Hello, dear readers. Thank you for joining us here today as we witness the oddest of musical concoctions: Nuclear Winter, a Zimbabwean one-man death metal band, covering Haddaway's (seemingly immortal) "What Is Love," in collaboration with Chris Van, the vocalist from Dividing the Element. Let me be the first to say that this isn't how I expected my Thursday morning to go either.
But here we are. Random circumstances and bold creative endeavors breed opportunity. As such, we're honored to be presenting the death metalized version of "What Is Love" that, unbeknownst to us all, was sorely missing from our lives. Give it a well-deserved listen here:
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Frequent passers-by through Ye Olde Sleeping Village will (hopefully) have noted by this stage that I enjoy when bands toe the line of convention. Indeed, I celebrate when a group throws in the towel and lets deliberate genre-melding lead the process. As such, when Yukonian one-man musical maverick Rick Massie approached us highfalutin peasants with the idea of premiering his forthcoming debut album, all it took to seal the deal (besides, of course, sampling a track) was the promise of genre tomfoolery. In his words, Eclispe is "kind of a mix of everything from prog, to symphonic, to black, to death, to doom-ish, to rock." That's a Now, dear readers, we're talkin' my language.
But let's cut to the chase, shall we? Today, it's our absolute pleasure to present Rick Massie's Eclipse in its unadulterated and unabridged entirety, prior to its release this Friday, May 1st. Before we get too far absorbed in the details, hit play on the stream below. I'll meet you on the other side.
You know the adage that runners will inevitably tell you they are runners, without every being prompted to do so? I’m that guy with Borborygmus. Stick around long enough, and, utterly uninvited, I promise I’ll start talkin’ about Wisconsin’s finest one-man goregrind outfit. What I admire most is this constant process of self-betterment--the gradual remixing and reconstruction of old tracks into their final polished form, across a series of many EPs and singles. Borborygmus drops new morsels with ridiculous regularity, and so my diet consistently consists of said morsels. The tracks get better with time, yet still maintain a raw and visceral quality that one craves when it comes to goregrind consumption. We’re happy and honored to premiere an entirely new track today, feverishly torn from the ghastly innards of the forthcoming Splatter Movie Madness--which will be Borborygmus’ third official release of the year.
You may ask yourself, hitting play on the track below: “When did Ancient Hand start writing Absolute Fukkin Bangerz? Question of the day, folks. On previously outings, as I noted over on the Village’s Instagram outpost: “Ancient Hand dwell[ed] in an intriguing space between electronic sounscape'd ambiance, and the delectable dark synth one finds lurking in dungeon depths...expertly balancing an ominous air with a feather-gentle touch. Muggy claustrophobia meets ethereal ungroundedness.” Not so much anymore, as the artist in question takes a hard left turn at the corner of “continuing to do things the same way” and “shaking it up quite a bit, actually.”
"ORAL" is Name Your Own Price over on bandcamp, and if you throw down a buck today, March 20th, bandcamp will give 100% to the artist. Just sayin.' Listen to it here: Here we are again: the tail end of the week, with a death metal track premiere grasped in our ink-splattered claws. Is this becoming a tradition 'round these parts? Only time--and the good grace of the promo pit, of course--will tell. But enough about future endeavors. We motley few are gathered here today because Denmark's own Chronicle are gearing up to release their new album, Demonology, via Mighty Music. We're honored to premiere the closing track from said album--and in the form of a killer playthrough music video, no less! Check out the melodic-yet-vicious "Embrace the Abyss" here: I don't know about you, dear reader, but on any given Friday, I inevitably need a little bit of that death metal juice to get me in the fightin' spirit. Y'know, the good stuff. And, on this particularly gloomy and ill-tempered morning, the Midwest's own Death On Fire have graciously lent ye olde haggard scribe a helping hand. As evidenced by my bruised eardrums: Ghost Songs, the forthcoming album from these modern death metal peddlers, makes for a righteously invigorating experience. But let's cut to the chase, shall we? Today, it's our pleasure to present "Architects"--a track which feels, genuinely, like an accurate encapsulation of the album as a whole. As any good single should. In the words of the Death On Fire themselves, this track "embodies this next album: focused, aggressive, and made to destroy. Singing the song of our slow and ignorant death. Nothing ever changes. We are the arbiters of our own demise." And, as an outsider, I'm here to declare that they ain't wrong. Before we get too far absorbed in the details, however, check out the excellent video for "Architects" here: Feeling fired up? Good, 'cuz I'm chompin' at the bit and there's a lot here worth praising. Take the initial buildup, which launches into full-tilt aggression with explosive aplomb. Or the simple-yet-jubilant chorus--the rhythmic delivery of which incites bouts of headbanging at its own volition. Or the understated solo that lands, smack-dab, in the midst of crunchy combat-boot stomping riffage. Or, lest it be neglected, the undeniably gritty veneer that coats the track with a markedly abrasive punkish swagger. Notably, while it is (typically) a quality I have beef with, the pseudo-muffled quality of the vocal delivery lends the entire affair a menacing edge. And when one deals--as Death On Fire obviously do--in riff-fueled braggadocio, a healthy dose of heartfelt menace is an arguably necessary ingredient. Without that bite, modern death metal all-too-oft falls flat; an unfortunate victim of its own pomp and polish. Not so here. The gloss and sheen herein feels appropriately rooted in death metal's trademark aggression. "Architect" is gloriously muddied up, and all the better for it. In short? Death On Fire do modern death metal right. If "Architects" is your speed, be on the lookout for Ghost Songs, set for release on March 20th. In the meantime, give that video another whirl.
