UMUR "Container Ships" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, San Fransisco, California based sludge metal act Kowloon Walled City. The album was released digitally in December 2012 through the band´s Bandcamp page through a "name your price" system. A CD version is available through Wordclock Records and a gatefold vinyl version is available through Brutal Panda Records.

The band play a dark and heavy type of sludge metal with shouting vocals. Lead vocalist Scott Evans shouts but he isn´t raw in a "distorted" type raw fashion. More like Page Hamilton from Helmet type shouting and raw. The vocals and the music are a bit monotone though but I guess the grey and monotone feeling I get when listening to "Container Ships" is exactly how Kowloon Walled City want me to feel. A feeling of desperation and "no hope left for a brighter future" are valid descriptions of the atmosphere of the album. The tracks can get a bit repetitive and I could have wished for a more colourful songwriting, but if despair and hopelessness are what you´d like to convey I guess catchy hooks and melodies are no goes.

The playing is solid and the sound production detailed, professional and powerful. In fact I´d say it´s the very well sounding production that pushes my rating from a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating to a 3.5 star (70%) rating.