Written by: The Administrator
I am neither big and burly nor lean and mean, but yes, all the rumors are true. I have indeed been working out a lot lately. Thanks so much for noticing! Unironically though, I am really proud of the gains and the consistency I've made lately, and none of it would be remotely possible without the assistance of my favorite and most valued workout companion: muscular hardcore riffage. Real heavyweight breakdown-laden shit. It reeks of stale sweat. You know the stuff, even if you regularly make a habit of avoiding it. Anyways. Clocking in at a brisk 11 minutes and change, this 5 track EP is vicious and bloody. From the opening pummeling of "Dead On The Cross," it is very clear that Simulakra deal in outright savagery. Listening to Reincarnation is like unto being splattered to death by a berserker wielding a 20lb sledge. Reincarnation is a pulpy bloodbath littered with bone fragments. Reincarnation demands that the listener reacts by moving with an urgency and a disregard for discomfort, and from a purely practical perspective, that alone is a damn fine quality.
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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. Here's a mini-review of a fun and rockin' single I've had on repeat as of late!
Written by: The Administrator
Well, here I am, preliminarily getting hyped for the (hopefully?!) forthcoming sophomore album from Vexing Hex, one of my personal favorite Wise Blood Records affiliates. After re-releasing the excellent Haunt (see our review here!) as well as the spooky standalone single "Red Harvest" in 2020, these Illinoisan occult rockers have been pretty damn quiet. Needless to say, I was very excited to see the name pop back up on the ol' timeline, and even more excited to see that there was a shiny new single awaiting on Bandcamp. "Into the Night" is a great track, and has comfortably occupied rotation here at the Sleeping Village since release. A perfect candidate, methinks, for a pre-weekend mini-review. Let's dive in! In one convenient package, "Into the Night" delivers all of the elements that made Vexing Hex initially stand out in a crowded field. Much like Ghost, they sit comfortably in the goth/psych rock arena while embracing a fundamental pop stickiness. As such, "Into The Night" occupies a notably enjoyable space--aesthetically macabre, yet notably upbeat and cheery. The chorus is catchy as all hell, a true earworm and a borderline radio-friendly singalong if only it were released in another era. The spooky gothic vibes are overt and tantalizingly campy. The guitar is bouncy and exciting, and a sly psychedelic current runs through the whole affair. There's little embellishments that add to the general fun--take, as a prime example, the little chimes or the subtly celebratory horns that sneak in at the tail end of the track. All told, this is a highly entertaining and highly replayable tune. Yeah, I'm sold. "Into The Night" achieves all that an advance single should. If this serves as a harbinger for things to come on Vexing Hex's next album, we're inevitably in for something good. Vexing Hex - "Into the Night" was released March 8th, 2024. Find it 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 shit. Here's a mini-review of a debut single from a band worth watching!
