Written by: Blackie Skulless
While Portland, Oregon’s Witch Vomit have been around for over a decade, picking up bigger attention in the latter half of that decade, it took a while for them to appeal to me. Their brand of death metal focuses on the old school style, sticking to the usual themes of death and gore under a raw and guttural veneer. Normally that jumps right out to me, but for some reason it took the more refined approach of 2021’s Abhorrent Rapture to hook me. From there, the latest Funeral Sanctum seems to have followed suit, striking quite a strong chord. As anticipated, much of this follows the same marshy riffing with a cleaner production that doesn’t feel inorganic. Heavy and chunky riffing backed by pummeling drums that tend to coat on an echo with the bass kicks add an extra layer of muck, making it so guitar solos never take too much precedence. In other words, they feel focused without being the star of the show. This allows the rhythms section a little more prominence, which just may be what captures my attention the most.
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On the very occasional Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with 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 choice cuts 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, April 12th, 2024 Necrot, Corvus Corone, Heavy Temple, and Exist
Written by: The Administrator
No time for a superfluous introduction. Here is a collection of things I love about Principality of Mechanical Violence, the latest album from death metal duo Soulmass. Let us begin. Firstly, I love the album artwork. I am inclined to judge a book by its cover, and the case of this gorgeous piece by Samuel Nelson, I was immediately struck by the evocative palette and setting. Here, Samuel has captured a moment in time so articulately as the moon rises over a prone gundam. This is the gloaming; the moment where dusk becomes night. I generally adore heavy usage of pinks and purples, and the color of the logo is warm and wonderful, full stop. The color scheme in general feels quite unique in the world of death metal, and stands out from the crowd. It is by far one of the best covers I've seen this year. 
Written by: The Administrator
Yes. I can confirm that the rumors are true. We inksplattered inhabitants of the Sleeping Village's drafty scriptorium are, indeed, a bunch of big nerds. If a band backs their conceptual premise and presence with a lil' academic garnish, my interest is piqued. Enter Sublation. Great music aside, this Philly duo--who are responsible for 2022's outstanding The Path to Beldam--has the distinction of making death metal that feels clever. While many bands that choose to explain the thematic undercurrents of their work often feel like they are overcompensating, the ideas that inform Sublation's work are truly thought-provoking. Beyond that, the conceptual structure feels integrated and essential to the music itself. It doesn't get much better than that. If you are one of the (glorious, godlike, exceptionally well-read) few who checked out my list o' favorite 2023 EPs, you're likely already aware of my overall thoughts on the appropriately entitled On The Advancement of Decay. In interest of leveling the playing field, here's my conclusion in advance: I really like this project. It is clever, it is unique, it presents a cohesive voice. The individual songs are highly enjoyable on their own merits. The lyrics are some of the best in the business. Above all, this release is immaculately crafted--it is more than apparent how much care went into the final product. 
Written by: The Administrator
When ye olde Sleeping Village is pillaged and plundered in typical fashion--a frequent occurrence, if we're being honest--the inevitable spoils of the marauders feels fairly obvious: livestock, gold, artifacts, leather-bound tomes containing alchemical secrets. However, we were recently targeted by a new kind of thievery as an HM-2 afflicted crew graced us with their boisterous presence, demanding not the usual fare, but rather the bile from our rotten guts. After a messy and putrid passing of the collection plate, Vomitheist left us, erm, vomit-less. Lacking a certain subtlety, it was a little too noisy to be considered a heist per se, but rather than stew in the unfairness of it all, we slumbering scribes simply decided to give their tunes a spin. As it turns out, Vomitheist's debut album is a remarkable first outing, an absolute beast of a release. Straddling both a classic buzzsaw Swedish death metal muscularity and a putridity that distinctly reeks of a butchered Autopsy, NekroFvneral nails that delicious cadaver-licking foul factor while remaining a highly listenable--dare I say infectious--affair. This is a dominating debut performance, and Vomitheist have declared themselves a name to watch in very short order indeed. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
This year hasn’t really seen a whole lot in the realm of standout death metal, probably a personal take of mine due to the massive influx of it in recent times. This would change with the U.S. death metal act Kommand dropping their second full-length (not to be confused with the black/thrash act Kömmand). Entitled Death Age, this sees a continuation of their first album a couple years ago. Terrorscape was already pretty tight, but here is where we gain an even higher jump in quality. Despite being such a short release of only six tracks (also like the previous album), this passes before us rather quickly, but they pack a lot into a small container. Chunky, marshy riffs that carry loads of weight are pulled by compelling leads, some with a bit of a catchier ring to them. This is aided by production that gives it an echo-effect without overdoing anything, as well as a cleanliness level that brings everything forward without sanitizing what’s supposed to be filthy. Pacing is executed well for all of this release, letting the slower grooves swing into eruptive blasts with ease. “Chimera Soldiers” has a particularly strong ear for this, with opening leads that lay down strong dual-guitar layers. 
Written by: The Administrator
I undoubtably speak for everyone here: sometimes we all just need our craniums caved in with a boulder the size of a small boulder. When you require such necessary service, I highly recommend looking no further than Denver's Cronos Compulsion. Just take a gander at the appropriately burly and bloody album artwork for this (very good) five track EP and let me know what Malicious Regression sounds like. Your suspicions are undoubtably correct. Cronos Compulsion wield a truly neolithic approach to the model of simple but bluntly effective riffcraft, alongside a rumbling doomy density. The vocals are as bestial and cavernous as ye might expect. At times, ambient harsh noise serves to break up and/or intensify the abyssal soundscape. Bludgeoning atmosphere is the general rule, and when the riffs encounter peak sludge, a notable sense of despair prevails. Personally, I find these slower and gloomier moments to be some of the strongest. While there are certainly no weak songs, the lumbering "Consumed By Malignant Spirit" is an absolute crushing track, and, by extension, one absolute hell of a closer. 
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. 
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. 
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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