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OBITUARY - Dying of Everything (Review)

3/25/2023

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Written by: Blackie Skulless

The classic Florida death metallers Obituary have remained pretty constant over their several decade existence, whether or not their albums actually hold up. Being an outfit that plays things a bit too safe sometimes, their discography can certainly be spotty, but the bright side is that it leaves little room for outright failure. Their 2017 self-titled album was a solid slice of their business as usual displays, and six years later we get Dying Of Everything. The only difference is, they actually stepped out of their comfort zone more than they have in a very long time.

It admittedly takes little to expand upon Obituary’s brand of death metal, but them doing it to themselves worked wonders. For the most part, Dying Of Everything touches on a lot of what the more varied outings have given us in the recent decade. Using modern production tactics to the advantage of echo and haunting effects beside buzzing riffs made a world’s difference, rather than cleaning everything so much. The end result is a disc that boasts all of the sludgy, dense characteristics that made Slowly We Rot incredible with a refreshing new personality.


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THULSA DOOM - A Fate Worse Than Death (Review)

3/18/2023

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Written by: Blackie Skulless

In 2018, the Italian act Thulsa Doom caught my attention with the EP Realms Of Hatred, but for the longest time, I got no follow up. Last year, it slipped past my radar, because the debut full-length entitled A Fate Worse Than Death delivered exactly what I look for in the death metal genre. While this is a bit of a continuation of what was offered up before, the execution here is splendid. Nothing really reinvents the wheel, but comprehension and strong riffage take the throne.

For the most part, this is reflective of the old school Florida sound, using chunky but concise playing patterns, held up with an extra boost from the bass. It’s hard to not notice the refined nature in the production, letting go of the raw insides that the previous effort gave, but I see this as an improvement, and nothing is too over the top. The constant weaving of blasting drum avalanches between harder kicks and bright solos create a steady contrast. Matter of fact, the drum and bass combos play a noticeable enough role here to share the spotlight with everything else.


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CONJURETH - The Parasitic Chambers (Review)

2/24/2023

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Written by: Blackie Skulless

Following a short career consisting of two demos and a full-length that have all gotten solid praise from me, Conjureth are back with a second full-length. While not changing too much, there’s enough here to get whiffs of exploration that feel just a little scared to move that direction. The Parasitic Chambers certainly maintains everything that made the band’s coarse, yet simple and furious nature stick the first time. As such a style can run dry quickly, it’s good that there are some signs of other ideas.

For starters, the focus on advanced rhythms and lead guitars is propped up a bit. Album one may have had a little bit of this, but it was hardly the focus. On The Parasitic Chambers, drastic swings from more traditional playing to intense, panic-stricken breaks take precedence. What’s really maintained is the louder atmosphere, which admittedly makes some of this harder to realize unless you’re playing on an incredible sound system. The outro of “Dimensional Ascendency” is the first spot that this nuance becomes quite clear, particularly with the small solo.


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MITHRIDATUM - Harrowing (Review)

1/29/2023

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Written by: Maddie

Dissonant death metal, a tradition that while anchoring its roots as far back as the mighty Gorguts and their seminal Obscura, has really been summoned as a force within the broader death metal scene within recent years. Disso-death may be my favorite interpretation of the extreme metal branch, a style that can be felt from recent aberrations bestowed upon us by acts such as Convulsing, and Ad Nauseum. It is a sound while circling around death metal conventions, lures you into a suffocating and hostile atmosphere through oblique songcraft and harrowing production. It presents a certain technicality, but not a virtuosity meant to entice a listener onto a singular instrumentalists’ shred capabilities, but instead utilized to smother the listener into a bewildering decay.

On their debut effort Harrowing, US-based Mithridatum offer up a formidable entry into the dissonant death metal catalogue. Featuring members of The Faceless and Abhorrent, the band’s proclivities towards technicality can easily be understood. The three-piece, through five compositions of cavernous rot, allow this album to envelop and fester, patiently allowing their tracks to develop with care.


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SCORCHING TOMB - Rotting Away (Review)

7/2/2022

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Written by: The Administrator

Here in the ivory tower of our dusty scriptorium, we slumbering scribes often get caught up in our own machinations and obsessions. The other residents of Ye Olde Sleeping Village find us aloof, at times, and in the interest of furthering their musical opinions, a little intervention is rightfully required. Take this morning, for instance, when the guy who rubs cow brains on cow skin shouldered his way through our door and demanded that we leave the highfalutin horseshit behind and set our quills to a death metal review for once. I, for one, am not prepared to argue with anyone drenched in cow brains, let alone a burly tanner, so here we are, presenting a death metal review. Extensive intro aside, let's get bloody, shall we?


