return where everything is consumed by oblivion.
• Dust (5:42): The album closes with a slow and mournful instrumental. Distorted guitars fade in and out, creating a sense of desolate emptiness. This track serves as an emotional coda, leaving the listener with a sense of hopelessness and the lingering echo of destruction.

Verdict: 4 out of 5

“The Decline” is a punishing yet rewarding experience for fans of sludge metal and those seeking a sonic exploration of despair. Turbid North delivers a masterclass in atmosphere, creating a suffocating world of crushing guitars, despondent vocals, and an overwhelming sense of dread. The songwriting, while adhering to the genre’s formula of slow tempos and heavy riffs, offers enough variation to keep the listener engaged. The co-vocalists deliver a nuanced performance, shifting between guttural growls and mournful cleans to perfectly capture the emotional descent. The production is thick and sludgy, perfectly complementing the album’s oppressive atmosphere.

A minor point to consider: Listeners unfamiliar with the slow tempos and unrelenting heaviness of sludge metal might find “The Decline” a bit too monotonous and lacking in dynamic contrast. The bleak and nihilistic lyrical themes might be too much for some listeners.

However, for fans of the genre and those seeking a sonic journey into the abyss, “The Decline” is a must-listen. Turbid North proves that sometimes, the most powerful statements are made through sheer sonic aggression and a bleak outlook on the world. This album is a worthy addition to the sludge metal canon and a crushing experience for those who dare to descend.