Aberrant Kingdom – AK
Sure, as bloggers, we’re supposed to be the wordsmiths. But Pittsburgh-adjacent-based stoner sludge act Aberrant Kingdom seem to have hit the nail on the head:
“We play loud, heavy, strange songs in sweaty rooms.”
One listen through their latest album, the 10-song AK (ostensibly, short for Aberrant Kingdom) and you’ll see what they mean… This hard hitting trio of James May (guitar/vocals), Ian Tepper (drums), and Pat Herron (bass) craft the kind of music that seems tailor-made for sweaty basement venues and sweltering attic shows. Falling somewhere on an intangible spectrum between Black Sabbath, early Nirvana, and Primus, AK is full of quirky compositions delivered through a prog-rock lens with a dash of that wild, Les Claypool energy… And of course soaked in a grunged-out, Big Muff (TM) style fuzz.
The album opens with an eerie whirring of feedback as Herron starts hammering out a sludgy bass line. Soon the band explodes into a mathy riff session – a jaunty guitar riff from May rips through your speakers as Tepper nimbly slams the drums in unison – this is the heart of Aberrant Kingdom, three friends in divine unison with one another, making lots of noise. “Clit” is archetypal Aberrant Kingdom, channeling that doomy, Sabbath sound while adding an odd time signature to the mix. May’s vocal delivery is unhinged, but perfectly-matched – sounding like a madman frothing at the mouth while still delivering memorable lyrics and surprisingly catchy melodies. The trio waste no energy or time launching into track two, “Broken Mind,” another great AK track. They conjure a thick wall of chords as May bellows “Well, I’ve finally broken my mind… It only took a matter of time.” It really does embody that neurotic feeling of losing your mind – your anxieties beating against your frontal lobes uncannily like Tepper’s syncopated drum slamming.
Aberrant Kingdom, fittingly, has a dichotomy when it comes to their songwriting. Like the aforementioned “Fiscal Clit,” “Wait!” combines nimble riffs and catchy vocal melodies to great effect – exclamations like “Wait! What’s that you say? No don’t complain” are oddly hooky in a demented sort of way (this is assuredly a compliment). There’s also your more guitar-driven, stoner-punk songs like “Square One” which has one of the coolest chord progressions on the album, or “Life Worth Living” with its bizarre intro culminating in a wild snare roll solo. After a full listen through the album, you’ll find the disorienting “Aberrant Kingdom,” with its thundering bass backbone, staccato guitar riffs, and disco beat, it sounds menacing and mystical without losing the weird charm found throughout the rest of this album. Plus, bassists don’t get enough love and Herron deserves a spotlight – listen to this one from 2:13 on and you’ll appreciate his rock-solid playing even more.
There’s lots more to dive into on AK, but my absolute favorite part of this album is the way it was recorded. The trio recorded these songs in a studio with a “band-in-a-room” sound in mind and they absolutely nailed that vibe. I’m sitting comfortably in my living room right now, but I could see myself sitting (uncomfortably) on an impossibly filthy couch laughing along to the self-love references in “Bygone Conflict.” Subtly peeking at their pedalboards mid-set to see if I can snag the Big Muff settings on “Brag and Boast” for myself. Wiping the sweat off my brow watching Tepper kick off the blistering intro to “Spoon-Fed Society.” Or finally giving in and paying $1 for earplugs after they irreparably damaged my hearing in the strangely ska-flavored “I’ve Got Like 3 Bucks.” AK is about capturing three dudes having fun and being loud and, simply put, that’s exactly what they’ve captured here.
AK is available now (October 11, 2024). You can purchase the album on vinyl via Bandcamp. For all other methods of listening, check out this handy Linktree link.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna