Written by: Blackie Skulless
Continuing the recent trend of dropping an album every half-decade or so, Germany’s thrash masterminds Kreator prove what proper amounts of time can do for a new record. 2017’s Gods Of Violence wound up taking album of the year for me. While I may not go that far now, Millie and Co. have conjured up a solid follow-up to it with Hate Über Alles. It follows a similar path to what they’ve been doing since 2001’s Violent Revolution, yet twenty-one years later they’ve still managed to keep it interesting. Admittedly, this one didn’t snatch me in as quickly as the prior two records did. But after a few listens, I was able to capture plenty of interesting ideas being offered. The previous record saw a bit more melody, and while Hate Über Alles doesn’t dial that in as hard, it still remains a prominent factor. “Strongest Of The Strong'' is absolutely loaded with traditional metal hooks with their Teutonic thrashy touch, and the same can be said about “Pride Comes Before The Fall'." The latter cakes on some beautiful singing amongst keys and melodies. “Midnight Sun” certainly focuses on that as well, featuring German new-wave vocalist Sofia Portanet on vocals, adding all sorts of atmosphere.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Basically making a name for themselves as one of the modern thrash giants, Municipal Waste have gone through some subtle changes throughout their two decade career. In 2019, they gave us a short taste called The Last Rager, one that I was actually rather disappointed in. So it came as a relief that the latest Electrified Brain didn’t leave nearly as much to be desired. Tony Foresta and Co. make a brand of thrash that after too long needs at least subtle stylistic shifts to remain relevant. On that front, Electrified Brain is unsurprisingly the sharpest record they’ve ever released. Focusing the tiniest bit more energy on melody while cleaning the delivery on the hardcore-dense tracks is the name of the game here, but doesn’t stray too far from the previous full-length. A few standouts that really beat the “crossover” aspect fit nicely while breaking up the cleaner aesthetic. “Blood Vessel-Boat Jail” reigns in some blast beats, while tackling a more abrasive front. “Putting On Errors” may be the only other tune that goes as hard or fast as this one. 
Written by: The Administrator
Doom and thrash might not be the most common (or expected) bedfellows, but there's a certain appeal to the confluence of, say, Motörhead's breakneck bombast and Sleep's fuzzy weight. On their debut 4-track EP–Thrice Majestic, for those taking notes–LA's own The Cimmerian taps into the implicit speedy thrust and plodding gravitas of component genre parts, riding the pendulum betwixt the two with a delightful barbarism. The tracks herein do an excellent job of maintaining variation in terms of sonic makeup, which makes avoiding a track-by-track analysis difficult. It also makes selecting a favorite track near-impossible, as everything feels fresh and essential to the overall picture. In that spirit, let's dive right in!
Every Friday, 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 new 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--and have been--listening to today here at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so!
On the docket for today, June 24th, 2022: PAGANIZER, Horned Wolf, Tabahi, and 10,000 Years
Every Friday, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s crumbling gates, stuffed to the brim with our sustenance for the following week. 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 of our choice picks 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, June 10th, 2022: Yatra, Dust Prophet, Adamantis, and Pillärs
Written by: The Administrator
I love when the comments under a release on Bandcamp demonstrate a unified point of view. In the case of Here Comes Hell, the debut 4-track EP from WARPSTORMER, that point of view across the listening base is pretty damn clear. In a word: this thing has riffs. Riffs on riffs on (dare I say) more riffs. As it happens, I'm a bit of a riff connoisseur myself, and after listening to this EP for the third time today, I find myself agreeing with the consensus. This thing packs 'em in and unleashes 'em with the confidence of a seasoned act and the haste of a band excited to parade their entire arsenal in a single 20 minutes span. That said, the four tracks here are quite varied. The first three lean in varying degrees towards the thrashier end of the self-described "stoner-thrash" genre tag, and closer "Reap What You've Sown (Devourer)" carries itself with a slower and more melancholic air. WARPSTORMER serve up a very nice mix of elements, and their willingness to shake up the pace and mood demonstrates potential for a wide array of sight and sounds in subsequent work. I certainly hope a full album of this stuff is on the horizon...but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. While the future of the band is indeed exciting, Here Comes Hell deserves time to shine on the basis of its own merits. 
