Soak in the haunting sounds of Cough

Cough’s carcinogenic jams fill the lungs with soot-covered sludge metal that turns suffering into an art form. The Richmond, Va., natives are direct, depraved descendents of bands like Eyehategod and Electric Wizard, with slow, aching, back-breaking riffs, haunting, reverbed vocals and lots of suffocating, doomsday atmosphere.

"Who will save you now?" their frontman asks on "Crooked Spine," from the band’s latest, "Ritual Abuse." It’s a question with no answer, as these dudes come with plenty of volume and anguish. But salvation? Not so much.

See Cough at 9 p.m. Saturday at Meatheads, 1121 S. Decatur Blvd. Call 870-4440.

— By JASON BRACELIN