Written by: Blackie Skulless
Philadelphia's very own Crypt Sermon aren’t really anything new these days, and with only three albums stretched across nearly ten years, you can tell a lot went into all of them. While the band has always been something I’ve acknowledged as pretty solid, they never did anything exponential for me. That is, until now. The Ruins Of Fading Light took the doom metal world by storm five years ago, but The Stygian Rose took me by storm this year. Formulaically speaking, the band hasn’t undergone any serious changes between records, putting emphasis on the “epic” in epic doom metal for years. Our latest outing stays pretty true to this label, however this is the one that absolutely finished off what I previously acknowledged as kinda cool into something truly immaculate. The themes around religion and medieval occult haven’t gone away, either. So what’s the big deal? Perhaps I’m biased, but I think it boils down to a few things. I think that The Stygian Rose put more force behind the vocal passages, sped up more of the innards, and offered some tonal expressions that assault the listener in a way that previous records didn’t do to me. Certain guitar passages feel like they could fit into a speed metal song despite their crushing doom metal weight, and the way it flows so naturally is beautiful. Moreover, there’s a clearer aura to the vocals that remain clean, mostly avoiding anything harsh save for some rasp, yet they carry more conviction than what I find in a lot of extreme metal. Packing this into six long tunes makes for a muscular narrative that would almost feel overwhelming if things weren’t placed so wonderfully.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Considering how much I loved the debut album by Indianapolis’s very own Vexing Hex, you can imagine my excitement upon hearing they’ve finally cooked up a follow up. Haunt was very much a spooky doom metal-meets-psychedelic/classic rock outing that often finds itself compared to the likes of Ghost. Now we get Solve Et Coagula hitting the surface several years later. The same stylistic grounding is very much present, but I’m glad to say it’s also derivative. Mainly, the slower, doom-cladded riffing is a little more relaxed here in exchange for more blatant rock ‘n roll numbers that have a poppy front. Layers upon layers of synth and effect make themselves even more known, without compromising the tight riffs the band has long since built itself on. Moreover, the bass is more present than ever, enforcing an aggressive bottom as well as playing an important role in the rhythm itself. The outcome is quite literally a mix of songs that almost feel metal oriented, and straight up radio tunes.
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 July 6th, 2019)
Sometimes a band has a almost-but-not-quite grand debut, the kind of album that bears the weight of rookie flaws, but speaks of something larger to come. And then, sometimes, said band delivers tenfold on their next outing, absolutely shattering notions of sophomore slump. And sometimes the groggy-eyed scribe who said he'd review the album in a timely manner spends two months mulling over how best to put his enamorment into words. And that lands us here, with Wolf Blood’s II spinning for what seems the umpteenth time. Wolf Blood is one of those bands who revel in throwing a bevy of ideas at the wall and hoping they stick. Unlike most who engage in such reckless activity, these folks are really damn good at making sure it all stays up there. It’s purely original stuff, and in this business, that's a significant and rare quality.
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 doooomy album.
Written by: The Administrator
After a week of genre-hopping, it's high time for us slumbering scribes to return to our roots. That's right, folks: we're firing up some doom. More specifically, some long-form riff-centric darkly occult doom, courtesy of Italian doom mountaineers Cancervo. III is, well, their third outing, and I'm firmly of the opinion that it is their best work yet. With one organ-heavy intro followed by four thick tracks, this album is built on a solid bedrock of droning monolithic riffs and a notably dragged-from-the-crypt vocal style. The whole affair feels ritualistic and borderline hypnotic--some of these tracks could be twice as long and I'd happily sink into their ample presence. Cancervo's approach is antiqued, albeit in a way that feels more referential to traditional doom and less like mere imitation. They've certainly cranked up the spooky factor, for one. III is coated in a thick patina of mildew and dried blood. No bones about it: this album is impressively dark and unequivocally evil. Listening transports you to a candlelit catacomb, strapped to a sacrificial slab surrounded by hooded cultists. Or perhaps a moonlit forest, tied to a funeral pyre. A real witches-at-black-masses atmosphere. As it were. In terms of favorite tracks, "Sacrilegious Mass" and "Burn Your Child" are stone-cold bangers, and serve as near-perfect representations of the style. While each track herein is very solid in an individual light, the album does feel increasingly formulaic over the runtime. After each track's respective intro, the vocals are largely used to deliver mantra-like repetitions of a key phrase, and by the fourth track a little deviation would be nice to hear. That said, nothing here is worth skipping, and the notably short runtime was a smart move. For fans of old-school doom, I absolutely recommend checking this one out. Cancervo - III was released March 29th, 20244 via Electric Valley Records. Find it here! 
