Space Caravan - Space Caravan
​(Independently Released)

It simply wouldn't be a Friday here at the Sleeping Village 
without a lil' stoner rock. Space Caravan, a crew of riff-worshipers straight outta Phoenixville PA, don't deliver the most innovative goods, but the goods themselves are...well, quite good! There's a definite Orange Goblin-by-way-of-Cathedral aesthetic, topped off with a delicious cosmic + biker vibe. The grooves and riffs contained herein are potent as ye might expect, and the vocals, while perhaps a little gruff and unpolished for everyone's liking, suit the rough 'n' tumble feel of the tunes quite well. If you're looking to sample, I recommend the riff-tastic "Black Kraken" as a general overview of what these hard rockin' fellas have to offer.

Find it on bandcamp here!

Ancient Hand - Best regards,
​(Independent Release)

If you follow our shenanigans on Instagram, you may be aware of (unsubstantiated) rumors that I have accepted a sizeable bribe in exchange for this review. Let me dispel said rumor thusly: I love Ancient Hand's body of work, and Best regards, is his best work yet by a significant margin. Moving away from dungeon synth roots and into increasingly experimentally turbulent waters, this album is a wholly heartfelt exploration of pain, anger, and inevitable catharsis. Sonically, Ancient Hand embraces a palette of heft and aggression, moving into the arenas of dark(er), ambient, boom-bappy hip-hop beats, industrial noise, and EDM. It's a dynamic approach, and one that oozes emotive results--from the hard-hitting "metacognition" and "ORAL," to the reflective Interludes I & II, the intent is clear--but yet remains a joy to experience. 

Find it at bandcamp here (for NYOP!)

Pile of Priests - Pile of Priests​ 
(Extreme Metal Music)

That band name, right? That album artwork, right?! This looks like an absolute riot, and, thankfully, it sounds like one too. Pile of Priests play a gloriously theatrical brand of (alternately) thrashy and proggy death metal, with ample room for narrative. To their credit, these elements never conflict of clash--indeed, the narrative elements and progressive leanings, which might feel campy in lesser hands, lend the entire affair an oddly addicting charm. It takes guts to inject grunty riff-driven death metal with a soaring epic flair, but this self-titled beast handles the challenges...well, handily.

​Pile of Priests is, in sum, a fun and competent conglomerate of independent elements that make death metal enjoyable. This particular scribe shall certainly be listening in weeks (and months) to come.

​Find it on bandcamp here!

Molder - Vanished Cadavers
(Rotted Life Records*)

Speakin' of death metal, it's time for one of the underground's hottest acts in OSDM entertain-ment. If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that we Villagers are big fans of Molder's cadaver-licking style of death metal barbarity. As such,  the release of the stellar Vanished Cadavers is a cause for much joy and celebration. This is everything I had hoped--big riffs, meaty production, vicious vocal onslaught, and a generally. This album, notably, employs a slightly thrashier edge than what we've seen before, as well as a clearer approach to rapid-fire composition. Fans of Autopsy rejoice. While it ain't fresh, Molder represents the concentrated form of everything we underground and old school death metal fans love about the genre trappings. They are, undoubtedly, going places. (*Also seeing release on Goatthrone  and Headsplit.)

Find it on bandcamp here!

In The Company of Serpents - Lux  
(Self Released)

Now this. This is doom metal how I like it: an exercise in extremes. menacing yet delicate, dynamically light-footed yet seismically plodding, and utterly willing to throw genre convention out the window. From neo-folk acoustics to sludgy Neurosisian heft, In The Company of Serpents demonstrate a keen ability to shift expectations and apply nuance to a genre that all-too-oft relies entirely on the power of the riff. There's a gentle balance struck here between the lighter ambiance and the shadow-cast atmosphere that few bands are able to apply. Simply put, this is an engrossing album, likely to appeal to anyone who enjoys doom across the spectrum from thick sludge to esoteric psych.  Hence, I do gladly declare that Lux is the greatest album this week has to offer. 

​Find it on bandcamp here!

Devangelic - Ersetu
​(Willowtip Records)

Ersetu is the first album of its ilk to appear on Fresh Meat Friday--namely, an album that I don't understand, nor particularly enjoy. That said, there is something intriguing dwelling in these repetitive riffs, and I aim to spend the day figuring out what that quality is, hence the inclusion here. On the plus side: Devangelic has their brand of filthy rhythmic riffs delivered in rapid-fire succession down to a science. The downside? Those same incessant riffs are the entire meat of this album. There's no deviation, no dynamism in the songwriting--which ultimately leads to an utter lack of perception of one's place in the album. Track distinctions lose meaning. As such, Ersetu feels more like submersion into a brutal bath, an exercise in hypnosis by incessant march of sixteenths.

Find it on bandcamp here!

