get your sludge fix with flatwound's latest single, 'case logic'
- Kaylah Chilcott
- Aug 11
- 2 min read
FLATWOUNDS (“Say it like flat-WOONDS”) have an iconic sound, wading through sludge metal and trickling in elements of nu metal to birth their latest single, ‘CASE LOGIC’. Formed in the early 2020s in Albany, US, FLATWOUNDS are a unique blend of MELVINs style sludge and the edge and urgency of nu metal guitars.
The song opens with eerie minor guitars, followed by tangy guitars chugging away. One of the first things that stands out is how well produced the track is, everything I’ve heard is, but the guitars sit high enough in the mix that they don’t clash so hard with the bass that it disappears, and don’t become muddy in that mid range EQ either. It’s all really well separated so that you can hear the bass notes clearly in the dense and heavy parts of the song.
The guitars are super snappy, having a lot of bite at the higher end of their tone, and the drums are deliciously splashy. Vocals range from a more melodic grunge sound to an aggressive yell (there’s even a little blegh snuck in there). His over all time reminds me a lot of FAILURE’s KEN ANDREWS if he took a grunge or sludge route instead of alternative rock.
A lot of this song is quite fast paced through the verses, and drops a bit across the choruses and bridge, which creates a dynamic that makes the song catchy in a way that you can sing along to the chorus and hang out for the heavy sections to kick back in. It is emotional for beats, before becoming angry and aggressive in others
“Life is Fodder
A pointless Slaughter”
The slowing and change in vocal tone across the bridge keeps me coming back for more.
‘CASE LOGIC’ is the third release from flatwounds in 2025, and while there appears to be no mention of an upcoming EP or album, I think these single releases indicate something sickening is in the works.
FLATWOUNDS is fantastic for existing fans of sludge metal, but elements of their sound will appeal to grunge and nu metal enjoyers. Their 2024 EP, DRAIN, is a wicked release you should definitely check out, their song ‘RABBIT HOLE’ has been kicking around one of my playlists for at least 6 months now, it’s a little slower than some of their other stuff, a bit more melancholic, but is a great contrast song to ‘CASE LOGIC’ and shows how far they’ve come in the last year.
Keep an eye on their social media for any upcoming announcements!
