Scott Spiers
Barbarian Hermit’s latest effort here is a mishmash of all things heavy. It’s doomy, it’s sludgy, it’s punky, and the whole presentation is wrapped up in golden bow bearing some of the catchiest vocal hooks this side of a dimed drive knob. - Reverend Fuzzcut
Favorite track: Heal The Tyrant.
Michael D
BARBARIAN HERMIT, the stoner doom heavyweights from Manchester, United Kingdom, deliver a raw and unrelenting experience with their new album Mean Sugar. It’s a crushingly heavy record, with crafty interludes that add surprising nuance. This release establishes BARBARIAN HERMIT as the true kings of the North.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
Download available in 16-bit/44.1kHz.
£7GBP or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited edition pink vinyl with blue and yellow splatters housed in a 3mm spined sleeve with printed inner, cello-wrapped, plus Mean Sugar Gildan Softstyle t-shirt.
** All buyers: as this is a limited edition item, the bundle will be shipped with tracking, hence shipping charges. If you would like your LP sent using cheaper standard non-tracked shipping, at your own risk, please email info@apfrecords.co.uk before placing your order. **
Includes unlimited streaming of Mean Sugar
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 16-bit/44.1kHz.
ships out within 5 days
edition of 100
Purchasable with gift card
£33GBPor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Mean Sugar on CD housed in a 4-panel digipak with 12-page booklet, cello-wrapped, plus Mean Sugar Gildan T-Shirt.
Includes unlimited streaming of Mean Sugar
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 16-bit/44.1kHz.
ships out within 5 days
edition of 100
Purchasable with gift card
£20GBPor more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited edition pink vinyl with blue and yellow splatters housed in a 3mm spined sleeve with printed inner, cello-wrapped.
** Non-UK buyers: as this is a limited edition item, the vinyl will be shipped with tracking, hence shipping charges. If you would like your LP sent using cheaper standard non-tracked shipping, at your own risk, please email info@apfrecords.co.uk before placing your order. **
Includes unlimited streaming of Mean Sugar
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 16-bit/44.1kHz.
ships out within 5 days
edition of 150
Purchasable with gift card
£23GBPor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Mean Sugar on CD housed in a 4-panel digipak with 12-page booklet, cello-wrapped.
Includes unlimited streaming of Mean Sugar
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 16-bit/44.1kHz.
ships out within 5 days
Purchasable with gift card
£9GBPor more
T-Shirt/Shirt + Digital Album
The Mean Sugar art printed on Gildan Softstyle t-shirt.
Includes unlimited streaming of Mean Sugar
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
2nd August 2024 saw the return of Manchester’s leading purveyors of groove laden, stoner/doom metal. Released on APF Records ‘Mean Sugar’ may just be the heaviest ever tribute to Northern life. Frontman Simon Scarlett comments,
“The album is about what we know, and that is the bitter-sweetness of growing up in a northern town. It’s a crude representation of what it is to be us these past few years: Lads catapulted against our will into manhood, at a time when everything is changing, and yet here we stay under the comforting and watchful shadow of the Pennine hills.
The north is an invigorating place, there’s a post-industrial beauty here unlike anywhere else. It’s also a tough place, precarious and on the edge. Sometimes we can feel powerless and unheard; our response to this, is to pick up guitars, make noise and hammer down a punishing rhythm.”
Written over a 3 year period ‘Mean Sugar’ is a cathartic creation, set against a back-drop that has seen people endure global pandemic, endless political turmoil, a cost of living crisis and war. During these times often the best coping mechanism is to go into a room with your friends and focus your energy on playing some very heavy and loud music.
Recorded by Joe Clayton at No Studio and mastered by Chris Fielding (Foel Studios), the album sees the return of original vocalist Simon Scarlett who helped craft the band’s debut ‘One’ EP, originally released in 2016 (and reissued on APF Records in 2021).
Simon rejoining during lockdown in 2020 is marked as a real turning point for the band with guitarist Adam Robertshaw stating, "It’s been an incredible journey, working together to create this new album. Long time fans will recognise his trademark bellow from the EP 'One' he recorded with us back in the day, which was recorded in a very rough, DIY fashion. While 'One' certainly isn't without its charm, we can't wait for folk to hear what he can do when given a proper studio to work in."
Simon adds, “This new album, “Mean Sugar” picks up where we left off in 2016, each track is a journey, it’s all got doom and stoner vibes, but it’s still heavy and full of stonking riffs, some bits are challenging and uneasy, but we kept in the groove. My hope is that when people hear this album, they’ll hear the energy of five, working northern men, in a way they’ve never heard before. We wanted to write something that was earnest and sincere to all our diverse musical tastes, but also side-steps what our peers in doom, stoner and sludge acts are doing so well. We didn’t want any obvious comparison that could be made with other bands.”
Since the release of their debut album ‘Solitude And Savagery’ in 2018 the band have gone on to perform at the likes of Bloodstock Festival twice, Doomlines and Riffolution Festival, as well as playing alongside Green Lung, Crowbar, PIJN, Boss Keloid, and Raging Speedhorn.
credits
released August 2, 2024
All songs written by Barbarian Hermit.
Produced and mixed by Joe Clayton at No Studio.
Mastered by Chris Fielding at Foel Studio.
Artwork by Stephen Bundy (Twistedillustration).
Additional vocals on Heal The Tyrant by the Levy Chorus.
This searing, four-track split from Bog Wizard (Michigan) and Dust Lord (Colorado) pairs stoner rock riffs with hard fantasy themes. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 10, 2021