Written by: The Administrator
A few months back, in another mini-review inevitably lost to the sands of time, I discussed the unique honor of witnessing a band release their very first song. One lone track can say a lot about a band's intentions and potential, and in today's case, I'm primed and ready to see what comes next in the world of hardcore doomsters Negative Bliss. Their first song "Sun Stain" has been on heavy rotation this past week here at ye olde Sleeping Village, and if a singular track is keeping my attention over multiple days, it is, in my book, certainly worth writing about. Negative Bliss lean into overtly dynamic composition, demonstrating sludgy heft and a borderline bestial vocal truculence alongside more mellow breathable moments. Therein lies an intrinsic and interesting contrast. "Sun Stain" begins with some notably thick riffage with a very nice dual vocals--hoarsely bellowed, and then shouted through a sneer--following close behind. The sheer heaviness dies down for a short hiatus before the song inevitably crashes back into its own weight. Here, the vocal delivery is harsh and emotively raw, and while I do wish the bellows in particular were sunk a bit further into the instrumentation to exemplify their weight, the vocals are surprisingly contemplative and somber for all of their initial aggression. The tail end of the track stretches into more post-metal territory, delivering some excellent soloing over a thundering wall of noise. It's a strong climax to a very solid song. It is perhaps a tad preemptive to say that I'm a fan of a band when they only have a single track to their name, but I will say this. I really like said track, and I'm really excited to witness the evolution of Negative Bliss. Promo material indicates that an eclectic batch of songs is in store for the remainder of the year. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out. Negative Bliss - Sun Stain was released Feb. 29th, 2024. Find it here, or give it a listen below! Written by: The Administrator Here's a rare (but hopefully welcome) occurrence 'round these parts: a music video premiere! For our old-school readers who are perhaps a little skeptical of this more newfangled technology, consider this. It's kind of like a standard track premiere, but your eyeballs get a little piece of the action as well. Today's artist in question is the one-person Fire at the Plantation House. This progressive death metal project explicitly tackles conversations surrounding injustice and revolt, and the realities of contributing to efforts to resist systems of oppression while existing in a position of privilege. Make no mistake: this is overtly and unabashedly political stuff. Thematic content aside, the music itself is engaging and genuinely progressive, very willing to reject convention in favor of the truly unexpected. But please don't take this as mere promotional hyperbole--just glance at the band bio and you'll see mentions of death metal, bluegrass, neo-soul, and sacred choir alongside promises of memorable melodies and mosh-inducing riffs. But enough preliminary blathering--let's cut to the chase, shall we? We're honored to present the endearingly homegrown video for title track and album opener "Southampton Insurrection." Check it out below! As always, we'll meet you on the other side.
Editor’s note: this review was originally published in 2020 at a now-defunct site for a collaborative Best Albums of the 2010’s Retrospective. As the internet has since swallowed said site, my retrospective review now appears here in lightly edited form.
Written by: The Administrator
When initially considering what album I wanted to draw into the light for an End of Decade retrospective, the sheer volume of possibilities sent me into a bit of a frenetic journey through a decade of heavy music. Let’s face it: in ten years, the metalverse spawned an unbelievable bounty. But, eventually, the only true option became clear. For such an event I needed to focus on an album that, beyond being excellent in its own right, somehow personally set the stage for the decade as a whole. That, for me, is Agrimonia’s Rites of Separation. This album singlehandedly determined the course of my music listening experience from 2013 to the present. “Talion,” the album’s first track, begins with a piercing riff, a crystal-clear clarion call. It serves as an assertive hook, cutting through the noise before the noise even begins. This is the track that pulled me into a world of harsh vocals and aggressive atmosphere, a world of deliberate and progressive songcraft. Because Agrimonia are so genre fluid, existing betwixt black metal, sludge, post-metal, post-hardcore, crust punk, death metal, and doom, it is remarkably easy to approach their sound without any particular expectations. As such, a young acolyte to heavy music gained perspective without necessarily committing to the trappings of a particular niche.
