Album Review: Tides of Sulfur – Apathy Chasm (APF Records)

Released under the prestigious banner of APF Records, Welsh heavy metal juggernauts Tides of Sulfur make their thunderous return with their latest full-length album, Apathy Chasm. Out on September 29th, 2023.

Offering up a wave of heavy noise that has the strength to knock the breath out of the body, Tides of Sulfur’s new album is an emphatic and brash combination of genres. Mixing elements of black, death, sludge, and grind metal and creating a cacophony across eight heavyweight tracks. While you may not be able to predict exactly what each will bring, it doesn’t take a seer to see that each will be creatively savage.

Both those words are super important because Apathy Chasm is a creative release and a savage assault in equal measures. Tides of Sulfur’s noisy approach is purposeful and measured, notable from the ebb and flow of the opener Anxiety Veteran. Yet, when they really ‘let lose and f**k everything up’, it results in a track like Ruined or (If the Earth Is Flat Then Why Is My Life Constantly Going) Downhill. A clattering and crashing of garish instruments, all while the vocals screech and howl with hellish power.

Leaning into sludgy and dark territories, before opening up a can of whoop-ass, it’s Disgruntled, before Tides of Sulfur really showcasing how elaborate they can be with Summer of Snakes. The three-piece continue to impress with their well-structured and well-written chaos. Able to sound heavier than anything, but with real strength behind their song-writing so there is no mess.

A major plus being that their exploration of existential dread, inner turmoil, and the relentless search for meaning in an apathetic world, really comes through too.

Look no further than Blame Thrower for that. A track filled with blackened chaotic energy. Or Open the Vain, where Tides of Sulfur build up the noise with crashing drums and scathing guitars, before unleashing hellish speed to leave the ears ringing and the eyes watering.

Finally, if you can take one more, Nazinsky begins with dark melody before transitioning comfortably into a really meaty and mean sounding track. Tides of Sulfur’s soul is particularly black here, but as always, they chop and change genres so expertly, it ends up becoming one of the most fascinating tracks of all.

Tides of Sulfur – Apathy Chasm Track Listing:

1. Anxiety Veteran
2. Ruined
3. (If the Earth Is Flat Then Why Is My Life Constantly Going) Downhill
4. Disgruntled
5. Summer Of Snakes
6. Blame Thrower
7. Open The Vain
8. Nazinsky

Links

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