Sons of Tonatiuh, Parade of Sorrow

I’ve received at least on promo of past material from Sons of Tonatiuh, a three piece sludge/doom outfit hailing from Atlanta, but nothing I had heard really piqued my interest. That’s all changed with the band’s latest full-length effort, Parade of Sorrow. The ten songs on this album are like a bastardized, psychotic blend of Black Sabbath riffage and the swampy, unhinged delivery of Eyehategod — a combination that actually works in the band’s favor without sounding rehashed in any way.

Doomy, swampy and frenetic at times, “White Wall” is a properly titled song as it floods from the speakers with textured layers of buzzing guitars, rumbling bass and steady drums. The featured riff (found around the 1:15 mark) is memorable and will have you head ploddingly nodding in no time. Vocally, you’re greeted with a variety of styles from screams, spoken portions and near chant-like passages — all of which work nicely and are appropriately timed throughout the album. The title track has one hell of a doomy riff to get it going as the screams arrive shortly thereafter. There’s definitely a stoner vibe to this cut as the guys shift tempos slightly and vocal deliveries to keep you on your toes, especially when it lurches to a driving eruption of activity in the second half.

“Plastic Cell” is more Eyehategod and less doom as it gallops across your spine with dirty riffs and bruising drum work. “Season of Pills” is one hell of a song and easily one of my favorites on the album. It starts off in high gear with a solid gallop before shutting it down a bit for some seriously sludgy doom before jumping back on the accelerator for a rabid finish. “One by One” is a bit of an oddball. It’s not a bad song. In fact, it’s quite catchy, but it’s Fugazi-like vibe feels a bit off when put in context with the rest of the tracks — though there is a heavy Sabbath inspired riff at the end. The final three songs are just as respectable in their own right an deliver solid, doomy riffs that are mired in swampy textures and sludge.

Parade of Sorror is infectious — plain and simple. It’s an album that gets under you skin and worms it’s way into you skull. You can’t get rid of it or it’s southern sludge vibe. I’ve come to terms with my addition and will fully support my habit by playing this album over and over again for as long as I can mentally handle it.