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D&S Reviews

Beefrot's 'Cavern'

By BillyGoat

Are your ears ready to behold the terror...that is....The Sludge Monster That Conquered New York! Ok, too many B-movies this weekend, but "monstrous" was the first descriptor that came to mind when thinking of how to introduce Doomed & Stoned readers to BEEFROT, the Brooklyn two-piecer that had me fooled into thinking they were a many-tentacled creature of another kind. John Laslo (guitar) and Walter Schock (drums) are it...and their giant, all-instrumental sound is a testament to the enduring power of the kind of slow-n-low, fuzzed-out doom that has been taking the world by storm and show no signs of slowing.

'Cavern' (2015), in particular, is indicative of the underground heavy scene in NYC right now (wonderfully documented by Pit Full of Shit and Unartig). The EP is composed of three songs that Laslo and Schock recorded themselves, each designated by simple Roman numerals. I flows into II and II into III effortlessly, yet each manages to retain a very distinguishable character.

Cavern by Beefrot

The minimalist ethic of Beefrot is reflected in the little touches like that and their logo, even in their website. As an aside, I must give the band kudos on choosing a pleasingly simple and streamlined online home that makes it impossible to miss the music or get tangled in a storehouse of miscelánea like so many sites I've visited this month. One gets the sense that these guys are less about marketing gimmickry and more about the no-nonsense business of creating crushing, brutal tracks that capture the chaos of our times.

For Beefrot, it's all about well-crafted, down-tuned song-writing and possessed performances (both on and off stage--take a look at Johnny's guitar tracking). Overall, I'm very impressed with 'Cavern,' both in terms of content and its contour (mixed by Tom Tierney at Spaceman Sound). There's no doubt I'll be coming back to this one repeatedly as the year unfolds...and for this, the Goate is well-pleased!