Musth - Padjelanta

By Christophe

Did you know "Padjelanta" is a national park in Sweden? And that it's also the name of the debut album by Musth,

And did you know Musth is, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, a condition that male elephants suffer from. A increase in reproductive hormones causing very aggressive behavior.

So, a natural park full of horny elephant bulls... Imagine what that would sound like....

Are you imagining anything slow, steady-paced, heavy and brutal?

Then you're right.

Musth has been around for a couple of years, releasing in EP in 2007. But this debut is going to get them a whole lot more attention.

The Belgian quintet has managed to keep their songs rather accessible, which is a noble thing to do in a sludge/postrock-genre that generally tends to be as inpenetrable as the pussy of a 93-year old nun.

I would suggest a little more layers and intricacies in the dreamy, Mogwai-ish postrock parts. Maybe add some more keyboards, or some extra guitar parts.

But the brutal simplicity of the heavy, droning sludge-elements in the songs are definitely something that will appeal to the fans of the genre.
My guess is that, if Musth succeeds to elaborate the sound even more than they did now, they could become a powerhouse in a scene defined by bands like Neurosis, Isis or Pelican. Keep an eye on these guys (and the bass-playing girl!).
Score: 7,5 out of 10
http://www.funtimerecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/musthcore