ALBUM REVIEW: Bukkraken – Carcharodon

Italian sludge and power doom trio CARCHARODON have been slinging out filthy riffs for over a decade, but now in 2018 they are releasing their third full-length album Bukkraken. As can be expected from a sludge group, dirty and fuzzy riffs, slow and impending sound out in every track, with harsh vocals to accompany.

Opening track Bile Dealer immediately sets the tone for Bukkraken, slow and rhythmic when it needs to be, but as fast as a thrashing shark for the rest of the time. The pure aggression in this track seems to be a theme. Weed & Brown Sound is one of the more anthemic tracks, with lyrics that are catchy and easy to “sing” along to in addition to the undulating riffs that play alongside it. Bukkraken however is an entirely different beast altogether, coming in at a much faster pace and loaded with aggression. This continues for a good minute before the track takes a turn for the slower, harking back to the usual sludginess.

Whalefucker, while brilliantly named, suffers from being too similar to the previous track. It has its own feel to it, but over all it’s much of what the listener has just heard. Intense is just one word to describe the fifth track, Zebra Coat Cobra Head. Littered with blast beats courtesy of Nuzzi Beak, the ferocity is unrelenting, like a swarm of piranhas devouring a fresh victim. U-666 tells tale of the crew of an imaginary WW2 U-boat. If that isn’t enough to draw you in, then the fuzztastic, thicker than gravy basslines certainly will. Nearer the demise of the song, the listener can hear howling winds in the background, an interesting addition to the track.

One of the more unique tracks on the record, Beak & Claw features a whole bucketload of musical stylings. The intro starts off with a somewhat discordant and messy beginning but this cleared up 30 seconds in and it was back to business as usual for CARCHARODON, mixing slow and chunky with fast and erratic. While Reptile Gauchos begins promisingly, with an incredibly strong start, that power level and interest starts to decline around the halfway mark, leaving the listener wanting more.

The final track on the album, Nuclear Piss, starts how you would expect, furious speeds, crushing riffs and drums and an added gruffness to the vocals. After about minute of this, the tone slows down to an almost doomy speed, fuzzy, meaty riffs guide the listener into an acoustic stoner paradise. Reverberating guitars and trippy sound effects accompany the dated sounding vocals, culminating in what can be described as the most relaxing sludge track, if it is even classed as a sludge track.

Overall, CARCHARODON have created an intense and powerful album with Bukkraken, but some tracks such as Whalefucker leave the listener wanting for something more. However, Bile Dealer, Beak & Claw, and Nuclear Piss are definitely on the top rungs of the record. From droning, murk-dredging riffs, to vicious and savage blast beats, CARCHARODON are a band to keep an eye on.

Rating: 7/10

Bukkraken is out now via Argonauta Records. 

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