SirMeatwad
One of my top 10 favorite metal albums of 2018. Isis mixed with a bit of Panopticon. Watch my video if you need further convincing to buy it! youtu.be/BAxI-yzoeB8
From its cover of falling starlight and cosmic clouds, to its dreamlike-distorted guitar embellishments, Marsh Dweller's latest album Wanderer finds its sole member JOK (John Owen Kerr) leaving behind the frosty black Earth-riffs of his debut for the expanse of the inner unknown. On this new journey, caustic atmospheres recalling Isis and the bleakness of Swans turn the ears toward a sense of unbelonging and uncertainty - yet the melody lines of old heavy metal gods remain ever-present through each connective song, flying in the face of fools who downplay their obvious influences of the old guard of Metal whom they know stand buried behind, and responsible for, nearly every modern-day note of noise.
That attention to ancient metal detail keeps the synthesized elements of long tracks like 'Wanderer II' right within the realm of sensibility, adding color to slower, sludgier moments of this sophomore effort, preparing you for the more in-your-face, anguished metal lines of compositions like Coalesce. The disparity, and symmetry, of these two very different songs are emblematic of the album as a whole - music imbued with a need to be true, matched in its resolution with a need to grow.
With more somber tones and tempos, and even the occasional clean vocal, Wanderer may polarize some Marsh Dweller followers at first, yet patient fans will find a very real, linear connection to what came before along with an unforgiving, bold exploration of the new. And all who are new to Dwelling the Marsh will discover a unique but still familiar transport to that cold, airless darkness of sounds that purveyors of the extreme seek within music.
credits
released October 19, 2018
Vocals, guitars, bass, drums, synthesizers, lyrics, composition, and recording by JOK, Byrgenwerth Studio, Pittsburgh, PA.
Drum recording by Spenser Morris, Fire K Studios, Pittsburgh, PA.
Mixing, mastering, and guest backing vocals on II by Jason Walton, Earth In Sound, Portland, OR.
Guest vocals on I and II by Michelle Bellucci.
All artwork and design by JOK.
supported by 5 fans who also own “Marsh Dweller - Wanderer”
What an impressive piece of black metal. This one-man hurricane is pure art. Sgah‘gahsowáh creates an haunting atmosphere. He puts so much soul in his music. Sælzer Bub
The Alberta crushers hold tight to their rank, astral-gazing grindcore, staring down abyssal torment all the while. Bandcamp Album of the Day Mar 31, 2020