 Written by: Blackie Skulless
Imagine trying to follow up perfection; you really can’t. But you can bring forth something nearly as incredible, especially when it still blows minds thirty years after its release. Overkill had hit their peak complexity in songwriting in 1989 (regardless of how you feel about the songs themselves), and really had to come up with something mind-blowing on Horrorscope. While that may be tough in the eyes of some, they could at least offer something different, and with that I open by saying that the guitar tones alone here are what likely led to what we ended up with on The Killing Kind. Except the thrash metal angle was still in full control, and the attitude was amped up a step from before. Though the guitars may feel a bit warmer than before, that allows them to cut with a smoother sweep due to how sharp they are. The fact that there’s such a clear space between the notes while still holding the speeds that were present on Feel The Fire is impressive beyond belief. The way they tie it all together with little licks, such as the backing ring in opener “Coma” kicks some serious ass, and this song is also a fantastic example of how they cram so much density into such warm speed-riffing.
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Written by: MetalFederation (Alex)
For an album review writer moving up in the world from Instagram captions, what could be better than the debut LP from a newly formed band? I, Alex (@metalfederation on Instagram), and death metal crew Crypta are here for a mutual debut! The four-piece international group from Brazil and the Netherlands delivered Echoes of the Soul on June 11th via Napalm Records. Boasting a supergroup lineup of big names, Crypta aim to make a strong first impression with a tracklist of pummeling death metal that clocks in at just 42 minutes. Will they silence any irrelevant debates about what the perfect run time for an album is? I’m as excited as you are to find out. (But if you’re wondering, 42 minutes is pretty close to perfect and I apologize to the consequently offended prog nerds.)  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: 
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: Blackie Skulless
Back in 2013, I was pretty new to metal and the vast pool of bands and subgenres that it held. UK thrashers Evile, however, was one name that I was familiar with, and recall being blown away by Skull. Seeing how I still love it to this day, you can imagine my excitement upon hearing that, after eight years, we’re getting a new album. Take longtime lead guitarist Ol Drake and hand him the vocal duties in place of Matt Drake, enter Adam Smith, and you’ve now got another angle to look at this from. The end product is Hell Unleashed. So how different does the band sound with such a significant time gap and lineup change? Well, the musical direction is more or less the same. Speed remains the biggest selling factor, cranking out lightning fast riffs under crackling drums, all finished with some tight clear-coating. I’ve admittedly grown to dislike that kind of production in thrash, but it can be overlooked when the songwriting is extra stellar. The issue is, I don’t particularly think that’s the case here.  Written by: Blackie Skulless
Looking back to my days of high school, it’s fun to reminisce on albums that came out around the time that had some sort of hype, but lost it over the years. Sometimes, that’s due to not aging well; other times, it just gets lost in the depths of everything else going on. Trivium’s album In Waves comes to mind, considering that it’s one that seldom gets talked about (positive or negative) compared to the likes of Shogun or Ascendancy these days. This disc turns ten later on this year, and I still to this day view it as a masterpiece, which may be a bit of a hot take. For starters, I want to say that this is metalcore done exactly right. By this point, most metalcore bands abandoned the genre’s roots, and traded in thrashy riffs and hardcore aesthetic for endless chugs, overly produced vocals, and extremely generic songwriting. Trivium never got caught up in that undertow. In Waves is absolutely packed with furious thrash riffs that cast sharp hooks, and evenly work in the hardcore chugs without being overwhelming. If that isn’t enough, the actual songs have more advanced writing than ever. The Crusade may be a more direct thrash release, but this is where Matt Heafy and co. blended it wonderfully with hardcore to pump out a spectacular album. Every Friday (erm...or Saturday, folks), 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! This week marked the release of a whole lot o' stellar music, but we opted to focus on two albums rather than our typical four. As such, please accept these delayed-albeit-longer-than-usual reviews. - Ed. On the docket for today, April 17th, 2021: Bushido Code and Mother Anxiety / S H R I E K I N G  Bushido Code - The Ronin (Upstate Records) Before we get too far into it: how 'bout that opening riff? Muscular, pugilistic, and delightfully earmwormy. Needless to say, The Ronin's title track is exactly what ye might expect from a band that bills itself as a hearty metal/thrash/hardcore crossover conglomerate. The tracks that hit do so with a notable gusto, and the energy contained within the first half of the album is quite infectious, coated with an unexpectedly fun and groovy patina. As such, Bushido Code operate best when they embrace the intrinsic physicality of their