...And Oceans - Cosmic World Mother
​(Season of Mist)

Let's not draw this out: symphonic black metallers ...And Oceans have made a remarkably  triumphant return from the depths of increasingly industrial and electronic experimentation. Here, the meloblack is (largely) back, with a renewed focus on atmospherics and melodic composition. Shylmagoghnar feels like an apt (albeit lesser) comparison, as ...And Oceans execute a blend of powerful aggression, triumphant and near-grandiose symphonics, and and gorgeous sonic accoutrements with a grace and confidence that very, very few can match. Cosmic World Mother is the kind of album that sucks you in an spits you out with the desire to immediately dive back in. This is a wonderous return to form for ...And Oceans, and is, undoubtably, an album that I will be enjoying for quite some time. 

Find it on Bandcamp here!

WitchUrn  - The Debt 
​(Self Released)

...But, dear readers, I am excited to inform you that today's best blackened-affiliated record may actually  
be the debut album from WitchUrn. At risk of gushing, The Debt delivers almost everything I love in a single package--vicious thrashy freneticism, forward-thinking aggression, dynamic (and at times damn near surprising) composition, emotive vocals, and just enough braggadocio to exercise technical prowess without flaunting it. There’s just enough death metal weight to lend the affair a groundedness that blackened thrash all-too-oft lacks, and just enough progressive meandering to allow the audience a moment to breathe. I do wish that the acoustics of the intro were implemented a tad more, but...what else can I say? This is an absolute masterclass in how to write a (one man?!) debut album. Bravo. At this rate, a full-length review will undoubtedly follow.

​Find it on Bandcamp here!

Holden  - Ursa Minor 
​(Self Released)

​Groove-laden post-sludge? Rest assured: this slumbering scribe is always down. On Ursa Minor, Holden demonstrate that they have studied long and hard at the school of Conan-esque riffage, leaning into sluggish heft with a languid aplomb. Meanwhile, some harsh vocals punctuate the enormity of the tone. As drawn-out riffs are the name of the game, this is not music that grabs your throat and demands attention. Rather, it feels cinematic in scope--a flowing soundtrack, not a series of distinct tracks. As such, it serves quite nicely as background tunage for those times when you want some slow riffs but aren’t in the mood to focus intently. I, for one, in spring-cleaning fervor, will be spending the day sweeping the cobwebs and mouse bones from our drafty scriptorium, Holden spinning all the while.

Find it on Bandcamp here!

Hadewijch - Herbal Doom
​(Electric Valley Records) 

​Sometimes we all need to sink into the ethereal plant-based bliss of post-rock infused doom. Post-doom, perhaps? Who knows. In any case, Hadewijch deliver a single track-EP with the sole intent, presumably, in helping us calm our trouble minds. This track feels relentlessly organic--like falling asleep on the forest floor and become the compost heap upon which a garden grows. "Salvia" is dreamy, droney, and tastefully heavy. ​The meld of naturalism and unconventional stoner doom convention is pretty damn seamless. 

​As aforementioned 'round these parts, this particular scribe is consistently sober--but this EP/song makes me feel otherwise. Mission accomplished. If you've got 19 minutes to simply chill, I highly recommend you sample some Herbal Doom. ​Thank me later. ​

​Find it on Bandcamp here!

KEVERRA - Keverra
​​(Seeing Red Records)

Aggressive and sludge-ridden doom is the name of the game for these South Californian purveyors of sonic filth. That said, this self-titled debut notably doesn't seek to crush the listener into obliteration. There's a delicious post-metal subtle at play here--a balance between monolithic heft and gentle dynamism. Take, as a prime example, lead single "Bathsheba," which weaves winding introspective  passages in the midst of sasquatchian riffage. I'm getting a vague Fugazi-meets-Lord Mantis vibe from this album--which, frankly, isn't something I ever knew I needed. But here we are, Keverra offered to the masses in white-knuckled grasp. Needless to say, Keverra have crafted a real winner--highly recommended for any fan of sludgy and emotive music. Another feather in Seeing Red Records' increasingly voluptuous cap.

​Find 'em on bandcamp here!

Yarrow - We Made What God Could Not
(Self-Released)

What is it, exactly, that can God not make? Riffs of this sheer magnitude, evidently. Yarrow
plays a funereal brand of deathy doom--low, slow, and mind-numbingly heavy. It's like if Spectral Voice lost all hope for living and trip a premature trip down to Hell. Music of aggressive ilk is all-too-oft labeled as "soundtracks to a nightmare," but We Made What God Could Not genuinely feels like just that--the ponderous and plodding playlist constructed specifically for one's voyage down the Styx. It's depressive, angry, and carries itself with an indomitable weight. That's not to say it's all dirge, however. Take the back end of intro track "活け造り" and the subsequent lead-in on "Old Sha​dows," which indicate a more frenetic tone. A churning and cauldron-bubbling quality. All told, I'm quite impressed. Check this one out!

​Find 'em on bandcamp here!