Written by: Brooklyn Artemis
Releasing your first album after over ten years as a band and four years after your last EP isn’t exactly orthodox. But then, you couldn’t call Rough Justice an orthodox band either. Releasing their first demo in early 2012, there were only sporadic releases across the 2010's as members’ attention remained divided. Vocalist James Tippetthas described the band as more of a ‘passion project’ and ‘outlet’ in an interview given to Knotfest. This only became more of an issue when drummer Josh Baines’ other band began gaining more traction and success in the British, then global scene. That band is Malevolence. But after signing to Malevolence’s label, MLVLTD, the Sheffield stalwarts have reached a major milestone. Rough Justice, one of the bands credited with the creation of the current wave of British hardcore, has finally dropped their first full length, and Faith in Vain is everything I hoped for and more. After seeing them a couple of years ago, and eagerly awaiting new material since, these eight tracks have thoroughly scratched that itch. The album feels like a victory lap--an acknowledgment of the band’s raw roots in demos and EPs still only available on Bandcamp, combined with a more polished sound which takes cues from the scene that has sprung up around them. It is bruising, intense, thoughtful at times, and a very strong start to 2024 from the British hardcore scene. In other words, it fucking rips. 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 little one-off reviews that would have previously (and arbitrarily) been deemed too short for publication. Here's a mini-review of a fun lil' summertime single. Written by: The Administrator There's something special about a song released on January 1st--a cold and snowy day at the Sleeping Village, as I recall--that wholeheartedly embodies a feel-good beach bop aesthetic. SoCal rapper Mr. Lil One's new single, featuring Ari Duarte, hits the nail on the head when it comes to summertime vibes. "To The Sky" evokes sunshine, the sound of surf on sandy beaches, the smell of sunscreen and drinks with little umbrellas. Flip flops, frolicking, warm skin. The beat is smooth and bright, providing a little surfy sun-soaked bounce. Everything here is crisp and warm and clean. Borderline lovey-dovey. Complimenting the light mood, Mr. Lil One's lyrics are playfully unabashed, overtly sexual, and occasionally sweet. His flow is refreshingly straightforward and casual. Ari Duarte's chorus feels classic in a way that is more timeless than old-school per se, and her delivery on the last verse is leisurely and comfortable, like a lazy afternoon after a morning in the sun. Clocking in under three minutes, the song is short and sweet--nothing more than it needs to be. I dunno about your particular locale, but it is cold and dark 'round these particular parts, and tracks like "To The Sky" are a welcome addition to the playlist. Check it out below! Mr. Lil Uno (feat Ari Duarte) - To The Sky was released Jan. 1st, 2024
Written by: The Administrator
As a pseudo-mediaeval scribe raised off the grid, I wasn't exactly allowed video games at home as a child. However, if I saw Epilogue's artwork gracing a PlayStation disc at a friend's house, I would have, without a doubt, been suitably enraptured. Look at those colors! The implied sense of movement and perhaps, if you use your imagination, even a little chaotic violence! The allure is strong. Judging the book by its cover aside, I am familiar with 18 Slashes' game. 2023's excellent Jawnnobyl was a dark synthwave masterclass as far as I'm concerned, and ended up taking the crown as my favorite electronic album of the year. Created as the soundtrack for a game that does not exist, and admittedly operating at a much higher bitrate, every 18 Slashes release is nevertheless imbued with an endearing nostalgia. Stefan Schneider has found a delicate balance between explosively frenetic fun and a specific yearning for the irreplicable childlike glee associated with experiencing a new game for the very first time. Anyways, this was originally going to be published as a mini-review, but I have far too much to say. Let's blow away the word count parameters and just go for it, shall we? ON THE HORIZON: Madame Frankenstein - The Eyes Of The Mountain Are Mine (Brazilian Stoner Doom)1/3/2024
Written by: The Administrator
Given our newfound sense of productivity here at our humble slumbering township, it is high time, methinks, to bring back a frequently forgotten Sleeping Village feature. That's right, dear reader. It's time once more for On The Horizon. Not a review per se, nor an album announcement, but rather a third secret thing that lurks awkwardly betwixt the two. Today, we gaze towards what appears to be the second full length from Brazilian stoned doomsters Madame Frankenstein. I heard (and quite enjoyed) their debut album released last year, which served as a collection of loose singles and EPs dropped throughout 2023. The bluntly entitled Doom brought a familiar fuzzy approach alongside some thin and filtered vocals that served well to exemplify the detached psychedelic vibe. The general aesthetic presented in their cover artwork across the album and singles was quite nice as well. Doom demonstrated some notable promise in a subgenre that has no shortage of fresh blood, but regrettably seemed to have missed the press circuit--I was a little surprised to see so few folks in the stoner doom scene talking about Madame Frankenstein. In any case, February of this year will see the release of a new six track project entitled The Eyes Of The Mountain Are Mine. I'm hopeful for a little more deserved fanfare this time around. |
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