Release Date March 20th, 2026
Format Digital/12” Vinyl
Genre Doom/Sludge Metal
Country USA
Radian started kicking around Akron, Ohio in the winter of 2017. Guitarist Mike Burns put the band together to play slow, aggressive music. They dropped their debut "Chapters" in 2019 and followed it up with "Discordian" in 2022. Constant touring caused the roster to shift completely around the guitarist. The current lineup brings vocalist Corey Staley, bassist Carly Allman, and drummer Derek Vaive into the picture. They are back with their third full-length release, "Subterfuge".
The album centers on a conceptual story about a modern-day Egypt surviving Roman rule. The narrative follows a man fighting back against greedy overlords destroying his homeland for profit. The concept points to current real-world issues involving corruption and societal decay. Radian channels this story into crushing sludge and doom metal. Guitars drag heavily across the floor. Vocals tear through the noise with plenty of volume and aggression. The rhythm section keeps the pace slow and punishing.
Sanford Parker handled the mixing duties. Collin Jordan mastered the tracks. The final sound they got out of these songs is massive. Down-tuned guitars provide a giant wall of sound. Bass lines rumble constantly underneath the main riffs. The drumming stays mostly low and steady, pounding out a dark rhythmic foundation. Staley screams harsh lyrics across the entire runtime. Everything works together to deliver an extremely heavy listening experience.
"Subterfuge" is a perfectly fine heavy/doom album. The band plays standard sludge metal with massive force. The story adds a sick background to the music. The riffs will definitely keep heads nodding. Radian delivers a reliable dose of loud, aggressive metal. Fans of low tuning and slow drums will spin this a few times. It packs enough distortion to keep the underground crowd satisfied.
Score: 7.5
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