Hazzard’s Cure – Hazzard’s Cure

A little bit of caveman roars and screams, abrasive and sludgy riffs, groovy rhythms and some nods towards black-metal make up the main ingredients for the debut album from Hazzard’s Cure. This four-piece band from Bay Area plies the same type of raucous and caustic sludge that acts like Buzzoven and High on Fire revolutionized, blending Sabbath-driven grooves with some hardcore punk nihilism and layering it with some deranged and tortured vocalizations.
Things get underway with “Psilocybin”, weaving a head-nodding and sludgy rhythm that recalls the powerful impetus of High on Fire, and then midway abruptly blows into some rabid thrash attack that pays homage to the early days of the Bay Area thrash boom.
While most of the songs are downright abrasive, Hazzard’s Cure still manage to incorporate a bit of melody into their sound. “Meet Me at the Mountain” for instance sees them slowing things down a bit to churn out some loose, groovy and blues-driven riffs, complemented with some sparse vocalizations that sound like howls.
The ten-minute finale "Great Dishonor” better reflects the whole vibe of the record, displaying some great riffing that ranges from a painfully slow and corrosive sludge to a ferociously malevolent black metal.
Though Hazzard’s Cure aren’t bringing anything new or genuinely essential to the table, they definitely put out a strong first record that is worthy of your attention. (7.2/10)

David Alexandre


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