Megasus
Self Titled
7.4
A mere stone’s throw from the Lair of the Minotaur, lies a cyclopean redoubt built from the same massive stones as the temple of YOB, wherein dwells that fell beast, the mighty Megasus. The fearsome Megasus is a lesser known cousin of the famed winged steed Pegasus. While the noble, graceful Pegasus is famed for helping Bellerophon slay the dreaded Chimera, and aiding Harry Hamlin in turning the Kraken to stone (as well as selling Mobil gasoline), the savage Megasus has devoted its energies to a more malevolent pursuit: creating one Hell of a sludge/doom /stoner metal racket.
Megasus are noisy sons of bitches, it must be said. Ryan Lesser’s guitar is saturated in a buzz saw distortion that would seem more at home on an old Entombed record, and on occasion Ryan cranks out some riffs to match. Paul Lyon's Bass sound is likewise distorted and ugly (in a good way). The synthesis of the two massive tones with Brian Gibson’s aggressive drumming creates one seriously heavy, noisy wall of sound. The cherry on top of this ten ton sundae is the over the top vocal performance of Jason Kendall. Whether Kendall can actually sing is debatable, but his multifaceted performance, ranging from high, nasally chanting to throat shredding screams, places an indelible stamp of originality on Megasus’s sound.
On rumbling rampages such as “Ten Kingdoms,” “Paladin Vs. Berserker,” and the eponymous “Megasus,” the band attacks with a barbaric brutality akin to High on Fire and the aforementioned Lair of the Minotaur. Kendall compliments these tracks with some particularly impressive displays of lung power: Kendall digs deep for the powerful screams that bring “Ten Kingdoms” to a close, and on the rapid fire chorus of “Megasus” his voice has a percussive attack that brings to mind some of the deranged work of Mike Patton.The tracks “Swords,” “Red Lottery,” and “Iron Mountain” reveal a more atmospheric side to the band. Among these selections “Swords” is the most effective. The track is built on a repetitive, odd-metered eastern sounding riff, and supported by complex, yet hypnotic drum pattern. Kendall’s vocals are all over the place on this track, from high multi-tracked keening, to low whispering, and plenty of screaming in between. His tone at times borders on grating, but the intensity of the performance is utterly compelling.The meandering “Red Lottery” is the albums weakest effort. The track begins with a sinister Iommi-esque riff, but never seems to develop much of interest beyond that. The track is further hampered by a monotonous, distorted vocal.
As riff smiths, Megasus are more than competent, but not quite on par with masters such as Matt Pike or Gaz Jennings. From a performance standpoint, however, Megasus is ready to play with the big boys. The band has positioned itself for broad appeal across the stoner/doom/sludge realm with a sound that is both brutal and artistically adventurous.
