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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 have been listening to this week at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! On the docket for today, July 9th, 2021: Lunar Cult, Green Hog Band, Dialith, & White Crone
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Written by: Shane Thirteen
I started this review like so many others: Scorched Green in a glass piece. As per usual I have spent a few days listening to the work I am to dive into. The very first time I gave this album a spin I knew I was going to dig it. II by 10,000 Years is spacey, sludgy, and fuzzy. Just how I like it. You see, I don't do the technical approach to reviewing. Some do, and that is great. Breaking down the album song by song and giving opinion on the technical nature of the band. I give two shits about that. I approach all reviews as if I were a fresh faced young music fan who was just handed an album by a buddy to check out. I want to explore new music with the same gusto I had when I got into records back when I was about 14. The absolute emotion of the things is what turned me on. Albeit, my tastes have changed. But I still approach music as if I have only just begun.  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. 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: The Administrator
The Red Beard Wall experience has been--and always will be, I suspect--a deliberately jarring one, even for those who know to expect the immeasurable enthusiasm and bombast on display. This project's modus operandi is one of gloriously violent dynamics: every track is a sonic gladiatorial extravaganza. Unhinged screams, post-hardcore cleans, bouncy percussion, 90's-style alternative aggression, and thicc-ass sludgy stoner riffs meet head-on in the arena. However, rather than unleashing their pugilistic wrath upon each other, they somehow harness their unharness-able collective power, subsequently raining blood and thunder on the audience. Frankly, it's quite the sight to behold. On the appropriately entitled 3, I am happy to report that human wrecking ball (and nicest man alive) Aaron Wall delivers his best performance yet--which says something, if you happen to recall my praise of 2019's The Fight Needs Us All. Much like his prior work, this album succeeds because it capitalizes so well on Aaron's bright and earnest personality. On (most!) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s rusted palisade, stuffed to the brim with musical sustenance. Today is the day we must offload 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 listening to today at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! It isn't bandcamp Friday, but... ...that doesn't mean it isn't a great day to support musicians! On the docket for today, March 26th, 2021: Breaths, Celestial Sanctuary, Dope Skum, and Seven Serpents
On (increasingly frequent!) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance. 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 listening to today at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! On the docket for today, March 19th, 2021: Clouds Taste Satanic, Seraph In Travail, Egor Lappo, and The Noctambulant
Editor's unsolicited opinion: Here's an aspect of the cursed reviewer life that I will always find endlessly gratifying: the prospect of witnessing a young and talented band evolve from a fresh face into a genuine presence in their respective scene. Way back in '18 we reviewed the first EP from this group, and then I was so impressed with their debut album that we featured in on our Caravan of Doom Vol. 1. Needless to say, these guys are on their way up.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Not often does stoner rock catch my ear, but when it does it hooks itself deep within my brain. Stonus (how fitting) have come up with what’s now their third EP titled Seance, and it’s pretty enjoyable from front to back. With only three songs, they heavily reflect the style of Sundrifter, who dropped one of my favorite albums in 2018. What’s also neat is that this one was recorded completely live. Because of this, there’s a very organic feeling that makes the repetitive nods showcased in all three tracks work decently. The middle track “Messianism” plays on that the most, being the longest one, and trailing off significantly at the end. I also found it to be the most explosive, riding on a rhythm pattern that “drops” (if you will) guitar chugs in gradual changes of pace. To contrast, you get vocals that add most of the melody, and a dash of howl. 
Written by: The Administrator
On the odd occasion, when we're feeling frisky, we slumbering scribes will give a single the same consideration as an album proper--a full review, in other words. Lots of sites don't, and we certainly can't blame 'em; it takes time and energy to write and revise a review, and one typically gets more bang for one's buck when that time and energy is spent on something more substantial. But sometimes a track deserved a little time in the limelight, and so we find ourselves here today, a new track from Blessed Black grasped tight in ink-splattered hands. If a band names a track after La Brea, they had better have the goods. One does not simply evoke mastodon-swallowing tar pits without offering up something with a comparably monolithic je ne sais quoi. As such, Blessed Black play a dangerous game with their latest single--but worry not. "La Brea" pulls through. 
Written by: The Administrator
If you run in the death blues circle, (an admittedly select group,) you are undoubtedly familiar with 20 Watt Tombstone. Hell, if you like blues rock or stoner doom in general, there's a good chance you've heard the name. These guys play a down 'n' dirty amalgamation of ZZ Top-esque groovy southern blues rock with a grimy Clutchian desert-rock edge. In other words, these are hard rockin' tunes from the backwoods. There's nothing flashy in their formula: just heavy riffs, gritty vocals, and the spirit of Americana. 20 Watt Tombstone's next release is a brief-yet-tantalizing affair: a 2-track EP featuring two bangin' cover songs. Side A is a rollicking cover of the (oft-underappreciated) "Just Got Paid" by the aforementioned ZZ Top. Side B, a rendition of "Midnight Train to Memphis” by Chris Stapleton, offers a slightly more somber--although no less hefty--side of 20 Watt Tombstone. Though small in stature, this release packs a damn fine one-two punch. |
