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FEAR FACTORY - Aggression Continuum (Review)

5/27/2021

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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.


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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: April 23rd, 2021, Feat. Frog Mallet, AntiMozdeBeast, Akiavel, and The Last Martyr

4/23/2021

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Every Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance for the following week. Today is the day we must offload all this week's new and noteworthy 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--and have been--listening to this week at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! 

All of today's releases are independently released, so show 'em some support!

​On the docket for today, April 23rd, 2021:
Frog Mallet, AntiMozdeBeast, Akiavel, and The Last Martyr

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Frog Mallet - Dissection by Amphibian
(Independent Release)

Never before have I stated that the ribbits go hard as fuck, but here we are. On their debut album, Boston's own Frog Mallet promises, to quote, "mallet slamming death metal fit for only the beefiest of frogs." And, I am happy to report, they ain't joking. The excellent Dissection by Amphibian  is a delightfully enjoyable experience, defined by a good-humored self-awareness that is rivaled only by the sheer quality of the tunes themselves. Utilizing frog-centric samples to their fullest extent, Frog Mallet seamlessly weave the overt thematic content with riffage of the highest neanderthalian order. Having your skull bludgeoned into pulp whilst wearing a grin isn't a particularly common experience, but these guys pull off the balance between brutality and fun with great aplomb.  Of particular note is the impressive cast of featured musicians--from Undeath to Bodysnatcher and beyond, the talent pool/swamp represented on this release is pretty damn deep. Check it out!

Find it on bandcamp here! 

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AntiMozdeBeast - The Ritual
(Independent Release)
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​It ain't a successful Fresh Meat Friday, I've always said, unless it features an entry that deliberately defies categorization. This latest experimental experience from AntiMozdeBeast fits the bill more than adequately. Indeed, across these wild and wacky five tracks, one never knows what to expect. A flurry awaits: a frenetic barrage of harsh electronics, pulsating percussion, cacophonous murmurs, unhinged screams,  The Ritual is a deeply intense and immersive listening experience--there's something unsettlingly hypnotic about the sheer sonic and aesthetic chaos. Strange is still the best descriptor I can come up with, which, if we're measuring success by existential befuddlement, seems like a big win.

Perpetually unpredictable by design, The Ritual  sounds like the soundtrack to sci-fi hell. If you like experimental or avant-garde stuff, you will undoubtedly enjoy what AntiMozdeBeast ​has to offer.

​Find it on bandcamp here!


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HEALTH - DISCO4 :: PART I (Review)

10/27/2020

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Written by: Continuous Thunder

For Los Angeles industrial noise rock band HEALTH, the album cycle has two distinct parts. First, there’s the studio album with all-new material, and typically it will be different from the last one, but a lot of the major HEALTH components will be there. Then, a year or so after the studio album comes another album with the word “disco” in the title. This will have remixes of the tracks from the studio album provided by other artists such as Crystal Castles, Toxic Avenger, Tobacco, and Purity Ring. The band followed this pattern for three albums, but for the fourth cycle, they decided to change it up. Rather than remixes, DISCO4 contains entirely new tracks created in collaboration with all the contributing artists.


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GOD - Possession (Retrospective)

10/23/2020

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Village stalwart Izzy is stepping up the retrospective game, and will henceforth deliver a fresh one every Friday! Make sure to check in weekly for a dose of nostalgia. - Ed.

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Written by: Izzy

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Have you ever wondered what John Zorn sodomizing a saxophone at a Godflesh concert would sound like? Well, if so, firstly let me say you have excellent taste, and secondly, I think it would sound a hell of a lot like God’s 1992 cult classic Possession.

For the shamefully uninitiated, God are a strange and short lived band formed in 1987 with an expansive list of semi-notable underground musicians that have occupied its roster. They employed a rather bizarre and grotesque blend of industrial metal, avant-garde jazz, and noise rock, resulting in an aberrant creation I truly feel no reservations in calling one of a kind. A frenzied and insane concoction of influences, Possession is an album that, if released today into the musical landscape of streaming and accessibility, would no doubt in my mind be hailed as a masterpiece. 

​


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POPPY - I Disagree (Review)

8/6/2020

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Welcome to the first Review Off (of hopefully many!) The premise? The illustrious Metalhead World and yours truly get down and throw down in an epic review battle. My contribution lurks below, and you can read Metalhead World's review here. Enjoy! - Ed.

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Written by: The Administrator

We slumbering peasantry are of a significantly, erm, flimsier stock than those marauders over at Metalhead World. Perhaps to our own detriment, we are also a prideful crowd. Such is the lot with wordsmiths. As such, when our neighbors issued the challenge to write a review of I Disagree, the latest statement from self-acclaimed post-genre messiah Poppy, we could hardly back down from a fight. And so here we are, quill and parchment held tight in white-knuckled grasp. In the distance, a murder of ravens takes flight. Sweat drips under ill-fitting plate armor. Blood will be shed this day, and I pray ‘tis not mine.


...but if today results in slaughter, the victim won’t be the artist in question. Quite the contrary. At the beginning of this process, I was familiar enough with Poppy via one Lichtmensch, but was certainly not what one might consider a fan. Now, however, after several weeks of intensive immersion, I Disagree has found solid footing in the ranks of my favorite albums of the year. Credibility be damned! Long story short: if you’re expecting a takedown, look elsewhere. This is a very good album by a variety of rubrics, and Poppy’s contributions are far too substantial to be merely dismissed.


