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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: Oct. 2nd, 2020 Feat. Canyon, Adzes, Everson Poe, and Silence Equals Death

10/2/2020

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On (increasingly infrequent) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling 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--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! As today is Bandcamp Friday, that sweet 15% cut will be directed back to artists. In other words: today is the day to support 'em!

On the docket for today, Oct. 2nd, 2020:
Canyon, Adzes, Everson Poe,  and Silence Equals Death

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Canyon - Insane
(Independently Released)


Promo material describes this single from Melbourne's Canyon as "chompy and replayable," and, loathe as I am to steal adjectives, I'm not sure I can describe Insane more accurately. There's a fun lil' alt-metal bounce at play, with just enough teeth-gritting aggression, foot-stomping momentum, and grungy angst to set it apart.

​In an odd way, 
Insane feels caught in the amber of 90's headbang fodder...but yet brings a maturity to the table that I wasn't expecting given the initial force of riffage. Definitely check this track out if you're in the mood for some forthright grit.


​Find it on bandcamp here!

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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!
​
Find it on bandcamp here!


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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY - July 17th, 2020

7/17/2020

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Every Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling 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--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! 
On the docket for today, July 17th, 2020:
Väki, Eremit, Entry, and deathnoisefrequency

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Väki - Kuolleen Maan Omaksi ​
(Redefining Darkness Records)

The illustrious Redefining Darkness deals pretty exclusively in gritty and grimy death metal, so (on the rare occasion) when they dip their toes into blackened waters, you know the album/artist in question is exceedingly worthwhile. This is certainly the case for the Finnish Väki, who present a delicious brand of chaos-ridden black metal that recalls The Great Old Ones in its telltale complex frenzy. There's a distinct focus on oppressive atmosphere throughout, with little attention given to pleasing melodic or earwormy hooks--despite an admitted penchant for muscular riffage amidst the fray. This album is equally explosive and introspective, and every listen reveals an additional layer of complexity. A must for those in search of quality chaotic black metal...but perhaps not an album intended to entice newcomers into the darkness.

Find it on bandcamp here!

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Eremit - Desert of Ghouls ​
(Transcending Obscurity)

Eremit--Germany's heaviest doom duo
--are swiftly becoming masters in their own right when it comes to delivering crushing-yet-atmospheric-sludge. Desert of Ghouls ​is a beast unto itself--easily their most ambitious and technically adept accomplishment yet. The behemothian bass tone is utterly sasquatchian. The drums are forceful and present. The compositions are dynamic and dexterous, at times reaching a near-hypnotic cadence. Sludge lives and dies by an ability to maintain interest, and here, Eremit's songwriting abilities clearly enhance the two tracks beyond the sum of their sonic parts. If you're looking to sample...I recommedn you just listen to the whole damn thing. "Beheading The Innumerous" is plodding and pummeling, whereas "City of Râsh-il-nûm" is more progressive and exploratory. Both are, I humbly submit, essential listening.

​Find it on bandcamp here!


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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: May 29th, 2020

5/29/2020

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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 29th, 2020:
Xibalba, Atavistia, Paralysis, and Held In Secret

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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!

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Paralysis - Mob Justice
(Independently Released)

Crossover thrash, we sclumbering scribes are happy to admit, is not everyone's cup of tea. However, if you're in the mood (as ye should be) to throw elbows, 
Paralysis' blistering  high-octane display of East-Coast-hardcore-by-way-of-Bay-Area-thrash is a solid candidate to serve as your soundtrack. I'm getting a distinctly  Iron Reagan ​vibe from this album, both in terms of the tangibly kinetic energy and the general "fuck around and find out" grit.

​Mob Justice is the definition of moshable music, plain 'n' simple. If you're on the hunt for a sample, check out the hard-hitting "Oblivious" for a particularly representative taste. Highly recommended!

​Find it on bandcamp here!
​



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ON THE HORIZON: Xibalba - Años En Infierno

5/4/2020

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Welcome to ON THE HORIZON, our relentlessly infrequent feature wherein we discuss upcoming albums that have caught our sleep-encrusted eyes. Us Villagers are always on the lookout for the next best thing to wake us from slumber. On the docket today: the forthcoming full-length from Pomona, California's Xibalba​. 

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While we use terms like "pummeling" with great regularity around these parts, I'm always vaguely worried that those words have become cheapened--synonymous with "heavy," rather than with "physically damaging beyond repair. And, as fans of loud and aggressive music, sometimes we just need something that kicks it up a notch. You know, a classic skull-crushed-by-bulldozer type experience. I was in the mood for such an experience today, and, graciously, Xibalba were ready to oblige. Their forthcoming full length, Años En Infierno, will be hitting the streets on May 29th--but, more immediately, Revolver is streaming the title track from said album. It's a bruiser.

Xibalba have historically nailed that hearty combination of sinewy groove, meaty death metal riffage, and breakdown-worthy hardcore aggression. Here, that same formula is employed to great effect--with a deliberate focus on conjuring a plodding, hefty, and otherwise bone-crushing atmosphere. Momentous drums and thunderous roars lead to an ominous mid-track breakdown that can easily roll with the best of 'em. Despite its simplicity, the leisurely pace and immeasurable weight makes a serious impact. This is brutality incarnate.

As you head through your Monday, I highly recommend you give "Años En Infierno" a spin or three. And, spoiler: the rest of the album rips just as hard--if not, dare I say, harder. Without further ado: head over to Revolver to stream the excellent "Años En Infierno." If that's to your liking, check out the album trailer below:


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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: May 1st, 2020

5/1/2020

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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!

Note: today, May 1st, Bandcamp is waiving their revenue share for all sales. That means if you buy any of these releases (or any other albums/merch items you've had your eye on) before midnight PDT, the artists will directly benefit directly. In short: buy music today!
On the docket for today, May 1st, 2020:
 KEVERRA, Yarrow, Tombstoner, and Icon of Evil (and Vredensdal!)
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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!

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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!


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    • OLDE REVIEWS
    • OLDE INTERVIEWS
    • OLDE FEATURES
    • OLDE PREMIERES
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