Band:	16
Album:	Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds
Style:	Sludge metal
Release date:	April 2012

01. Theme From 'Pillpopper'
02. Parasite
03. Her Little "Accident"
04. The Sad Clown
05. Ants In My Bloodstream
06. Broom Pusher
07. Opium Hook
08. Bowels Of A Baby Killer
09. Beyond Fixable
10. Only Photographs Remain

This is one of those albums that every instinct in your body is telling you that you should be loving this (if you love sludge metal, that is.) On a quick, initial listen, it's got more groove than you could ask for, it's got the perfect level of grittiness, and it's all delivered through some very infectious riffs. It seems like it serves up everything necessary to make a great sludge album, but fails to go any steps past that.

It feels like we've got another Black Tusk style-album on our hands with Deep Cuts.... 16 play everything by the book here, carefully not stepping out of anyone's sludge comfort zone. Yes, it is admirable in a way, and yes, there are plenty of people who will find great enjoyment in that fact. Unfortunately, much like Black Tusk, it also makes for a pretty boring listen. There's a lot of solid riff-work going on here, but these songs tend to get stuck in a repetitive rut. Within twenty seconds of each song, you've pretty much heard the whole song. Any type of build-up or climactic sort of song structures would have been very helpful, but sadly there doesn't seem to be a single attempt, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

In small doses, however, Deep Cuts... can be a fantastic listen for sludge aficionados out there. Sometimes, you can't be bothered with anything but music that's pure visceral and simplistic in nature. 16 deliver just that here; ugly & raw, and nothing but. Extended listens, however, will probably leave you pining for something a little more engaging.