Written by: The Administrator
A quick stroll through the archives will indicate that we slumbering and ink-splattered scribes are no strangers to hosting a good ol' Through Mists premiere. Back in 2022 we dropped a couple if 'em back-to-back, writing about the both the overtly referential "Awaken The Sleeping Village" and the epic bird-centric concept album "Mindless Automations." Since then, Through Mists has proven prolific to an intimidating degree, releasing a frankly astounding six(!) albums in 2023. Of these, I was a particular fan of Starkiller, which embraced an aggressive yet proggy sonic palette and a distinctly mythical lyrical direction. Perhaps the best album from the project to date, in my opinion. Time moves on, and the Through Mists machine churns ever onward, albeit with a slightly longer timeframe separating the old and new material. And so here we are, with a new Through Mists release on the cusp of official droppage. The appropriately entitled Prolific--a four track EP--will be available tomorrow, April 25th. In the hours preceding, we are honored to host a premiere of the EP in full here in our less-than hallowed halls. Give it a listen below! As always, we'll meet ye on the other side to discuss.
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Written by: The Administrator
We slumbering scribes are nothing if not considerate. In that spirit, here's a relevant public service announcement: if you choose to fire up Terror Labyrinthian, the debut album from Baltimore's Nuclear Tomb, please know that you are willingly subjecting yourself to an undiluted sonic onslaught. Real face-melting stuff. Prodding and squirmy and barbed and apocalyptic and absolutely ripping. Representing a particularly weird and wild variant of death-oriented thrash, Nuclear Tomb have perfected a brand of chaos that appears, at first blush, quite unhinged. In reality, their approach is as calculated as it is contorted. In a case of promo material feeling exceptionally accurate, Nuclear Tomb do indeed skillfully integrate an old-school blistering aggression à la Sadus alongside a more punky off-kilter Voivodian approach to dynamics. That's a win/win combination in my book. On the very occasional Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with sustenance. Today is the day we must offload all this new music, and so, in the process, we thought it would be worthwhile to share some choice cuts from this veritable mass of fresh meat. This is what we’ll be--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! On the docket for today, April 12th, 2024 Necrot, Corvus Corone, Heavy Temple, and Exist
Written by: The Administrator
Whomst among us is ambivalent about the ocean? I may be way off the mark, but it seems as though opinions towards the deep blue sea trend towards the extremes. Representing a certain landlubbery perspective, several of my fellow inksplattered scribes experience an abject terror when it comes to the ocean's vastness. As for me, I'm smitten by the serene chaos of breakers, the lushness and oddity of aquatic life, and the eventual call of the sodden void. Representing perhaps the pinnacle of oceanic fandom, Into The Deep demonstrates a deep fascination and reverence for the ocean. This is a fact that is immediately apparent--everything from their moniker to their artwork to their track titles and band bio and beyond reeks of brine. I absolutely love a band with a singular focus, and when they play music this good, I can't help but sing their praises. Blackfin came out Jan. 3rd, and I haven't stopped listening yet. It is my favorite EP of 2024 thusfar.
Written by: Big Adz
Back in Autumn of 2017, I had a bad day: I was working in a crappy, soul-crushingly dull role that I desperately wanted to get out of for the sake of my own mental well-being, and had just finished up yet another day of this drudgery. Sullen and verging on despondent, I walked out of the building that housed me during said soul crushing, onto the street and hit play on the commute home playlist I had put together during my lunch time reprieve. The first track was a recommendation from a friend, a song called "Kiss of Death" by a band called Mutoid Man. Within a minute of that fateful finger twitch upon my phone, the weight of the capitalistic fuckery I had just endured lifted from my shoulders like an ascendant non-denominational messiah and my face lit up in the way that one’s does when they’ve just heard the first bit of music from their soon-to-be new favourite band.
A celebration and examination of two albums, intertwined somehow in time and space, that also happen to be some of the finest music on the planet.
