Mastiff

Mastiff is a five-piece battering ram of sludge, hardcore, and noise from Kingston upon Hull, UK, serving up some of the ugliest, most cathartic sounds in the British underground. Since forming in the mid-2010s, they’ve carved a reputation for relentless aggression, blending hardcore punk’s urgency with sludge metal’s suffocating weight. Fronted by the guttural roar of Jim Hodge, the band—rounded out by guitarists Phil Johnson and James Andrew Lee, bassist James Lee, and drummer Michael Shepherd—delivers apocalyptic themes through tracks like *Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth* and *Plague*. Their 2021 album *Leave Me The Ashes…* and earlier works like *Plague* (2019) cement their love for chaotic, feedback-drenched live shows and mercilessly heavy studio output. Perfect for fans of primitive riffs and existential dread, Mastiff remains a bulldozer of sonic misery.