Written by: The Administrator
When promo for Death Throes of a Drowning God, the new EP from Austria's GUYOÐ, hit ye olde inbox, I was suitably intrigued. The title aught my attention, the seasick churn of the artwork reinforced my suspicions, and a quick look at their back catalog had me suitably hooked before even pressing play Why, exactly? I'm a sucker for a lot of things, musically speaking, but for things that are overt oceanic--as is GUYOÐ's oeuvre--I'm the biggest sucker of all. When vacationing near the sea, I am liable to spend ever single second in the water. I'm not a great swimmer, but I can tread for days. My wife thinks that someday I won't come out, and I agree that she might be on to something there. The call of the abyss is a genuine siren's call, and I think I'd be fine, actually, living down there with the lobsters and the fishes under a reef, lungs be damned. Actual marine environs aside, I have an overt and fierce love for oceanic metal. Throw waves or a lighthouse or an octopus or a big fish eyeball on the cover and I'm diving in, no questions asked. Metal that seeks and strives to capture a mere fraction of the sea's majesty, power, and near-mythical unknowability is tantalizing. It draws me, riptide-like. I'm pleased to say that GUYOÐ have joined the amorphous pantheon of oceanic metal notables with this latest. Their dark blend of black, death, and doom metal is appropriately heavy and morose and bleak. Though the use of both ambient interludes and unpredictable songwriting, Death Throes of a Drowning God feels far more vast than its 29 minute runtime might indicate. It is just unapproachable enough to inspire the kind of curiosity that drives one to swim a little too deep.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Admittedly, I was wary of diving into Ossuary due to the sheer number of bands with that name, and the fact that the last one I tried didn’t impress me much. Yet, a trusted source suggested actually paying attention to the one specifically from Wisconsin, U.S.A., and I’m quite glad I followed suit. Despite being around for over a decade now, it wouldn’t be until last year that the death metallers would drop a full-length record. Titled Abhorrent Worship, I can confidently say that they absolutely do worship an abhorrent sound. It’s not an overly uncommon day when one like me stumbles upon a grimy and gross death metal outfit leaning towards the doom/death spectrum, but when it hits extra hard, it feels extra exciting. Ossuary not only boasts one of the most hateful, hideous, and fucking disgusting sounds in the genre, they do it with such prowess that showcases strong instrumental mastery in the midst of the muck. All over this disc sits an even tradeoff of thick, chunky rhythms that are complimented by higher leads, moving around the fretboard achieving less than melody but more than mere vibes. Together with explosive blasts that don’t disrupt the rate of flow, we get a proverbial storm of rumbly clashes that flood the entire soundscape with an, *ahem* abhorrent swamp of musical filth. Those of you who have been around since the inception of the Sleeping Village may remember one Ancient Hand, who was around...well, technically before the inception of the Village proper. Back in 2018, he was one of the very first people I met whilst writing silly lil' reviews on Instagram. He wrote some stuff here, I wrote about some of his musical projects...and then we both kinda stopped using Instagram. Needless to say, it was quite nice indeed to receive an email with this surprise AOTY list. Here it is (sans pink background, which is sadly not possible to replicate). Enjoy! - Ed Written by: Ancient Hand 2024 was filled with albums that I highly anticipated and was extremely satisfied with upon release, but 2025 held a number of records that were absolute surprises– both from artists I was aware of but maybe didn’t expect a ton in terms of quality and from artists I had never heard of before. I am happy to have listened to over 90 records that came out in this one calendar year and run down my thoughts on some of them! Let’s get started with my honorable mentions: records that I very much enjoyed but did not have space on my top 10 for.
This year was not without its duds, of course. Therefore, I feel I have to share what I think is the worst album of the year. In jest, of course. All art has value… or whatever.
And a quick shoutout to my biggest disappointment. It hurts, and I won’t harp on it for fear of disrespecting my kings.
The EPs this year were not as strong as last year’s in terms of overall standouts, but the highs of this year’s EPs did clear last year’s. Here are my top 3 EPs of the year!
And now, the moment I’ve been waiting for that nobody actually cares about… my top 10 albums of 2025! (at the time of writing this, who knows what I will think in the future… who knows what the future holds for any of us, fuck ICE by the way):
 #3: Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams Now this one… we knew music could sound like this. Williams’ exploration of late 90’s-early 00’s sounds feels familiar while its presentation is anything but. Releasing the record as 17 standalone singles that listeners could construct in whatever order they see fit is something that can only be done in the digital age, and, more importantly, feels like something truly new and inventive from a release standpoint--something we as music fans have been desperate for since the commodification of every moment of our listening. “True Believer” is Williams at her lyrical best--20-something years into her career--while “Hard” is anything but its title, eschewing bravado for vulnerability and exploring the warring gender expressions of Williams after decades of being surrounded by testosterone and dangerous peers in the alternative music scene. My only issue is that with the official release of the album, the record’s tracklist feels off to me. The physical release obviously needs a clear order, but a burned CD-R in a clear jewel case made by you and decorated with a sharpie is the only real way to experience these tracks.  #2: Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You by Ethel Cain A lyrical prequel to (spoiler alert for my 2030 list…) the decade’s best record, Preacher’s Daughter, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You is a slowcore dirge for a high school romance fallen apart. Ushering in a closer-to-even split between tracks with vocals and instrumental tracks, Anhedönia creates an equally cinematic experience compared to her 2022 debut, but this time around, she delivers a tale focused inward: exploring themes of regret, love, and loss compared to the external threats of Ethel Cain’s tragic ending. Sensitively painting a hazy image of the blood-stained blonde that started it all, Anhedönia led me to downright weep at the pain suffered by both counterparts in this foreboding love tale. “Nettles” is an all-time love song for the patient. “Dust Bowl” is a fan staple and has been since the demo was posted on SoundCloud. “Tempest” is a disturbingly believable exploration of the young male psyche, where vitriolic insults lie in wait at the back of the tongue, waiting to be hurled at those most loved until the brain is finally finished developing… as long as it is free of “sulfuric acid.”  #1: Lonely People With Power by Deafheaven Deafheaven somehow cleared the seemingly impossible task of Sisyphus with this record. They topped 2013’s Sunbather, a record that has held a special place in my heart since I first heard it. However, this album might be the band’s new greatest outing. The songs are significantly more packed with vocals than previous black metal outings, which some may like less, but Clarke’s lyrics are at an all-time profound. I struggle to put into words the emotions this album stirs in me. I will leave it at this: incredibly tight and ferocious performances manage to maintain aggression (“Doberman”) while also giving way to starkly beautiful moments (“Amethyst”) and disturbingly brutal honesty (“Body Behavior”). This is a record for anyone who feels lonely in this panoptic age. “I was a man made of yesterdays Mornings glowing like coal Blinding the every day Legs buckling together when moving” Big thanks to Ancient Hand for the words! Give him a follow over on Instagram. I personally found some unfamiliar stuff in these lists--hopefully you did as well. - Ed.
