Written by: The Administrator
In the course of reviewing music, I've increasingly tried to exercise a degree of thoughtfulness when comparing an artist to another artist. Namedropping for the sake of it is practice that often feels a little presumptuous, especially when specific influences are an unknown. Besides, if I'm resorting to comparing artists because there is nothing else to say, the review is probably... a little empty. As such, I try to keep direct comparisons A. positive, and B. firmly within the context of my own listening experience. If a guitar tone or an approach to songwriting fondly reminds me of something, and if that association benefits the overall review, it might merit mention. Of course, this whole philosophy opens up a bit when an artist specifically mentions influences. Am I in Trouble?, a new project from friend of the Sleeping Village and Negative Bliss guitarist/vocalist Steve Wiener, makes these inspirations public. In fact, here's a convenient playlist. If you are a nerd like myself, and interested in digesting music in the overt context of the creative elements that led to its creation, said playlist makes for a pretty damn enjoyable listening experience. Anyways! "On to "Red," today's track in question.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Indiana’s Wraith touched my radar back in 2018 with their simple and straightforward but hard-hitting debut album Heed The Warning. Since then, it’s been a mixed bag, as I felt their follow-up Absolute Power didn’t do much to inspire despite a slight reworking, but then Undo The Chains swung in and blew my mind a few years following, outdoing themselves. It was anybody’s guess as to how the band would fare moving forward with such a background. This brings us to Fueled By Fear, working in the same vein as the prior record. Working on a good foundation, the fourth outing sees similar songwriting tactics that made the previous record super strong. The blackened, harsher vocals remain while the cleaner, precise guitar sweeps and strong leads still take the forefront for much of this. Hooky tactics that build for nice choruses can stick in one’s head, and I’d go as far as saying a lot of these fall in the fun category (with a mean tint). Tunes like “Ice Cold Bitch,” “Code Red,” and “Merchant Of Death” are packed with pummeling drum kicks, breakneck riffs for days, and energy that’s easy to dig.  Written by: The Administrator Another killer single from Howdytoons dropped last Friday, and as I surf through their impressive catalog, I wonder whomst among us didn't have a dinosaur era. Did any of us actually escape a period wherein dinosaurs--aesthetically, conceptually, historically--were simply the coolest thing imaginable? For me, this phase peaked in elementary school, and for a solid 4-5 years, I was an expert. I would have been the first to um akshully my current self, explaining that today's titular quetzalcoatlus was not, in fact, a dinosaur, but rather a pterosaur. Big difference. Years later, I'm admittedly less knowledgeable about dinosaurs and their ilk, but that's not to say I won't get hyped when the occasion permits. Which leads us to today's track in question. "Quetzalcoatlus" is the latest single from a band perhaps most well known for their family-friendly music videos on YouTube. Covering evergreen topics like dinosaurs and mythological creatures, and with over a millions subscribers, they are not exactly a small fish in the the large pool of educational media. Certainly a little different than the typical Sleeping Village fare, but I have a perennial appreciation for the sheer quality of their craft. And this latest track is one of their strongest to date, in my opinion. Featuring vocals by Rody Walker of Protest the Hero, as well as drums from Marco Minnemann, there's a lot of talent on display. Discard your misconceptions about about so-called kid's music and take a moment to appreciate how intensely riffy and hard-rockin' "Quetzalcoatlus" actually is. Instrumentally, this thing is notably meaty coming from a band with cartoony cover artwork. The track genuinely rocks--there's an engaging momentum and a refrain that is incredibly hooky. The vocals lend a certain pedigree, particularly as they approach harsh territory at the tail end, but the kinetic songwriting itself sucks you in. And the lyrics are just fun. "Quetzalcoatlus" is intrinsically a song that kids and families can enjoy--indeed, Howdytoons have written a high-quality banger that I look forward to sharing with my nephew next time he breaks out the plastic dinos. However, "Quetzalcoatlus" is also an unironically engaging listen for me. An adult. Unlike so many others in this particular made-for-kids lane, Howdytoons songs don't feel dumbed down. As such, I can and will listen to a track like "Quetzalcoatlus" for the sheer joy of it. They've carved out quite a niche for themselves. No small feat. Check out "Quetzalcoatlus" below! Howdytoons can be found:
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Ohio’s very own Valdrin has actually been on my radar since their 2020 album titled Effigy Of Nightmares, though they didn’t really grasp my attention back then (and don’t worry, I’ve since grown fond of that album). Several years of me finding corners of black metal that I enjoy, and perhaps some musical evolution on their part would change my perception by late last year. Roughly three years following said 2020 release, the band dropped Throne Of The Lunar Soul, clutching ahold of my attention from the artwork alone. Thankfully the music held just as much substance, causing me to completely re-evaluate. On a stylistic front, Valdrin have stayed in their lane well enough, retaining a black metal base with some minor tampering in other landmarks of the extreme metal sphere. But at their core, this U.S. quartet took that base and expanded past measures that I could have seen coming. Rather than sticking to a crushing and punishing wall of sound, they’ve gone and mixed in melody, soft and acoustic layers, and concise, poetic themes around the mythical, ancient, and medieval. Perhaps they’ve always leaned toward these directions anyway, but the superb production and advanced construction found here made it stand out blatantly.
Curated and Written by: Josh Alexander of Forgotten Shrine
In a (continuing) attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're having a band take over the blog every few weeks to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. Our most recent playlist takeover came courtesy of Dead Karma, but now Josh Alexander of folk metal duo Forgotten Shrine drops by the Village with a playlist of influences. The result of Josh Alexander and Sofia Frasz's joint interest in "bardcore," Forgotten Shrine is a folk/medieval style project drawing influences from across the realms of metal including Nightwish and Eluveitie. Original soundtracks from the world of gaming and film, and the traditional/pagan folk genre as a whole, also inspires the band's musical approach. Forgotten Shrine currently has two singles available on bandcamp--check out "The Parting Glass" and "Where Shadows Lie" here! Without further ado, I'll let Josh take over! |
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