The Captain is back! As always, we welcome him back into the Sleeping Village with outstretched arms and a worried grin. This time in the ol' wringer, the good Captain reviews...a ska album. Not our typical fare, but, like, there's skeletons + fire on the album cover, so that surely counts for something. - Ed. 

Written by: Capt. Graves

A little known fact about me: I was in a ska band for eight years. I did this to fool everyone into thinking I was a fun loving human, and not the Decimator of Worlds. Hobo Chili are my family, and I'm glad to see they have released a new album--and that it's their best to date (well, maybe except the guitar playing). 

Hobo Chili is known for their anthemic song writing, and they deliver in spades on Salt of the Earth. This funky, punky, ska-infused madness is surely an album you want to put in your repertoire.

Salt of the Earth kicks off with some driving bass and super tight horn hits. Layered  instruments in a punk rock fueled frenzy. Then we get into a bit of a surf vibe, and Latin swing. Notably, the horn section is really shining on this album.

Fresh off the hunt, Capt. Graves smelled blood. He seems to like this one, which is always a relief. In any case, we're glad as always to have him back in his scrivener garb. - Ed.

Written by: Capt. Graves

It's been a while since I've stepped foot in the Village. I took myself on a mountainous retreat, staying away from humans as much as possible. Fortunately I was made for this type of apocalyptic survival measures. It reminds me of being back home on Tumulus, I couldn't be in a better position if I tried. I've had the pleasure of listening to some amazing backwoods Maine black metal, and it fucking delivers.
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​Here we have Feral. They haven't released an album since 2017, so I've been anxiously waiting for Circle Trap Kill to be bestowed upon the land. This is no frills black metal, they come out of the gate RIPPING. I can't get over the long intros in most black metal releases, but this one does nothing of the sort. Feral has caught my attention, and damn am I excited to have listened to this album at least 4 times since it's release yesterday.

Here I am, quill clenched betwixt my inksplatttered teeth as I clamber into the tub. Advent Varic's Tumulus tumbles, rapidly and raucously, into my earholes. Perfectly on cue, blood pours from my nostrils as the sky burns. In other words: all is not well. Sorry, I mean: all is well. Fuck.

Why the tub? Two reasons. Firstly, as a clear Side A/Side B concept album, this beast offers a duo of twenty minute tracks, constructed and delivered as a single blackened stoner symphony. My attention span lasts about as long as this fragile soap bubble before me, so I'm admittedly out of my comfort zone. Secondly, it's damn comfortable, and if I'm going to witness the world collapse into inferno, I might as well do so from here, where the fires of civilization's demise will prevent this bathwater from going lukewarm. For those of you not privy to the expanded universe of Advent Varic lore, here's the gist: these extraterrestrial marauders were birthed from the muck of the titular far-flung world of Tumulus, and have since wrecked havoc across the universe on a cosmic mission of destruction at the bidding of the Godlike entity known as Varic. Our beloved homeworld is, alas, the next link in their chain of brutalistic annihilation. Concept albums live and die by the strength and flexibility of their narrative, and here, Advent Varic have given themselves ample room to experiment. Let's see where that takes us. 

​SYN can be found:
Bandcamp
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