Review: Ergo I Exist - The Depths - The Progressive Subway

Style: post-metal, sludge metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: early Cult of Luna, Khemmis, Pallbearer, Gojira
Review by: Dylan
Country: Washington, United States
Release date: 18 August 2018

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the August 2018 issue of The Progressive Subway.]

Wait what, post sludge you say? Yep, that was the genre specified on Metal-Archives and it turns out this is what the genre says it is. My first taste of the album was the 3 minute track “Bochladec,” a straight up sludgy track. However, most other tracks include clear post moments or at least an influence from the genre, so I’m gonna stick to the tag.

So yeah, post sludge, how does it work? Well (pls do take into account that this is merely my opinion but) to me, amazingly. What you get with Ergo I Exist is three types of segments, the sludge segments, the post segments, and the post sludge segments. So let’s analyze the three of them. On the sludge side, you’ve got some of the grooviest riffs I’ve heard this year, and fantastic harsh vocals. When this album hits hard, it is a headbanging fest. “Bochladec” is just a sludge track and it is fantastic. On the post side, you’ve got the usage of very chilled out instrumentation. This is used to either build up to a climax, or as an interlude or intro to a song. When the post IS used for the climax buildup, the climax itself is a typical post metal climax, with the amazing vocals and riffs I mentioned. Those moments to me were the clear highlight of the record. Also worth noting that the production value here is also great, which leads to a dynamic mix that takes advantage of atmosphere, or full on brutality, whenever they are needed.

A release that I recommend to anyone and some of the best music I’ve heard this year. Check it out!

Recommended tracks: Bochladec, Whale
You may also like: Nero di Marte, Blindead
Final verdict: 9/10