 Written by: The Administrator
I'm admittedly a little late to the draw on this one. That said, our endorsements of good music shouldn't be constrained, as we slumbering scribes are attempting to actualize, by the constant churn of the promo pit. In any case, let's not delay any longer. Coming off the success of their stunning I Am No One--an album I liked so much I blatantly pressed the title track into service for our Caravan of Doom compilation--Norway's own Jointhugger dropped a single track EP on April 2nd of this year. It's an absolute stunner; the best thing they have done to date, and that's saying something. This 18 minute epic takes a slightly more progressive angle, illustrating the band's ability to build a complete and varied story across multiple acts. The musicianship across the board is as impressive as ever, and the hugely impactful songwriting places Reaper Season in the highest echelon of this year's doomier offerings.
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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: June 18th, 2021, Feat. Macabre Decay, Entierro, Heavy Temple, & Maha Sohona6/17/2021 On (regrettably infrequent!) Fridays, 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! As today is Juneteeth, Bandcamp will be donating 100% of their share of proceeds to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. As such, your dollars will simultaneously support artists and support the defense fund's ongoing efforts to promote racial justice through litigation, advocacy, and public education. Win/win! On the docket for today, June 18th, 2021: Macabre Decay, Entierro, Heavy Temple, & Maha Sohona
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Extirpate (verb): to root out or destroy completely. Nothing cooler than when the band name’s meaning fits so comfortably in the musical shoe. Extirpation are an Italian black metal band that formed in 2009, releasing several albums in that time. Their latest, entitled A Damnation’s Stairway To The Altar Of Failure, dropped in early 2019 (with a cassette release via Redefining Darkness in late 2020 - Ed.) and boy, is everything about this just painful and unlovable. Strap yourselves in, it’s a nasty ride. Building their craft around uncontrollable chaos involving madness and discomfort, this release will come in quick with a piercing delivery under mildly degraded quality. That includes the riffwork and the vocals alike. Musically, it’s somewhat thrash-oriented regarding the riffs, hearkening back to the first wave of black metal. But the clashing echo of the hate-fueled drums and the unique, shattering vocal performance brings this to far higher extremes. The vocals alone are a grower for sure, but should even stand out for the seasoned listener of this style. 
Written by: The Administrator
The metal community has used metalcore (and its affiliates) as the butt of a joke for so long that many of us have forgotten or neglected its true strength: namely, a vehicle for the explosive expression of emotion. The stigma certainly has a basis in, y'know, a veritable bevy of lackluster exemplars of the style, but the general notion that "metalcore = intrinsically bad" is an obviously unfair burden to place upon the diamonds in the rough. While many of us are understandably cynical, there's a lot of very good metalcore out there that remains hidden behind prejudicial assumptions about the style, and that's a damn shame. In any case, today's two-track demonstrates quite well the aforementioned strength of the style: an ability to convey feelings like anger and angst in a notably volatile and cathartic fashion. These dual singles from L.A's own AFTERMYFALL illustrate the success one can find when deliberately borrowing from other genres, injecting a little heartfelt authenticity, and avoiding the performative pitfalls that plague the dregs of 'core. 
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.  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? |
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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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