Names such as The Dumps and Liquid Limbs might conjure up images of septic tanks or similar grime.

However, when applied to music, the end result, while still sludgy, is far less repulsive.

Indeed, a night of unrelentingly heavy music is in store tonight. Athens band The Dumps will headline, supported by, among others, Liquid Limbs, a duo from Gainesville, Fla.

The Dumps’ and Liquid Limbs’ styles travel the heavier, sludgy avenues of rock. However, neither is content to stay within the confines of heavy music, seeking to temper this influence with a variety of other genres.

“I guess we fit on the heavier end of the stoner rock category, but we all have a lot of different influences,” said Andy Hollingsworth, guitarist and singer of The Dumps.

While Hollingsworth classifies The Dumps as a heavy rock band, he is wary to label it a metal band, “what with the associations with leather pants and all.”

The Dumps, formed four years ago after Hollingsworth, drummer Jason Richardson and bassist Jeff Rapier experienced heartbreak at the same time and sought to channel their “angsty buildup,” Hollingsworth said.

Hence, they felt a name like “The Dumps” suited the band well.

As if these hardships weren’t enough, original guitarist and singer Daniel Ray parted ways with The Dumps in December 2007 to pursue other projects.

Hollingsworth and his bandmates had to scramble to fill the void left by Ray, but the process was ameliorated by the addition of lead guitarist Patrick Ware.

“I stepped over and started singing and playing rhythm guitar,” Hollingsworth said. “We spent this past year figuring out the new lineup. It was a growing and learning process for us, but I think we’ve found where we’re going with that now.”

With the radical lineup shift, The Dumps’ sound expanded and evolved.

“Suddenly I was singing, and Patrick plays differently than Daniel did, so we felt like we were suddenly a different band,” Hollingsworth said. “There’s a little more of a psychedelic kind of element to our sound now.”

Hollingsworth and Ware combine their discrete guitar-playing and songwriting techniques into an exciting whole.

“Usually Patrick will write some beautiful melody, and I’ll throw the gravelly dirt on top of it and make it sound a little heavier,” Hollingsworth said.

Like The Dumps, opening band Liquid Limbs seeks to give the sludge-metal template a face lift.

“My goal is to write music as heavy as possible, and yet, at the same time, retain as much melody as possible,” said Kevin Nowak, Liquid Limbs’ singer and guitarist.

Nowak constitutes half of Liquid Limbs and is its sole melodic force, moving among guitar, baritone guitar and bass both live and on record.

Despite the minimalist, two-piece lineup and surprising jazz undertones, Liquid Limbs still delivers a live performance heavy enough to satisfy a full-size metal band.

“It’s as minimal as can possibly be, even in our songwriting structures,” Nowak said. “But we can definitely get loud live.”