Dr.Slaggleberry
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Dr.Slaggleberry

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"E.P REVIEWS"

TUC INTO THE TAR E.P REVIEWS


TUC INTO THE TAR E.P REVIEWS
LIVE4METAL REVIEW
With their new EP, Dr. Slaggleberry have refined their brand of psychotic math-metal into a cohesive whole that is leagues ahead of the work presented on their self-titled release. The essential Dr. Slaggleberry template of dissonant chromatic scales and jarringly staccato tempos is here, but the band shows far more confidence in their songwriting capability, almost being a match for their technicality virtuosity. The fact that this EP is actually recorded live in the XFM Studios is a testament to the latter aspect of their sound, and I'm gutted I passed up the opportunity to see them live early in the year, as they must put on a hell of a fucking show. In terms of individual tracks, their sound is very much like
Soilent Green's in that the focus is in the constant evolution of the music rather than individual songs, so it's hard to give a good discussion of the individual tracks, but 'Lead Rabbit' is probably my favourite, shifting from a mellow jazzy intro, to an almost-black-metal blastbeat storm, and then on into ever-more bizarre territory. All in all, Dr. Slaggleberry are quickly finding their feet in a very crowded metal scene; I predict a bright future for this band. www.live4metal.com/reviews-690.htm
Long story short, Dr. Slaggleberry is an instrumental three-piece from the United Kingdom. I read somewhere that they had a vocalist on their previous release, but that hardly seems relevant here. Based on the name and cover art, I was expecting some retro-thrash. What I got instead is what I can best describe as a mix of Annihilator, Porcupine Tree, and Dysrhythmia (off-time progressive thrash?) – and my biggest complaint is that, at about 13 minutes, it's just too damn short.

Tuc Into the Tar! was recorded live in the studios of London-based radio station XFM, which based on the overall sound is equivalent to a regular ol' recording studio. The three tracks here are true instrumentals – you don't even miss or want to hear vocals. They're also catchy as hell, each one leaning a bit more in one direction than the others. "Extra Strength Grandma" is a thrash-based tune that could just as well come out of the Jeff Waters riffology. "Lead Rabbit" is a little more "math-metal"–like (boy, I hate that phrase), with some unexpected twists and turns. "Tails of the Blind Donkey" tends to be a bit more progressive, with multiple time and tempo changes while maintaining parts of the band's other musical elements.

There really isn't much else that can be said. Well, that or I just don't know enough technical musical terms to describe it. However, I'm sure that the members of Dr. Slaggleberry are all familiar with virtuosos and trembalos and arpeggios and all that stuff beyond "jug-jigga-jug-jigga-jug-jigga-jug-jigga-jug-jigga-JAH-JAH." Tuc Into the Tar! is a fun little instrumental EP with a good amount of bite, and I look forward to seeing if they can deliver on a full-length release. http://metalreview.com/Reviews/4791/Dr--Slaggleberry-Tuc-Into-The-Tar!.aspx

ROCK-A-ROLLA
(review) for Tuc into the Tar
Recorded Live on XFM this EP shows that the trio have a lot more going for them than any of the current crop of so-called math -metal bands in the UK. Ridiculous band name aside, there is a talent behind the tomfoolery and crucially good tunes to boot - these three entreis never once succumb to dull muso meadnerings of so much of todays complex instrum-metal, opting instead for a sharp and very efficient devilivery. A band with a bright and very interesting future ahead of them
DR. SLAGGLEBERRY – Tuc Into The Tar EP (Crash) - Something missing this time around? What is it, ah yes, where's the frontman with his yelping and his box of glitching electronic tricks? Still good mind you, this time around we get three frantic instrumental tracks – math-metal twitching and switching, a kind of F**king Champs, Orthrelm progressive beast that now and again glides before galloping off again (anyone remember Anvil's March Of The Crabs?). Galloping with their jazz-maths and all their energy. Still really good, one of the best bands in England right now, lost that little something this time around though – http://www.organart.com/
Dr. Slaggleberry - Tuc Into The Tar! (Mini-CD)
Crash Records

..Wilmar: I am sorry, I am just looking for my jaw which dropped to the floor. Where is the damn thing? There it is… Immediately kicking in the door: Dr. Slaggleberry is THE SHIT! And goddamn it, this is recorded live. LIVE. They sound tighter than many metal band recording with a fucking clicktrack. LIVE!!!! YEAH! Those four exclamation marks are only there to give emphasis to my amazement. What band showed us tightness, technique and fire at the same time?

