FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: April 3rd, 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, April 3rd, 2020:
SKAM, Weed Demon, AARA, and Lucifer Star Machine 

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SKAM - The Sound of Disease (Redefining Darkness Records)

“Anger” isn’t an unfamiliar term to us connoisseurs of the loud and heavy, nor to the bands who dwell in genres defined by explosive emotion. On Sounds of a Disease, Sweden’s own SKAM have found a way to hone anger into a purely belligerent form of explosive catharsis. Utilizing a potent blend of grindy death with d-beat punk ‘tude, this is a soundtrack to exorcise personal demons. Like unto chaos incarnate, the ridiculously swift-footed riffage skitters over powerful blasts and unhinged animalistic diatribes. When people talk about music as therapy, I don’t anticipate this being the first album on their mind--but for me, this short-n-visceral journey has been a lifesaver in recent days.

​$1 on Bandcamp, to boot!

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Weed Demon - Crater Maker (Electric Valley Records)

When it came to naming their sophomoric album, these guys genuinely couldn’t get more accurate than “crater maker.” How so? Part of what allows Weed Demon to stand apart from the horde is a distinct emphasis on sheer heft. The most essential aspect of Weed Demon’s sound is the sheer crushing heaviness on display. Everything is massive, impactful, and oppressive by design. This latest effort, notably, aggressively toes that line between stoner-drenched doom and sludge, but also brings in some bluesy acoustics to even things out. Despite these occasional moments of levity, Crater Maker is dark, warm, fuzzy as hell--an embrace from slow-moving subterranean magma. If you love big riffs: definitely worth yer while. 

Get it on Bandcamp here!

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Lucifer Star Machine - Devil's Breath (The Sign Records)

I dunno about you all, but I need a pick-me-up. I need music pumped through my earholes that evokes a misplaced jubilance from an era I was frankly too young to enjoy. Devil’s Breath is a wild ride through a variety of high-octane pastures--from classic punk, to classic rock, to classic hard rock--all carried mightily by boppin’ riffage and Tor Abyss’ energetic and throaty vox. While it doesn’t quite hit “metal” from a sonic perspective, this album wears an aggressive Satan-lovin’ streak on its respective aesthetic and thematic sleeves. Sleazy, gritty, and reeking of a patently Good Time, Lucifer Star Machine presents the punk ’n’ roll slasher soundtrack you didn’t know you needed. High spirits await.

Find it on Bandcamp here!

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AARA - En Ergô Einai (​Debemur Morti Productions)

En Ergô Einai serves (both reputably and realistically) “as a tribute to the duality in man’s pursuit of perfection and the futility found therein.” In other words: a sobering slap of philosophical realism in equally sobering times. Armed with a seemingly immutable ability to inject stirring melodicism into every nook and cranny of their blackened atmospherics, AARA sits comfortably at the precipice of unorthodoxy. Whereas many other atmospheric black metal outfits revel in depressive elements, AARA has done a remarkable job of representing their thematic duality, as the entire affair carries itself with a thrillingly positive symphonic weight. A truly compelling black metal album.

Find it on Bandcamp here!

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