### Asthma Castle: Jesus, Mary and Broseph

#### 16/10/12 || Habakuk

Most of you probably know Adam Jarvis as the drummer in Misery Index and other assorted bands. Expect for staffer InquisitorGeneralis who, like, totally hangs out with him in Broltimore all the time. Few of you will however know his side project of Asthma Castle, where him and a few others dudes indulge themselves in heavy-ass southern sludge that mixes Corrosion of Conformity at their groovy best with harsher vocals.

So far, there seems to be but one EP out and no contract with any label signed, but if these guys keep up their work , the latter should technically be a matter of time, based on the quality of this 30-minute EP. Since it came out in 2009 already and nothing has happened since, I wouldn’t get my hopes too high just yet though. Too bad really, but they seem to be still around, as they’re listed for Maryland Deathfest 2013.

The five songs that make the EP basically strip the tried and tested southern sludge formula of everything that might get in the way of pure heaviness, but manage not to sound like Pantera (or much worse: Hellyeah, shudder…) either. There is the odd double bass part that shows the drummer in here knows his extreme metal roots, but mostly the band is determined to stay within the set genre boundaries, and seem to be enjoying it hugely, cowbell included. The songs are engaging throughout, so it doesn’t actually feel like three out of five songs are over seven minutes each. Which they do. Blame it on some meaty, sludgy killer riffing.

In spite of the weird moniker and songtitles like “Inhaled Nazarene”, which might hint towards a just-for-kicks approach, the band actually present themselves as tight and pretty damn professional. Also, for an independent effort, the production is absolutely awesome, giving every element the space it deserves. And last but not least, since this is absolutely free, there really is no reason to not check it out. So do not not check it out.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Independent
- Website: Asthma Castle MySpace
- Band
- Drunkna: vocals
- Cam: guitars, bass
- Justin E.: guitars
- Adam Jarvis: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Ceased to be
- 02. Quasimodo
- 03. Malverde’s traffic jam
- 04. Sour mash
- 05. Inhaled Nazarene