Review: Businessman – Behemoth
Style: Progressive metal, sludge metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Baroness, Mastodon, Opeth, Down
Country: United States (Texas)
Release date: 2 October 2026
Different day, same old shit. The monotony of a 9-5 office job can be a soul-sucker. How many of you are dreary-eyed at your desk cubicle this very moment? Houston’s budding progressive metal act Businessman, well-versed in the daily grind, have broken free of the corporate penitentiary long enough to unleash their debut EP Behemoth on the world. So, if you’re like our strung-out and exhausted friend plastered on the cover art, snap out of it; we’ve got some new tunes to get to!
Businessman attack with a riff-driven, sludgy stomp akin to early Mastodon and Baroness, with southern groove-lined licks. Though a concise three-track EP1 there’s ample supply of adrenaline and intrigue in Behemoth to break listeners out of their corporate-sponsored fugue state. Opening track “Blood of the Behemoth” strings together satisfying sludge riff after riff, performed with the edge of Nola-era Down. The diverse five-minute track continuously moves thanks to interspersed airy, reverb-filled softer passages and harmonized melodic guitar lines. While “Mouth of the Apocalypse, Pt. II” opens with appealing parallel gentle acoustic guitar and clean vocals that could have been lifted right off of Anciients’ Beyond the Reach of the Sun, the track ultimately falters due to the subsequent meandering instrumental section that never quite reaches a sonic climax before an abrupt conclusion.
The vocals of Daniel Rutledge and Bennett Sharp alternate between gruff growls and well-delivered cleans, though never settle into a clear identity as the two styles are often forcibly stitched together, most prominent on “Mouth of the Apocalypse, Pt. I”. Additionally, the vocal presence on “Blood of the Behemoth” and “Mouth of the Apocalypse, Pt. II” feels lacking and incomplete. Both tracks set the stage for progressive metal epics with expanded instrumental openings, only to contain relatively brief bursts of singing prior to premature endings. Businessman would be better served by allowing their vocal passages the same freedom to explore and evolve as their instrumentals, by doing so Rutledge and Sharp’s vocal presence would feel more seamlessly integrated rather than underdeveloped as is.
While there’s plenty of tasty sludge, guitar harmonies, and sonic diversity in Businessman’s debut EP to highlight their talents and capabilities, future efforts should allow their tracks to unfurl and expand organically to avoid the incomplete feeling upon their conclusions. I’d be more than happy to sit through a full release with these hard-working gents as they continue to hone their craft. Fans of progressive sludge should place Businessman on their radar; what else is there to do, get back to your spreadsheets!?
Recommended tracks: Blood of the Behemoth, Mouth of the Apocalypse, Pt. II
You may also like: Anciients, Dvne, Witch Ripper
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Instagram
Label: Independent release
Businessman is:
– Bennett Sharp (guitar, vocals)
– Daniel Rutledge (guitars, vocals, keys)
– Reagan Rutledge (drums)
– Richard Sharp (guitars)
- Along with the unnecessary interlude “9:6” ↩︎
0 Comments