UMUR "Descent" is the debut full-length studio album by US post metal act Bloodiest. The album was released through Relapse Records in March 2011. Bloodiest consists of members and ex-members of acts such as Yakuza, 90 Day Men, Follows, Atombombpocketknife and Sweep The Leg Johnny. besides Yakuza I can´t say I´m terribly familiar with any of those mentioned acts, so I actually didn´t know what to expect from "Descent". As it turns out I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Bloodiest play a kind of repetitive, slow building and almost ritualistic sounding post metal. The vocals are pre-dominantly clean (a few more raw type vocals pop up from time to time) and are delivered in a kinda chanting psychadelic fashion. "Descent" is generally not a very heavy or distorted album, but the atmosphere is dense and bleak with moments of stunning beauty. The 11:10 minutes long "Dead Inside", which is the centerpiece of the album and the 9:01 minutes long "Slave Rule" are maybe the best examples of how well Bloodiest pull off playing very few riffs, but still manage to create intricate songs which build towards moments of pure bliss. The band are really successful at playing subdued and atmospheric parts and keep them interesting for the listener. It´s like they manage to keep me on my toes at all times even when they are most mellow.

There are only 6 tracks on the 38:46 minutes long album, but "Descent" is a perfect example of quality over quantity. There´s not a single wasted or bad moment on the album, no filler material, and no unnecessary technical wankery. The album is all about atmosphere and those driving ritualistic beats. Overall I´m very impressed with everything from the excellent production, to the solid musicianship, to the intriguing songwriting. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

J-Man Hailing from Chicago, sludge/post metal band Bloodiest has been gaining a fair amount of recognition across the webs for their 2011 debut effort. Descent is an album of heavy doom riffs, piano overtones, and plenty of layers of sludge to dig into. The result can be monotonous at times, but it's a generally powerful journey with plenty of quality that makes it worth a look for most sludge metal fans. More variation will do Bloodiest justice in the future, but this is certainly a solid beginning for this promising act.

The band can be considered a "supergroup" of sorts, as it contains members from Yakuza, 90 Day Men, Follows, Atombombpocketknife, and Sweep the Leg Johnny. As such, one of the biggest assets to Bloodiest's music is the professional musicianship across the board. These guys don't come across as "virtuosos", but I don't exactly think that was the intent here either. Descent is a sludge/post metal album with plenty of influence from Neurosis and also the noise rock scene. Variation in terms of instrumentation is scarce, but, again, I think that was the intent - there's a noticeably raw feeling through the album's entire duration. That leads me straight into discussing the excellent production. This has a raw feeling that just screams "90's" on so many levels; that's a good thing for me.

Descent hasn't earned as many accolades from me as it has from other reviewers, but it's a unique and often enjoyable album - there's no denying that. Fans of sludge and post metal should love this one; spare the general lack of variation and occasionally monotonous atmosphere. Bloodiest is a talented group, and their solid debut is worth no less than 3 stars. If the band can work out some of the kinks, I'll be really excited what they have to offer next.