And now, for something a little (if not completely) different. As ye keenest of readers may remember, we reviewed Icarus, a damn fine EP from Richmond's Conductor some time ago. The band's confident ability to harness the best qualities of multiple genres in one cohesive whole were a big draw, and so when the vocalist/guitarist for said outfit, Jason Roberts, approached me with a track from his new project, I had to bite. "Different from Conductor," he said. "But hopefully you'll dig it." And so the hook was set.
As it turns out, the CAPS-LOVING CHNNLR is, in fact, quite a different animal, both sonically and aesthetically. This duo--also comprising one Jeremy Brooks--takes a significantly lighter edge. But that certainly isn't a bad thing, and, rest assured, I do indeed dig it. Incorporating elements of shoegaze, dreampop, and good ol' indie rock, CHNNLR frankly occupies a musical space with which I am quite unfamiliar. But unfamiliarity breeds opportunity, and here we are, honored to be presenting "FAVORITE LIGHT," the excellent first single from CRYSALIS, CHNNLR's forthcoming debut EP.
One of the more significant hurdles in adult life--or so I've been told--is the oppressive inevitably of the mundane. The dull monolithism of same old, same old. Day in, day out. I'll be the first to admit that, as a guy in my mid 20's trying to claw, with nail-bitten fingers, a little security in this overwhelming world for me and mine, my primary concern isn't mundanity, but rather reaching the tail end of these turbulent times in the first place.
The point? If you find yourself at a stage in your life where the self-doubt, bewilderment, and constant sadness of early adulthood are less than crystal clear, Florida's own Empty Joy are here to offer up a little vicarious grief and agony. These guys are in the thick of it, and the emotive intentions of their first track--to "convey the complicated nature of sorrow in a traditionally happy time of the year"--are refreshingly genuine. In that unhappy spirit, we're happy to present today said debut track, the appropriately entitled Drowned.
Like many, I often don't what I want until it stands immediately before me, like unto a shining beacon of clarity. Such was the case with To The Grave and Into the Wastland, the first two releases from Telepath. Said EPs combine a glorious bevy of sounds that I have genuinely never encountered in conjunction, despite having taken a decent number of strolls around the block. For a baseline, let's just say we're dealing with groovy doom with hefty synth and Giallo soundtrack influences. It's like if Pentagram and Perturbator had a leather-clad lovechild. It's like if a Fabio Frizzi enthusiast grew up on steady diet of 80's slasher flicks and 80's b-list heavy metal. Think Warlord or Brocas Helm. It is, in other words, a delightfully strange mix. Telepath is innovative in an exceptionally pure manner. This whole experiment sounds fresh, and it makes for a wonderful break from the norm.
Otherwise part of the prog rockin' White Willow and art-poppin' The Opium Cartel, Norwegian-Israeli multi-instrumentalist one-man mastermind Jacob Holm-Lupo embodies an eclectic and adventurous foray into the joyous possibilities of genre-bending composition. Thus, as a scribe at this humble establishment, my biggest regret this year is not affording Telepath suitable time in our tepid limelight. Needless to say, we're pleased and honored to premiere his latest single here today.
If you've had your nose to the fertile ground of the metal blog-o-sphere the past few days, you may have noticed a veritable flood of track premieres associated with the illustrious Akashic Envoy Records. And for good reason. In celebration of their 6 month existence, the label has put together a 3-cassette set containing no less than three hours of exclusive material, courtesy of the label's stacked roster. For those unfamiliar, Akashic Envoy tends to focus its attention on black metal, dark ambient, and dungeon synth--thus, each cassette is dedicated to one such subgenre. It's an ambitious affair, to be sure, but Transmissions from the Ætheric Plane delivers the attention to aesthetic and detail that we love, crave, and have come to expect within 6 short months. Transmissions, in short, is coming in hot. We're very pleased to present “Funeralia” by the mysterious Wall Painted Black below.
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Welcome!We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry. What are ye
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