Written by: Blackie Skulless
I first discovered Fetid Zombie through their Death Covenant EP in early 2020. While pretty impressive, channeling the strong Obituary and rotting vibes, I certainly didn’t foresee them jumping to this level of intensity (this is also going in with no knowledge about the earlier full-lengths). Enter Transmutations, an absolute beast of a record that swings in a completely different position. Not only is the songwriting longer and more advanced, it’s so much more cohesive than I would have pictured. Across the board, you have a friendly dose of hoarse and cavernous wailing (vocally and instrumentally), melodic traditional metal riffing, dissonant and intense lead passages, and a plethora of different vocal varieties. Almost never does a death metal record of this type pull off the traditional growls, roaring echoes, and even clean singing at times, like in the soft intro of “Dreamless Sleep Awaits.” But don’t mistake this for some generic melodeath accessible serving; it manages its accessibility with writing tactic that winds up being catchy. Lots of bells and whistles, synths, and effects are tossed in for wonderful measure.
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Written by: The Administrator
There's a special irreplaceable fire and fury that exists only in the confines of a blistering proto-thrash demo tape. Reno's own Sorcerer's Sword enter this specific arena with Demo 2021, infusing the speedy thrash aesthetic with retro blackened punk. In short: goddamn. This five-track-and-an-intro barnburner is a very promising debut, as fun as it is frenetic. Sorcerer's Sword paint with a broad no-fucks-given brush, which is kind of implicit, given their chosen genre worship and hellraising aesthetic. There's little pretense lurking in their primitive yet proficient fare, and the sheer bloodletting violence they enact is a sight to behold. If you're looking for points of vague comparison, consider the filthy black/thrash likes of Sabbat and Vulcano by way of the speed of early Sodom and no-holds-barred maniacal approach of Deathhammer or Witchtrap.
Written by: The Administrator
There's been a constant string of winter storms here in Chicago--erm, I mean the geographically unpinned Sleeping Village--as of late. As such, I've been spending a lot of time outside taking long walks, because nothing soothes the soul quite like experiencing a taste of extremity. Such walks necessitate a similarly frigid soundtrack, and last night, on one such ramble, the succinct We Were Put On This Earth To Suffer did the trick nicely. This four-track split by Sapientia Diaboli and Dread Maw is an acute display of distinct raw black metal stylings. Like unto a good split, it presents a package greater than the sum of its parts by benefit of juxtaposition. And, like unto a walk in a winter storm, it requires a little preparation and perhaps even an advisory. In this arena, senses will be deadened. Frostburn is likely. Discomfort is all but guaranteed. FRESH MEAT FRIDAY - Feb. 4th, 2022, Feat. Golgothan, Titanosaur, Iōhannēs, and Krystal Swords2/3/2022 On (occasional) 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, Feb. 4th, 2022: Golgothan, Titanosaur, Iōhannēs, and Krystal Swords
This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a very metal-y single I've been spinning all day. Dig in!
Written by: The Administrator
It's a Friday evening here at the Sleeping Village, which means that this particular scribe is ready to cut loose with some loud music, an irresponsibly massive pile of cheap pizza, and some beer(s). Whether or not the night pans out in that exact fashion is yet to be determined, but at least I have the soundtrack sorted. Time, methinks, for some capital-M Metül. On their latest thrash/hard rock/speed metal single, fresh off the press today, TANTIVY delivers no-nonsense abrasivity and enough leather-and-bullet-belted swagger to adequately satisfy any acolyte of the gritty Motörhead ethos and aesthetic. Built on the back of rolling drums and galloping riffs, "Worthy Foe" is a track that is invested in its own forward momentum. It's a rhythmic and boot-stomping affair, with a sense of urgency permeating the whole. The vocals, which notably feel like they were tied to the back of a truck and dragged through the gravel for a good long while, lend the track an intrinsic gruffness and toughness. Despite the deliberate rough-n-tumble approach, "Worthy Foe" feels like a refinement on the template they established on 2021's Eyes if the Night, and points in a very promising direction for anyone invested in hard rockin' heavy metal. It's a single that practically demands a larger project to call home. I'm excited to hear what this crew cooks up next.
