Band:	Lurk
Album:	Lurk
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	January 12, 2012
A review by:	Doc G.

01. Soar
02. Unfinished
03. Codec Of Becoming God
04. Fire The Blood Sky
05. Pitch Beneath Eternity
06. Deliverance

Sludge and doom, yet another very natural combination. Only...sludge generally doesn't sound this horrifying. Usually the sludge element takes over and you're left with a more "spark a jammie and drop out" type of atmosphere. This is of the "sleep with the night light on and double check the closet for Mr. Waternoose" variety.

Lurk play a brand of death/black infused sort of doom put through a sludge strainer. More specifically, it's slow, eerie black metal riffs, played with a sludgy bottom end and fuzziness. The vocals straddle this gravelly baritone line that can't quite decide if they're death growls or not. The way the vocals stay deep and rough, while still managing to soar makes them another stand-out part of this album. Take parts A, B, and C, then pound everything forth at the appropriate doomin' speed; what you're left with is a product that works both as an atmospheric piece to drift away into (see "Soar"), as well as a highly addictive riff-focused groover (see at about the 3:00 mark of "Deliverance").

The only problem with Lurk's otherwise marvelous debut is the vocals. While the overall sound and ambiguity of these vocals generally works well, they tend to sound very forced at points. There are moments when it seems like the vocals should have been chilled out a bit, or left to sit deeper in the mix, while instead they continue to sit at the forefront; just as intense and in-your-face as ever. In a way, it seems like they could have capitalized on their ear for ambiance a little better.

Lurk have themselves an incredible debut on their hands. Not only is this album a nasty piece of work taken at face value, but it's remarkable versatility will leave you with enough curiosity to lust over the prospect future releases.