ALBUM REVIEW: Planet Loss – Wallowing

Joining the ever-growing ranks of dismal soundtracks to the end of the world. WALLOWING, however seem to conjure up another world, a sci-fi planet ruled by oppression. With their first full release following the 2018 single Phosgene, WALLOWING (consisting of an impressive line up of members from SURYA, KING GOAT, PRISA MATA and AEROSOL JESUS) provide a self-aware perspective, all carefully crafted within an epic story of a small rebellion fighting its last battle against a ruling oppressive regime only to result in the end of civilisation due to both parties own ignorance. If it didn’t sound all too familiar in this Orwellian reality we are forever inching closer to, it might not be so hellishly depressing.  But due to the self-reflection the band themselves state Planet Loss is about, it is all too apt and the heavy as fuck noise they produce in this thirty minutes of brain punishment is dripping with vitriol.   

The cacophonous Prologue, rife with squeals, distorted fuzzy feedback, electronic noise and morbid radio dialogue is a hint at the chaos to come then Earthless comes crashing in with slow cumbersome drumming contrasted against a battle of tortured snarls and howls with lo-fi blackened guitar tones and intensely pounding bass-lines to match the intense bass drum. Like a great horrific sci-fi beast lumbering across a war torn burning wasteland, the slow devastating pace laboriously crawls along before picking up speed to depict the raging battle and follows this rhythm of gruesomely slow and frenzied chaos. 

Phosgene is even more frantic, adding fast punk-esque drum beats to the mix alongside booming bass and doomy drawn out chord progressions. The riffs speed up and the vocals become more twisted with added sci-fi sound effects. Like the poisonous gas itself the corrosive punishing vocals and tones mercilessly drone on and the hideous noise seeps into ones very being, it’s caustic as hell and there is no cleansing cathartic effect here. Hail Creation with a slow start of fizzy noise with crushing drums the anguished and powerful demonic vocals rage on building in volume to a monstrous collision of discordant riffs and heavy hitting drums.  

Vessel offers a moment of reprieve in the form of melancholic and daunting post metal guitar tones which build as layers of disturbing noise is added and builds up to disturbing visceral vocals and plenty of hectic dissonance with riffs and drums and all sort of disturbing added experimental nuances that (like the depicted evil other worldly overlords) bore a hole into ones soul. The crushing Epilogue draws this dystopian nightmare to its conclusion with an imploding burst of feedback and giving way to a distorted dialogue of “the destruction of the planet and its inhabitants, everything rendered earthless”, which has a poignant and disturbing effect that leads to the self reflection WALLOWING strive for upon realising this album is as bright as our future.   

WALLOWING unapologetically conjure the image of a bleak dystopian future run by nightmarish beings in a desolate hellish landscape to match the sci-fi artwork on the album cover with this aural and mental assault. On a hell-bent mission to defy genre categorisation, they mix elements of THE BODY,  PRIMITIVE MAN and FULL OF HELL, playful punky beats and some of the groove of THOU to create a grinding blackened sludgy and terrifying dystopic experiment. This album is not for the faint of heart but perfect for the nihilist in us that want to have our brains slowly pulverised. 

Rating: 8/10

Planet Loss is out now via Sludgelord Records & Black Voodoo Records.

Like WALLOWING on Facebook.