Written by: The Administrator
The first track on Abyssus' stellar Death Revival is entitled "Metal of Death," and if that alone doesn't tell you what to expect in the following 33 minutes, we should probably just pack it up and head home. No gimmick necessary: this is fun death metal that thrives in an environment where the genre's intrinsic over-the-top absurdity and bombastic flair is celebrated. It's an admirable dedication, and after digging myself out of a recent glut of gross death metal that reveled in putridity, some crisply high-octane fare serves as an excellent palate cleanser. Nothing here is drenched in gore or ensconced in the increasingly prevalent "cavernous" aesthetic. Rather, everything here is aggressive, and boisterous, and coated in a slick sheen of late 80's nostalgia. If you like that furious romping energy of Consuming Impulse-era Pestilence, or Beyond The Gates-era Possessed, or Cause of Death-era Obituary, or Spiritual Healing-era Death, you're most certainly in capable hands. Long live the ugly mutation of thrash into death. The golden age lives on.
Written by: The Administrator
Hardcore. I don't listen to a whole lot of it these days, but when I do, it inevitably comes from Upstate Records. They routinely drop absolute bangers, and when I'm in the mood to go apeshit whilst having my skull sledgehammered, Upstate's excellent roster always does the deed. Gloves Off is a prime example of a band that swiftly quenches such moods swiftly and with great violence. Their forthcoming Life...And Everything After is a prime example of how intensely immersive a solid metallic hardcore release can be. Their sound is kinetic as hell, with attention divided fairly equally between pummeling instrumentation and emotive catharsis. They just dropped the second single, and good lord, it's a killer track.
Written by: The Administrator
Alright. Maybe this is far too narrow a reference, but if even a single reader knows what the hell I'm talking about, its a reference worth making. Bear with me here, folks. When I was a small child, I was obsessed with (and mortified by) anything remotely spooky. Luckily, the era of my childhood produced a glut of scary-but-for-kids material, and so, in my dogged quest to be able to gaze upon the terrifying visage of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark without a subsequent week of feverish nightmares, I sought out and made my parents read/perform such classics as In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories. The titular tale features an entirely plotless exploration of a dark, dark house, starting with the exterior and moving ever inwards--through the dark, dark hall, up the dark, dark stairs, into the dark, dark closet, and so on. There is, notably, no story. There is only movement through the environment. Despite its inherent silliness, this is one of the first pieces of art that truly stuck with me, and I strongly suspect that has to do with the sense of implicit suspense and unknowing. The author knows what is at the end of this dark, dark narrative, but I didn't, and I had it within my power to close the book and never come back. But of course that was never an option. Any artist who dabbles in the crossroads of fear and curiosity knows this well. Anyways, enough of that. Let's get to the dark, dark music, shall we?
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Mourn The Light is the first of the inevitable “incredible album from last year that I didn’t discover until January.” Hailing from Connecticut here in the states, they do a very up-tempo brand of doom metal with traditional heavy metal influences. Rather than being dark and gloomy at all turns, they head the warmer direction and construct music that’s full of emotion and strong tempo. Having been around for a couple years now, last summer they released their debut full-length titled Suffer, Then We’re Gone. Coming at it with this approach immediately makes it more digestible as an album on the longer side. Naturally, grand constructions bordering the epic end (without the obnoxious toppings) take the majority of the cake. There are pretty extreme shifts in mood that somehow work, easily seen in the hook-friendly opener “When The Fear Subsides.” It rides on that gothic sadness that Idle Hands utilizes, before swinging into an acoustic, clean and upbeat outro. The title track also opens up side B with a very similar, bassy approach before switching entirely to the heaviest moment on the album.
This year, in an attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we're trying something new and novel around these parts. Namely, we're gonna actually publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. In that spirit, here's a mini-review of a debut EP that deserves a little attention. Without further ado:
Written by: The Administrator
Industrial metal seldom breaches our shoddy defenses here at the Sleeping Village. That's not, I must note, because we doesn't enjoy the genre, but rather because we very rarely see review requests from bands flying the industrial banner. A real damn shame. Melbourne's own Knife, however, proudly exude the grinding, percussive, mechanical, and pulsating 90's-era aggression of acts such as Nailbomb and the seemingly immortal GodFlesh. Notably, they infuse the five tracks contained within Wound's confines with a distinctly crusty vibe and highly emotive discernible-but-visceral harsh vocals. There's a tangible fury and sense of forward momentum across the breadth, and the instrumentation itself avoids stagnation by indulging in a bone-crunching breakdown from time to time. Look to "Sinners" as a prime example of both extremes. As such, Knife successfully avoid feeling dated...while simultaneously recalling a distinct aesthetic era of industrial music. If you're looking to sample, mighty closer "Warmonger" is my favorite individual track, but realistically, the whole thing is A. quite short and B. definitely worth yer while. Wound is a brief but intense intro to this duo's sound, and while it is unfortunately over swiftly, it serves as an excellent appetizer. |
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