'Extra Strength Grandma' is an amazing jazzy attack on your ears. Math metal to the core. Who said that Dr. Slaggleberry cannot thrash? You should hear 'Lead Rabbit', then you shut up for the rest of the year. 'Tails Of The Blind Donkey' bring the inevitable orgasm, more intensity than I have ever experienced. Criticism? Their image resembles that of Buckethead a lot. But I guess that Buckethead should have played on this EP, this is his kind of thing. This doesn't ask, no this SCREAMS for a full length. Preferably this year, so that I can chase away the family on Christmas (with their love for Dutch folk music BAH!!!). These men are violators! What a BAND!
Rating: 98/100 http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=12792&lang=en

METAL DISCOVERY
Not so long ago I had the misfortune of reviewing Dr Slaggleberry's previous EP. It truly was an atrocious mess; directionless to the point of collapse with almost-audible screamo vocals. However, with Christmas around the corner, it's good to know miracles can happen because, fuck me, this latest release is incredibly good. Gone is singer Edd (who really contributed nothing of worth to the previous e.p.). This seems to have allowed the remaining musicians the freedom to truly explore their music and structure it to allow the songs to breathe and flow. Recorded live for an XFM session, the production is a step up from the previous release. The playing too seems to have matured. Less inclined now to shoe-horn notes in to prove their prowess, the spazzy sections are now to be welcomed rather than reviled. However, it is the jazzier mellow parts where this new-found maturity really shines. I listened to this three times in a row and, had I not run out of time, would have gleefully listened to it some more. I suspect that over time I will continue to discover further hidden layers within the soundscapes, and I truly look forward to doing so; there is a strong repeatability feel to this. At three tracks, you are unlikely to get bored, and may even feel slightly aggrieved that the end comes so quickly. In stark contrast then to my previous review, I now welcome a full length from Dr Slaggleberry. And let's hope they continue this new found focus. (8.5/10)
http://www.metal-discovery.com/CD/cd_review_drslaggle_tuc.htmHYPERLINK "http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ldGFsLWRpc2NvdmVyeS5jb20vQ0QvY2RfcmV2aWV3X2Ryc2xhZ2dsZV90dWMuaHRt"
Dr Slaggleberry - EP - Tuc Into The Tar!
This charming lot with the scatty name of Dr Slaggleberry, who sounds like a particularly deviant arch-nemesis, warn on their Myspace page that if you fall asleep they will mutilate your genitals. Luckily 13 minutes of lunacy is enough to keep me awake and with all this in mind you would be correct that this trio from Leighton Buzzard play in a style that is rather off the wall.
I did not really expect to like this, as I find the sort of math metal (for want of an easy and lazy classification that it could be plumped in with) suffers with vocals sounding like a parrot in the jungle being buggered by a monkey. Luckily Polly has seemingly gone to the fjords and these three tracks are purely instrumental and quite enjoyable with it.
'Extra Strength Grandma' (were you expecting normal titles) limbers up like a gymnast and attacks the mat flying off in all directions, and smacking against the wall and breaking its neck. This is a rough and tumble exercise in proggy riffs and off kilter melody, one that is expertly executed and pretty damn infectious as you tie yourself in knots trying to air play along with it. It's kind of like Behold The Arctopus, Meshuggah and The Cardiacs in a very messy head-on crash.
'Lead Rabbit' starts slowly; perhaps the greyhound has not been released yet. Flying into a death metal velocity gallop it wildly flies headlong round the track in a blind panic and straight out the damn arena. A nice somewhat reflective acoustic part bolsters up an already eclectic track and adds depth and dimension to the otherwise manic pace.
The three tracks here promise that this lot should go places (possibly to the nearest mental asylum) and if you can take this sort of unhinged craziness they are a name to look out for. Although great on CD I think it is live where they are going to be a really interesting proposition. http://www.metalteamuk.net/cdreviews-drslaggleberry.htm
Dr Slaggleberry - EP - Tuc Into The Tar!
Is it math metal, is it experimental hardcore? Is it some kinda post-rock? Who knows? The kinda rock noise that Dr Slaggleberry make is certainly experimental and definitely it's rock of some description and it sure is complex. And that's about as much as I'm prepared to stick me neck out for - complex experimental rock!!
Dr Slaggleberry turn the theory of time signatures upsidedown - Dr Slaggleberry set new guidelines for dynamic juxtaposition - Dr Slaggleberry compose with a cathartic freedom that allows sound to vie with sound but still come together in sweet harmony. Dr Slaggleberry make an exquisitely challenging but adventurous electric cacophony of sound. Their scores are seemingly so untethered and unhinged that they sound like freeform jams but something tells me that these pieces are carefully planned and shaped long before they take them into the studio. I'm sure there's improvisation and ad hoc re-shaping that goes on as these tracks are actually recorded 'live' but the nucleus surely must be pre-set and act as a core around which this amazingly vibrant trio work their individual and collective magic.
Dr Slaggleberry's hardcore mayhem is pretty scary shit but also bizarrely compelling; the three make a massive sound but manage to keep it clear and well dispersed; listen and you can hear what each individual is laying down - where most would drive themselves into total instrumental melt-down Dr Slaggleberry maintain order and definition wonderfully well. As you listen you may well think that the guitar is the prime mover here and, of course, it does play a major role. But, listen again and judge for yourself how bass and drums are just as busy; rich and precise in their 'supportive' role and equally important in the scheme of things. Three become one to create this massive dynamic assault on the senses. Three are one, Dr Slaggleberry is singular, Dr Slaggleberry is one monstrous rock machine of deranged but super-charged, contemporary electric music. Dr Slaggleberry make it happen, Dr Slaggleberry make it work, 'Tuc Into The Tar!' proves that Dr Slaggleberry comprises three sensational musicians and boy, do they make 'suite' music!!
Peter J Brown aka toxic pete (www.toxicpete.co.uk)
Dr. Slaggleberry – Tuc into The Tar
Record Label: Crash Records
Release Date: July 10, 2008

