FISTULA (Idiopathic) CD
Another heavy slab intent on destroying every neurone in your skull, "Idiopathic" has been released two years ago on Shifty Records. FISTULA are no newcomers to underground doom and sludge activists, and it's a shame that I didn't wrote a review earlier, but better now than never! Again, FISTULA take no prisoners and continue their destructive path of metal-drenched fuzzed-out heavy sludge as they did before on several split-releases and compilation tracks. Influences from Grief are still obvious, but FISTULA are more than just that, although the cover-artwork has been painted by Grief-member Eric C. Harrison, too. But whereas Grief played one of the slowest and torterous styles of Doom, FISTULA have integrated some ass-kicking thrash metal elements, and when they increase the pace it's comparable with a big bulldozer that crashes into a building made of stone. Maybe it sounds silly, but I don't find a better picture for this effect, that causes a pulverizing track as "Fear Of One". But it's the refreshing stylistic breadth, which makes this band so interesting and so it's no surprise, that the last track on "Idiopathic" is a weighty cover-version of the J.J. Cale classic "Cocaine". And it's no surprise, too, that they play it in a very slow and heavy manner. But this ain't no flower-power trip and the hate-filled vocals of guitar-player Corey Bings are giving "Cocaine" a very 'special' vibe. Although I like their mutilated interpretation of "Cocaine", I prefer FISTULA when they play their own stuff, and this album contains only high-quality sludge. If you like sludge, I'd definitely recommend this and you're an ass if you don't get this in your collection. An exceptional album by FISTULA.
(KK)