Written by: The Administrator
The term “post-apocalyptic,” as a descriptor, has always felt somewhat universal--a quality that is most likely a direct result of the extensive post-apocalyptic media that I grew up with. While the narratives and backdrops differ, there’s a commonality in depictions of the world after the end of the world. Barren, expansive, utilitarian, hodge-podge, cruel, mysterious, no-nonsense. Antiquated in a vaguely otherworldly sense. On Book 1: Medusa’s Revenge, blackened sludge duo Nehushtan have managed to apply that distinct aesthetic to the aural form in a wholly engrossing fashion. As such, much like the world their extensive narrative exists within, this album feels both intrinsically tough and enticingly uncharted.
0 Comments
Written by: The Administrator
Speaking exclusively from an admittedly shallow well of experience, there are few genres as situational as deathcore. Am I actively engaged in an a high-intensity workout? If so, deathcore is an appropriate soundtrack. Am I doing anything other than slangin' iron and sweating bullets? Deathcore is more than likely buried underneath a veritable mountain of genres I would rather spend my time with. Given this implicit bias, I have spent a lot of time listening to Osiah's latest while strutting around in the cobwebb'd cellar confines of my home gym. To their credit, however, this album has slowly started to escape the typical listening environments. The ability to hold interest outside of the usual arena is a pretty notable quality. 
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. To assess Gojira's latest offering, two Village-dwellers took up the pen, making for a rare double review 'round these parts. Enjoy! - Ed.  Written by: Izzy
I think for many metalheads, Gojira is a very nostalgic name. I personally got into them very early on in my exploration of extreme metal and they have remained a band I look to very fondly, even if in recent years they’ve departed from their death metal roots and taken a more accessible, straightforward prog/groove/alt metal sound. I still think the material put forth on their previous two excursions, L’Enfant Sauvage and Magma, while not their best, still had their own appeal that kept me returning to them. But there was a palpable feeling that as they stripped away their extreme metal leanings and got softer and included more clean(ish) singing, they’d eventually morph into just another mediocre alt metal band, and I feel this concept has reached its logical conclusion with Fortitude, having scrubbed away almost any remnants of death metal in their sound and leaning harder and harder on creating hooks and choruses rather than the vast odysseys of From Mars to Sirius and The Way of All Flesh. I think we’ve reached a point where I truly can’t find a reason to look forward to a new Gojira album after this. 
Written by: The Administrator
Typically, familiarity with a musician's past work will flavor an audience's reception to said musicians new endeavor. However, due to a certain inability on my part to absorb press kits details prior to imbibing, I listened to this absolute beast of an EP many, many times before realizing that the roster is chock full o' recognizable extreme metal talent. Featuring current and former members of *checks notes* Possessed, Abbath, Decrepit Birth, The Kennedy Veil, Black Crown Initiate, and Angerot, this quartet of blackened death thrashers evidently know their way around the ol' block. It shows. Glossolalia is a riveting three-track, and, needless to say, a very strong first outing. It is explosive, tastefully frenetic, and varied enough to avoid being pigeonholed according to the tenets of their prior work. Let's dive in, shall we? 
Written by: The Administrator
While raw black metal will likely never become this particular scribe's genre of choice, I will always enjoy the visceral fury and abrasivity that serves both as the fuel and the final product. There's something so remarkably potent about music that literally makes your the hair stand up on the back of your neck, and in that regard, Dread Maw has succeeded enormously at capturing my attention. Debut EP Sanctified Murder is a strong first effort, and, moreso, serves as a tantalizing taste of what is yet to come. Dread Maw is the product of one Erin Palmer, who you may know from A. the realms of metal twitter and/or B. black metal outfit Rage of Devils. Whereas Rage, however, leans into a black 'n' roll influenced corner of the black metal universe, Dread Maw is a little more dissonant, a little more chaotic, and a lot more brutal...intrinsically so. 
Written by: The Administrator
Truth be told, I didn't really miss the allure of live music until I fired up ORYX's forthcoming full-length. I know, I know. Poser alert. Now, however, my organs beg to be ragdolled by the sheer sonic physicality of the five tracks contained within this beastly effort. I'm sure your all familiar with the feeling, but should you require a visual representation, the stellar cover artwork is a pretty accurate render of the bodily disintegration that can/will inevitably occur. Needless to say, ORYX have been receiving a whole lot of airtime in the confines of our humble halls. This trio out of Denver (a city which, side note, is swiftly becoming quite the bastion of high-quality metal) delivers a particularly dense and blackened iteration of sludge, with emphasis on crushing atmosphere and oppressive feedback. The physicality of their approach is particularly notable, as is the songwriting itself, which leaves plenty of room for intrigue in the midst of slow-churning riffage and drawn-out distortion. No doubt about it: Lamenting a Dead World is a powerhouse, and that's before we even begin to consider the appearances from a wide bevy of talented individuals, including Ethan McCarthy (Primitive Man, Many Blessings), Paul Riedl (Blood Incantation, Spectral Voice), and Erika Osterhout (Scolex, Chthonic Deity). Quite the cast of characters. FRESH MEAT FRIDAY - March 12th, 2021, Feat. Underking, Rise To The Sky, Necropanther, and WitchTit3/12/2021 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! Note: All of today's releases are independently released, which is a direction we're increasingly trying to move with this column. Show 'em some support! On the docket for today, March 12th, 2021: Underking, Rise To The Sky, Necropanther, and WitchTit
Written by: The Administrator
Full disclosure: this haggard scribe is not exactly what one would safety consider a connoisseur when it comes to the weird world of grindcore and deathgrind. A certain base of familiarity feels like a requirement in an environment defined largely by extreme abrasivity and extreme...well, extremity, and I'm always left questioning whether my casual enjoyment of a grind-adjacent release will translate in the eyes of people who drink deep of the genre's turbulent waters. While the classics are always fun to revisit, and I'll dabble here or there when it comes to stuff that particularly grind-knowledgable people seem to universally enjoy, grind is a space in which I'm happy to take recommendations...but less happy being the recommend-er. Today, however, I can hardly resist putting in a good word. Narakah is a Pittsburgh-based deathgrind outfit with an apparent knack for infusing the style of the early aughts with a fresh-faced flair. Their latest effort--the 12 minute Blast Haven--is an incredibly strong showing of Discordance Axis-esque chaos with a notable focus on intriguing composition.  Written by: The Administrator
Lookin' for a little feel-good heavy metal revelry on this fine Valentine's Sunday? If so, you've got something in common with our population of highfalutin peasants, who hath persuaded yours truly to scribble a few words. in honor of Dangerous Times For the Dead's latest banger. Back in the fall of 2020 we covered, in our weekly roundup, a self-titled single by the band in question. "Dangerous Times For the Dead" tickled our fancy--indeed, to self-plagiarize: "Exuding a spirit reminiscent of, well, basically any of your favorite 80's personalities, it's not a particularly inventive track, but clearly isn't aiming for lofty heights so much as providing a rollickin' good time...a potent metal brew with a hooky-ass chorus, some delicious axemanship, and a full-throttle Danzig-esque momentum that just won't quit." Needless to say, further efforts were worth checking out, and so here we are, hitting play on "Queen of the Night" yet again. 'Cuz, y'know, it's becoming a bit of a pattern around these parts. |
Welcome!
We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry!
|
RSS Feed