Who?

There are only three members in this British psych-prog import, but given the fact that I just described them as 'psych-prog', there's quite a lot of sound going on in these three tracks

How is it?

Ridiculous, in the good way. Where some progressive bands just sound like showoffs and there's nothing to really get out of the music, these guys manage to stay on the interesting side of the genre. It could be because the disc is only 3 tracks long (14 minutes) and it doesn't have time to get boring, but I doubt it. There's just something so fucked up about this band's sound that I don't think their full length would be anything short of mindblowing.
http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=624582
Dr Slaggleberry Tuc into the Tar! EP added: 8 Nov 2008 // release date: 17 Nov 2008 // label: Crash
reviewer: Andy Snipper
ah .. the smell of unrefined Progjazzmetal!
These three guys may take the wee with their silly name and image but underneath it they can play and play like demons.


The music is fast, fuzzed-up and has touches of early King Crimson. If someone said they were a Canterbury crew I would not be surprised in the least because this has all the spirit and inventiveness of the free-jazzers from Canterbury and the South as well as the daft naming conventions for the songs – 'Extra Strength Grandma' indeed! What ever happened to sensible song titles like 'Wind Quartet II'?
Dr Slaggleberry's self-titled four track EP released earlier this year certainly marked the band out as something remarkable. It's great to report then that Tuc into the Tar! witnesses the trio step things up a notch even further. The most obvious change comes by way of the fact that vocalist Edd is no longer part of the fold, meaning that the three tracks on offer - taken from the band's recent XFM live session - are entirely instrumental. All weird time signatures and driving rhythms, 'Extra Strength Grandma' lets you know what you're in for straight away. 'Lead Rabbit' starts off like a sinister bugger before charging off in countless unsettling directions, while 'Tails of the Blind Donkey' allows the band to fully submerge themselves in jazz territory.
Whilst still about as likely as Napalm Death to gain day time radio play, Tuc into the tar! proves that Dr Slaggleberry are certainly heading in the right direction. (3/5) http://www.rockmidgets.com/releases.php?id=3089

My guess is that the band don't care if I compare them to anything particularly – this all sounds like a group of musicians totally comfortable in the sounds they are making and not limited by the expectations of others and the music is all the better for it.

Not suitable for a quiet evening of knitting or stamp collecting but if your tastes are more attuned to frantic zero-control dancing or screaming at dogs then this is the band to tune into.
http://www.music-news.com/ShowReview.asp?H=Dr-Slaggleberry-Tuc-into-the-Tar!-EP-sinlge-review&nReviewID=3843&nType=2
Dr SLAGGLEBERRY "Tuc Into The Tar!" EP (Universal Digital / Crash Records)
RELEASED? 17th November
SOUNDS LIKE? Spit fucking spot! About time we had some spanking metal crunch, dribble and fiddle grind. This one is taken from a live Xfm show in the summer and it's the genuine article. Loads of incomprehensible but exciting time changes, daft titles, "Extra Strength Grandma" being one, but the thing we're really loving this for is way that a sharp production has given enough on the treble to make the percussion sting while heaping on the beef for the guitars.
IS IT ANY GOOD? Oh yes.
WHERE IS IT? www.crash-records.co.uk
http://www.unpeeled.net/singles.html



