Until today, I had no idea of the thriving heavy metal scene in Russia.  There are numerous bands to discover, playing a multitude of different styles.  Check out the likes of Burning Loss, Funeral Smoke, and Viscous Black, and of course, the band that opened my eyes to the fact that Russian doom/sludge metal was even a thing, Pressor.

Pressor’s history dates back to 2008, when the band originally formed under the name “Leaden Sky”.  Adopting the name Pressor in 2010, the band went on to release their debut EP “Grave Full of Weed the following year.

The most recent release, the Weird Things EP, was released in 2018.

Weird Things opens up with some fascinating sound effects on the track Heavy State, before launching in to an hypnotic, instrumental piece that is trance inducing to a degree.  This is riff laden doom metal at its finest.

For the title track, Weird Things, there are some synth techniques used that give give off a more industrial vibe, particularly in the vocals.  The doom remains, but comparison to a band like Ministry is hard to ignore. Coming in at just a tad under eight minutes, it’s a fairly epic song too.

Whether intentional or not, Pressors music conjures images of war torn landscapes and post apocalyptic wastelands.  It’s bleak and dark, moody and heavy.  Tripping Deep is driven by buzzsaw guitar riffs, and more of those synth atmospherics, a combination that works so well for the bands overall sound.  It’s another long song, just shy of ten minutes, but it never gets boring.  There’s always something to hold your attention.

For the final track, Hexadecimal Unified Insanity, Pressor deliver something that leans further into the industrial territory.  I really like this sound for the band.  It’s a little faster paced, they really experiment and play with guitar technique, and it’s just interesting to hear it play out.

Weird Things is an EP that I will certainly revisit, and now that Pressor are on my radar, I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Weird Things is available on all streaming platforms.

7/10

Review by Shayne McGowan