Shipyard – Swing Bridge (Primitive Moth Records, 2024/2025 vinyl reissue) review.Monstrous Doom/Sludge range and range.
Geelong's Shipyard are a locked-in, bass-and-drums instrumental sludge-doom two-piece delivering exactly what their official spiel promises: Om's meditative drone meets Earth's glacial crawl, Primitive Man's suffocating weight, Eyehategod's raw filth, Melvins' twisted grooves, and a whole lot more. Gaz on drums and Brad on bass channel big amps, crushing volume, and hypnotic stoner riffs that feel like slow-motion tectonic shifts. Their debut EP Swing Bridge (initially self-released digitally mid-2024, now pressed to limited vinyl via Primitive Moth) captures that monstrous range perfectly across two epic tracks.
Longboat to Lindisfarne (around 11-13 minutes, depending on the version) and Sirens build from rumbling low-end depths into towering, wave-like surges. The nautical imagery fits the band name and Geelong's port-town roots—think creaking ship hulls, decaying docks, and ocean monoliths—as one reviewer put it: a "doom-soaked undercurrent" that drags up a "somber and monstrous sea creature," a kraken rising in trancelike somber tones before unleashing a "tsunami of destruction." Low-end rumblings shift like grinding sediment, meditative passages give way to sheer power, all recorded with raw, massive presence by Jason Fuller at Goatsound.
What elevates Shipyard beyond standard sludge-doom is their two-piece tightness. As a bass/drums duo, they're relentlessly locked in, creating grooves that feel both hypnotic and propulsive. There's a Fugazi-style precision in the jamming—the way the rhythms interlock with mathy, post-hardcore discipline amid the sludge heaviness. It avoids the loose sprawl of some doom acts; instead, every hit and throb drives forward with purpose, echoing influences like Slint's tension, Pelican's post-metal expansiveness, Jesus Lizard's noise-rock bite, or even Bell Witch/Sunn O))) drone weight. Live, they've brought this energy to packed Melbourne/Geelong shows and in-stores also, where the absence of vocals lets the sheer physicality of the sound hit harder.
Primitive Moth Records—champions of Australian underground heaviness—feels like the perfect home for this. The vinyl edition (limited to 100) with striking sleeve photos and design brings the right tactile weight to these tracks. If you've caught Shipyard live before, Swing Bridge translates that void-staring intensity to record without losing any menace. For fans of instrumental doom that balances meditation and obliteration, this is essential. Crank it loud; let the tide pull you under. Highly recommended for your next heavy rotation.
https://primitivemoth.bandcamp.com/album/swing-bridge-3
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