Five years. That’s how long it’s been since Quiet Earth, the sludge metal trio from Toronto, unleashed anything on the world. Not that they’ve been silent, though—more like a looming shadow, growing darker, thicker with time. Now, the beast emerges with Lifetime in Regression, a full-length album that’s not just heavy. It’s a boulder rolling downhill, unstoppable, crushing everything in its path.
Quiet Earth was never about clean melodies or polished perfection. They began as a duo in 2016, just guitar and drums, raw as hell. By 2018, Aaron Harrison joined on bass, adding a third dimension to their sound, a growling low-end that drags you down. You can still hear those early EPs (I and Desertion/Migration) on Bandcamp, but make no mistake—those were just the opening shots.
With Lifetime in Regression, Quiet Earth isn’t playing games. This isn’t an album to casually throw on in the background. It’s a slow suffocation, pressing down with themes of greed, environmental decay, and abuse of power. Tracks like “Chris Christie” wrap around your neck and squeeze, with riffs that are more like bludgeoning weapons than anything resembling music. It’s relentless, and it sticks.
Mark Tremblay and Aaron Harrison’s influences seep through in every note, but it’s the weight of their collective history that gives the music its pulse.
They’ve curated a list of their top albums with heavy riffs—records that helped shape Lifetime in Regression.
Mark and Aaron’s Top Albums with Heavy Riffs
Bison – Lovelessness
Mark: A real landmark album for me. This album opened to my eyes to how heavy metal could be more than just dungeons and dragons type narrative and could really tap into something raw and emotional.
The riffs on this album are ugly and gigantic, they sound like someone just putting an axe into a tree. They’re a real urgency to this album. I love how everything sounds like it’s covered in distortion; giving it this extra layer of filth, There is no album that sounds quite like it,
Capsule – No Ghost
Mark: No Ghost is an album I still can’t fully wrap my head around. The way this band is able to create punishingly heavy music while also incorporating so much melody is a trip. To be able to go from full on blast beat sections to then playing some of the most melodic riffs I’ve ever heard always catches me by surprise every time I listen to this album; there is always something new to take away from the record when it comes to writing riffs. I’ve never heard anything that comes close to doing what this band does.
Goatsnake – Flower of Disease
Mark: This band, and Greg Anderson’s playing, never get talked about enough. Greg writes these incredibly bluesy licks that sound absolutely punishing with his thick as molasses guitar tone. Something I’ve always strived for with Quiet Earth is to replicate the tone that Greg has on these Goatsnake albums.
Yautja – Songs of Decent
Mark: A modern classic in heavy music. This band does not get talked about enough. This was the first band that I listened to that combined grind and sludge together in a way that made to me. The riffs have this real slithery quality to them that I just love and have tried to replicate myself on various parts of this new Quiet Earth album.
Ayahuasca – Yin
Mark: A local classic album from the Toronto metal scene. Luke Roberts is a wizard when it comes to making heavy music that is equal parts punishing and melodic. This album is so heavy and yet has some of the best hooks and catchy choruses I’ve ever heard. Probably one of the few metal albums I know all the lyrics to. Someone needs to press this album on vinyl.
Gaza – No Absolutes in Human Suffering
Mark: Just an absolutely punishing album. I had never heard anything so heavy until I heard this album for the first time. Guitarist Mike Mason is able to make some of the most unsettling sounding music I have listened to using so little. Often a good reminder that less can be more when it comes to writing riffs.
Burnt By The Sun – Soundtrack to a Personal Revolution
Mark: Guitarist John Adubato is extremely underrated at what he does. One of the best skills he has, as a guitarist, is writing excellent bridge riffs and moments that tie larger moments together logically. John also writes many riffs that have these odd melodic qualities to contrast off the heavier moments making them even heavier and standout more. Drummer David Whitte also has this incredible ability to augment and play around a riff to make repeated moments sound new and fresh. Songs like “Dracula with Sunglasses”, “Shooter McGavin” and “Human Steamroller” are personal favourites.
Black Sheep Wall – I Am God Songs
Mark: Black Sheep Wall has many iconic albums in their catalogue. I Am God Songs really embodies a “less is more” mantra that was something I wanted to keep in mind when writing riffs for our album. The forceful repetition of certain riffs in songs like “Nihility”, “Modest Machine”, and “Ten Fucking Billion” really add to the overall feeling of dread from this album. Vocalist Jeff Ventimiglia sharp guttural voice really adds to the overall heaviness of the riffs on the album. It really sounds like the album everything on the album works to compliment and add to the overall dread and feel of the riffs on this album.
Ed Gein – Judas Goats & Dieseleaters
Aaron: Since the first time I listened to this when it was released in 2005, it has continued to be my favourite for relentless heavy riffs. I can’t ever get enough of this one!
Admiral Angry – Buster
Aaron: After downloading Buster off some music blogspot in 2008, this has remained one of the heaviest, most pissed-off sounding sludge band out there.
Pig Destroyer – Terrifyer
Aaron: This album blew my mind when I first listened to it. 20 years later, it still rips hard; overflowing with heavy riffs.
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