Written by: Blackie Skulless
Chicago’s Black Sites are a heavy metal act I’ve been eyeing closely since their second album Exile blew me away in 2019. From their inception, they’ve always been a band that leaned towards the progressive metal side of the spectrum, without diving full-force into that realm. Their sound was always a treat that I compared to Queensryche meeting Iced Earth under a unique flair. Considering Untrue felt like a simple continuation of that sound, I was pretty excited to see what the latest The Promised Land? had to offer. Jumping in, that “progressive element” that described an otherwise traditional metal backbone sneaks in just a notch more often. Though the band may not be a stranger to longer, intricate songs, that’s exercised to a jarring degree this time around from time to time. More emphasis is put on the start/stop riff structure that jumps around the fretboard, coating different layers with different techniques ahead of sophisticated drum patterns. Vocally, things still feel right at home, boasting Mark Sugar’s consistent melody paired with clear emotion being ever present. And of course, I must mention that this record sees the band’s first attempt at crossing the ten minute mark in its title track, indicating that things may have more of a single narrative across the board leading to a climax.
0 Comments
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Over the last couple of years, the North American heavy metal outfit Traveler has made a pretty strong impression in my endless hunger for traditional metal. While their debut was a solid start, it was the second record Termination Shock that fully sold me on the band. Naturally, I was really excited to see that a new one dropped earlier this year. Prequel To Madness admittedly took me a second to grasp onto, but as I’ve revisited over the months, it has grown on me significantly. The easiest explanation would be that prior to this, Traveler simply used a straightforward but hooky formula that was given more of an identity the second time around. For round three, I would argue that they’ve landed entirely on power metal territory, with flavors of the gritter U.S. style and the melodic, clean European style showing at times. This isn’t the first time that emphasis was placed on a heavier push, but man, do they ever unload the proverbial artillery here. Breakneck speeds, pummeling drums, and layers upon layers of guitar and bass combos leave no room for lightweight attacks. Even vocally, while higher falsettos and sharp shrieks aren’t foreign to the band, they move through this with more purpose than before.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Cruel Force has touched my radar a few times over the past couple of years. The German black/thrashers dropped two albums nearly fifteen years ago before splitting up, and while they made a serviceable enough take on the genre, it really never stuck to me. Fast-forward to over a decade later, and they came back with a vengeance, dropping Dawn Of The Axe, changing my mind about everything I just said. What was a nice soil that grew few worthwhile fruits now harvests an entire garden. Stylistically, they wouldn’t veer too far away from this initial idea, but any sharp edges get deburred and the thrashy attitude feels refined into something reminiscent of an ‘80 speed metal foundation. Similarly, vocals with a deeper snarl but a far more concise delivery are tacked on, almost feeling similar to Zetro from Exodus. Echoed production helps everything, giving a reverberated tone to the drum kicks pairing wonderfully with the vocals. Meanwhile, the bass licks are rather bouncy, providing extra kick beside the sharp riffing. Oftentimes, overdoing this can ruin a solid record, but that’s not the case here. The end product is a far more mature outing that almost lifts the “blackened” element away as well, leaving only remnants, but still holding onto their aggressive oomph.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
It’s been a long time since I’ve been so conflicted on how I feel about an album, but after like five listens, I think I’ve got it down, so strap yourselves in. Unto Others are a band I’ve loved since they first broke ground in 2019 under the name “Idle Hands”. Mana was like a one-in-a-million shot of combining traditional metal with goth rock, and it worked well. Strength hinted at a heavier direction for a few songs, being a little awkward at times but overall a great release. And then we get to the latest, Never, Neverland, making me think it’s going to expand on the heavier sound. It kinda does, but it also doesn’t. But also, it tries punk, upbeat vibes, and…. black metal? It’s as weird as it sounds, and as much as I hate to break an album down by track, there’s absolutely no consistency to this outside of the fact that it runs with the melancholic vibes coated with the deep, sonorous vocals. Otherwise, this is a game of take what you like and leave the rest. Right in the opening, “Butterfly” lays a convincing ground of running towards the softer, gothic direction with the occasional heavier lick worked in nicely; I actually very much enjoy this one. Then “Momma Likes The Door Closed” shifts entirely and works like a metal oriented punk rocker that even includes blast beats. Seriously, it’s as if you’ve started listening to another album, before “Angel Of The Night” brings you right back to where you started, finding strength in a soft chorus. Written by: The Administrator Another killer single from Howdytoons dropped last Friday, and as I surf through their impressive catalog, I wonder whomst among us didn't have a dinosaur era. Did any of us actually escape a period wherein dinosaurs--aesthetically, conceptually, historically--were