Written by: The Administrator
As time goes on, our posting here at ye olde Sleeping Village is increasingly determined and defined by whim. Promo procedure has fallen out of fashion 'round these parts. We operate primarily on meandering vibes and a disinterest--perhaps even a disrespect--for deadlines. However, for today's Very Important Announcement, exceptions must be made, which explains why we went through the trouble of dragging our town crier out of semi-retirement. No one issues a proclamation quite like the town crier. Anyways! Enough blathering. We slumbering scribes are pleased to announce that Wince and Frisson's debut album, entitled Tumult, will be released on Sept. 4th. The pre-order is active now, and, for any denizens of Bandcamp, today would be an excellent day to pick it up. At this stage, it is (hopefully!) clear that I have only the highest level of recommendation for Wince and Frisson. I've had the privilege of (consistently, obsessively) listening to this forthcoming album for several weeks now, and am happy to report that it is as utterly astounding as the singles indicate. Tumult is cacophonous and exceptionally well-executed. There's a real brilliance in the ability to refine, and Wince and Frisson writes songs that are exactly as long as they need to be. Of the seven tracks here, every single one is a genuine standout, not least because they all strive to represent sonic chaos incarnate. The debut album, says the band, is "a virulent cocktail of extreme metal genres. Seven tracks, all blackened and swathed in dissonance. It gets to the point immediately and offers no rest to the listener until its conclusion. All the while, guitarist, bassist, and vocalist Triumvir Kaleido maniacally spews warped interpretations of his experiences with religious and psychological abuse, and struggles with mental health." Completing the duo, Steve Wiener provides drum programming, additional vocals, and the assorted production/mixing/mastering duties. The first two singles, "Kärrhäxan" and "Liftoach Pandemonium," reviewed and premiered here respectively, serve as a fantastic appetizer. And, if for some reason you require additional convincing, we are very pleased to premiere here today a third single, entitled "Hypnagogic Haunt." It serves as Tumult's sixth track, and it is, as you might expect, an absolute bruiser. Check it out below! We'll meet you on the other side.
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Written by: The Administrator
I've talked a lot about Revered and Reviled Above All Others (henceforth RRAAO) over the years. And yes, I fully intended to publish this review upon the release of their latest, 2025's Futile/Servile. However. I am terrible at finishing projects and thus sat on an almost-but-not-quite draft for, uhhhh, 8 months? Please accept my apologies. I will not learn and it will happen again. In any case, I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad to be talking about RRAAO once more. Let's cut to the punch. As of November 7th of last year, RRAAO are back with a verifiable vengeance. After a great many listens, Futile/Servile still vibrates me to my very core. Every time, it hits like a mile-long freight train, each car filled to the brim with overwatered concrete. I guarantee that never before have you been piledriven by music so relentlessly sloshy. Their sound is uniquely heavy and damp and suffocating. Listening to an RRAAO album is like being digested in the confines of some giant plodding amphibian. It's a pretty singular aesthetic and physical experience, and one that no other band, to my knowledge, has been able to replicate. Which kind of stands to reason, given the unique genre tag.  Written by: The Administrator
It feels special to become aware of a band upon the release of their first single. This is especially so when said single (along with the total audio/visual package of the accompanying music video) is so blatantly intriguing. So exciting. So fresh. Wince and Frisson's chaotic and disquieting KÄRRHÄXAN was, arguably, the perfect first single. The listening/watching experience set the tone for an album rollout extremely well. After writing about said track, I have found myself revisiting the music video quite frequently to extract more of that delightful electrical feeling I had upon initial exposure. But! After witnessing a debut, it feels even special-er to be invited to premiere a band's second track (plus music video). Which brings us to today's track (plus music video) in question. The ritualistically entitled Liftoach Pandemonium is embedded below, available for your listening pleasure/intrigue/discomfort several days before official release. As always, we'll be waiting on the other side of the fold, long-winded analysis and words of recommendation presented proudly. Check it out!  Written by: The Administrator