Written by: Chuck
Gentle waves embrace a rocky landscape. An ominous wash of colored sounds accented by gentle intermittent piano strokes. A feeling of intrigue and subtle panic. FIRE. The ground shakes and the landscape transforms into anticipatory grandeur. Something important this way comes. This is "The Behemoth That Lies Asleep." A familiar melody. A latin feel. Dynamic rhythmic movement across a soft fretboard. A moment to think. A moment to feel. Full throated restatement of the melodic progression arrives as a complete arrangement, quickly progressing into blast-beat driven black-ish riffs backed by fretless bass. Despite the already impressive technical display, the instrumentation is last on the mind. This is a moment to think. This is a moment to feel. This is "Introspection I."
Written by: The Administrator
The holiday season fast approaches here at Ye Olde Sleeping Village, and, a such, our slumbering and ink-splattered populace has begrudgingly begun to prepare for the inevitable. A healthy stock of young evergreens have been sacrificed. Stockings have been hung by the chimneys in, erm, a haphazard and disorderly fashion. Our resident confectioner has nailed down a recipe for sugar plums, which we have elected to feed to the numerous resident mice. And, with the arrival of one Rick Massie, our soundtrack is set. Let the festivities begin. Rick Massie has made quite the habit of releasing holiday-themed singles--the more observant members of our dear readership might remember a premiere of the Halloween inspired "The Dance (of the Dead and Alive)," and those of you who follow Rick's output in general may recall his cover of "We Three Kings" that dropped around this time last year. The tradition continues with a new reimagined version of a well known Christmas tune: today's premiere in question is a cover of the classic "O Come, All Ye Faithful." Give it a listen below, and, as always, we'll catch ye on the other side!
Written by: The Administrator
No doubt about it: Through Mists' rampant release schedule has reached a new rate of impressive. Indeed, our eagle-eyed readers will note that our latest track premiere, published a few weeks back, was...also a Through Mists release, the slumber-obliterating "Awaken the Sleeping Village." This newest album, Mindless Automations, offers a conceptual tragic narrative with the trademark progressive inclinations and sharp bite we've only come to expect. The story follows a worse-for-wear protagonist who, after having been driven from his flock, consistently endures vicious attacks. As a lover of A. creative concept albums, B. kickass underground music, and C. bird violence, this album certainly grabbed my attention. I hope it similarly grabs you. Without further ado, then: check out Mindless Automations in full below! It is officially available now, so if you like what you hear, check it out and grab yerself a copy. As always, we'll meet ye on the other side to discuss (and, of course, wipe up the blood.
Written by: The Administrator
We make a deliberate attempt to keep things from getting too stagnant 'round these parts. However, every once in a while, we slumbering scribes are hit with something utterly outside the confines of expectation: take today's premiere as a prime example. Through Mists' "Awaken the Sleeping Village" is a track that heavily features our moniker, and, beyond that, was inspired by a prompt we randomly tweeted. This is new. This is unexpected. Most importantly, this is cool as hell. I'm honored to be running this premiere here today. The prompt in question? On July 3rd, I cast the following into the void: "Death metal song where the solo starts a third of the way through and then just keeps fuckin' going until the song ends." Through Mists immediately responded "Challenge accepted." And here we are, challenge met with great aplomb. Check out "Awaken The Sleeping Village Below, and, as always, we'll meet ye on the other side!
Written by: The Administrator
Let's start with the obvious. As anyone you has listened to their music will attest, attempting to pigeonhole or pin down Horned Wolf in the span of a mere introductory paragraph (or, indeed, the span of a whole review) is a fairly fruitless activity. This crew demonstrates little regard for genre expectation or compositional convention on Become Like They Are, and, as a result, their work sticks out from the crowd in a big way. To be markedly different and hence produce unique results is always an excitingly quality. Refreshing, even. I'll be upfront: I've spent a lot of time with this album this year. A scary amount. If it tops my list o' most listened albums, I won't be surprised in the slightest. If the brilliant title track isn't my most consumed song of the year, I'll eat my boots. Paradoxically, though, this obsessive listening has been to the detriment of my actual ability to wrap up the review. The "listening for enjoyment" phase never really ended, and the "listening for writing" phase never truly began in earnest. In retrospect, this is obviously a Very Good problem to have, as much of the time spent with Become Like They Are has been pure and unadulterated by notions of my own imposed narrative framing or turns of phrase. But! In any case, here we are. Let's get the fuck into it already. |
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