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This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of an EP from 2020.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Anything that calls itself “black ‘n roll” is going to have my attention immediately. A recent spike in blackened traditional metal that seems to stick with the NWOBHM riffs under a harsh and dark haze offers all sorts of interesting ideas. But New Jersey’s The Gauntlet rides almost entirely on slower, steady riffing that hooks the ear every time. War And Guilt is their sole release (outside of some splits), a twenty-two minute EP from 2020 with solid proportions. Looking at the art work, you would never expect this, as I didn’t. Something that screams generic party thrash turning out to actually be music this compelling caught me off guard. In a way, the entire tape works as one massive song, in the sense that each of the five tracks weave into each other, using the same trick for every execution. Shifts in speed and tone help break this up some. Small licks like the bridge in “Damnation Calls With Haste” certainly add some life before the solo and resolution, and those rumbling drums under the bass in “Old Lord” will shake your insides. War And Guilt displays a pretty impressive ear for gradual layering across the board. The harsh, stagnant shrieks somewhat mask the tweaks in patterns, allowing haunting, Bathory-like rhythms to make their way in. As you can imagine, it does feel a bit same-y at times due to the fact that it’s mostly a one trick pony. Don’t go into this expecting the tag to be too literal, The Gauntlet isn’t going to be Van Halen or Blue Oyster Cult under shrieking vocals. But for what we’re given, it scratches the itch every time. The Gauntlet -War and Guilt was released August 26th, 2020. Find it here!
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FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: June 17th, 2022 Feat. Void Witch, Trocar, Valley of the Sun, and Inexorum6/17/2022
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!
This Friday, Bandcamp is holding their third annual Juneteenth fundraiser, where they donate 100% of their cut of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Win/win! On the docket for today, June 17th, 2022: Void Witch, Trocar, Valley of the Sun, and Inexorum
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Just before the world was taken by storm with a pandemic, Skumstrike blew my mind with their comprehensive brand of black/speed/punk. On 2020’s Execution Void EP of only fifteen minutes, they managed to sell me instantaneously. With a newer love for extreme music, I found the Canadian duo to touch close to the powerviolence side of things due to the unforgiving delivery. Now, they’ve solidified this into the form of full length with Deadly Intrusions. The debut album is every bit as intense as what we were given before, with just a slight hint of clarity amongst the extremely coarse finish. The noisy gradient over the guitars and borderline fuzzed vocal delivery is still ever so present, coating the metal oriented passages with the blackest tint. But the leads themselves stand out higher than they ever have before, be it the solos or the riffs. This is helpful, especially because some of the songs move right into the next, further bridging the already overwhelming songs. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Before tearing into this monster, I need to address something. Belgium’s black/speed metallers Bütcher are an enigma that took me a hot minute to dig, but the deeper I went, the more unique they became. This is mostly due to the fact that they’re so unapologetically ridiculous that I almost want to classify them as a parody band. This thinking is coming from the song titles themselves, the stage names, the intentionally nonsensical spelling of words, the crude sexuality crossed with Satan everywhere, and just the fact that Bütcher wears every influence on their sleeve, refusing to even try to cover it up. This breathes Judas Priest, Motörhead, Bathory, and Venom all in one sentence. Despite all of this being pretty damn common, the fact that the songwriting is so astronomically good, blending so much together so smoothly is what gives this its standout charm. 
Written by: The Administrator
Blackened industrial doom metal isn't a sonic environ this particular scribe frequents with regularity. Sometimes, however, one feels the urge to conquer the unknown and descend directly into the bowels of the underworld. And so here we are, amongst the brimstone and the inferno, with Son of Seth assuming the role of psychopomp as we meander ever downwards. While genre labels are easy to throw around, what Son of Seth actually sounds like is a remarkably ever-evolving affair across the 26 minutes constituting De Dor A Odio. Intro track "Tortured Sight" begins with some noise-ridden atmospherics, an ominous and cinematic soundscape that is pulled apart by the thunderous arrival of what I can only imagine as a behemothian kaiju. And then it’s off to the races as the tortured vox emerge from the fray. While carrying themselves with a certain blackened bite, the vocal delivery reminds me more of something dredged from the world of harsh noise--add some overt pitch modulation, and you've got a mechanical vibe akin to something from Marijuana Deathsquads. But make no mistake: this is a calculatedly spooky affair, heavy on the atmosphere and bituminous ambience. The industrial influences shine through, resulting in an organically mechanized soundscape that practically begs for accompanying HR Giger illustration. 
Written by: The Administrator
There's a special irreplaceable fire and fury that exists only in the confines of a blistering proto-thrash demo tape. Reno's own Sorcerer's Sword enter this specific arena with Demo 2021, infusing the speedy thrash aesthetic with retro blackened punk. In short: goddamn. This five-track-and-an-intro barnburner is a very promising debut, as fun as it is frenetic. Sorcerer's Sword paint with a broad no-fucks-given brush, which is kind of implicit, given their chosen genre worship and hellraising aesthetic. There's little pretense lurking in their primitive yet proficient fare, and the sheer bloodletting violence they enact is a sight to behold. If you're looking for points of vague comparison, consider the filthy black/thrash likes of Sabbat and Vulcano by way of the speed of early Sodom and no-holds-barred maniacal approach of Deathhammer or Witchtrap. 
Written by: The Administrator
There's been a constant string of winter storms here in Chicago--erm, I mean the geographically unpinned Sleeping Village--as of late. As such, I've been spending a lot of time outside taking long walks, because nothing soothes the soul quite like experiencing a taste of extremity. Such walks necessitate a similarly frigid soundtrack, and last night, on one such ramble, the succinct We Were Put On This Earth To Suffer did the trick nicely. This four-track split by Sapientia Diaboli and Dread Maw is an acute display of distinct raw black metal stylings. Like unto a good split, it presents a package greater than the sum of its parts by benefit of juxtaposition. And, like unto a walk in a winter storm, it requires a little preparation and perhaps even an advisory. In this arena, senses will be deadened. Frostburn is likely. Discomfort is all but guaranteed. 
Written by: The Administrator
Let's get one thing clear immediately. If the production quality of first wave black metal isn't your cup of tea, you're inevitably gonna have trouble with this one. If, however, you find a certain irreplaceable charm and viciousness in audio quality that mirrors the experience of listening to music through blown-out earbuds that happen to be located several rooms away...well, you are in good hands. Stick around. Over the course of the past few years and several distinct projects, Erin Palmer has been refining a clear sound and sense of recognition in the world of antifascist black metal. Excluding a recent two-track split with Molten Dagger, her latest effort--the brisk No Grace But Through Torment--is the first EP proper under the Wolven Daughter name. It's also pointing in the direction of Erin's best work to date, which is saying something, given how much I enjoyed previous efforts. Clocking in at 8 minutes, No Grace But Through Torment delivers its point quickly without waiting around for a misguided rebuttal, all while leaning heavily into the brazen abrasivity of raw black metal. |
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