Quite like its illustrious barbecue, North Carolina’s sludge offers a variety of flavors. Raleigh’s own COC serves the slow-smoked standard, Wilmington’s Weedeater plate a vinegary take on the subgenre, and even Asheville’s Bask season their heavy Americana with sludge. To stand out in this vibrant culinary scene, MAKE brand theirs as ‘thematic psychedelic noise-sludge.’ Formed in Raleigh in 2008 by Scott Endres (guitar, vocals) and Spencer Lee (bass, guitar, vocals), MAKE made waves in 2016 when they aligned with Accident Prone Records for their Pilgrimage of Loathing. Joining Endres and Lee for Exegesis at the End of Time, the band’s fourth full-length (and first in a decade), are drummer John Crouch and bassist/vocalist/synthesizer-ist Aaron Smithers.1 MAKE’s self-description suggests a whole-hog approach2 to extreme metal/rock, but branding is not execution—these ingredients must coalesce into a delicious, satisfying tray.
Exegesis at the End of Time amiably shares a table with formative noise-sludge outfits. Not just because their names rhyme, MAKE reminds me most of Rwake, insofar as a panoply of extreme vocal stylings—gutturals, anguished shrieks, shout-singing—dresses longish songs with a Southern flair (“The End of the Night”). The paradigmatic dynamism of Neurosis also makes appearances, with quiet, bass-driven incantations giving way to harsh punctuations of razor-wire riffing (“Forking Paths”). The frequent centrality of the bass also recalls Isis; MAKE similarly thrives when the low end establishes a melodic groove that opens the door to crushing dirges (“The Augur”). Though its production isn’t as thick n’ rich as I would like for a sludge record, Exegesis skillfully balances its ingredients, ensuring that riffs never get lost in the sauce.
Exegesis at the End of Time by MAKE
Despite its branding, Exegesis at the End of Time doesn’t strike me as particularly ‘psychedelic.’ I think of psychedelic music as requiring acquiescence to agents of transcendence from below, so as to ascend to the noumenon. MAKE does make the effort to put listeners into a meditative headspace. “The End of the Night” opens the album with three minutes of rhythmless synth/guitar shimmering before a simple, bluesy bass line emerges. Mid-album track “Forking Path” and closer “The Augur” make similar moves: ritualistic bass sets a droning tone, an abrasive sludge-hammer responds. It is in moments like these that MAKE falters a bit as a purportedly ‘psychedelic’ act. The heavy responses frequently pulverize, but they don’t uplift to a new plane of existence. “Chimera,” one of the most straightforward songs on Exegesis, stands as something of an exception. Its chaotic ending, layering heavily-effected, high-register guitar noise over a stank-faced head-bobber, does induce a degree of transcendence.
On the ‘thematic’ side of its branding, Exegesis at the End of Time grows in enjoyment with knowledge of its lyrics, even as it feels thematically divided. In their promo materials, MAKE speaks of a singular ‘concept’: ‘[T]he order that rules our world represents a cosmic violence that will destroy us if we don’t conquer it.’3 The distorted, dissonant chords punctuating the chill spaciness of opener “The End of the Night” sonically establish earthly violence impinging upon a serene cosmos. But despite their singular concept, MAKE also outlines multiple literary influences: McCarthy, Pynchon, DeBord. The labyrinth adorning the cover suggests that “Forking Paths,” a song dramatizing the disorienting temporality of the Borgesian labyrinth, connects the album’s overarching concept to its particular literary allusions. As a retelling of “The Garden of Forking Paths,” though, the song removes [SPOILER ALERT] the climactic gunshot [END SPOILER ALERT]. In my deeper dive, the album felt like it forked between paths puzzling over possible futures (“The End of the Night”) and those explicating our destructive present (“Chimera,” “The Spectacle”). Still, the lyrics almost always enhance the tracks—the seemingly-endless tension chord in the middle of “The Augur,” for one, excellently captures Sisyphus futilely pushing the boulder up the hill.
More a conceptual record than a concept record, Exegesis at the End of Time nevertheless comprises a worthy tray. ‘Exegesis’ usually connotes long-windedness, but MAKE’s fourth album is relatively concise at 41 minutes, leaving me full but not overstuffed. It may imply a scope it doesn’t realize, but Exegesis delivers a well-sequenced smattering of thinking-man’s sludge brimming with potential. It’s not a spot to necessarily frequent, but it’s a spot that satisfies all the same.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Accident Prone Records
Websites: Instagram
Releases Worldwide: June 12th, 2026
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