EP Review: Bog Rot – Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll

“If I don’t get sleep, they will come get me, if I start to feel weak, it’s already too late for me.”

Bog Rot – Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll
September 30th, 2023
Grunge / Sludge Metal
Plastic People Records
St. John’s, Newfoundland

Emerging from the boggy wasteland of Newfoundland, Bog Rot are here to combine the melancholy edge of grunge with the heaviness and drug-induced psychedelia of sludge metal, all couched in the aesthetics of the Spongebob Squarepants font. As a “supergroup” of sorts, featuring members of Jaded Truth, Sentimentipede, and Everose, Bog Rot definitely has the chops to produce something cool with this EP.

What we get on this release is the sonic equivalent of being strung out and hungover for a week straight. As the first track, “Ketamine for Crocodiles”, indicates, this EP is bathed in the grease, grime, and mold that one would expect of a corpse decaying in the goudie out in the boons of Newfoundland’s boreal forest, perfectly encapsulating their name.

The bass and guitars are awash in so much feedback and fed through such a muddy tone that you feel like you’re sinking into the most disgusting foxhole this side of the Atlantic, full of viscera, waste, and unidentifiable human sludge. Indeed with titles like “Tonic Clonic”, “Brainfreeze”, and “Get It India” (a reference to Newfoundland’s own India beer), it should come as no surprise that the songs on here feel so sickly.

In a lot of ways I’m reminded of Jaded Truth’s first record, Rx, which was a concept album surrounding mental illness, anxiety, depression, and nightmares, as well as, as evidenced by the title, drug use (prescription or otherwise). There’s a patina of filth and disease coating this EP, and for that it almost feels like a spiritual successor to that record, even having some similar vocal melodies and affectation.

I’ve heard some people don’t like this EP but I for one find it to be a pretty enjoyable release. Is it anything new or groundbreaking? No. Could the songs be tighter? Yes. But I love how snotty and upsetting and uncanny it feels. Everything from the production to the bass and guitar tone to the different vocal styles combines to create one heaping pile of vomit, and I love it.

Final Verdict: 3/5

Favourite Tracks:
“Flat Stanley”
“Tonic Clonic”

~ Akhenaten

Heavy NFLD Official Podcast Episode 060: November 2023 – Newfoundgrunge

On the 60th episode of the podcast we delve into the grunge revival movement in Newfoundland and Labrador!

All songs belong to the original artists. Podcast recorded by Greg “Akhenaten” Ravengrave.

Tracklist:

01. Jaded Truth – “Bottom of the Bottle”
02. Mantra – “Arcane”
03. Everose – “Shadows”
04. Lil Dirtbag – “Armageddon”
05. Nfrared – “Piece of Mind”
06. Sentimentipede – “Ashes”
07. Nerve Shack – “Yellow Teeth”
08. Chimp Apparatus – “AAAA (Quad A)”
09. Bog Rot – “Flat Stanley”
10. Canvas – “Tarnished”

~ Akhenaten

Bog Rot Releases Debut EP ‘Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll’

Bog Rot is a brand new St. John’s grunge supergroup of sorts. The band consists of Ryder Whiffen from Sentimentipede, Tomas Hiscock and Chris Lewis of Everose, and Michael Small from Jaded Truth. The band recently played their very first show on September 29th, and have since followed that up with the release of their very first EP.

The new EP is entitled Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll, and was released on Sunday, October 1st, 2023 through streaming services.

You can listen to Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll through our YouTube embed below.

~ Akhenaten

November 2022 in Review

Things sure have picked up this year huh? I remember back when the pandemic first started the news was so slow on this blog that I’d sometimes go weeks with only one or two posts. Now, I have a hard time keeping up with you guys. Let’s take a look at everything that happened in November 2022 as we head into the start of winter!

Biggest Stories
– Ken Power Tattoo Company Heavily Damaged in Fire
– Plan B Bar and Lounge Rebrands as The Deck
– Precious Blood Perform Debut Show at The Abbey
– Slowpoke Named MusicNL Loud Artist of the Year
– Smoke Signals Return with a Lineup Change, New Music, and a Show
– Winterhearth Part Ways with Brad Ivany, Recruit Nathan Manuel

New LPs Released
– Allagash – Dark Future
– Triskelyon – Downfall
– Vertebraeker – Spinal Sword

New EPs Released
– Ratpiss – Vermin Urine

New Singles Released
– Artach – “Ride… Die… Immortality!”
– Dead Inner Youth – “Karma Kills”
– Jaded Truth – “A City Drowned”
– Jim Jones and the Kool-Aid Jammers – “Trick r’ Treat”
– Kaspam Cult – “Samhain”
– Madison Strip – “Empty Shells”

