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Black Tusk - Taste The Sin

Rating

RIYL

Mastodon
Baroness
Weedeater
Bison B.C.

Release Date

05/25/2010

Label

Relapse

Tracklist

1. Embrace the Madness
2. Snake Charmer
3. Red Eyes, Black Skies
4. Way of Horse and Bow
5. Unleash the Wrath
6. Twist the Knife
7. Redline
8. Takeoff
9. The Ride
10. The Crash

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Recent Ratings
Firebrandead	tim

Black Tusk have kept the blogosphere abuzz with their steady slew of splits, EPs, and one full-length since 2005. The recent signing to Relapse was no shocker, and their association with some of the biggest names in the sludge/beard metal scene only served to throw the hype-meter into overdrive. So does Taste The Sin meet these potentially unrealistic expectations? Absolutely, and it does so by sticking to the script, with the band delivering their best set of songs the band self-described as swamp metal boot-stompers. Black Tusk rip through this ten song beast with no pretense and plenty of down-home swagger, striking a balance between a Southern-fried Motorhead and a sludgy aesthetic.

From mud-caked blues riffs to the Jaeger, weed, Black Sabbath, and the “don’t know where I’m goin’ but I ain’t goin’ slow” snarl, this thing isn’t afraid to ride a monstrous groove and just deliver on the promise of some straight up rollicking rock ’n roll (“Way of Horse and Bow” anyone?). This is the kind of release where the influences are obvious, but instead of governing the thought process they provide a foundation from which Black Tusk have built their identity. Taste The Sin is an unkempt affair, so leave your sundresses and pleated khakis at home.

Now about those big-name associations: much has been made of a perceived connection between Black Tusk and fellow Georgian metal bands Mastodon and Baroness, and though I have no idea if this is a real camaraderie or an imagined geographic and sonic comparison, what I do know is that out of the three Black Tusk seem most willing to get their hands dirty. Instead of a rambling concept album about some sort of space czar, this feels like a gritty, direct look at the dark underbelly of the Dixie delivered by men who cherish their Miller High Life and their Sleep records. These guys have way more Down, Weedeater, and even some punk in their stew than either Mastodon or Baroness, and while it may not have the same progressive bent, Taste The Sin more than holds its own against Crack the Skye and Blue Record as their rough-around-the-edges but charming-as-all-get-out cousin.

--Jake Oliver