Band:	Reido
Album:	-11
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	November 2011

01. Violence & Destruction
02. Degeneration Cycle
03. Arhat
04. I Saw His Mask Fall
05. The Six-Day War
06. Human Dysfunction
07. Flows & Eruptions

-11 opens with the track called "Violence And Destruction."

That sounds about right. Rather than some warp speed black metal or whatever, it's just some abrasive music that sees the band taking their pre-existing doom base and moving to the Post-Sludge County line. Reido took the cold, desolate atmosphere of their funeral doom past and incorporated that outlook within the framework of almost clinically executed post-meets-sludge approach. Additionally the band also sees fit to toss in some odd rhythm structures to further throw the whole mess a little off-kilter.

The end result is that I enjoyed this album for the same reasons I enjoyed Talbot (also on Slow Burn) and Danishmendt. It stands out from the bulk of other releases I've reviewed, and in a positive way.

Musically, there is the coordination of riffing guitar, bass, and drums to present a crushing assault, with distortion, occasional vaguely creepy/tense melodies and, well, just some noise to layer over the top. The mellow moments when all aggression drops away are far more sparsely used on this release, which helps keep tension.

The vocalist is not too different from a lot of the types I've spent the better part of the past year bitching about, only for a couple key factors. The approach seems to have more gut gravel going on rather than just screaming. The vocals are also blended into the layered sludge cake, rather than being six inches of frost smothering the cake. Finally, the music is harsher and more intense than most the post-y stuff I've been pumping out words for? and thus more fitting.

Tracks like "The Six-Day War" are a good enough showcase of the gestalt - a trudging, lumbering martial march with some bends, melodic tension builders, and even a solo set over a lurching beat.

Suffice it to say I enjoyed it well enough that I won't be scoring this a -11?