New Demos
– Bankrobber – Sweet Lovely Debt
– Carnage – Demo 2022
– Hakapik – Pig Skull
– Homesick ‘N’ Wanderlust – Road Kill

Album Announcements
– The Skeats – Fourth LP

Album Reviews
– Dendron – To Save Ourselves [by Akhenaten]
– Endrot – Suicidal Failure [by Akhenaten]

New Merch
– Allagash Reveal New Hats
– Bankrobber Reveals New Merch Line
– Ratpiss Reveal New ‘Rat King’ T-Shirts

New Music Videos
– Jaded Truth – “A City Drowned”
– Jaded Truth – “Lapse in Judgement”
– Triskelyon – “A Time of War”

Watch
– Sentimentipede – “Outtasight Parasite / Spew” [Live from Bad Times Club]

We also released the 48th episode of our monthly podcast. In this episode we focus in on the younger bands in the local scene. You can listen to it on our Bandcamp page and soon on our YouTube channel.

Albums Archived
– 6000apez – Pissing Everywhere [EP / Hardcore Punk]
– Acorn to Great Oak – A Tribute to Beherit [Single / Atmospheric Black Metal]
– Carnage – More Carnage [EP / Hardcore Punk]
– Chimp Apparatus – AAAA (Quad A) [Single / Hardcore Punk]
– Chimp Apparatus – Argument Then Divorce [Single / Hardcore Punk]
– Chimp Apparatus – I Eat Batteries [Single / Hardcore Punk]
– Chimp Apparatus – Pizza Man [EP / Hardcore Punk]
– Devastator – Fight or Die [LP / Groove Metal]
– Firmalino – Dovetailing [LP / Alternative Rock]
– Havoc Protocol – Havoc Protocol [Demo / Crust Punk]
– Last Soul Down – In Hindsight [LP / Stoner Rock]
– Matrioshka Brain – Cabal [LP / Harsh Noise]
– Nocturnal Prayer – Advance on Weakened Foes [LP / Black Metal]
– Nocturnal Prayer – Mutilation on the Bed of Winter [LP / Black Metal]
– Personal Space Invaders – Without a Voice [LP / Experimental Rock]
– Ratpiss – Vermin Urine [EP / Powerviolence]
– Rick Massie – Need [Single / Progressive Metal]
– Rick Massie – Wind-Up Toy [Single / Hard Rock]
– Viscen – Death Symmetry [EP / Speed Metal]

~ Akhenaten

Heavy NFLD Official Podcast Episode 048: November 2022 – Up ‘n Comers

On this episode of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast I decided to take a look at some of the brand new bands that have cropped up in the local scene over the past few years. There’s a whole new generation of punks and metalheads who have been taking over St. John’s, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Head on over to our Bandcamp to listen!

Tracklist:

01. Kaspam Cult – “Kaspam Cult”
02. Chimp Apparatus – “Argument Then Divorce”
03. Carnage – “On the Floor”
04. Sarra Cenia – “Sanctuary”
05. Roach Smoking Buddies – “Toxic Life”
~News Break~
06. Sentimentipede – “Frogslayer”
07. Zack St. John’s – “British Columbia”
08. Pearl – “Synthetic Minds”
09. Knarl – “Knarl Intro” / “Untitled 1”
10. 6000apez – “Pissing Everywhere”
~Final Remarks~

~ Akhenaten

Precious Blood Perform Debut Show at The Abbey

After weeks of cryptic and eerie messages and teases across the Avalon, the Order of the Precious Blood have emerged like ghosts from the fog to haunt the masses with blistering metal.

The much hyped ‘mystery act’ took the stage at a sold out Abbey Bar in downtown St. John’s on November 19th (alongside fellow scene-favourites Kaspam Cult, Sentimentipede and the returning Smoke Signals) for the long-promised ‘blood ceremony.’ 

The payoff for weeks of speculation and intrigue was an all-new goliath-like super-group of notable names across Atlantic Canada’s heavy scene. 

Comprised of vocalist Paul Brake (Wastecase, RocketRocketShip!), drummer Adam Hearn (Release the Hounds, Faster than Felix), guitarists Barry O’Keefe (Release the Hounds, Rivals) and Cameron Legge (Slowpoke, Anoxia) and bassist Ben Chapman-Smith (Slowpoke, Headloss), the local collective of shredders brought the house down during their debut set, belting out face-melting originals and a searing cover of Slayer’s “Angel of Death,” much to the pleasure of the frenzied fans in attendance.

