Art As Catharsis is proud to announce a deal to distribute Merchant’s crushing 2017 LP, Beneath.
On Beneath, Merchant combine the ritualism of drone, the brutality of sludge, and a progressive approach to composition to create one of the most impressive pieces of Australian doom in many years.
Across half an hour, Merchant carefully weave two epic and intricate tracks that fit alongside the forward-thinking doom of Elder and Pallbearer. But they also have brutality to spare. Through layers of fuzz and distortion, the band pummel listeners with volcanic noise and immersive heaviness.
They possess an intensity that – when combined with trance-like, hypnotic repetition – can overwhelm listeners with its stark depiction of human misery. After all, this is an album fuelled by social anxiety and depression, the suicide of close friends, and hatred of the self. One cannot expect easy listening.
Having supported a couple of the fiercest underground doom metal acts – Weedeater and Conan – Merchant are now solidifying their name as one of the uncompromisingly heavy bands in the genre.
Let Beneath will engulf you with it’s hypnotic repetition, alluring atmosphere and looming darkness. In it, you may hear echoes of Neurosis and Samothrace, the visceral aggression of old school Conan and Cough, and the epic scale of YOB and Space Bong.
Merchant’s Beneath has been released by Black Bow Records. Their LP is available bow through Art As Catharsis.
