Blackburn’s Bastard of The Skies deal in lurching, weighty and sludgy rock/metal. Singer/guitarist Matt is a real talent, commanding bruising but groove powered riffs and a voice which at times recalls Karl Middleton in his Earthtone9 heyday. The rhythm section pounds along confidently with good use of fills and the bass pedal by drummer Craig. All of the six songs featured are beasts, but the quality hooks and instrumental sections in "(Eighteen And A Half Stone) Parts Unknown" and "Michael Fucking Dudikoff" make them the standout tracks. BOTS’s sound is rooted in southern American rock/metal akin to Down and Crowbar, yet they have injected their own personality into the songs, genuinely setting themselves apart from their peers. A band of promising potential.

Blackburn riff-kings Bastard Of The Skiesgo to show that you don't need to come from the oppressively hot south of the US to play filthy, overwhelming, sludgy metal with conviction. The influence of High On Fire and, going further back, St Vitus can be heard here, and there's a piquancy to Bastard's intensity which brings Fudge Tunnel to mind. Awesome - the soundtrack to drowing in a swamp full of your own shite.

What can I expect from a band with such a monstrous name like BASTARD OF THE SKIES? Surely, they won't play mellow folk rock or psychedelic pop, but some sort of heavy music, which is made to scare the shit out of your little sister. And yes, BASTARD OF THE SKIES is not that kind of band, who is interested in hypnotizing the listener with sweet grooves and a relaxed atmosphere. This UK trio is powered by adrenaline and aggression, and none of the here included three songs gives you time to rest or to calm down. It's heavy shit, a nasty sludgy motherfucker that's similar to High On Fire and early Neurosis, but their brutal sound is also heading into a different direction, what means that this band is trying to create something, that stands on its own feet.

For my taste, this guys are doing their best in finding an own identity, and this demo is more than just a good start. Their energy level is immense, and it's hard to believe, that BASTARD OF THE SKIES have been formed in the beginning of 2006, and not five years ago, because everything here is very professional. They have interesting arrangements, an energetic drummer who's beating the shit out of his drums, a guitarist, with powerful vocals and a bass-player who fills every hole in their sound with his massive tone. BASTARD OF THE SKIES are hungry enough to push themselves to a bright future, and I will observe their further steps.

You get the feeling that this band would absolutely destroy live as they mercilessly beat the listener into submission on disc. The Blackburn trio dole out lashings of filthy, sludgy metal that never lets up. The drums stomp along nicely while the wonderfully fuzzy guitars accentuate the throaty/ roaring vocals. having formed less than two years ago, expect great things from these brutes in years to come.
8/10

Bastard of the skies formed at the beginning of 2006 and hammered after that short time a monster of a Demo into the world. Sludge Rock at its best! Some slow Raging Speedhorn and St. Vitus riffs meet with an aggressive shouter makes this recording to a doom highlight. The opener (EIGHTEEN AND A HALF STONE) PARTS UNKNOWN is a faster track with the above mentioned elements, before the mighty YOU, FOE starts with a slow riff and turns into a Doom monster. Uncompromising power, near on the HIGH ON FIRE stuff, will blow your head out! COWARDS! COWARDS! opens again with a mighty guitar-riff and a huge wall of power! Unbelievable that this band is still unknown! This track has a great chorus and with the great guitar- and drum wall it is the highlight on that record and could be soon a hit in the sludge rock fan base! The last track, A TRAITOR IN THE HERD, is a slow and full of anger. This is Doom / Sludge Metal as its best! Especially the guitars produce a lot of power and great riffs and I hope they can write that stuff over a whole record! And with the screamed vocals this band is a bastard! If you like is slow, heavy, angry – check this band out!

Music: Sludge Rock
Sound: 8
Music: 8
Info: 4 Songs / 20 minutes

Quite why this band aren't big news all over the pages of the glossy metal press and toasted by those who like to think they're in the know when it comes to the UK metal underground scene I don't really know. Maybe they're not obvious enough? Seems pretty obvious to us. Another excellent demo from the appropriately named Blackburn outfit Bastard of The Skies then, three more swooping scathing sludging tracks, three more slices of essential sonic violence. Relentless low-end metal that'll rumble right over you in that High On Fire/Melvins/Fudge Tunnel manner of theirs. They've a bit of a groove to the relentlessly heavy sludge, not just dumb riffing, these bastards have substance, they know what they're doing (and they can damn well play –check those flowing drums). Last time we talked of great big tar pits of sound and millions of holes all over Blackburn Lancashire and we're going to damn well do it again - no time to compromise around here, Bastard Of The Skies dropped another excellent demo, you really should take the time to check them out.