Stay tuned for much more on Precious Blood in the coming weeks, including details on the next blood ceremony and new music. Follow Precious Blood at preciousblood709 on Instagram.

~ Dillon Collins

Watch: Sentimentipede – “Outtasight Parasite / Spew” [Live from Bad Times Club]

St. John’s grunge punks Sentimentipede have recently celebrated the one year anniversary of their debut full length record, Pretend This Sounds Good. Around the same time the band was celebrating this anniversary, the YouTube channel Bad Times Club released a live video of the band performing their song “Outtasight Parasite / Spew” from that record. The video was released on November 1st, 2022.

You can watch this video of Sentimentipede performing live through our YouTube embed below.

~ Akhenaten

Slowpoke Named MusicNL Loud Artist of the Year

Every year Music NL recognizes the achievements of artists in a variety of different categories and genres, however it’s only within the past few years that the organization has opened its eyes and ears to heavier music coming out of Newfoundland and Labrador. This year, 2022, St. John’s stoner / doom metal outfit Slowpoke was named as the Music NL Loud Artist of the Year.

We’d like to extend our congratulations to Slowpoke for winning the award as well as to St. John’s grunge punks Sentimentipede for being nominated alongside them.

~ Akhenaten

Smoke Signals Return with a Lineup Change, New Music, and a Show

St. John’s hardcore band Smoke Signals have been quiet for the past few years but now the band has finally offered an update on what’s been going on with them over that length of time and what they’ve got coming up in the future.

The pandemic of course changed things for everybody, and part of those changes included guitarist Jimi and bassist Matt amicably parting ways with Smoke Signals. The band has welcomed Brandon on guitar, and Nick, the group’s original bassist, into the fold.

The group has also announced that they have two new songs coming out on November 15th, as well as a show coming up on November 19th at The Abbey alongside Kaspam Cult, Sentimentipede and the debut performance of a secret band.

~ Akhenaten

August 2022 in Review

August was yet another month full of awesome stuff happening! Read on below to check out what happened in the local scene for the month of August 2022.

Biggest Stories
– Fireign Tease a Reunion in 2022
– Necronomicon to Perform at The Rockhouse in November
– Night Demon and Thunderor to Perform in St. John’s in September
– Night Demon / Thunderor Show to Happen at Columbus Hall
– Sentimentipede, Slowpoke, Kyle Gryphon, Big Space Nominated for Music NL Awards
– Sheavy, Metaphora, Kaspam Cult to Open for Night Demon / Thunderor on September 23rd

New EPs
– Swam – Swam

New Singles
– Disposition – “Black and White”
– Last Cigar – “Don’t Tango (With the Rango)”

New Demos
– Intern – “At Least You Tried”
– Lobotomy Release New Demos

Album Announcements
– Category VI Announce Title and Album Art for Upcoming LP, Sign to Moribund Records
– Metaphora Tease New Music
– Sons of an Eastern Moon Announce New Single “Borealis”
– Triskelyon Reveal Album Art, Release Date, Tracklist for New LP Downfall

Merch
– Doom ‘An Blue Reveal New Snapback Hats
– InfectDead Reveal New T-Shirts
– Sentimentipede Reveal a Ton of New Merch
– The Skeats Release Dead Before Dawn on CD

Watch
– Carnage – Live @ Two Pins Jam

We also dropped the 45th episode of the Official Podcast, New Metal from Newfoundland II, in which we took a listen to songs from new full length records released from Newfoundland over the course of 2022.

Albums Archived
– The Darts – The Darts [LP / Hard Rock]
– Dendron – To Save Ourselves [LP / Progressive Metal]
– Intern – At Least You Tried [Demo / Screamo]
– Lithops – The Rounded Tower [EP / Dungeon Synth]
– Loose Nuts – The Cat’s Pajamas [Demo / Skate Punk]
– Mike Fisher – Psych-E-Punk [LP / Progressive Punk]
– Nemophilist – Never Morning Wore to Evening, But Some Heart Did Break [LP / Dark Ambient]
– Sentimentipede – Hang [Single / Grunge Punk]
– Sentimentipede – Premeditated Garbage [Single / Grunge Punk]
– Sentimentipede – Pretend This Sounds Good [LP / Grunge Punk]
– Sentimentipede – Sanitize [Single / Grunge Punk]
– Sentimentipede – Synapse [Single / Grunge Punk]
– The Skeats – The Fight [Single / Hard Rock]
– The Skeats – Syndrome [Single / Hard Rock]
– The Skeats – Wake Up (Don’t Hate Me) [Single / Hard Rock]
– Triskelyon – Triskelyon [EP / Power Metal]

~ Akhenaten