Album Review : Remote Viewing - Modern Addictions (2023)
Even if they pretty much invented modern music, British artists are still weirdly overlooked. Sludge metal is perceived to be an American phenomenon. Important names like The Melvins, Crowbar and scene-defining legends Eyehategod (the kind of band that is more influential than popular *) are all from there. I would still believe sludge metal is an American delicacy like McDonald's or police brutality if I hadn't found out about Remote Viewing through their new album Modern Addictions.
Modern Addictions is Remote Viewing's third full-length record and features six songs ranging between five and seven minutes. It starts exactly the way a sludge metal record worthy of attention should, with a ear-splitting feedback, a grimy bassline and expansive drumming before kicking into the obsessive guitar riff of Short Distance Runner. The band uses guitar in this song like a counterpoint to their new frontman Ed Dudley's cacophonous shrieks. It’s like listening to two songs at the same time.
Short Distance Runner is a catchy-ass song by sludge metal standards, but it doesn't compromise on the expression of torment that is so integral to the genre. Remote Viewing hasn't published their lyrics, but their music is so hard and abrasive, it is understandable intuitively. Wasted on Purpose is more of a classic, dissonant take on sludge that feels a little lost between two great songs, but that can be appreciated on its sheer power alone if if you listen to it individually. It has some cool noise rock elements too.
The third song Cleveland Balloonfest ‘86 (awesome title) stands out with Ed Dudley's feverish spoken words bridges. He sounds somehow even more out of control when he's talking instead of shrieking. The way Greg Allum's drumming was recorded on this song gives it so much scope and power, it enables James Bryant and Tom Fowler on guitar to experiment and play undistorted riffs. Cleveland Balloonfest ‘86 has the most range and texture of any songs on the record, going from doom metal to straight rock.
My favourite song on Modern Addictions is Your Opinion is Wrong, though. Powered by an absolutely stellar and percussive rhythm section, it's a multilayered, mutating beast with riffs that range from slow and dislocated to catchy arena rock bridges overlayed with some of Dudley's wettest, filthiest vocals. It’s a great song to listen to if you want to power out of a bad situation. It's grimy, muscular and carries emotions only people who've been through some real shit can carry. It fucking rules.
Watch Me For The Changes resets the swirling, frenetic pace Modern Addiction was on. It's a slower, more funeral doom inspired song. It's more bare and unstructured than other songs on the record even to Remote Viewing standards, who aren't afraid of going a little proggy with the tempo changes. What it might lack in personality compared to monstrous bangers like Short Distance Runner and Your Opinion is Wrong, it makes up for with straightforward weight and emotion. This is a heavy-ass tune.
The closer A.B.B.A/ABBA takes another foray into a more noise rock direction with a slower tempo and once again spoken word passages. The production on the bass is particularly on point and Remote Viewing's bassist John Atkins' given real time to shine. It's grimy, unfocused and overpowering, like you're standing next to his amplifier at a show. A.B.B.A/ABBA also has funeral doom elements, notably through repetition and clever use the loud/quiet/loud dynamics. It’s appropriately harrowing.
*
Modern Addictions is a relentless sludge metal record that stretches the possibilities of the genre without ever really drawing outside the lines. This was recorded by five men who know who they are and know what emotions they want to express. It's not something you listen to every day, but it's the kind of record you reach for whenever you feel like it's necessary. It's a brutal and unyielding, but low-key creative effort from grizzled vets who have a defining sound, despite operating in such a well-defined genre.
7.7/10
* That wasn't a knock on them. I love Eyehategod, but they're not for everyone. Listening to their music is akin to eating habanero peppers: it’s both painful and exquisite.
