Bandcamp Undercover: Haaze – Swamp Mama

By Darryl Johnson on October 26, 2018

Well if judging by this upcoming EP by Red Deer, Alberta’s Sludge/Doom Metal power trio Haaze, 2019 seems to be another great year for the Metal genre. The group is set to release a follow-up to their 2017’s EP RIFF on January 7th.

At just 28 minutes in length, Swamp Mama is filler-free for the most part (barring the acoustic interlude “The Mechanic”), delivering six (technically five) tracks that bash and thrash and grind. Just a few seconds it the opening “Beast of the Bog” and Haaze already kick into high energy. It’s striking how important every member is. The drums by Alex Adamson force the song along. After “Beast of the Bog,” the group expertly tears through a series of skull-crackers, with guitarist and singer Mitchell Soloway and bassist / singer Jack Sutherland creating the foundation of the band’s sound. The record isn’t exactly the most original document ever created, nor does it aspire to be as such. The intensity is more than enough. There’s a certain beauty in such no-frills rock, in such meaty riffs and booming drums. This is the kind of release where the influences are obvious, but instead of governing the thought process they provide a foundation from which Haaze have built their identity. Swamp Mama is an unkempt affair.

Swamp Mama does have enough raw edge to make your metal and punk friends happy campers at your back-yard soiree. What the EP lacks by way of boundary pushing and newness, it makes up for with a cohesive sound and deliberate thickness. You won’t find the metal nerds cramped next to the speaker trying to figure out the riffs and beats; but to hell with it, it’s time to get out of mom and dad’s house and go party with the crew.

The EP is released on January 7th, 2019; pre-order here. Listen to the lead single and title track below. Read our interview with the band here.