In a continuing attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we slumbering scribes are making an effort to publish short reviews at a greater frequency, thereby shining our very small spotlight on more cool shit. Without further ado, here's some thoughts on the latest two singles from the exceptionally prolific Ourobonic Plague.
Written by: The Administrator
Those of you with frighteningly acute memories may recall a mini-review we wrote back in July of 2025 for "Blunderbuss," a jarring-yet-mesmerizing track that combined muffled klaxons with a stuttering drive. This was but one of 40(!) tracks Ourobonic Plague released last year, and the Green Annex train doesn't seem to be slowing down quite yet. The forthcoming EP G.A.: Four: Consecration will see release on February 5th, and the two singles before us--"Machine-kun" and "23 Gems"--serve as highly listenable harbingers. "Machine-kun" (released Dec. 15th of last year) is a garage-esque banger with a potent injection of the industrial presence and general weird energy we've come to expect from the established Ourobonic Plague aesthetic. I wouldn't call it future garage by any stretch, from what I understand of the genre conventions, but it certainly qualifies as futuristic garage. If, y'know, such a thing exists. In any case, this track is driven by the erratic and energized heartbeat of the skittering two-step. There's an obvious mechanical edge that permeates, but alongside the more overt danceable elements, there's a menacing squirm that becomes increasingly prominent on the back half, thrumming and breathing like some cosmic or otherwise alien entity. Unsettling and also dancey is a rare but powerful combo, and Ourobonic Plague nails it here. "23 Gems" (released Jan. 7th ) makes me wish, in hindsight, that I didn't already us the term "banger" above. While fitting a similar vibe, this track cranks up the tempo a tad, leaning into a clamorous grimy rattle. There's an aggression here displayed both in the intense rhythm and the writhing and punchy synths, which promo accurately describes as ''dueling." They are at the very least engaged in heated conversation, with retorts and flying rebuttals adding a greater sense of urgency to the already urgent beat. I really enjoy the energy on this one. It feels irresistible, and I'm excited to see how that energy plays out across the remainder of the EP. Give "Machine-kun" and "23 Gems" a listen below, check out their respective visualizers over on the Ourobonic Plague youtube, and consider pre-ordering G.A.: Four: Consecrated here!
Ourobonic Plague's assorted links can be found here.
In a continuing attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we slumbering scribes are making an effort to publish short reviews at a greater frequency, thereby shining our very small spotlight on more cool music. Without further ado: a cool single.
Written by: The Administrator
And now for something completely different! On occasion, a project hits the ol' promo inbox that sits well outside the typical listening habits of we slumbering scribes. But! Over the years, we've made a deliberate attempt to whittle down expectations of gene convention here at the Sleeping Village. A good song is a good song, after all, and we're in the business of good songs. "Beating Heart," the latest dreamy psychedelic-pop single from singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Casey Wells, is a certified good song. Having listened to it no fewer than perhaps 10 times in a row, I feel somewhat qualified to talk it up. Promo materials mentions Channels-era Tame Impala as a point of comparison, which is a reference point that feels oft-cited but not always accurate. Here, though, I see the vision, both sonically and emotionally. "Beating Heart" is similarly airy and pseudo-carefree, with a subtle underpinning melancholy. It puts on airs of nonchalance, but at the root of the matter, it is in fact quite, uh, chalant. Heartfelt. Emotionally charged. In the words of the artist, it is a track about "having to pull yourself away from seeking closure. It’s the timeless battle between the head and the heart, except it’s to the point where the head is having an intervention with the heart." Not exactly a topic that one might consider "light." Emotional heft swallowed by gentle cloud-floating instrumentation frequently makes for interesting juxtaposition, and here, Casey Wells presents a delicate and ethereal balance. The synths are rich and crisp and delightfully textured. The vocals are breezy, and when they drop out briefly in the track's midsection, some barely discernible muttering in the background adds a layer of intrigue. "Beating Heart" is a short listen, concise and fluff-free. It is polished and clean--arguably pristine, even. It's a vibe-y song, and while I do wish it was long enough to facilitate a lengthier vibe session, it leaves a tantalizing impression. Casey Wells - “Beating Heart" was released Jan. 15th, 2026 via Vaguely Vivid Records. Listen to it here! |
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