TEL "Lowlife"

Richmond, VA based sludge/doom outfit, TEL, delivers a massive dose of hypnotic compositions and cataclysmic riffs on their debut full-length album, “Lowlife.” The blend of melancholy atmospheric touches infused with bombastic sounding sludge elements makes for a dynamic and utterly HEAVY sounding release.

Following in the footsteps of bands like Neurosis, Paradise Lost and ISIS (the band not the moronic terrorist group!), TEL blends a variety of different sounding extreme music styles to craft their own distinct and powerful sound. I would describe the album as a journey fueled by raw emotion and ambitious musical attitude. The musicianship is highly impressive and I really like the guitar playing which seems to evolve throughout the album. You can find yourself being overwhelmed by a gritty sludge riff at one point and then be suddenly taken by surprise with a vibrant sounding guitar solo. I think the album’s production and recording quality really captures the band’s sound quite well and keeps you listening with interest.

The album’s opening song, “Ouroboros,” slowly builds up with a mesmerizing doom composition that conjures such force yet conveys a soothing and tranquil quality. You feel consumed by a thick cloud of distorted aggression and soon find yourself drifting through a gateway into an endless void of calming hypnosis. The next song, “Submerged,” is another solid track and the intro drum part does a great job establishing a strong doom like foundation for the other instruments join in and add to the bombastic sounding assault.

The third song off of the album, “Red Level,” is more aggressive in terms of attitude and overall tone. Right away the band wastes little time by delivering a vicious main riff that sort of dictates the song’s direction. The band also uses contrasting vocal styles which compliments the struggle between the heavy and melodic elements. The final two songs, “Choke” and “Strangers,” continue to display the band’s progressive mindset with numerous examples of creative songwriting skills. I think fans looking for an album that is not one dimensional in terms of style will really enjoy hearing these songs, because the music is always changing and there are no dual moments in the band’s compositions.

In the end, I believe, “Lowlife,” is a strong release and TEL’s ability to craft such unique and diverse sounding pieces of doom/sludge will be recognized right away by listeners. All around the musicianship is extremely solid, so I predict we will see the band continue to push themselves on future releases. I’ve heard other young bands similar to TEL and the main difference is that the songs on this album were very well written and did not sound sloppily put together. If you want to make a musical cyclone of rubbish go ahead, but don’t cry when not a lot of people listen to your music…definitely not the case with TEL.



TEL "Ouroboros" :

TEL Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/TelRVA/