Album Details

• Artist: Nether Regions
• Album: Into The Breach
• Label: Abnormal Gait Records
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2012-08-28

Nether Regions are a Portland, Oregon-based outfit primarily specializing in the decidedly stoner-friendly blends of doom, fuzz and punk, a potent concoction of far too many styles to pin them down to one. In the wake of numerous other projects, bassist/vocalist Joe Wickstrom set out to construct a primary outlet for his craft, and Nether Regions have just recently debuted their first record, Into The Breach, on NC-based Abnormal Gait Records. And what a debut it is.

The key elements of Nether Region's sound are the duality of bass and drums. Ala the likes of Kyuss and some Black Sabbath, the bass is the main drive of many tracks, thick and perfectly centered by tasty, memorable dual-guitar riffage. The tracks often feel like improvised jams held tightly together by a shared love for similar sounds and an inherent chemistry many bands would kill for. As for the drums, the name of the game is chaos. The rolling toms and bass drums seem to flail in no given direction, but closer observation shows a controlled chaos that adds a necessary layer of intensity to the album. Each of the 8 cuts on Into The Breach is noteworthy, but for myself the peaks include the hectic "Do You Live?", the grand builds and eventual climaxes of "Pale Faced God" and the wondefully trippy psychadelica of "Outrun The Sun", all prime examples of some of the best independent metal you're going to find.

With a sound that fits perfectly with the rising popularity of acts such as Mastodon and Baroness but all the while retaining a unique direction, Nether Regions have an 8-round clip of ammunition that says they've got what it takes to carve a niche all their own. Into The Breach is a must-have for fans of stoner-anything, and is worth a shot for any self-proclaimed metal fan as it contains, at it's core, a sound and atmosphere that is as close to the heart of metal's glorious beginnings as you're likely to get. 

User Reviews and Comments