If there's one thing that Southern Lord knows how to do well, it's knowing how to appeal to the most elite collectors with their limited edition color swirl vinyl pressings and CD re-releases of the rarest of the rare. ASBESTOSDEATH, the latest to receive the Southern Lord treatment, may not be a name familiar with a lot of folks, but the name SLEEP most certainly is. The story's a short one: before picking up guitarist Justin Marler (later to be the frontman of THE SABIANS and an ordained monk), Al Cisneros (bass/vocals), Matt "Mr. HIGH ON FIRE" Pike (guitar) and Chris Haikus (drums) along with Thomas Choi (guitar, later to form OPERATOR GENERATOR) recorded two 2-song 7" singles in the late 80s before morphing into SLEEP proper. Be forewarned, though - "Unclean/Dejection" is not the happy-go-lucky stoner rock of "Holy Mountain". As ASBESTOSDEATH, these guys played some vicious sludge that's far more reminiscent of EYEHATEGOD than BLACK SABBATH.

The high-pitched guitar plinks in the intro of "Nail" thrust the listener head-first into a world far darker than anything SLEEP ever did. While the dirty guitar tone should sound familiar, as should Cisneros' signature desperate yelling, the absence of down-tuning and the mega dose of drive (not to mention the do-it-yourself looking B&W album art) scream out punk rock far more than anything else anyone from this band has been involved with since, so much so that it may surprise a lot of people. (As a side note, despite the fact that the writing of Ray Dorsey doesn't need any promotion from me, you'd be well advised to check out his "11 Punk Albums Every Metalhead Should Own" feature, and study it HARD.) At the same time, these no-frills riffs are just as hypnotic as one would expect from these guys (particularly on the instrumental "Scourge"), so while this trip back in time may have slightly unexpected results, it is rather appropriate. And while nobody can expect this to sound as crisp as European power metal, when one considers that this was lifted off of vinyl (you read that right - VINYL, not master tapes), the sound quality is surprisingly spot-on. But even without the history behind this re-release, the bottom line is that it's a 20 minute short-but-sweet romp through the mud that's satisfying and doesn't overstay its welcome. Knowing Southern Lord, though, it's probably only going to be around for a limited time, so get it while it's hot.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/asbestosdeath

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