Written by: The Administrator
A quick stroll through the archives will indicate that we slumbering and ink-splattered scribes are no strangers to hosting a good ol' Through Mists premiere. Back in 2022 we dropped a couple if 'em back-to-back, writing about the both the overtly referential "Awaken The Sleeping Village" and the epic bird-centric concept album "Mindless Automations." Since then, Through Mists has proven prolific to an intimidating degree, releasing a frankly astounding six(!) albums in 2023. Of these, I was a particular fan of Starkiller, which embraced an aggressive yet proggy sonic palette and a distinctly mythical lyrical direction. Perhaps the best album from the project to date, in my opinion. Time moves on, and the Through Mists machine churns ever onward, albeit with a slightly longer timeframe separating the old and new material. And so here we are, with a new Through Mists release on the cusp of official droppage. The appropriately entitled Prolific--a four track EP--will be available tomorrow, April 25th. In the hours preceding, we are honored to host a premiere of the EP in full here in our less-than hallowed halls. Give it a listen below! As always, we'll meet ye on the other side to discuss.
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Written by: The Administrator
Horizon-gazers: assemble! Since the resurgence of this column a few weeks back, ON THE HORIZON has unintentionally been focused on doom and doom-adjacent releases. Today's entry shakes up the status quo. Let's get a little more grisly, shall we? The (forthcoming) debut album from Albuquerque's Magna Moriendi has been a long time coming. This one-man death metal project dropped a raw and raucous 3-track self-titled EP a while back, which I thought was quite impressive. Since 2020, nothing more emerged from the Magna Moriendi camp. But good things, as they say, come to those who wait. Into The Murk will be released on May 31st, and lead single "Moment of Apparitions" hit the ground running this past Wednesday. This is a damn strong track, and if it's any indication of what Magna Moriendi has been cooking up, I think we're in for a pretty delectable death metal debut. "Moment of Apparitions" takes a slightly less blistering approach than the 2020 EP. The track is a little longer than anything that came before, and while the riffage carries itself with a similar urgency, the more mire-inflicted implications of the album title and artwork are apparent in the general foreboding atmosphere. There's a rolling churn throughout that is just nauseating enough, and the riff that squirms across the current is an oddly invasive earworm. There's a solo that adds a nice level of unpredictability, and a thick low end keeps everything anchored. The vocals have seen some polish, albeit in a very comparative sense--they are still notably brutal and exceptionally muscular, but fit a little more comfortably in the overall mix. "Moment of Apparitions" represents a level up for Magna Moriendi. I've had this one on repeat today, and I'm psyched to hear what the remainder of this album has in store. May 31st. Mark yer calendars accordingly. In the meantime, check out "Moment of Apparitions" below! 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.
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, however, is a timeless affair, and in that spirit, here is a review retrieved from the deep dark depths.
Written by: The Administrator (originally published Jan. 5th, 2020)
If medical waste is unceremoniously disposed, as I like to imagine, in a dumpster out back behind the hospital, San Jose's Aseptic is the resulting viscera stew that oozes from bio-hazard bags and pools in the bottom. Not sure what I mean? Just imbibe in the sluicing juices and slimy riffage of the intro to Cascading Fluids. If you're still having trouble painting said picture--and god help you if that's the case--it may help to take note of the irrefutable fact that this EP legitimately sounds like it was recorded in a dumpster. Hyperbole aside, this is good stuff. If you happen to be familiar with Aseptic’s stellar Senses Decay EP, just know that this is an entirely different kind of beast. Same killer riffs, but the aesthetic is stripped to the bone.
Written by: The Administrator
After spending a long day trudging through a world that seems fully intent on chewing me up and spitting me out, the first thing I want to do is listen to a band that seems fully intent on chewing me up and spitting me out. No, literally, the very first thing. I get in my car, crank that angry spiteful music, and enjoy life for a little while. Enter Kingston-upon-Hull's Mastiff. Prime candidate for a wholeheartedly cathartic commute. Deprecipice, the band's fourth full length, marks a shift into more overt hardcore waters, allowing the grind, sludge, and deathier elements of their prior work to take more of a back seat. That's not to say, of course, that those qualities have dissipated--more that they have been more fully and organically incorporated into a (somehow) meaner and harder Mastiff sound. We can churn out descriptors all damn day. Deprecipice is seething, ugly, belligerent, harrowing, punishing, relentless, crushing, bleak, vengeful. There's an implicit curiosity that arises from the band's uniquely gnarly intimidation factor: just what level of violence are Mastiff actually capable of? They can howl and roar and batter the flimsy wooden fence in Beast-esque fashion, but what happens when they actually get their hands on you? There's tension in the implication. This is a massive album, rage-fueled and roiling, and as good as their discography is thusfar, I consider it to be far and away their best work to date.
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? 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.
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 the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. Here's a mini-review of a debut death metal single.
Written by: The Administrator
It is always an honor to be present at a band's genesis. Here we sit, witnessing the birth of death metal quartet Slaughtersun's very first single. Despite the debut status, "Fall of the Firmament" feels like the product of an experienced crew, which only stands to reason given the roster. Both founder Ben Karas of Windfaerer and Cody McCorry play in prog rock band Thank You Scientist, while Jason Quinones of Tombstoner and Justin Hillman of Cranial Damage provide cred of the more overtly brutal variety. Slaughtersun plays energetic and otherwise adrenalized death metal. On "Fall of the Firmament," the drums are lively and driven. The riffs are barreling in an off-kilter sense, belligerent by means of crisp ferocity if not crushing heft. The solo lends a little squirmy electric energy. The aggressive and snarling vocals hit a nice balance--they are coated in the requisite grit and rubble, but the lyrics remain largely decipherable. The urgent delivery is interrupted for a brief moment wherein a filtered spoken word piles on the old-school melodrama, which was initially a little jarring but upon revisitation fits the mood quite well. After a quick foray into more mid-paced waters, the track closes out with some borderline vertigo-inducing aggression. All told? "Fall of the Firmament" serves as a strong introduction to a band that is undoubtably worth keeping an eye on this year. Give 'ema follow! Slaughtersun - Fall of the Firmament was released Dec. 29, 2023. Find it here!
Slaughtersun can be found:
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