The UK is back in town to show you that they are always a place to look to for exciting new developments in the sludge/doom fold. Checking in with us this time is Bastard of the Skies, a crushing three-piece that take the classic sludge/doom formula and lace it with a dose of brutal metal. It has the gallop of High on Fire at their best, the slow-motion thrash/doom of Slave Traitor with just a light seasoning of Crowbar in the form of burly, groove laden riffs that really hit my sweet spot. It is never too fast and always grooves but the iron hand of metal is grasping these three tracks firmly in place.

"(Eighteen and a Half Stone) Parts Unknown" lets you know Bastard of the Skies' mission right off the bat. A crushing drum march leads the charge as both guitar and bass build up an impressive wall of noise. The song unfolds into a metal cum doom gut-wrench that is perfectly topped off with the angry shouted/screamed vocals. It is actually nice to hear a band in this vein doing their own thing in terms of vocal style with this type of material. The Matt Pike impersonation has been done into the dirt so it is always nice to hear someone step up with a bit of a variation. The song settles into a nice groove throughout and the wall of noise that these guys create is truly something to behold as they go full bore for the song's duration. I must also note that this is some damn thick production for a demo too. It sounds great on everything. It cranks on the computer as well as the car so kudos to these boys for going the extra mile in terms of sound quality.

"You, Foe" has a more traditional sludge/doom groove that kicks things off and it really grabbed my attention immediately. This song balances a big groove nicely with a bit of face-stomping metal action and never for a second do they lose focus. There is a lot of repetition here but it all works out to the band's advantage, so you shouldn't worry about getting bored for even a second. The drumming especially stands out on this one with a constant hammering that leaves no stone unturned. Expect plenty of dramatic rolls and fills that are backed up with some deft use of double bass. Another outstanding groove is introduced near the track's end before the band descends into the opening riff one last time.

"A Traitor in the Herd" rounds out this meaty demo and stands as the most doom-ridden track of the bunch. Harsh feedback drones us into the mix, followed by the bass and a straight-kick in the teeth as the riff introduced is a fucking monster. The drumming keeps things very busy and the riff has a kind of heaviness that isn't too far removed from the likes of Black Cobra or something of that type of harshness. This will turn your speakers to silly putty and trash your room with no apologies. The 7+ minute length is more than appropriate as the band take their point and ram it down your throat repeatedly so you don't forget that you were brutalized anytime soon.

This is a great demo chockfull of thick riffs and massive heaviness that is sure to get Bastard of the Skies some label notice in the not so distant future. If you are a fan of doom that isn't afraid to show some straight-up metal tendencies then Bastard of the Skies will be a great fit for you. I'm already hungry for more from these guys!

At last... a self described 'sludge' band from the UK that don't rely on the all too obvious 'Iron Monkey/Eyehategod riff & growl' trick. I don't think I've been this relieved since Johnny Wilkinson decided he could make the Rugby World cup after all!

So just what is it that sets this Lancashire trio apart from the creatively numb pack? Well, as touted on their bio and other reviews there is a 'High On Fire' thing going on but if anything it's more in the feel than a specific sound - track three 'Kubrick Zirconia' has an opening riff that brings to mind the slowed down heaviness of say 'Face Of Oblivion' but it's mixed in with a seriously dark kind of attitude that you'd expect to find on some heroin induced Industrial effort... and this is where things get interesting!

Despite the use of no programmed instruments I can't help thinking of Ministry or Misery Loves Co. for some reason. Maybe it's the tightness of the playing, maybe it's the venom filled vocals, maybe it's the fact that the opening '(Eighteen And A Half Stone) Parts Unknown' flows like the All Blacks off the back of a scrum but there is a combination of raw human pounding and measured precision going on here. The result is the kind of sound that tells you this band would actually be very loud live rather than just claiming to be.

What doesn't hurt either is that all three songs are really well constructed with the rhythm section pinning down the feel on each track. A trick which allows the main riff on 'You, Foe' to swing rather than sound like it's trying to be damn heavy. On this evidence no effort is needed.

If this is just a demonstration of what Bastard Of The Skies can do then this band could well become 'Underground Kings'. This is seriously good stuff...we need to hear more from this band.

Next up is Bastard of the Skies, a hard-edged Metal band with an Early 90s Heavy Rock core. I conjure up an image of an early Therapy?, Kyuss and Assert, in some kind of twisted mudwrestling arena, dirty, heavy and with a cutting male vocal that doesn't resort to screaming. Pounding with energy and anger, BOTS deliver the goods and no mistake.

Some kind of low end screaming sludge metal stew that may just drag you under with it's pained guitars and cries for help, stuck in black treacle and sticky glue and St Vitus riffs pulling them back and keeping them there, great big tar pits and millions of holes all over Blackburn Lancashire. They say they formed with the intention of ripping off The Melvins, a rather honourable reason to form a band....They say they are for fans of: Melvins, Sleep, Karp, Boris, Fudge Tunnel, Black Sabbath, Kyuss, High On Fire, Electric Wizard, Acid King... They are.