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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. Without further ado, here's a cool post-sludge/doom single.
Written by: The Administrator
Sometimes, dear readers, the promo pit delivers. Whilst searching to satiate a craving for darkly menacing music, I randomly listened to this new single from Poland's Optical Sun...and loved it so much I immediately took their debut album for a few spins. Optical Sun play a murky brand of post-sludge interspersed with notably intense vocals and the liberal application of samples from old Polish movies. In service of oppressive doom and gloom, they also utilize a double-bass technique. As such, "Mój Bóg nie Umarł" is ominous and delightfully hefty, a clear result of that extra emphasis in the bass department. The film samples, for which I admittedly lack any frame of reference, sound very well incorporated, and overall add another layer of intensity. Promo indicates that the band borrows excerpts from the film Diabeł directed by Andrzej Zulawski, from the TV series Przyłbice i Kaptury, directed by Marek Piestrak, and Zbigniew Jerzyna's radio drama Gasnące kolory. There's one part where the speaker sounds on verge of hyperventilation--no clue what they are saying, but it sounds like a less-than-comfortable situation, to be sure. The lurching laughter is creepy too. Samples aside, the vocals are sludgy and throaty and raw in a way that really tickles my fancy--the chanting on the back end, for example, is super forceful and cuts through the instrumentation with an eerie edge. "Mój Bóg nie Umarł" serves as the first single from Optical Sun's forthcoming sophomore album. The track does end very abruptly, which makes me wonder if the album flows from track to track in a seamless fashion. Time will tell! As far as typical rollouts go, it's pretty damn early--Diabeł is scheduled for release on Sept. 11th, so can only assume we'll see more singles drop between now and then. I'll be keeping an eye/ear out. Listen to "Mój Bóg nie Umarł" below and find it on Bandcamp here!
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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. 
Written by: The Administrator
The esteemable Heron are a perpetually underrated gem, and a band that continues to make its mark on our ink-splattered populace. Back in the primordial days of ye olde Sleeping Village, we briefly reviewed their (very good) A Low Winter's Sun, and in the early days of the pandemic, the excellent Time Immemorial received the Volt Thrower treatment and stamp of approval. It's my continuing assumption that everything Heron does is inherently high quality, and this latest album, Empires of Ash, may very well be their strongest and most consistent album to date. If you have enjoyed their back catalog, you'll inevitably find a lot to love with this latest. If Heron are a yet-unknown entity in your rolodex of sludgy post-metal bands, this album makes for a fantastic entry point. FRESH MEAT FRIDAY - January 28th, 2022, Feat. Rotborn, SARTORI, Mt. Echo, and Depleted Uranium1/28/2022 On (regrettably infrequent) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance. Today is the day we must offload all this week's new and noteworthy music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some of our choice picks from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be listening to today at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! On the docket for today, January 28th, 2022: Rotborn, SARTORI, Mt. Echo, and Depleted Uranium
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