Review by Greg on June 13, 2026.

Born out of the ashes of progressive/groove outfit The Massacre Cave and its sole full-length effort Godlust, Electric Sun Defence is a duo determined to keep the voice of Scotland's remote islands alive. "Estuary" is their debut album, and its minimal artwork marks quite the departure from the previous project.

Indeed, as soon as the short intro 'Shimmer' approaches its end getting louder and louder, and I was bracing myself for the predictable explosion of sound, the title-track opens on peaceful, emotional clean guitars and minimal drumming. Similarly, Joe Cormack's vocals are distant, but clearly as a conscious stylistic choice, and not as a trick to conceal a subpar performance. Still, it lasts until about 2:30, where the advertised Mastodon and Baroness influences suddenly explode. The band doesn't fully commit to the rawness of sludge, as the faster parts feel more in line with The Massacre Cave's thrashy roots, and they don't reach Crack the Skye-level radio-friendliness either – this is a comfortable middle ground where all the songs on "Estuary" ebb and flow nicely. Add a healthy dose of post-metal à la Cult of Luna in the spacious arrangements, not to mention the long compositions, and the package is complete.

Quite fittingly to its status of namesake song, 'Estuary' sets the blueprint for the remainder of the album. 'His Will' brings it even further – noodly riffs constantly intertwine with ethereal sections, still with a somewhat Gojira-esque chug appearing every now and then. Yeah, maybe this is the kind of tracks sludge metalheads meditate to. The best is yet to come, as Peter Colquhoun's crescendo drum roll at 4:25 feels like the prelude to something special, and an awesome riff and solo follow. I'd say this is the first Electric Sun Defence song you should check out, if you've got only enough time for one. Nevertheless, no song passes by without leaving an indelible trace, be it the slide guitar intro of 'The Master's Garden' or the twisted riffing of 'Phantom Limb Amputee', albeit some stronger vocal hooks could elevate the material considerably. 'Choke Leper' combines "Estuary's" more atmospheric moments with Cormack's roughest delivery, including a mighty scream functioning as the proverbial wake-up call. There's also an instrumental ('Spiderweb'), where the laid-back, almost jam-like feel (but not to be confused with aimless, for sure) of the softer sections gets to shine, although accompanied by an unnerving spoken sample, adding a distressing note to this sweet detour.

Clocking in at 50 minutes, "Estuary" shouldn't attract many accusations of longwindedness. Trust me, I'm usually the first person to complain about that. I did find the album's latter half slightly less enticing, but the intensity was also increased, if anything, culminating in the jarring finale of 'In Bestia'. This isn't quite my jam, and as such I can't envision myself returning to it frequently, but its hypnotic charm and blending of characters is guaranteed to be a real treat for genre aficionados.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10