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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: June 24th, 2022 Feat. PAGANIZER, Horned Wolf, Tabahi, and 10,000 Years

6/23/2022

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Every Friday, 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 new 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 today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! 

On the docket for today, June 24th, 2022:

PAGANIZER, Horned Wolf, Tabahi, and 10,000 Years

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PAGANIZER - Beyond The Macabre
​(Transcending Obscurity Records)


Look, you hardly need me to tell you that the latest from PAGANIZER is a high quality death metal album. This is a given. Regardless, here I am telling you that Beyond The Macabre is, well, a high quality death metal album. This is quintessential stuff, from the buzzing Swedeath tone, to the cranium-cratering double bass, to the meathook riffage, to the sweaty aggression of Rogga Johansson's burly vocal delivery. PAGANIZER sustain their knack for slipping a lil' sliver of progressive death into the fray, which grants Beyond The Macabre a level of interest that transcends the pure knucklehead aesthetic. That said, if you're solely in it for the hallmarks of  Swedeath, you will enjoy this one regardless. In a year that is staggering under the weight of excellent death metal, PAGANIZER still manage to make a sizable dent. For those of ye in the mood for good death metal: this'll certainly do the trick.

Find it here!
​

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Horned Wolf - Become Like They Are
​(Independent)

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me just state that this Fresh Meat Friday iteration of the Horned Wolf writeup is but an appetizer for a longer review to follow. In short, then: Become Like They Are is a very intriguing album from a band that is notably difficult to pigeonhole. Horned Wolf fling genre convention and expectation out the window. Instead, they elect to provide a collection of tracks defined less by sonic compatibility and more by snarling 'tude and the sheer power of Sav MangelsDorf's dynamic vocals. From bluesy doom to pop-laden prog to borderline death belligerence, Become Like They Are presents an exceedingly unpredictable journey, and that is a quality I very much enjoy.

But anyways. Much more on this later! In the meantime, give Become Like They Are
 a well-deserved listen.

​Find it here!


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UNDEATH - It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave (Review)

4/24/2022

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Written by: Blackie Skulless

Since the band’s earliest demo at the crack of 2019, I’ve been following every Undeath output that gets tossed out at a close range due to the band’s immediate ear for outstanding writing in the death metal genre. 2020’s Lesions Of A Different Kind would take the structural brutality of the demos and bring them to a refreshing light. This quickly cemented the New York quintet as one of my favorites in modern death metal. There’s no sign of this discontinuing with the latest, entitled It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave. 

Fitting the imagery of the name and artwork, Undeath sees their second full-length as a step forward in technical tactic while strongly maintaining their ground in memorable riffing. Never is the muddy and unforgiving bottom lost with harsh and disgusting tones that draw the guitars as deep as the guttural vocals.


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FETID ZOMBIE - Transmutations (Review)

2/9/2022

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Written by: Blackie Skulless

I first discovered Fetid Zombie through their Death Covenant EP in early 2020. While pretty impressive, channeling the strong Obituary and rotting vibes, I certainly didn’t foresee them jumping to this level of intensity (this is also going in with no knowledge about the earlier full-lengths). Enter Transmutations, an absolute beast of a record that swings in a completely different position. Not only is the songwriting longer and more advanced, it’s so much more cohesive than I would have pictured.

Across the board, you have a friendly dose of hoarse and cavernous wailing (vocally and instrumentally), melodic traditional metal riffing, dissonant and intense lead passages, and a plethora of different vocal varieties. Almost never does a death metal record of this type pull off the traditional growls, roaring echoes, and even clean singing at times, like in the soft intro of “Dreamless Sleep Awaits.” But don’t mistake this for some generic melodeath accessible serving; it manages its accessibility with writing tactic that winds up being catchy. Lots of bells and whistles, synths, and effects are tossed in for wonderful measure.


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NECROPHAGOUS - In Chaos Ascend (Review)

1/8/2022

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Written by: The Administrator

Maybe I'm alone in this opinion, but I find high quality death metal albums particularly difficult to review. The standard adjectives feel dead on arrival--"brutal" or "ripping" or "pulverizing" only get you so far with an audience who has heard it all before. Upping the ante in terms of gross-out description is similarly limited: there's only so many ways you can say "cranium-crushing" "intestine-splitting" or "cadaver-licking" before the hyperbole starts feeling stale and copy/pastable. You can only drop so many laundry lists of high-profile acts such as Morbid Angel, Revulsion, Incantation, Dying Fetus, Deicide, Suffocation, Hate Eternal, and motherfuckin' Cannibal Corpse before it starts to sound like comparison for the sake of comparison.

Anyways. enough shop talk. Let's move on to today's high-quality death metal album in question.


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  • REVIEWS & PREMIERES
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