The words "wince and frisson" in combination immediately evoke a very specific physical reaction, simultaneously positive and negative and ultimately overstimulating in combination. What musical stimuli, I couldn't help but wonder, drives one to such a powerful physiological and somatic response? A level of curiosity this heightened doesn't often apply in the context of a band yet to release any music, but an intriguing moniker (and a Steve Wiener* association) are promo pit cheat codes. Needless to say, I was very excited when Wince and Frisson's debut disso-black/death single hit the inbox, and that excitement has only festered and grown over the course of many listens. "Kärrhäxan" is a stellar first foray, a sharply conceived and intensely executed statement of intent. It very much succeeds at the presumed intended goal of a debut single. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Five years ago, Caligari Records put out the debut EP by Pittsburgh’s death metal outfit Ritual Mass a little after their debut demo. To this day, the EP entitled Abhorred In The Eyes Of God is one of the most horrendous, disturbing, hateful, and completely void-of-life releases I’ve ever heard. It worked for its short dose of getting that unlovable feeling more than anything else, and I predicted a full-length might need a little more to it than just sheer over the top brutality and unrelenting weight meant to crush every bone in the listener into ashes. Unfortunately, I’ve been proven correct with the first album titled Cascading Misery, this time presented by 20 Buck Spin. Don’t get me wrong, as I’m pretty certain that Ritual Mass have done everything they set out to do, with not only a fitting album title but also a bleak and harrowing album sleeve. For all six of their tracks, they’ve tightened up their hateful sound into a more streamlined package, adding in clearer guitar shifts that are worth acknowledging from time to time as well. Much of this is chewing everything up and regurgitating explosive cavernous vocals a la Spectral Voice, guitar chugs that move from reverberating atmosphere to almost blackened tremolos, and pummeling walls of drum-gradients not too dissimilar to later Deicide. As great as all of this sounds, it’s void of anything that isn’t just “we want to make you uncomfortable.” 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
The Norwegian extreme metal act Nithe took formation a few years ago, but never saw themselves with label representation until their third outing appearing on Caligari Records, my favorite tape slingers. Their catalog already consists of a demo and an EP, making Funeral Death their third outing. The truth is, I think all three of them could have been labeled either or. The band is rather tough to label other than somewhere within the black and death realm, perhaps with a thrashy attitude. Much of this is due to the fact that the coarse and mean production with such attitude in presentation somewhat dances all over the place, but those very things help keep it together. Consisting of four songs, we start on a blistering note with “Chains Of The Abyss,” loaded with blast beats and harsh shrieks before breaking into a punkier stomp. “Primordial Ooze (Mother Of Woe)” follows up with a thrash driven approach, not only sneaking some clear leads into the main riffage, but even allowing some gang chants in the chorus. It’s rather unorthodox amidst the ugly and unforgiving atmosphere, especially with the tremolos worked in, but I can’t complain (especially with that slow bass bridge connecting everything). 
Written by: The Administrator
If this all looks very familiar, it's because it is. About a month ago, we slumbering scribes premiered the title track and lead single to Hellscape, the forthcoming third and (presumably?) final Through Mists album of 2024. Today, we're back with the whole damn thing. In said premiere, I said the track "wouldn't go amiss as a soundtrack looping through the busted speakers of a funhouse deep in the bowels of Tartarus," and closed by stating that "I can only imagine that demons frolic to music like this." As it turns out, this description also applies to the album at large. This is an abrasive yet exciting ride, chock full o' weird noises and oddities. Hellscape is hellishly fun, but is also a supremely weird and disconcerting listen. Which, in a sense, makes it even more fun. If you are aware of the Through Mists playbook, you have an inkling of what to expect. If this is your first exposure, prepare thyself accordingly. In that spirit: Hellscape will be released on Dec. 6th, but you can listen to in full a day early. Get a head start on that release day listening marathon below! As always, we'll catch you on the other side. 
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. |
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