simply the coolest thing imaginable? For me, this phase peaked in elementary school, and for a solid 4-5 years, I was an expert. I would have been the first to um akshully my current self, explaining that today's titular quetzalcoatlus was not, in fact, a dinosaur, but rather a pterosaur. Big difference. Years later, I'm admittedly less knowledgeable about dinosaurs and their ilk, but that's not to say I won't get hyped when the occasion permits. Which leads us to today's track in question. "Quetzalcoatlus" is the latest single from a band perhaps most well known for their family-friendly music videos on YouTube. Covering evergreen topics like dinosaurs and mythological creatures, and with over a millions subscribers, they are not exactly a small fish in the the large pool of educational media. Certainly a little different than the typical Sleeping Village fare, but I have a perennial appreciation for the sheer quality of their craft. And this latest track is one of their strongest to date, in my opinion. Featuring vocals by Rody Walker of Protest the Hero, as well as drums from Marco Minnemann, there's a lot of talent on display. Discard your misconceptions about about so-called kid's music and take a moment to appreciate how intensely riffy and hard-rockin' "Quetzalcoatlus" actually is. Instrumentally, this thing is notably meaty coming from a band with cartoony cover artwork. The track genuinely rocks--there's an engaging momentum and a refrain that is incredibly hooky. The vocals lend a certain pedigree, particularly as they approach harsh territory at the tail end, but the kinetic songwriting itself sucks you in. And the lyrics are just fun. "Quetzalcoatlus" is intrinsically a song that kids and families can enjoy--indeed, Howdytoons have written a high-quality banger that I look forward to sharing with my nephew next time he breaks out the plastic dinos. However, "Quetzalcoatlus" is also an unironically engaging listen for me. An adult. Unlike so many others in this particular made-for-kids lane, Howdytoons songs don't feel dumbed down. As such, I can and will listen to a track like "Quetzalcoatlus" for the sheer joy of it. They've carved out quite a niche for themselves. No small feat. Check out "Quetzalcoatlus" below! Howdytoons can be found:
Linktree
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.
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.
Curated and Written by: David Frazer of Cruce Signatus
In an attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're trying something new here at Ye Olde Sleeping Village. Each Wednesday henceforth, a band will be taking over the blog to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. First up is Cruce Signatus, a new project from Milwaukee based multi-instrumentalist David Frazer, who you might previously know from (the excellent!) Pillaging Villagers. Blending heavy metal, cinematic compositions, and synthwave, the self-titled Cruce Signatus debut was released on June 7th, and can be found here! Without further ado, I'll let David take over. Enjoy!
In this list below, I tried to choose songs from albums that were highly influential on my creative process for Cruce Signatus, listed in descending order of influence. There were many albums that were influential for me, but these represent the top 10.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Given the hype that’s been circulating around Tyran in the realm of traditional metal dweebs like myself, I was certainly eager to check them out. The appealing album artwork spurred that on even more, making me want to lend an ear immediately. Not to be confused with Iran’s capital city Tehran, the Bavarian dudes have only been around for a few years, and 2024 would see the year they drop a full-length. Following two singles, it realized itself in the form of Tyran’s Oath. At first glance, you’ll find exactly what one would expect. Speed metal riffing, high falsettos in the realm of King Diamond, and a generally clean overlay can easily sum up the entire album in the most basic sense. What’s less obvious is that most of the record avoids the mythical, magical, or historical angle you may anticipate, and prefers to focus on classic ‘80s strong-man themes around heavy metal and machinery. Stylistically, it’s also straight to the point without any hints of power metal or epic metal flavoring. Most changes in any dynamic are as simple as some songs slowing it down a little, like in “Thrill Of The Chase,” a melody-heavy tune. Written by: Blackie Skulless Seeing that ol’ Bruce hasn’t put out a solo effort since 2005, and that the latest Iron Maiden record didn’t exactly blow me away, I was a little unsure of what to expect from The Mandrake Project. As time passes on and veteran musicians struggle to keep the capacity going, it often tends to fall into the “hit or miss” category. But, more often than not, more time between records will work to your advantage. Bruce Dickinson further solidified this idea, as his latest effort truly did blow me away. The Mandrake Project is a culmination of many things not too unordinary for the British frontman, meaning its magic doesn’t rest in anything new. Rather, this is an exceptional exercise of tactics that he had mastered between his own career and his several decades in Iron Maiden alike. Modern production values with deep distortion on the riffing works entirely to this album’s advantage, all the while sneaking in a hefty amount of raw emotion and beautiful story-telling. Writing a record that focuses on only one of these properly is impressive, let alone all of them. |
WELCOME!We provide thoughtful reviews of music that wakes us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry. Archives
November 2024
Categories
All
|