Band:	Dukatalon
Album:	Saved By Fear
Style:	Sludge metal
Release date:	February 14, 2010
A review by:	BitterCOld

01. Peis
02. Run
03. ZX
04. Vagabond
05. Saved By Fear
06. Electric Site
07. Gate Of Mind
08. Mekonenet

So hailing from the deep south ? err, wait... Israel. Sorry. Seems most sludge albums I've been reviewing lately come from the deep south so it was automatic reaction. Oops.

Anyways, hailing from "the Riff-Filled Land" (or at least the vicinity thereof) by way of Relapse Records we find the sludgy-sludgemeisters of Dukatalon. I am not sure of the origin of the band's name, but I am fairly certain it's ancient Sumerian for "a mighty beast the size of a double-decker bus which crushes all things underfoot and leaves not enough remains for even dental records to ID". But I could be wrong.

On Saved By Fear the band crushes all things under foot. Or rather, under riff. Even the vocals are drowned out by the wall of sonic force emanating from six strings, four strings, and pounding drums. They aren't super fast - if anything their riffs generally mid-paced to slow . They are just heavy. The kind that register on the Richter scale and cause local seismologists to freak out whenever the album is played at volume. In addition to plodding force, the band use space to allow it all to go awash in distortion and feedback giving it some stoner psychedelic edge. Which works. After being bludgeoned about the head and neck for 45 minutes, you'll be seeing imaginary double rainbows in your living room/bed room/troll cave/whatever it is you misanthropes listen to your music. (For comparison, think Ufomammut meets old High On Fire. Or old Eyehategod)

As a literal change of pace, the primary opening/closing riff to the aptly-named "Run" does stand out as it sees the band go leadfoot and push down on the accelerator. This intro isn't the "...Long Distance Runner" kind of run, either. It's the "Porkchop Sandwiches! Run for your fucking lives - we're about to be trampled by a rampaging Dukatalon on a meth bender! Gogogo!" kind of riff.

They also change the pace in another direction with the nice, beautiful, warm, sunny, acoustic title track for a brief intermission so the band can catch their breath before continuing to flail away with axes, drum sticks, and microphone stands at their human-pinata listener.

In closing, the band ain't the most original - but they are effective. Highly effective. I've reviewed a couple really good 2010 releases from some of the leading artists in the sludge/stoner field and I'd put this one right alongside the rest of them. Definitely worth checking out if slow, deep, and hard is your thing.

It seems Relapse will be releasing this album on December 14th - just in time to find it's way under your Festivus aluminum pole. And if you are lucky enough to get a copy, I'm sure just listening to it qualifies for your "feat of strength."