Written by: The Administrator
Asking if you are in the mood for riff-slangin' death metal born of a war-torn future is hardly a question worth asking...because of course you are. Asking if you are in the mood for some furious Bolt Thrower (and/or Warhammer 40k) worship is a similarly worthless question...because of course you are. Despite seeming somewhat niche, one-man death metal wrecking crew World Eaters carries a wide appeal. This latest EP--the mighty Grinding Advance--delivers a pugilistic blow befitting its source material. World Eaters has been quite prolific over the past year or so, releasing a demo and several killer splits, and I'm happy to report that this beast is a very strong showing indeed--David Gupta's best work yet, in my humble opinion. This is a release worth celebrating, so let's get to it.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless Truly, I have picked an incredible year to dive into black metal. Between the latest Wode release, and now this devastating beast of a group known as Craven Idol, I can’t have found a better time to jump balls-deep into this horrendous style of extreme metal. Craven Idol has been around since the early 2000s, hailing from London, England. Their third effort Forked Tongues follows the tales of the ancient serpentine beast known as Typhon, a titan of Greek mythology. I was not ready for this. With a cover depicting Earth on the cusp of burning to nothingness, we’re met with music that blasts the Olympian narrative deep into your ears with unforgiving black metal riffing, erupting drum-blasts, and varying vocal shrieks. The occasional dropping of a death-tinted growl and oh-so subtle falsettos work in an even broader scope of madness. To be even more over-the-top, the constant use of a noisy riff gradient keeps the bottom hot. On the upper levels, you’ve got wailing passages that introduce some signs of melody, making this a monster you have to submerge your attention in to catch it all.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Ever wonder what Hatebreed would sound like if they were more metal-oriented and less hardcore-oriented? Solanum are basically here to give you a taste of exactly that. Hailing from Canada, this is a crossover group that pounds old-school thrash riffs into a cemented hardcore aesthetic in the vocals. The result is Into The Sinner Circle or I.T.S.C, which is exactly what I described, constructed with longer song runtimes. Actually, that was the first thing that surprised me. Anymore, you don’t find bands with this style that crank out longer tunes over a beefier backbone. The vocals have such sharp speeds, spitting out line after line with a vicious attitude over intense riffing. The sheer fact that they could run with this for so long on some of these songs is pretty impressive as is. Granted, a lot of this has several different approaches within each song, but the fluidity of it caught me off-guard.
Written by: The Administrator
Here at ye olde Sleeping Village, relaxation is a rare commodity and, as such, is exceedingly hard to come by--much like "food without maggots" and "medicine that doesn't kill you." But sometimes, when the workload and the stress becomes too much, this particular scribe will steal away some time to simply chill in the river, feeling the current, watching the clouds roll by, and allowing the ol' brain a a brief moment to simply breath. Of course, if you are one to partake of substances, they won't go amiss in this hypothetical. Such occasions call for an appropriate soundtrack, and today, the debut EP from Colorado's Buffalo Tombs will do the job nicely. Merkabah/Hekhalot was released back in October of 2020--practically an eternity ago--but I return to it quite frequently, and feel like it deserves a lil' spot in the limelight, lest it fall prey to the sands of time. Let's dive in, shall we?
Written by: The Administrator
My favorite albums of the year are, more often than not, those that sneak their way into rotation...and then simply never leave. The ability to maintain interest over months and months of listening is a surefire mark of a good album, and Asundre, the excellent debut from London's Vulgaris, has managed to qualify itself pretty damn handily. This thing came out towards the end of February, and it is a rare thing indeed to locate a week since wherein it hasn't reared its multifaceted heads. At this rate, Asundre certainly stands as one of my most-listened albums o' the year thusfar, which, in turn, probably means I should actually find a soapbox and start appropriately proselytizing. Hence:
Written by: The Administrator
If there's one thing we long-suffering scribes appreciate, it's a flair for the dramatic. After all, our (aggressively fictional) habitat--the titular Sleeping Village--serves as the thematic bedrock for virtually everything that happens on this plot of internet property. As such, we hold a certain affinity to similarly histrionic entities...provided, of course, that there is an ounce of self-awareness behind the drama. Portland's Purification is a band that has repeatedly hit the nail on the head when it comes to this rare combo, and, as such, the swell and strain of their puritanical doom frequently fills our humble halls. These guys are remarkably prolific, having released three albums and a couple o' EPs within a few short years. One of my many regrets as a reviewer is that I neglected to cover ‘em further after a review of their 1455 EP, but here I am, hopefully making amends. No more time for self-flagellation, however. Let’s sink our teeth into some trve doom of the highest quality, shall we?
Written by: The Voiceless Apparition
Anonymity is a rarity in this world nowadays. Everybody is so preoccupied with getting their voice out there, and to push their products or agenda. Rarely does anybody let their product speak for itself--and this is especially true for music. But here we are. I received the link to this album from Impostrous Lord in the DM's of my Instagram page. I was immediately intrigued due to the members of this band not being listed, desiring instead for the music to, as aforementioned, speak for itself. This is a special review for me, and I'm so happy to have had this sent to me. This is the debut album from Impostrous Lord, entitled Devil's Veil. Written by: Tom Last year saw the return of Static-X, something I never thought would happen. Now, almost a year later, we are finally getting a new Fear Factory record! Which is another thing that I was beginning to have my doubts about happening, but on June 18th, via Nuclear Blast Records, that exact thing will be unleashed upon a legion of waiting fans. I've been listening to Fear Factory since 1995's Demanufacture, and they have always had one of the coolest band names out there; in my humble opinion, it still ranks very high on the list of excellent name choices. Not to mention that when one of their songs comes on, you immediately know that it's them; no one else had the same sound when the band's music was first introduced to us. This fact has not changed much throughout the years.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Wow, let’s talk about some God-tier death metal! Taking formation last year during the hellish times of a global pandemic, Finland’s Morbific have come forth a year later with a full-length to follow up last year’s debut demo. Ominous Seep Of Putridity is a raw, sophisticated pitcher of bile meant to ooze into your pores as you slowly immerse into the harsh noise. Good luck crawling out of this mess! Most notably, this disc has some of the chunkiest riffing I’ve heard on a death metal album in such a long time. The doomy presence that keeps things mid-paced without falling into full doom/death territory is a tactic pulled off tremendously. Groovy rhythms are doused in this aesthetic, served alongside some disgusting guttural vocals that bury ever-so-slightly beneath the sand for sharper leads to grate your skin. If that isn’t enough, these drums pop out with a mechanical click, giving the snare such an elementary feeling for all the right reasons. The drumming itself is excellent, so that’s like a two-for-one standout.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Boy howdy, what fun it is when you find something that reeks of a gory bloodbath taking place in the kitchen! Just the album cover to Cartilage’s 12-minute offering Gore-Met was about enough to sell me, and the music sounds exactly what you’d picture. Grindcore riffs with blistering, incomprehensible vocals, all themed around body-horror in the kitchen is what we’re in for. Get your apron and chef hat ready, this is a wild ride! “Enough To Make Your Skin Crawl” starts us off on the most conventional note, based around a failed experiment making beings become mutant and disgusting. The actual music is pretty death metal oriented, but the double-tracked vocals and smashing speeds are loads of fun. Helps it fit the overall idea as well. “Deranged Delikatessen” rails on with a bit more abrasion, tossing around guts and gore with slam-like rhythms and sharp blasts from the drumming. |
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We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry!
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