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Written by: The Adminstrator
It's been a while since we've published a mini-review 'round these parts. But today, as I exist in the dull yet painful aftermath of some fairly intrusive dental surgery, I'm ready to listen to the same song on repeat until I miraculously spawn a writeup that encompasses all my thoughts and feelings. That, dear reader, is how this process works. Anyways! On to Ainor's delightful "City Lights," today's track in question. If you're unfamiliar, Ainor is a bit of a musical anomaly and enigma, with projects seemingly spanning the musical spectrum. With "City Lights," a single released on June 2nd, we're treated to an overtly alt-rockin' aesthetic, the likes of which I am personally very fond. Upon hearing a rough mix of "City Lights," my initial reaction was, and I quote: "Really enjoyable! Very nostalgic vibe without feeling antiquated." Completed mix in hand, and some time and multiple listens later, I can confirm that this assessment has held up quite well. In some respects, the track recalls the early 2000's alternative radio rock of my childhood in the best of ways. It's the kind of song I would hunt down and subsequently transfer to my 512Mb Transcend T.Sonic 310 MP3 Player (in red, obviously). The vocals across the first half are emotive and just a tad cloudy, soaring yet tinged with a nice angsty patina. The chorus is catchy, a really singalong. The midsection, however, feels like a more grown-up take on the genre's implicit sense of youth, with some nice drum presence and a whispered and dramatic build into some comparatively raspy and aggressive vocals that sit beneath the choruses' triumphant return. It makes for a pretty damn energetic and climatic moment. For a four minute track, this thing breezes by, with the runtime broken into engaging segments in a fairly seamless fashion. Highly listenable stuff. While I'm a fan of the Ainor ethos in general, should we get more stuff of this ilk, I'll be first in line to check it out! Ainor - City Lights was released June 2nd. Find it here!
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Curated and Written by: Sofia Frasz of Exiled Hope
In a (continuing) attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're trying something new here at Ye Olde Sleeping Village. Thus, on Wednesdays, a band will be taking over the blog to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. Last week wekicked off the series with Cruce Signatus, and for week two, the reins have been handed over to multi-instrumentalist Sofia Frasz of Exiled Hope. Musically inspired by the symphonic likes of Avantasia, Nightwish, Kamelot, and Cradle of Filth, every Exiled Hope single sits within the framework of a shared world, resulting in a catalogue that can be viewed as a dark fantasy metal opera. The latest single, "Blood of the Ancients," is available now, and serves as a harbinger for the forthcoming Exiled Hope album, Apocrypha, out later this year. Once you've checked out the writeup below, check out Exiled Hope over on Linktree andSpotify. Without further ado, I'll let Sofia take over!
Curated and Written by: David Frazer of Cruce Signatus
In an attempt to give some cool bands a platform to talk about cool music, we're trying something new here at Ye Olde Sleeping Village. Each Wednesday henceforth, a band will be taking over the blog to share a curated playlist, along with some words about each song and why they picked it. First up is Cruce Signatus, a new project from Milwaukee based multi-instrumentalist David Frazer, who you might previously know from (the excellent!) Pillaging Villagers. Blending heavy metal, cinematic compositions, and synthwave, the self-titled Cruce Signatus debut was released on June 7th, and can be found here! Without further ado, I'll let David take over. Enjoy!
In this list below, I tried to choose songs from albums that were highly influential on my creative process for Cruce Signatus, listed in descending order of influence. There were many albums that were influential for me, but these represent the top 10.
