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!

Adzes ​- Microclimates
(Independently Released)

If you're no stranger to the Sleeping Village, you're (hopefully!) no stranger to Adzes, who absolutely crushed it with No One Wants To Speak About It earlier this year. Microclimates, in comparison, occupies a whole 'nother musical environ. Featuring two covers--Gillian Welch's "Revelator" and Tom Petty's "Wildflowers"--this 2-track adds a few musicians and takes the sludgy tone down a notch. Both covers are, simply put, stellar. Ana Wright's killer vocals are a real star--they carry themselves with an understated emotive edge that fits so damn well with the tracks in question. In short? I'm practically clamoring for more stuff like this. Highly recommended!
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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!)

​Carrion Vael - God Killer
(Horror Pain Gore Death)

God Killer can get it. Which is to say: this here album fucks. 
Carrion Vael 
have concocted an expertly crafted blend of death metal motifs, ranging from technical shredding, to pounding riffage, to the melodic leanings of Swedeath's finest. This is like the bastard child of like, Slugdge and At The Gates, with a healthy dose of brutality thrown in for good measure. Rather than overpowering proceedings, the tech elements are  incredibly well balanced with the heft of traditional death. Headbanging and air guitar-ing is inevitable--and if that ain't a mark of death metal worth perusing, I dunno what is. 

Calling it now: Carrion Vael is responsible for the tech-death metal album of the year. God Killer is an absolute stunner.

​Find it on bandcamp here!

Mothers of the Land - Hunting Grounds
(Stonefree Records)

There's something so immensely satisfying about an album where the artwork reflects and mimics the beauty dwelling within. In the case of Hunting Grounds, our heavy psych instrumentalists in question have constructed a truly gorgeous package. Lush melody, organically psychedelic meandering, and vibrant NWOBHM momentum all serve to invite relaxation while maintaining sharp interest in the absence of vocals. Indeed, Hunting Grounds succeeds remarkably well at constructing a world of intrigue--this is an album for people who don't think they like instrumental albums. It's a difficult trick to pull off, to say the least. Beyond that, the guitar tone is beauty incarnate. I'm comfortable considering this a masterpiece, and will revisit it for some quite some time.

Find it on bandcamp here!

Behold... The Arctopus -​ Hapeleptic Overtrove​
(Willowtip / P2)

Time to ruffle some feathers.  BTA do 
​have an endearing shtick, but at this stage in the game, I think we need to address the fact that their brand of progressive metal results in albums that are more a collection of ideas, and less a collection of tracks. Indeed, as fellow Villager Izzy recently argued, this album sounds more like segments from a rehearsal than an album proper. Sure, the hyper-technicality is impressive--it's instrumentally all over the place in the best of ways, something truly to behold--but I fail to see how this album succeeds as an album. If you're here to witness the workshop-esque qualities of BAT, this could very well indeed be the best representation of their baffling sound. All told, I do buy the statement that  Hapeleptic Overtrove​ is at the forefront of prog wackery. I don't however, believe that Behold... The Arctopus are necessarily pushing metal in a new direction.

Find it on bandcamp here!

Xibalba - Años En Infierno
​(Southern Lord) 

​We gave this excellent album a lil' love previously, but now that it has been cast into the world for ye to all enjoy, it's worth revisiting. Xibalba  play a potent and pissed-off blend of death metal and hardcore, bringing the heft of the former and the aggression of the latter to bear with suitably impressive results. Notably, this latest effort demonstrates a refinement of the downtrodden sludge-like atmosphere that Xibalba have, in the past, approached. As I wrote previously, "This is brutality incarnate." As such, it inevitably has a wide appeal to fans of genres that deal with heartfelt violence and rage--if you're a fan of the take-no-prisoners approach, you'll find something to enjoy herein.

Find it on bandcamp here!

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!