Massachusetts-based heirs to the sludge metal throne Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean released their first full length in six years in 2023 and it was fucking awesome. Obsession Destruction was heavier, lengthier, more relentless and even catchier than anything they’ve ever done before.
I would’ve expected another spell of splits and EPs after that, but eighteen months and only one EP later, Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean are back with Sisyphean Cruelty.
As surprising as this new album is, what’s less surprising is that it’s really good and quite different from Obsession Destruction. It’s somewhat less “my thing” than its monstrous predecessor, but it’s just a whole different creature altogether. T
First surprise on Sisphyean Cruelty comes ten seconds into the first song Reverse Baptism: Cannibal Corpse guitar riffs! The very idea of implementing Cannibal Corpse riffs in a sludge metal song might seem weird, but it works somehow. It’s bringing a different dimension to such a grimy and bombastic sound. Seriously, the production on this record is so putrid (and I mean that in the best way possible), it makes Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean sound like demonic radio interference.
Unfit for Human Life has more unexpected instrumentation for us. The mix is so muddled here (once again, it fits this type of music really well) that it’s hard to differentiate the guitar from bass most of the time. It feels like the vocalist is hurling his spine crushing venom over just a fat bassline for the first half of the song. The song also features a killer drumming performance, highlighting once again how important it is to have standout drumming if you want your songs to feel as loud and overbearing as humanly possible.
In for more surprises? Can I interest you in some Ildjarn’esque guitar on Solitude Illusion? Tremolo picking? Blast beats? Is this still a Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean record? It most definitely is. Almost two minutes into turning our expectations upside down, Solitude Illusion reverts into a more conventional song with the seesaw dynamic between the vocals and the guitars with the Ildjarn influenced melancholic riff in the background.
Deconstruction of the Great Immovable is the second longest song on Sisyphean Cruelty and one of its closest to what Obsession Destruction sounds like. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like Sisyphean Cruelty is one of these records where the bass is mixed in louder than the guitar and it’s why it sounds so massive and melancholic at the same time. Everything is competing to come through with a gigantic, ghastly overblown rhythmic thud all the time. It’s overbearing as fuck, but it’s by design. In contrast, Crawl Off and Die is the shortest song on the record. It’s another number with OSDM guitar riffs on it. It’s more of a straightforward punch in the face than anything else on Sisyphean Cruelty, but it gets the job done.
At last, I found some of what made me such a huge fan of Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean on Barely Any Reason To Be Alive. Clocking at almost five minutes, it builds on slow and obsessive riffs that uncoil over its duration and tribalistic drumming. The vocal delivery is also on point. No disrespect to the band, but I think they’re at their best when the songs are long and moody and when their riffs repeat and build up on one another. Sisyphean Cruelty is a very good record, but it feels busy at time and some of these new ideas would’ve required some more breathing room to be appreciated properly.
The title song has perhaps the most blatant Cannibal Corpse riffs of them all? Once again, I think it’s super cool and they really went for it here. They’re a band that can fully express itself in excess and this song lives and breathes excessive ideas. I love how the vocalist fragments his lyrics lines in multiple parts upon delivery. It feels more painful this way. The closer One Last Dream is the longest song on the record and while I think it’s a little short on the bold and exciting ideas the band has provided on Sisyphean Cruelty, I do feel that it’s appropriately in-your-face. Once again relentless drumming here.
It’s unfair to compare this record to Obsession Destruction as the latter was my album of the year and it had a creative incubation time of six years. The band basically worked its entire existence up to OD. I love the new and unexpected directions Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean are exploring on Sisyphean Cruelty. They’re definitely unafraid to tread new ground. As appropriate as I thought the production was, I thought it was distracting at times and that it sometimes obfuscated some details that would’ve required a cleaner sound to come through. I would've loved longer songs too. I still enjoyed the hell out of it. This is a wonderful and exciting young band.
If you like what Ben does and want to hear him talk about books and movies too, follow his site Dead End Follies on Instagram.