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ATARI TEENAGE RIOT - Delete Yourself! (Retrospective)

8/6/2020

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In the rush to cover the constant waves of new music, we all too often neglect discussing the releases that leave the most substantial impressions in our lives. As such, we recently invited some bands and artists to wax poetic about an album that was deeply impactful or influential to them, either musically or personally. The next guest in line to graciously offer a retrospective in this series is SW, the sole bleep and blooper of black metal inspired chiptune act  Lunar Cult, whose work can be found lurking over at bandcamp. I don't listen to much chiptune, but when I do, it's invariably the nuanced and intriguing work of Lunar Cult. Needless to say: when yer done here, check it out!

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Written by: SW

It’s a cliché that our teenage years are a period of rapid development, and something we can take for granted; and sometimes, it’s only in hindsight that we can appreciate how much we changed in a short space of time. This is certainly the case for my own journey as a music fan. At 15, my favourite bands were the likes of Ash and Green Day--radio-friendly rock with a hint of transgression. Yet by the time I was 16, I’d gone through a period of massive growth aided by Napster, jumping from Green Day to Korn to Slipknot to Marilyn Manson to Nine Inch Nails to Atari Teenage Riot in a matter of months. Whilst Nine Inch Nails are undoubtedly one of my favourite bands, and changed my relationship with music profoundly, it’s Atari Teenage Riot’s first album, Delete Yourself!, that I think may have had the biggest overall impact on me.


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NINE INCH NAILS - Year Zero (Retrospective)

7/15/2020

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In the rush to cover the constant waves of new music, we all too often neglect discussing the releases that leave the most substantial impressions in our lives. As such, we recently invited some bands and artists to wax poetic about an album that was deeply impactful or influential to them, either musically or personally. The next guest in line to graciously offer a retrospective in this series is politically inclined industrial artist Atrop0ss, whose work can be found in the wildlands of bandcamp. 

​In a strange twist of fate, this is the third(!) NIN album to have been featured in this series--clearly indicating a broad reach of influence. Once yer done here, check out these retrospectives of The Downward Spiral and The Fragile! But, without further ado: 

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Written by: Atrop0ss

​
2020 has been a culmination of centuries of corruption, racism, and propaganda, all burgeoning into a multi-faced demon threatening utter demise. Americans especially are faced with a year that seems to bring a new tragedy or intense "happens once a century" type of event every month, and have reacted in all manner of negative ways. Trauma seems to be a consistent response.

And in times of trauma and hardships, we as a species often turn to music: for answers, for peace, to feeling justified, to feel heard. Musicians in these situations will often write music in order to explain a point, or make known their views. In my (relatively short) time on this earth, I've only found one album that really, honestly, predicted exactly where all this corruption and evil would bring us. That album is 
Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails.


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NINE INCH NAILS - The Fragile (Retrospective)

6/24/2020

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In the rush to cover the constant waves of new music, we all too often neglect discussing the releases that leave the most substantial impressions in our lives. As such, we recently invited some bands and artists to wax poetic about an album that was deeply impactful or influential to them, either musically or personally. The third guest to graciously offer a retrospective in this series is Steven of (intoxicatingly cathartic and emotive) dark electronica act aortaproject. Notably, this is the second of four(!) NIN retrospectives. Read on!

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Written by: Steven of aortaproject

Nine Inch Nails The Fragile: Trent Reznor's opus. Not his most critically acclaimed work, but for diehards, this is "all that could have been" for Nine Inch Nails.

It's been almost 20 years since the iconic double album’s release in Sept of 1999 and I still couldn't be happier with it.  The Fragile remains a staple in my reported influences, and a constant in my playlist. Even after thousands of hours of listening, I still find bits and pieces I haven't noticed before. Exploring the threads of Reznor's genius. The Fragile is laced with sonic texture, intricate layering, and an articulate blending of synthetic and natural elements, encroaching the frail temperament of stringed instruments with the powerful programming of electronic drums and pulsating synths.


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NINE INCH NAILS - The Downward Spiral (Retrospective)

6/21/2020

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In the rush to cover the constant waves of new music, we all too often neglect discussing the releases that leave the most substantial impressions in our lives. As such, we recently invited some bands and artists to wax poetic about an album that was deeply impactful or influential to them, either musically or personally. The second guest to graciously offer a retrospective in this series is Chris H of antifacist blackened outfit Phryne. Read on!

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Written by: Chris H
​

The first time I listened to The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails was in 2015. At that time, I was starting to find myself listening to heavier music, and I was venturing to discover all the classic hallmarks of metal. Industrial had always been interesting to me, but as a kid I was always too afraid of the dark imagery to really listen. When I sat down to listen to The Downward Spiral--the first industrial album I decided to listen to--and pressed play, I heard the sounds of a man being beaten in a strangely rhythmic fashion. At that moment, I was uneasy and wondering if I should keep going and listen on, but as the sample from the film THX 1138 crescendoed into a chaotic noisescape, I gave in and was transported to the grimy world Trent Reznor had created. “Mr. Self Destruct” is still one of my favorite album openers because of its raw attack and energy. It is the perfect beginning to the experience that is The Downward Spiral. 


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FIRE-TOOLZ - Rainbow Bridge (Review)

5/14/2020

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Written by: Continuous Thunder

I’m pulling something from the deep recesses of left field for you today. But when you’ve listened to as much music as I have, left field can provide welcome, refreshing, if sometimes puzzling breaks from the norm. (There’s a reason music critics praise experimental music so highly.) The harsh sounds of heavy metal’s more extreme sub-genres make them excellent sonic palettes for experimental artists. The best artists will recognize the similarities in different styles of music and bring them together, or they will contrast two very different genres that otherwise would never mix. The latter can be found in Fire-Toolz, who juxtaposes the clean, hazy, and nostalgic sounds of vaporwave with the harsh and oppressive sounds of black metal, noise, and other extreme genres.
​


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