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Whales and Leeches Image
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The third release for the Portland, Oregon metal band was produced by the Decemberists' Chris Funk.
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  • Record Label: Relapse Records
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Stoner Metal
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Top Track

Blood Like Cream
I refuse to sleep I will not eat i'm drowning in my bed bind her hands to mine and make her blind she's lost the rest of time babe frothing at the... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Alternative Press
    Oct 23, 2013
    90
    [Whales And Leeches up its game] by being bigger, bolder, heavier, catchier and even more savagely fun.
  2. Oct 23, 2013
    80
    Though Funk's main gig with the Decemberists might seem to be about as far from Red Fang as you're likely to get, the producer's penchant for intricacy helps to lend the album a certain depth, channeling the band's inclination toward brute force into something altogether more expansive while still keeping the grittiness of their sound intact.
  3. Kerrang!
    Oct 30, 2013
    80
    This is music with brains and bite. [12 Oct 2013, p.52]
  4. 70
    Whales & Leeches, their third full-length, offers more of what we’ve come to expect from the group, and can only be described as a hard-rocking, hard-partying good time.
  5. Nov 5, 2013
    60
    On their third outings most bands attempt to step up their game in terms of consistent songwriting. Instead, there's as many skippable tracks on this record as those worth revisiting. Mere competency is not sufficient to turn heads, especially in the year that abounds in high-quality stoner rock releases.
  6. Oct 23, 2013
    50
    Red Fang certainly sounds good on Whales and Leeches, with the production of the Decemberists multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk again giving their instruments ample breadth and weight. But they do not match that surface with substance.
  7. Dec 3, 2013
    50
    Overall, Whales and Leeches amounts to a frustrating release, because when the band try something adventurous instrumentally or vocally--as heard on “DOEN”, “Dawn Rising”, and “Every Little Twist”--these road-hardened grafters really kick their potential in the guts.

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