Article by: Ryan Hood
An EP fit for a horror film, Slang Dogs’ Reckoning of Endal perfectly blends haunting ethereal synths and bone-chilling bass stabs to paint a dark, hellish soundscape. The Bay Area duo have a carefully crafted audio-visual aesthetic that makes this project stand out.
Reckoning of Endal. The name itself conjures up dark imagery before the listener begins the auditory journey of this EP. Endal sounding like “end all” makes the listener aware that this deity being summoned is not friendly.
“Fire’s Path” is the perfect way to open this EP. Chilling deep breaths and distant snarls create the perfect setting for this track, as ritualistic chants begin to take over. Coupled with rising percussion, the track then builds to a fast-paced drop with incredible rhythm, symbolizing the hounds running through the forest, leaving everything behind them ablaze.
Next, we enter the “Crypt.” The track starts with a foreboding siren before the percussion begins to build. We are then ushered into the depths by someone or something “from the grave,” as the vocal sample eerily states. The drop utilizes a powerful, stabby bass sound while the siren and other ethereal samples echo throughout. This halftime drop’s crisp sound design and percussion drive home the chilling nature of this track, as the hounds search for their Leader’s lair beneath the Earth’s surface.
“Summon” is the turning point in Reckoning of Endal’s story. Natural nighttime sound, ethereal synths, guttural bass, and demonic vocal samples suck the listener in before the song drops. The drop is consumed by incredibly deep bass, signifying the hounds’ summoning of their Leader. This is Slang Dogs’ most experimental song of this EP and shows how dark their sound design can truly be.
Finally, we are introduced to “Endal.” A beautiful yet haunting violin arrangement dominates the beginning of the track and paints a perfect setting. Fast-paced percussion and rising synths soon take over, building to a drop that utilizes deep bass synths coupled with an alarm-like sound that gives the song incredible rhythm despite its chaotic nature. The second drop brings back the violin arrangement over a punishing trap beat. In this track, the Dogs “successfully summoned their keeper, The Reckoner, Endal.” The story told in this track is accompanied by incredible illustrations, picturing Endal in a forest at night. These haunting images give the listener a more clear understanding of the world the Slang Dogs created, and what is to come now that their Leader is upon us.
Keep up with the latest from Slang Dogs using the links below, and follow along with Moon Lvnding’s New Music Friday Heat playlist on Spotify for all the fresh bangers worth banging this weekend.
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