16 Forgeries 1972-1984 Review
16
Forgeries 1972-1984
Heavy Psych Sounds
2026
California’s Sludge titans, 16 are back with a new album and this isn’t just any new album that needs deciphering, it’s a cover album. You might find yourself thinking meh, why a cover album? Well, every now and then bands need a break from creating and as a player myself, I know first-hand that just being able to let go and jam on tunes that gave you the urge to learn to play to begin with is good for the musician’s soul.
This cover album is entitled “Forgeries 1972-1984” and it’ll be released courtesy of Heavy Psych Sounds. On this album, we find a mixed bag of tunes that the average listener wouldn’t see any of the dudes in 16 listening to much less, playing… Who would’ve thought these guys would crank on the Bee Gees track “Tragedy” but here we are… And this tune in general gives a dank and decrepit look into what these guys can do with a cover song. It’s almost unrecognizable, which makes it even cooler. There’s also a spectacular take on Blue Oyster Cult’s wildly popular “Cities On Flame With Rock N’ Roll”. This is a perfect tune to twist into a Sludge induced coma and that’s exactly what’s done here – the riffs are treated with that larger-than-life vibe with some killer guitar tone.
Of course, there’s a few Punk tunes on the album which fits the bill quite nicely from where I’m standing. Black Flag, Agent Orange and FEAR are 3 of the top tier legendary Punk bands that most Punk fans will jump at the chance to crank on every chance they get. “Beat My Head Against The Wall”, “Bloodstains” and “Foreign Policy” get stripped down and given a gnarly SLUDGING. These 3 tracks are worth the price of admission alone. I also appreciate the fact that they’re not to typical go to covers when one thinks of these 3 bands – they’re deep cuts. That is a testament to the taste of the members of 16. Of course, no cover album from a Sludge Metal band would be complete without a Sabbath cover – “St. Vitus Dance” gets a cosmic make over that gives a whole new meaning to the term “take a trip”.
While some might pass on this album, I’d strongly recommend checking it out on release day. This isn’t a typical cover album; these songs are laid out well with respect to the originators and they’re given the respect they deserve. For me, this shows a side of 16 that I hadn’t seen or thought of before now.