COSMOSGAMING

United Kingdom based progressive rock/metal band Dr. Slaggleberry may have one of the best band names ever. So it goes without saying that this would instantly cause many people to have higher than normal expectations for anything this group puts out (as they would want the band to live up to the name). And thankfully, on their second EP Tuc Into The Tar! there is no doubt that Dr. Slaggleberry meets all expectations. It may be a little short in length, but this is a release that will get this group's name on the map and hype people up for more material from them.

Though they previously had a singer, Dr. Slaggleberry is now a purely instrumental band and has adopted a math/progressive rock and metal style than before. Throughout the course of the three songs offered on Tuc Into The Tar!, the band begins to sound fairly close to Behold…the Arctopus due to some of the thrash oriented fast paced riffs. However, Dr. Slaggleberry isn't a mere copy and does take their music in a more melodic direction than the other groups of this type. Compared to some of the other instrumental metal bands out there, these guys aren't as constantly heavy and often take the time to explore some slower paced, melodic riffs. It is very apparent that these guys know how to play their instruments, but admittedly it is hard to distinguish their style from some of the other bands out there due to the fact that this release is only 13 minutes long. Another fact worth mentioning is that this entire EP was recorded live at a radio station, and for a live recording the sound quality is surprisingly good.

Dr. Slaggleberry has the riffs and extended jams needed to hook fans of this genre, and newcomers will find that they certainly have the chops needed to match up to their competition. But admittedly, they still sound a little too close to those other groups and in the 13 minutes this EP lasts they don't do quite enough to establish themselves as wholly unique. However, this EP will still hook listeners and get them interested in this band, and it seems highly likely that on a full length of material this group will truly help them stand out and blow some people's minds.

http://cosmosgaming.com/articles.php?id=1741&articletype=review



Dr.Slaggleberry tuc into the tar review by nightshift magazine

Having initially picked Thame's Dr Slaggleberry
to play the Oxford Punt back in May it was a
disappointment when they went and lost their
drummer. Fast forward six months and they've
got a new sticksman but seemingly lost their
singer. A Shame since his disembodied, middledistance
howl and roar added extra menace to a
band whose masked stage presence was already
a striking spectacle.
Still, this new three-track EP, taken from a live
session the band recorded for Xfm, amply
demonstrates the band's main strengths –
furious, pin-tight math-metal riffing with a
spazz-jazz predilection for signature changes
and sharp angles. Many bands play the angular
post-whatever card, but Dr Slaggleberry's
unrelenting attack marks them out from the
pack – full-throttle classic metal riffs, machinegun
drum salvos, occasional Sabbath-like
breakdowns, one moment in lead track 'Extra
Strength Grandma' that could be prime Dead
Kennedys and even the odd dalliance with
Weather Report. Okay, we'll forgive them that
last one.
It's precision stuff and stands up reasonably
well compared to the likes of Rolo Tomassi and
Mr Bungle.
Ian Chesterton
http://nightshift.oxfordmusic.net/2008/nov.pdf


- !


Discography

SELF TITLED E.P" first official release from the band, 4 track e.p released in march 2008, TUC INTO THE TAR" Second e.p release November 2008, recordings taken from live radio sessions at the XFM studios

Photos

Bio

Dr.Slaggleberry as a band have been around since 2005, evolving and changing over the years. Over that time we have been called everything from funk rock to math metal to progressive rock. We will let you decide for yourselves.
Dr Slaggleberry is an evolving and organic band, the coming together of three drummers who have a passion for rhythm, beats and hard riffs. Two of the drummers turned guitarist and as their technique evolved the music developed and the riffs became dirtier, heavier and more experimental. Raw and crisp, chaotic but with structure. Inspired by the greats such as Primus, Mr.bungle, King crimson and on the heavier side of things bands like Meshuggah, Pysopus and Sikth to name a few.
Dr Slaggleberry increased their dose and put them selves to work, and continued to craft their music.
Homing in on their own individual sound, tight and crisp with light and shade. Skilful, emotive and progressive, A three piece so tight, it makes your eyes water.
Early 2008 saw the Dr in their present line up release their debut self titled e.p to a wave of critical acclaim.
In June they recorded a 3 track e.p Live at XFM studios, which was released in November 2008.