Entertainment: And now for something truly eclectic: deconstructed sludge metal

About three years ago I reviewed Candlefest, a black metal festival in London. It was great fun, showcasing the strength and depth in the British black metal scene, and the crowd were an enthusiastic, welcoming bunch. Palehorse were one of the highlights for me and I’m thrilled to be seeing them this week at the Prince Albert.

Self-described as powerviolence and sludge, the band eschew traditional six-string guitars in favour of two bassists, drums and a dedicated singer. The result is a ridiculously fun bassy torrent of noise, but one that has melodic riffs and hooks aplenty.

Palehorse are also refreshingly experimental and challenging in how they structure their songs: some chug, some blast, and some slope like Slint (like album closer ‘Skin Flick’). Head to palehorse-uk.bandcamp.com to try out their back catalogue or simply take a cheap punt and I’ll see you there for a drink. ‘1893′ is a brooding, deftly paced animal that bodes well for their upcoming album Looking Wet in Public, so hopefully we’ll get some new material too.

As is often the case with metal gigs, there are two support acts: popular sludge band Ghold and new noise band Bruxa Maria so the value for money is striking. You should definitely go to bruxamaria.bandcamp.com to hear ‘Human Condition’: it’s a thudding, ferocious, dark track with heavily distorted vocals and rumbling, industrial noise.

Palehorse/Ghold/Bruxa Maria, Prince Albert, Thurs 5 May, 8pm, £6, tickets from Resident or www.gigantic.com