That vile, dirty crunch; the vicious lashes of an unforgiving whip upon the backs of agonized slaves; the sound of a thousand civil wars crashing down on American soil; the moans of the oppressed unifying in utterance of a sweeping, monotonous drone. It is a seemingly familiar sound to the ears of avid sludge listeners – those who writhe in pleasure from the sickly, southern drawl of bands like Eyehategod, Buzzov*en, and Cavity. It is a musical framework that makes up a large part of the modern sludge and stoner metal scene, yet bands like Boris, Kylesa, and Torche, constantly push its boundaries.

Particularly interesting, however, is Javelina’s rendition of this style, as though it appears straightforward sludge on the surface, it is riddled with everything from death metal and thrash metal, to d-beat and straight hardcore. Of course, it is remarkable when bands like Boris can constantly put out something different yet always maintain quality, but in a way, it is even more interesting when the changes are subtle, and one must delve into the music to fully appreciate it. Such is the case with tracks like “Stepchild” that blister and pummel the listener in the traditional sludge sense, but also exemplify much variation, as can be seen with Chubbrock’s Kreator-esque shrieks, and the melodic death metal bridge that builds to a truly stunning (and it feels very strange using this wording whilst referring to this band, but it’s not an exaggeration) Sabbath section.  It is especially this, that makes Beasts Among Sheep superior to Javelina, because while the latter was a solid album, it lacked the variety of their sophomore release.

Also, it is undeniable that Sandford Parker’s production with the album is one of its most defining elements, as all that didn’t stand out on the self-titled, but should have, does so on Beasts Among Sheep – all the leads, and the high screams in particular. Yet in all the refinement it provides, it’s hard to decide whether or not that form of production would really suit the band on the long run. It would certainly suit a more technical or complex direction (which they are bound to take, if they continue down the path they’re on), but while Beasts Among Sheep has its tricky moments, it’s not an overtly technical or experimental album that it begs such intricacy in producing it.

Aside from the aforementioned track, however, the album is relatively lacking in intensity. No doubt, it is one of the heaviest and most extreme that has come out this year – if the brutalizing death metal of “Black Blizzard” isn’t convincing enough, one should get their head checked – but it maintains this composure at a constant rate throughout, and hardly presents anything that will surprise one. On “Stepchild”, it is the masterful build to the jaw-dropping climax that can truly be coined as its standout track, but one would be hard-pressed to find anything else of this nature on the album.

Nonetheless, who could miss out on this gourmet serving of sludge? All the good, old sludge moments are satisfying enough for one to devour it with glee and just be done with it, but the distinctness and complexity throughout demands for one to savor; hell, maybe even sit over it with a toothpick, because there will be a lot left to pick out.

[Rating: 8.0/10]