Written by: The Administrator
When we slumbering scribes dip our hands cautiously into the churning murk of the promo pit, the chances of encountering something completely new (or even marginally inventive) are quite slim. Indeed, the vast majority of what we listen to represents a certain well-founded adherence to convention. That's not a bad thing--there's a reason OSDM revivalism has enjoyed a series of banner years. And besides, there's an obvious limit to the number of viable combinations of sounds and aesthetics. Genre stew can get a tad unlistenable without a healthy dose of intention and some impeccable execution. Anyways. Encountering a specimen lurking in the promo pit that can be qualified as "wholly unique" is exciting, to say the least. It was fresh on the ears. And this is why Buzzard's debut album Doom Folk was such a welcome presence in my listening rotation. Doom Folk was--and still is--truly a gem. Representing a rough 'n' raw amalgamation of Americana, folk, and doom, the component parts were familiar, but the end result felt gloriously innovative. While clearly informed by a variety of influences, Buzzard gave voice to the dour common ground lurking between the social commentary and narrative acumen of Bob Dylan, the powerful heft of Sabbath, the weirdness of Lovecraft, and the homey eeriness of a small-town ghost story. Doom Folk felt like the grizzled men who played swampy folk at the campfire after the barn dances of my youth had found inspiration in the gloomy gravitas of the pioneers of metal. And beyond mere originality, Buzzard was riddled with the kind of clarity of songcraft that repeatedly raised the question: how in the absolute fuck had these songs not already been written?
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Written by: The Administrator
A premiere for Spectrum, the debut album from Am I In Trouble? Hosted at Sleeping Village Reviews?! No need, dear reader, to feign shock; this was always inevitable. Less a question of "if," and rather a question of "when?" I'm pleased to announce that the wait is over. The time is now. If the name Am I in Trouble? doesn't ring a bell, I recommend checking out our fairly extensive catalog of coverage. During the extensive buildup to the Jan. 3rd drop, we've covered three tracks available pre-release: check out writeups for Red, White, and Black. A common theme of said reviews is the clarity of Am I in Trouble's varied and vibrant songwriting in the pursuit of an aesthetic homage to 90's Scandinavian avant-garde black metal oddity. While the aforementioned songs are quite distinct from a sonic perspective, they share a common tendency to resist stagnation. The Am I in Trouble? playbook emphasizes constant motion and evolution, which allows for the dynamic juxtaposition of some remarkable extremes. Going from gentle to aggressive and back again is hardly a new trick in the world of metal, but multi-instrumentalist mastermind Steve Wiener wields a uniquely honed sense of unpredictability. This results in some incredibly flexible songcraft. With that said, a distinct and uncanny cohesion pervades. We get more in-depth below, but lest we lose sight of the plot, we slumbering scribes are excited to premiere (in full!) the excellent Spectrum a few days prior to release. Give it a well-deserved listen! We'll meet you, as always, on the other side.
Curated and Written by: Josh Alexander of Forgotten Shrine
In a (continuing) attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're having a band take over the blog every few weeks to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. Our most recent playlist takeover came courtesy of Dead Karma, but now Josh Alexander of folk metal duo Forgotten Shrine drops by the Village with a playlist of influences. The result of Josh Alexander and Sofia Frasz's joint interest in "bardcore," Forgotten Shrine is a folk/medieval style project drawing influences from across the realms of metal including Nightwish and Eluveitie. Original soundtracks from the world of gaming and film, and the traditional/pagan folk genre as a whole, also inspires the band's musical approach. Forgotten Shrine currently has two singles available on bandcamp--check out "The Parting Glass" and "Where Shadows Lie" here! Without further ado, I'll let Josh take over!  Written by: The Voiceless Apparition
Hello everyone! Welcome to 2022. I feel like it's been a while since I've been here to provide you all an album review. I know that the 200 Stab Wounds album wasn't that long ago, but so much has happened since then. Thank you for sticking around with me, and with the Sleeping Village. We're kicking off the year with a new album from one of my favorite bands of all time, Amorphis, with their latest album Halo. Not much has changed in the Amorphis camp, with the exception of them leaving Nuclear Blast Records and signing with upstart label Atomic Fire Records. Now that we have that out of the way, let's dive in. First thing you'll notice with this album is that it is HEAVY. This possibly one of the heaviest albums in Amorphis' discography. They've dialed back on the symphonic elements and went for an outright progressive assault on their folk and melodic death metal sound. The songs are more concise than on previous album Queen of Time, but pack more into these 4-5 minute run times. "Northwards" begins on a typical Amorphis note with big double bass patterns and Tomi Joutsen's signature growls and epic clean vocals backed by grandiose choir vocals, and a tasty mellotron solo in the middle of the song. |
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