Written by: The Administrator
When it comes the (admittedly ill-defined) bingo card of stuff that I like, Portland's own Soul Grinder ticks a lot of boxes, and have been doing so from their inception back in 2018. Their debut EP Terraflesh impressed with a uniquely unhinged energy, and follow-up LP The Prophecy of Blight proudly demonstrated a similar excitement and viscerality, albeit with enough refinement in the songwriting department to lend the band a clear maturity and sense of direction. Continuing the trend, the Queen Corrosia EP, released this May, subtly substitutes a sense of measured confidence for the sense of breakneck urgency that permeated their earlier work.While undoubtedly aggressive and rash, the title track isn't particularly unhinged--it is not restlessly scrabbling at it's own boundaries. The solo, for example, sits comfortably within the forward canter, and the vocals, while powerful, aren't chaotic to a blistering degree. As a result, this track, and those that follow, feel more settled--although in the grand scheme of exciting punky melodic thrash, Soul Grinder are still sitting comfortably at the more vigorous end of the spectrum. And when you're talking about the carnivalesque world of punky melodic thrash, that's saying a lot. Fear not: the riffs still thrash and stomp in familiar fashion, and Prilzor's vocals still shred through the instrumentation with a rabid yet gloriously dynamic freneticism. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
While hardly ever anything overly new or standout, blackened thrash is something that manages to pull me in time and time again. South Carolina’s Demiser is a fresh act that once again reinforces my sentiment of being able to have identity without having originality. Taken formation a few years back, last year was when their first full offering hit the menu. Through The Gate Eternal is yet another record that looks the way it sounds, and I’m here for it. Forming an obvious sum of its ideas around fast riffing and fuming harsh vocals, the bottom level is business as usual. There’s a helping of classic sounding speed metal here, vulgar poetic flow there, and noodly solos that jump above an otherwise dry soundscape. What manages to sell Demiser is the ability to capture steady flow for a typically furious and fiery genre. “Deathstrike” moves into its outing leads so wonderfully from its galloping rhythm, and “Offering” manages to sneak in a bit of melodic catchiness resting in the chorus. The latter is probably the most memorable track. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
What an incredible time for some Ukrainian death/thrash centered on horrors of war. Taking formation only a couple of years ago, Mortal Vision managed to get their debut full-length out late last year, hitting my radar at the beginning of this year. Though there’s no shortage of this style, it’s always nice when it can be pulled off so wonderfully. Mind Manipulation does just that. Immediately, the Sepultura-meets-Morbid Angel vibes are going to set in, and they never really go away for the full run. Under a slightly clearer umbrella, Mind Manipulation boasts riffs far more on the thrash side, caking on some grooves to break up an approach that’s pretty one-sided. Naturally, the speeds never really slow down other than to swing in these more memorable bridges and to give way to the solos. Things like the bouncy rhythms on “Condemned To Death” or the ascending sweeps meeting harder drum clashes with “Apophenia” add plenty of life.
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 an EP worthy of yer attention.
Written by: The Administrator
Given a suspicious influx of thrash-centric reviews as of late here at ye olde Sleeping Village, you might assume that our inksplattered scribes are being, erm, materially influenced by the powerful Thrash Metal Lobby. And you would be entirely correct in that assumption. Anyways, here's a mini-review of a sick new 3-track EP. France's Corruption is a collaboration betwixt two brothers who share an exceedingly apparent affinity for the Big 4 thrash titans: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and...Testament. That influence shines through, and it's clear Corruption have harnessed their inspirations. Dead Is The Soul is an exceedingly tight and well-executed affair, as technically precise as it is regrettably brief. There's a certain restraint at play--there aren't any off-the-rail moments here, which is a quality that translates pretty damn well for anyone looking for a thrashin' good time without excess intensity. Notably, Corruption keep things moving. There's never a dull moment across these three tracks, and both brothers keep their feet on the gas, delivering an engaging series of combat-boot stomping riffs, crisp yet concise solos, and tastefully muffled reintroduction of previously introduced motifs. Because of this attention to variety, there aren't dull moments. I personally like thrash that focuses on groovy heft instead of needlessly flashy wankery, and in this department, Corruption certainly brings the goods. I'm very impressed with what they hath wrought, and am equally impressed with their proficiency given a newcomer status. "Devour" is my favorite track of the three due exclusively to the sheer headbangability of the chorus and the tasteful inclusion of cleans on the back half to offset the harsher vocals. That said, if yer listening to one track, you might as well listen to 'em all--"Network of Death" packs a whole lot o' thrashy goodness into a cohesive display, and closer "The Snake Embrace" is, simply put, catchy as fuck. In sum: Dead Is The Soul is an excellent appetizer. I'm excited to witness whatever Corruption cook up next. |
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