work. While one might expect a typical bruiser-ish crossover lyrical route, "The Ronin" opts for character-driven storytelling over tough guy posturing, which is always a bonus in this line of work. Critically, the album does lose a little steam and sheer headbanging energy in the back half after interlude "Prelude to Battle," and makes me wonder if it would have landed even harder as an EP with all the fluff neatly trimmed away. But let's be real: for a 29 minute album, I ain't complaining all that much. Listening to this thing inevitably results in a whole lotta sweat and a very sore neck. It serves as prime "get pumped" music, and, as such, has found itself employed in mighty fine service down at the ol' home gym. If yer on the hunt for the juiciest cuts, give "Ronin," "Aftermath," and "Relic of War" a listen, and throw 'em on your workout playlist for good measure. Find it on bandcamp here!  Mother Anxiety & S H R I E K I N G - Isolation Diary (Independently Released) Confession time: I went into this release with a certain trepidation, despite a favorable familiarity with both artists featured. The trepidation came from the subject matter itself, and the prospect of immersing myself fully. In a not-yet-post-COVID-world, the impact of isolation is a sore subject, and living through the eyes of not one but two distinct projects was intimidating. After many, many listens, it still is. I think that's a good thing. Like unto the best of experimental music, this stellar split between solo acts Mother Anxiety and S H R I E K I N G is not immediately digestible. Given the complex arrangement of ambient, drone, post metal-- punctuated by the occasional blackened outburst or assorted spoken word samples--each of the nine tracks herein takes significant time to explore. As someone who thrives on releases that merit multiple listens in a variety of environments, I feel fully consumed by this split in a way that is equally satisfying and confusing. The first half, home to Mother Anxiety, presents a largely half-conscious atmosphere and ambiance, featuring a quiet cacophony of hushed voices and assorted electronic noises. Listening to these four tracks feels intrusive in a wholly unique fashion: this is like listening to the inside of my own skull, witnessing undeveloped thoughts tumble and collapse. "Entry 4" is the culmination, and it illustrates the yoke of anxiety with frightening accuracy. These entries are not meditative; Mother Anxiety's half feels like a reflection of a consciousness under constant duress. In contrast, S H R I E K I N G's contribution feels more outward--its (frankly indescribable) confluence of genre allows for more sonic range. That said, it still feels intensely individual, which, given the overarching theme of loneliness, indicates a Job Well Done. While the first half feels inwardly panicked, S H R I E K I N G somehow uses chaos to impart a deep sense of heart wrenching sadness. This is genuinely tear-inducing stuff, and I don't have the words to articulate why. That's uncomfortable, but it is also a demonstration that this split has succeeded enormously at what it set out to do. Bravo. Find Mother Anxiety here and S H R I E K I N G here 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Not far from my stomping grounds, Philadelphia, PA based Daeva somewhat helped my recent growing taste for certain styles of black metal. Though they’re heavily thrash induced, the lone EP entitled Pulsing Dark Absorptions is an evil and crushing spin. Their only release to date, it’s full of breakneck speeds, blistering blackened vocals, and evil lyrics to the max. Very much one of those things that passes by before you even realize it. Comprised of four tracks and a Mayhem cover, there isn’t a lot of time for any kind of filler or screwing around. For optimal experience, it’s layered nicely to allow the drums to pop really well, displaying advanced fills all over the already crushing riffage. “No Effective Banishings” weaves this in with tremolo picks to really inject that harsher feel, allowing slower passages to come across more menacing. “Clenched Fist Of The Beast” is a rather straightforward track with a noisier effect, backed by chaotic execution. 
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. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Wow, talk about a neat hybrid here. Sleepless are a band that took formation from the remnants of an ‘80s death metal project called Dead Conspiracy. The trick is that they are meant to be a traditional heavy metal act, but the death metal history makes its way into the actual music itself, thus creating something that could be heavy/death metal? It seems impossible, you can’t really have the latter without harsh vocals, but should it exist, I think this would be it. Entitled Blood Libel, this EP is four songs of chunky and brooding riffs that are topped off with melodic singing. Thank our lucky stars that the vocals aren’t overly clean production-wise, because this allows the two to work together rather nicely. Opener “The Man Who Could Not Sleep” is the beefiest song here, churning out multiple moods dipped into this odd blend. The constant jumps in pace and deep piano notes thrown in make it such a fun ride. “Host Desecration” follows this with a sinister drop in tone and overall meaner makeup. |
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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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