Written by: The Administrator
If you are a purveyor of music review sites, you've undoubtedly learned to skip over the fluff that constitutes AOTY intros. The pointlessness of writing this isn't lost on me, let alone the fact that this is a list for, erm, the wrong year. In the music industry churn, an album released last year might as well be a million years old. Obsolete. Irrelevant. Forgotten. So: why 2023? Why not 2024, like unto a proper music review website? What's the rationale behind publishing this list a whole damn year late? There are two reasons. The first is that I think demonstrable longevity is an important aspect of music appreciation, and the ability of an album to outlast a narrow moment in time is a testament to its particular excellence. The second (and real) reason is that I am a profoundly lazy and frequently overwhelmed person, and compiling this list last December was a very large task that seemed, frankly, insurmountable. So here we are. These are 23 albums from 2023 that are, in significant hindsight, still very much my favorite albums of 2023. In terms of format, this list is alphabetical and purely unranked. The generally arbitrary structure of counting down to #1 simply doesn't demonstrate the way I enjoy music, nor is it an effective or accurate way to make recommendations. I'm also completely unconcerned about genre, as I listen to a lot of different stuff. If I'm writing a list, it should probably reflect the reality of listening habits instead of projecting a false image of metal exclusivity. Be prepared for eclecticism. I hope there's something lurking herein that catches your ear. A massive thank you to every artist who contributed to the releases below. And, dear reader, thank you for your readership and support of artists! You're the best. Yes, you.
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Written by: The Administrator
Inside me are two Aborted fanboys. The first acknowledges that a review posted on my little review site seven months after the release of Vault of Horrors will do approximately nothing. Such an exercise would represent nothing more than wasted time and energy that could be better spent writing about a lesser-known band. The second fanboy, however, yearns to talk about Aborted, and the only thing that will quench this terrible thirst is an overly loquacious review. After a brief and perhaps gratuitously bloody battle, the second fanboy won. Decisively. And so here we are. On their twelfth album, the horror-themed Vault of Horrors, Aborted continues their established trend of brutality with a technical flair. The second leg of their career has continually demonstrated a move away from the grindy aesthetic of the releases that they built their reputation upon, and this latest does little to buck the trend. Indeed, Vault of Horrors arguably represents them leaning the furthest into an unabashed Cattle Decapitation-esque modern sheen. That's far from a slight--this polished territory comes with roaring low end, squirmy and discombobulating quickfire riffage, and militantly pummeling percussion that feels like sustained bombardment from automatic railguns. Aborted show no qualms when it comes to burying the audience in pursuit of all-out sonic assault, and, as such, listening to all ten tracks in the intended order requires a certain willingness to succumb to overstimulation. But isn't that why we're all here? At this point in their career, it's safe to say that Aborted seldom do things halfway. In adhering to this maximalist mindset, every single moment on this album is absolutely overflowing with sound. Vault of Horrors is an exercise in (mostly) justified excess. 
Written by: The Administrator
Upon discussing the state of our abyssal promo pit with the Village's own Pit Herder, we came to realize that there are a great many unsung demo tapes swimming in the depths. They often go unnoticed, unfairly so. As we were ruminating, the Pit Herder recommended that we ink-splattered scribes create, and I quote: "a brand new column dedicated solely to demos that you will get excited about in the short term yet inevitably abandon in several month's time?" To which I responded, "splendid idea!" And so here we are, having dredged a variety of delightful and terrifying specimens from amongst the pit's weeds, discarded carcasses, and other assorted detritus. Today's catch: the 3-track demo from Singapore's End Of All, released digitally on February 24th of this year. Let's get into it, shall we?
The Sleeping Village has been around for a few years now, and during that time, a lot of reviews have unceremoniously disappeared into the dark confines of our archives, destined to never see the light of the front page again. Music appreciation doesn't start and end upon release, and in that spirit, here is a review retrieved from the depths.
Written by: The Administrator
To be frank, I approached Four Dimensional Flesh with immense trepidation. Brutal death metal and/or slam aren’t exactly locales I find myself frequenting with any kind of regularity--if I pass through, it’s usually a lone track in the midst of an otherwise innocuous playlist. While the dedication to slammin’ riffs and woodpecker-on-a-hot-tin-roof percussive fills are certainly attractive bedfellows, the trademark drainpipe gutturals and resonance chamber bree-brees really ain’t this scribes cup o’ vox. And yet here we are, plumbing the gurgling pipes with a grim sense of glee. Why? Because Afterbirth strives to make slam interesting. And it is this quality that remains Four Dimensional Flesh’s greatest strength amongst strengths FRESH MEAT FRIDAY - Feb. 4th, 2022, Feat. Golgothan, Titanosaur, Iōhannēs, and Krystal Swords2/3/2022 On (occasional) Fridays, 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 week's new and noteworthy 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 listening to today at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! On the docket for today, Feb. 4th, 2022: Golgothan, Titanosaur, Iōhannēs, and Krystal Swords
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