BitterJalapeno Kaptan Kadavra are a Turkish metal band who self-released their self-titled album on the 1st of January 2021. Although filed here under sludge metal, I find it hard to pinpoint the album to one specific genre as elements of few other metal sub-genres genres are equally prominent. The overall sound of the album is heavy, raw and powerful with abrasive guitars and harsh, mid to high-pitched vocals that cross the bridges of death and black metal while the heaviness is interspersed with lighter sections of cleaner, middle eastern influenced guitar work and atmospheric samples of dialect. The production is fairly raw which suits the musical style well and my only complaint would be that the drums are a bit too low in the mix for my preference.

Although slow to mid-tempo, bluesy sludge riffs are present, the album also delivers a serious amount of groove with some guitar parts and rhythms taking influence from the staccato-like riffs of early Helmet but turbocharged with a healthy dose of Gojira-style aggression, pick raking/scraping and pinch harmonics. This is best documented in the fifth track “Buhar Gücü”.

A personal highlight is the third track “Güller Açar” which boasts a great sludgy stoner metal riff as its main theme but also has faster and more angular segments that sound more calculated and remind me of the precise and robotic structures of Meshuggah’s music.

The album reaches its mellowest point on “Beni Hayat Yoruyor” which adds a psychedelic factor before the onslaught continues again. Aspects of Mastodon’s early work can be heard towards the end of the album in the octave-drops in the track “Katiyen”, the excellent harmonising guitar flicks in “Tasikardi” and most of all in the aggressive heavy riffing of the closing track “Et ve Kemik”.

Overall, this is an interesting and enjoyable composition which successfully integrates influences from a wide range of metal sub-genres and is delivered by skilled musicians. Kaptan Kadavra are definitely a band I’ll be keeping an eye on.