Whellington Slave - Swimming in sound

​Whellington Slave

Swimming in sound
​self-released; 2021

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Whellington Slave is a solo project created by Max Hébert. He recently released Swimming in Sound. The album contains eight songs which are melding elements of slowcore, metal, rock and like-minded genres.

The first song is entitled “The Descent.” For the first minute or so the song, and something about the guitar and drums, feels a bit off in timing but in a cool way. That being said it sort of works well when a beat is established and the song starts to rock out. The song progresses and you are greeted with heavy mounds of distortion, a good amount of lead guitar solos and just a dark and ominous presence. A solid start.

Next up is “Wasted In Vain” and the foundation and energy of this song is very similar to the opener. The song contains lots of fuzz, pounding drums and more but this song did have a slightly more alternative quality. I liked the stressed and intense vocal delivery here. The vocals are spaced however and didn’t really feel like a focal point to the song in a way but they do add a lot. “F%cktard” is gnarly. This song sounded like early Nirvana. I’m talking about Bleach and Incesticide era. Lots of screaming and couldn’t understand a word. Loved it. 

The fuzzy guitars continue with “Smoke Rings” which is another solid song and further establishes his signature sound. There is some interesting programming that’s happening with the drums and makes the song dynamic and chaotic.

The next song “Expired Generation” is intense and a highlight. The high energy punk rock quality would sound just about perfect in a small club like CBGB back in its heyday. The song sounds like a mix between The Stooges and Nirvana. I appreciated “Dandelions” as well. The song “Dreamtime” sounded like a completely different artist and didn’t seem to fit the album. He closes with “Darkest Place” which is a highlight but also more metal than the previous songs. The Nirvana comparison doesn't work here. It sounds closer to early Sunn O))).

There are some interesting sounds on this release but some killer songs. I think fans of the aforementioned artists should love this. Take a listen.

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