Written by: The Administrator
Welcome back, dear readers, to another track premiere! Pull up a chair, take off your boots. Get comfortable. Forget your worries. Stay a while. If the name Negative Bliss sounds familiar, it may be because we slumbering scribes refuse to shut up about them. Indeed, we're doing everything in our power to make sure you know what's up at all times. I reviewed their debut single a few weeks back, and now, after firmly establishing myself as a fanboy, we're honored to premiere their second single ahead of its release this Friday, March 29th. Entitled "The Good Life," this track demonstrates the band's right-out-of-the-gate willingness to show a different side, a different sound. As they are so new on the scene, a formal introduction feels in order. According to the band: "Negative Bliss formed when Jon--a drummer who had not played music in many years--put out an open call to find musicians and find a way back into music. A father of two small children, he hoped to find people with a similar passion for heavy music, a desire for camaraderie, and a shared understanding of middle-aged parenthood. He succeeded, and Negative Bliss was born. Formed in January 2023, the members of Negative Bliss quickly became close friends, and a tightly knit musical unit." And here we are. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Give "The Good Life" a listen below, and, as always, we'll meet you on the other side! 
Written by: The Administrator
What, dear reader, is more classically and quintessentially Sleeping Village Reviews behavior than dropping a review for an album that came out more than 12 months ago? I mean, come on. This is embarrassing. We slumbering scribes are notoriously--and demonstrably--bad at finishing stuff we started, but instead of letting this half-completed writeup die in the drafts, I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit and finally complete. Needless to say, I apologize to Bog Monkey for the extreme tardiness. This album is very good and merited a more prompt review. In any case, better late than never, I suppose. So. Bog Monkey. A fuzzed out and swampy doom/sludge/stoner trio out of Atlanta. They released their debut album back in early March of 2023, and I consider it to be one of the better exemplars of the genre released last year. It also features one of my favorite album covers of 2023--purple swamp, simian skeletons, and ooze is an aesthetic holy trifecta as far as this scribe is concerned--but that's another story. The music itself is pretty damn addicting, and notably feels quite unique in a world where a new stoner doom band seemingly pops up on a daily basis. Bog Monkey's homegrown concoction utilizes a little hardcore attitude and a lot of garage-esque grit. They almost seem to be a noisy homegrown rock band disguised as a doom outfit, and as a result their songwriting relies more on hard rockin' fun than a more straightforward or predictable stoner vibe.
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!
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. 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. 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 a dreamy single worth checking out.  Written by: The Administrator If there's a single constant here at ye olde Sleeping Village, it is that I will inevitably devour anything that spawns from the creative universe of Richmond's own Jason Roberts. Besides being the mastermind behind Breaths--a band that I enjoy quite a bit, as evidenced by our multiple track premieres over the years--Jason has since started a new band with a pitch that is frankly tantalizing: "somei blend shoegaze and dream pop elements with doom and sludge metal in a way that is accessible and refreshing." I'm pleased to report that said concoction of genres is, indeed, as accessible and refreshing as promised. somei have two tracks available, with today's single in question being my favorite of the two by an admittedly narrow margin. "barbarella (melt away)" brings some doomy yet unconfrontational weight in the riff department alongside a now-trademark vocal levity, both of which serve to cast a dreamy haze--or perhaps glow--over the track as a whole. Whereas most bands that dabble in the realm of doom and sludge tend to feel intrinsically earthbound, somei leans into the ethereal, evoking the feeling of floating through cloudy skies in a hot air balloon. Outside of overtly shoegaze-y projects such a Slowdive, the closest point of comparison I have might be something like Hum, if they traded a certain sense of grounded stoicism for a more blatantly delicate tone. Despite the gentle vocal delivery, there's a uniquely somber vibe at play, like I'm sipping the nectar of melancholia. In terms of the track itself, the chorus is hooky as hell, and the track ramps up the heavy riffage towards the end for an outro that leans into the heft. While not typically one who watches music videos, the video for this particular track does reflect that doleful tone quite well through striking use of purples and yellows. I highly recommend watching/listening, the video truly does elevate the experience. While I do wish somei had more tracks available at this point, I'll certainly be giving this track (and its companion b-side, the excellent "Shaken") some quality time in rotation. Find it on bandcamp here! |
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