FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: June 19th, 2020 (feat. Carrion Vael, Insatanity, Mothers of the Land, and Underer)

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, June 19th, 2020:
Carrion Vael, Mothers of the Land,  Underer, and Insatanity (and a bonus charity compilation!)

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​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!

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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!

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Underer - The Code
(Nefarious Industries)

Gotta admit: all things considered, avant-garde typically isn't my descriptor of choice. Things that are weird for the sake of being weird often feel like they lack a certain substance. But yet, an attempt at a cursory listen of this one-man instrumentalist's solo debut turned quickly into total fascination. The Code is oppressively brutal, as chaotic and seemingly unhinged as heavy music can be without falling off the rails. The pure fury of grind meets noisy-yet-doomy ambiance, and the entire affair is carried on the back of precise programmed drums. This contrast and conflict between fleshy noise and robotic undercurrent is wonderfully unsettling--it's a Giger-esque quality, and makes for a genuinely intriguing and uniquely intense experience.

​Find it on bandcamp here!

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Insatanity - Hymns Of The Gods Before
​(CDN Records)
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I'll be frank: despite this legacy act running with the likes of death metallers such as
Suffocation and 
Immolation, I had never heard of  
Insatanity before. They've had a string of EPs since their debut dropped in '95, but it's been a long road to a sophomore album. Worth the wait? In part. The true highlight here is the interplay between Vanessa Cordoba and Chris Lytle's dual vocals, which inject the entire affair with a sense of drama and dynamics. Otherwise, this serves as a solid blackened death metal album, with all the right parts in all the right places. Will it boost Insatanity to the level of widespread recognition they purport? Probably not. In the meantime, however, Hymns Of The Gods Before makes for an enjoyable-albeit-derivative listen.

Find it on bandcamp here!

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BONUS: COMPILATION RELEASE!​​

Various Artists - Protest Songs Against Police Brutality 
​(Compilation from Sparrow Heart Records)

56(!) tracks. A veritable bevy of genres, ranging from hardcore, to folk, to pop punk, to straight-up punk rawk. Name-Your-Own-Price. A damn good cause. What's not to love? This compilation, born from the relatively simple idea of making a big-ass compilation of protest songs and donating all of the proceeds to bail funds, seeks to do right and do its part to raise awareness.  I personally haven't had the time to listen to every track nestled within, but I'm about 10 tracks deep thusfar and enjoying everything I've heard, be it polished songs or lo-fi diatribes. The overall atmosphere and aesthetic is very much born of the DIY punk mixtape days of olde, and if that alone ain't worth throwing a couple bucks at, I dunno what is.

Speaking of throwing a few bucks, keep in mind that Bandcamp has started a Juneteenth tradition, in which all of their proceeds on this day will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Thus, beyond directly supporting bail funds through Sparrow Heart Records' donation, your purchase will indirectly support the NAACP as well.

Tessa Cates, whose idea it was to compile these tracks in the first place, has this to say: "Every single person on this record owes their music career to black lives. Black lives gave us music, and music is inherently political. It feels as though we as musicians should use this art form as a way to give back. From the dawn of time people have been using music as a way to express the things they believe, and we believe Black Lives Matter, and no one deserves to feel as though they aren’t safe from the people who have sworn to serve and protect. That’s what this album is about. I hope you enjoy it."

You can listen to and purchase Protest Songs Against Police Brutality here!

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