Album Review: Bayou - Bayou

With sleazy licks, smoky tones and dirty tunes, Bayou have their listeners hooked from track to track on their self-titled album that was released early 2013.

The Perth based band are prototypes of the southern sludge metal genre and have been fiddling with their musical instruments since 2009 to craft an album filled with shades of rage, doom and groove. The album succeeds on production values, considering it was done in a do-it-yourself manner and it boasts seven full-length tracks.

The tracks are superbly produced and even give off a smoke induced atmosphere that is best reminiscent of the cigarette, booze, and guitar-blazing scenario at a hellish live music venue. The aggression of the raging guitarist Brendon Grubisich and the bassist Issei Oshikawa compliment the powerful almost clean pitch of vocalist Dean Robertson. The opening track Leader Of The Damned sets the pace of a fist-impelling attitude from Bayou though it is the Six Weeks track that earns the stripes. The brusque riffs on Six Weeks stands out against the other musical textures and touches on some of that old school metal vibe. There are a few padded tracks on the album but nonetheless it makes great head banging material. The lyrics remain true to the sordid society and if you have sold your soul – you get the all clear to 'scream a chorus' and raise the devil horns to Bayou's catchy words and dirty riffs.

The debut album of Bayou is worthy of enigmatic dirty praise and the band are a definite watch-out for in 2013.