FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: May 15th, 2020

​Every Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance for the following week. Today is the day we must offload all this new music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some of our choice picks from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so!

On the docket for today, May 15th, 2020:
 In The Company of Serpents, Devangelic, OKKULTOKRATI, and Vide/Witchbones

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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!

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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!

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OKKULTOKRATI ​- La Ilden Lyse
(Southern Lord Recordings)

At risk of minimizing what Norwegian black metal/hardcore punk/blackened thrash outfit 
​OKKULTOKRATI have accomplished with their 5th full length, La Ilden Lyse, here's my one-word review: "harsh." From the vocals to the lo-fi production to the general atmosphere, this blackened beast is a grim and chilblained affair--the sonic equivalent to being zested with a kitchen implement that has, prior to the procedure, been left to collect frost in the deep freezer. ​OKKULTOKRATI are perhaps as nihilistic as they come, and the approach is the furtherest from heartwarming. That said, the result is a magnificent slab of harsh and antagonistic music, as subtly immersive as it is intimidating. La Ilden Lyse feels like a genuine journey through a tangible landscape, and for that reason alone, it comes recommended. Check out "Mother Superior" for a prime taste.

​Find it on bandcamp here!

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Vide/Witchbones - Split
(Jems Label)

We slumbering scribes spoken on the alluring power of Vide's brand of depressive and noisy black metal before, and, as then, I am pleased to see him continue to develop. On this latest release, Lousinana's Vide (the enigma) teams up with Portland's equally impressive Witchbones (also the enigma) on a short-but-sweet split designed, seemingly, to display their respective sounds whilst simultaneously offering a cohesive package. Despite the complimentary theme, the two aren't necessarily sonically compatible on the surface--Witchbones hits the dark ambient and black/death ends of the spectrum, whereas Vide's handles arrestingly lo-fi atmospheric black metal. What they have in common is an uncanny ability to create evocative atmosphere. Both artists are on top of their games, and the resulting collaboration is emotive and disconcerting as ever. If you crave darkness: recommended.

​Find it on bandcamp here!

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