Filthy Music Review - 'Beast in the Field: The Sacred Above the Scared Below'

Beast in the Field – The Sacred Above the Sacred Below (2013)

Saw Her Ghost Records

Review by Jude Felton

Quite often, in the past, I have made mention of albums being good driving music. The reason for this is that I listen to the majority of new releases in the car, where I can blast them away at a ridiculous volume. Well, The Sacred Above the Scared Below is absolutely perfect driving music, of that I can assure you.

This is my first visit to the world of this Stoner Doom duo, although this is in actual fact their fifth album, so it looks like I will have to go and check out their back catalogue as its damn fine stuff. For a duo, just guitar and drums, Beast in the Field make one heck of a wonderful noise. Hell, even a full band would be proud of this beautiful cacophony, if they could themselves achieve what Jamie Jahr and Jordan Pries have delivered.

This is an album of dirty, fuzzed-up doom-centric rifferama, where the guitar absolutely destroys with its delivery and, as if that isn’t enough, the drums are pure punishment, as they pound through the hour plus running time. The music isn’t bogged down with vocals, instead you just have the guitar and drums to occupy your ears, and they really are quite superb.

Swirling rhythms, terrific leads and everything as heavy as hell, The Sacred Above the Sacred Below is an album that needs to be listened to in one sitting, to get the full effect. It’s just that sort of album and it does get truly epic in places; Covered by Clouds Eaten by Snakes clocks in at just over 9 minutes, and the title track pushes 12 minutes, but it is the monumental Oncoming Avalanche where Beast in the Field really let it all hang out, with its mammoth 22 minute running time. There’s so much going on though, that there’s no chance of you getting bored, which is quite the achievement.

You definitely want to check out this album, especially if you like your music to be heavy as fuck, because this absolutely crushes.

TRACK LIST:

1. Great Watcher Of The Sky (0:28)
2. Hollow Horn (7:12)
3. Altar Made Of Red Earth (7:15)
4. Waken Tanka (5:22)
5. There Once Were Mountains Of Ice (7:06)
6. The Great Spirit Of Light (0:46)
7. Oncoming Avalanche (22:15)
8. The Sacred Above The Sacred Below (11:53)
9. Covered By Clouds Eaten By Snakes (9:14)

The Sacred Above the Sacred Below is available now from Saw Her Ghost Records.