FRESH MEAT FRIDAY: June 24th, 2022 Feat. 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. 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

---

PAGANIZER - Beyond The Macabre
​(Transcending Obscurity Records)

Look, you hardly need me to tell you that the latest from PAGANIZER is a high quality death metal album. This is a given. Regardless, here I am telling you that Beyond The Macabre is, well, a high quality death metal album. This is quintessential stuff, from the buzzing Swedeath tone, to the cranium-cratering double bass, to the meathook riffage, to the sweaty aggression of Rogga Johansson's burly vocal delivery. PAGANIZER sustain their knack for slipping a lil' sliver of progressive death into the fray, which grants Beyond The Macabre a level of interest that transcends the pure knucklehead aesthetic. That said, if you're solely in it for the hallmarks of  Swedeath, you will enjoy this one regardless. In a year that is staggering under the weight of excellent death metal, PAGANIZER still manage to make a sizable dent. For those of ye in the mood for good death metal: this'll certainly do the trick.

Find it here!​

---

Horned Wolf - Become Like They Are
​(Independent)

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me just state that this Fresh Meat Friday iteration of the Horned Wolf writeup is but an appetizer for a longer review to follow. In short, then: Become Like They Are is a very intriguing album from a band that is notably difficult to pigeonhole. Horned Wolf fling genre convention and expectation out the window. Instead, they elect to provide a collection of tracks defined less by sonic compatibility and more by snarling 'tude and the sheer power of Sav MangelsDorf's dynamic vocals. From bluesy doom to pop-laden prog to borderline death belligerence, Become Like They Are presents an exceedingly unpredictable journey, and that is a quality I very much enjoy.

But anyways. Much more on this later! In the meantime, give Become Like They Are a well-deserved listen.

​Find it here!

---

---

Tabahi - Run For Your Life
(Independent)

Back in February of this year, I reviewed a blistering old-school thrash single from Karachi's own Tabahi, and was very impressed by their ability to wrangle the aggression of Kreator and Sodom without feeling lost in the past. Needless to say, I was psyched to hear their new single, the appropriately entitled "Run For Your Life." This is a tightly executed and wonderfully vicious track, scrabbling at its own boundaries in a rabid attempt to break loose. The tempo is relentless, leaving little room to breath. The vocals are sharp as a razor, and the jubilant shredfest that closes out the track is fun as hell.

​Thrash is good for the soul, and I for one can't wait for this crew to drop a full length. The two singles thusfar have both been absolute rippers, and if they have more songs like this locked and loaded, we're in for a treat.

Find it here!

---

10,000 Years - III
(Interstellar Smoke Records)

I quite love 10,000 Years-- a fact best evidenced, perhaps, by how much I refuse to shut up about them. In hot anticipation of the release of III,I briefly reviewed the fantastic single "Megafauna," and in the weeks since, my infatuation for the track (and, if we're being real, the album as a whole) has only continued to grow. III simply hasn't left near-constant rotation 'round these parts. I mean, good lord. If you want riffs on riffs on riffs, 10,000 Years have got 'em in spades. By way of a sample, sludgy opener "Cult Axe" will flatten you fairly immediately, and the remainder of the album follows suit accordingly. Riffage aside, the vocals are raw and mighty, and the percussion is damn near prehistoric in its dedication to forthright belligerence. III is a stellar album from an equally stellar band, and it is my sincere hope 10,000 Years draw some serious attention with this release. 

Find it here!

---

---