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To assess Cerebral Rot's latest offering, two Village-dwellers took up the pen, making for a (somewhat) rare double review 'round these parts. Enjoy! - Ed.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
After occupying many rotations on my turntable with their debut album, Cerebral Rot have come back with another vile and fucking putrid cut of rotted metal meat. Their brand of doom/death has always had an extreme focus on all things body fluid, gore, decay, and stench. Adding tighter hooks and spreading it across a sizable platter made it stand out a little bit. Excretion Of Mortality has come by for a second serving of just that, pairing very well with the banger of a debut. Working off of something that I loved so much, that usually guarantees that it will be solid at minimum. I was a bit worried it’d be a carbon copy of Odious Descent Into Decay, and while it’s pretty similar, there is enough here to sift from the sewage. For starters, I think they align a little more with the cavernous bands of this style than before (but not entirely stepping into it). Picking up some booming bass rumbles that the likes of Spectral Voice or Carcinoid crank out was easy enough. Some of the song construction adds that little taste of “the space between the notes” as well, if you will. “Spewing Purulence” serves that with a side of pinch harmonics to let it stand out more. Its tremolo-ridden bridge back into the main riff is a nice touch too.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Coming from the hot plains of Corona, California, are a death metal outfit known as Masochist. They only have this one release from a couple years ago, but they appear to be alive on the horizon. Chaos Of World Possession is the title of the EP, and early on they display a strong ear for groovy chops. It’s also pretty concise for the stage that it’s in. That of course helps and hurts. Usually I have a tougher time with cleaner death metal. The drumming comes through in a vibrant manner because of their crushing speed, but it can sometimes feel less-than organic because of the sheer clarity. Vocally, it takes a bit of a hit as well for the same reason. Thankfully, neither thing really stops it from being pleasing overall. It also on the other end helps because of how nicely you can pick up on this mean riff machine.  Greetings, weary traveler! We've collectively made it to the half-way point o' the year, and that can only mean one thing: a reflection on the music that has made the past six months a little more bearable. However, rather than hogging the soapbox and allowing my own personal taste to dictate the direction of proceedings, this big ol' list is a collaborative effort, with sixteen distinct music writers, musicians, and fans lending a few words. Hopefully the variety of perspective results in a list containing at least one or two releases that speak to you. For ease of reading, we've split the list in twain: the first half sits before ye now, and the second half shall follow tomorrow.
This, obviously, is far from exhaustive, and represents but a fraction of our collective favorites. If I had the time and resources, my contributions alone would surely run into the triple digits. As such, please feel free to leave a comment with a recommendation or two! List season is a great time to show the musicians that we love a little well-deserved support, and if you wanna shout someone out, this is as good a time as any. In that spirit, I'd like to offer a heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make this list a reality. We slumbering scribes offer our endless appreciation--we couldn't have done it without ye. Enough rambling! Without further ado: 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
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! We slumbering scribes were slightly more productive this week than normal, so enjoy an additional two mini-reviews! On the docket for today, April 30th, 2021: GOREGÄNG, Greyhound, Becerus, Bevar Sea, Order of the Wolf / Pessimista, and Alpha Boötis
Huge thanks to today's guest reviewer for the words! John Angel typically writes over at (the venerable) Noob Heavy, and can be found on twitter as well. Follow accordingly, dear readers! - Ed.
Guest post written by: John Angel
If you’ve read my previous reviews (hey mom) you might know that I lean towards the modern side of the old-school/modern divide of the current death metal scene. I like the crisp production and blending of a wider variety of genres that seems to be de jure in modern death metal. But there are OSDM records that catch my attention. It’s hard for me to put my finger on exactly what draws me to said ear-catching OSDM albums but I think it's having a little more aggressive riffing, production that keeps that lo-fi and cavernous vibe so many like about OSDM, but also allows the music to be legible to the listener. Today I’ve got a review for one such record, All Light Swallowed by Crypts of Despair. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Our next death metal cut from Memento Mori’s Bar & Grill is a Canadian dish called Altered Dead. Returning to life for their sophomore effort Return To Life, these lads bring a pretty brief offering that resides on the chaotic side. Though I wouldn’t really call this a full-on technical disc, there’s definitely a lot crammed into a small space. Thirty minutes of grueling, otherworldly riffing and a Celtic Frost cover pass by before you know it. If the album cover doesn’t give this away immediately, there’s a running theme of space and science passed through a slimy and grimy pattern for an optimal decaying experience. As guttural as the vocals are, they get somewhat stomped into the lunar surface, giving the guitars the main focal point. Occasional tastes of hardcore chugging can come through, honing in wavier tones during the slower riffs, and vibrant reverberations during the faster ones. It can get overwhelming at times, particularly when the drums blast away over-top this. But I won’t pretend it isn’t impressive. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Coming from the cooler lands of Minnesota is a fresh project of thrash and death proportions known as Begravement. Considering how young these kids are, they definitely have an ear for abrasive fronts and classic tactics, managing to get out a demo-quality EP early this year known, in turn, as Conjuring The Necromancer. Notably, there’re also some slight hints at progressive-leaning writing. With all of that in mind, it is obviously pretty rookie. This is nearly a half hour of extremely unhinged layering at depths that are sometimes difficult to measure. By that I mean it’s a bit uneven in spots between bass and lead/rhythm precedence. On the bright side, the hooks are plenty sharp, such as the simpler rhythms in the title track, as well as its bridge. “Opaque Malevolence” is also a more straightforward one that was stronger in this regard, emulating thrashy passages that make up the better parts of this disc. Interview with the band in question to follow shortly! Stay tuned, dear readers. -Ed.  Written by: The Voiceless Apparition
So here we are. Another year, another opportunity to spotlight up-and-coming bands. 2021 is going to be an extremely busy year for myself, and for all of the other villagers too, I presume. 2020 may have fucked everything up, but this year will be bringing A LOT of new music. But we'll get to that another time. Today, I'm really happy to be able to review the debut album from Texas death metal heavyweights Frozen Soul. It's amazing how far they have come for literally only forming two years ago. They released their critically acclaimed debut demo Encased in Ice through the always stellar Maggot Stomp back in 2018. They toured the U.S. a few times in 2019, and while 2020 may have put a stop to their touring, they managed to sign to fucking Century Media Records! When I heard that they had signed with them I actually screamed. It makes me so happy to see the love and support that they have been receiving since they formed and that praise only continues to grow with the release of their debut album Crypt of Ice. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Anthropophagy: (noun) the eating of human flesh by human beings. So in other words, I’m reviewing an album that’s just a fancy word for cannibalism. It should come as no surprise that Sadistic Drive are a death metal band that explore the gore and stench to extreme levels. Hailing from Finland, they’re quite fresh off the grid, taking formation in 2018, and dropping Anthropophagy last year. Just from that and looking at the sleeve, you’ll get exactly what you’re thinking. Chaotic blasting with slamming features and guttural growls take a heavy precedence, filling the proverbial chalice with nothing but slime and grime. An obvious love of horror fills the cracks, as bodily sounds, screams, and samples ooze over to blend some songs together. But surprisingly, the riffing is pretty concise and doesn’t sound as sloppy as it could. |
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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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