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Written by: The Administrator
Here's an immutable law of the universe: when prolific creative and longtime friend of the blog Jason Roberts has a new album on the horizon, I will be primed and ready to participate in pre-album hype. Indeed, this particular Breaths premiere is far from our first. I can only hope it far from our last. Thus, we're pumped to announce the release of Breaths fourth album! The self-titled Breaths, out July 19th via Pleasure Tapes, represents a slight sonic change and indeed contains several songs that were originally released under another moniker. I quite enjoyed that project's first few tracks, but was excited to see that Somei had been absorbed under the Breaths umbrella. While textured ethereal moments have always been central to the Breaths formula, this forthcoming album leans away from the more overt aggression, opting instead to deliver a masterclass in dreamy-yet-heavy shoegaze haze. It's a smart move, given a preexisting inclination to write music that embraces fuzzy melancholia. "embody," today's track premiere in question, serves as the album closer, and represents a notable emphasis on floaty hooks and a tone that feels simultaneously--and paradoxically--monolithic in its distortion yet buoyant in terms of general atmosphere. But! Lest I get too far ahead of myself, please give "embody" a listen below. As a treat, you can check out the previously released tracks as well, all of which are damn good. We'll meet you on the other side! ![]()
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Given the hype that’s been circulating around Tyran in the realm of traditional metal dweebs like myself, I was certainly eager to check them out. The appealing album artwork spurred that on even more, making me want to lend an ear immediately. Not to be confused with Iran’s capital city Tehran, the Bavarian dudes have only been around for a few years, and 2024 would see the year they drop a full-length. Following two singles, it realized itself in the form of Tyran’s Oath. At first glance, you’ll find exactly what one would expect. Speed metal riffing, high falsettos in the realm of King Diamond, and a generally clean overlay can easily sum up the entire album in the most basic sense. What’s less obvious is that most of the record avoids the mythical, magical, or historical angle you may anticipate, and prefers to focus on classic ‘80s strong-man themes around heavy metal and machinery. Stylistically, it’s also straight to the point without any hints of power metal or epic metal flavoring. Most changes in any dynamic are as simple as some songs slowing it down a little, like in “Thrill Of The Chase,” a melody-heavy tune. ![]()
Written by: The Administrator
Full disclosure: I have very little frame of reference for the thematic content that informs the Stormland brand. Gundam remain a mystery; my knowledge in this particular department is regrettably nonexistent. That said, I am a sucker for art that serves as a lens and love letter to something that the artist is clearly passionate about. Indeed, sole member Justin Pierrot has successfully imbued Stormland with an immediately recognizable sense of excitement. I've always loved that the project has a lot of charisma and character, regardless of my personal connection (or lack thereof) to the subject matter at hand. And, of course, Stormland serves as a reliable delivery agent for my most favorite subject of all: sick fuckin' riffs. The Altar of War, Stormland's new-ish EP, pretty much picks up right where 2022's The Human Cost left off, with the first three tracks exemplifying the solid foundation of combat-ready riffage upon which the band is built. ![]()
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Around the time I would have just begun discovering metal, Ohio thrashers Vindicator grew into their sound following the release of a full-length titled There Will Be Blood. Through the years of digging up underground thrash, I’d somehow overlooked them in the mix of the Municipal Waste and Violator types of the time. While having far more in common with the latter, this outfit’s first record pulls away the cleaner layers. The end result would be a stripped-down tongue-in-cheek thrash record with a teutonic inspired edge without feeling too extreme. From the get-go, you can tell that Vindicator knows how to run fast with an idea without taking themselves too seriously. The frontman going by “Marshall Law,” and song titles like “New Clear Assault” or “Thrash And Destroy” are a pretty good (v)indicator that they’re here for a good time. Simple, somewhat by-the-book song structures carry the majority of the disc, sticking with speed as the backbone for the thirty-minute runtime. A raspy snarl not unlike Mem V. Stein of earlier Exumer records coat the surface from end to end, blending nicely with the rusty but still sharp rhythms. ![]()
Written by: Blackie Skulless
While Portland, Oregon’s Witch Vomit have been around for over a decade, picking up bigger attention in the latter half of that decade, it took a while for them to appeal to me. Their brand of death metal focuses on the old school style, sticking to the usual themes of death and gore under a raw and guttural veneer. Normally that jumps right out to me, but for some reason it took the more refined approach of 2021’s Abhorrent Rapture to hook me. From there, the latest Funeral Sanctum seems to have followed suit, striking quite a strong chord. As anticipated, much of this follows the same marshy riffing with a cleaner production that doesn’t feel inorganic. Heavy and chunky riffing backed by pummeling drums that tend to coat on an echo with the bass kicks add an extra layer of muck, making it so guitar solos never take too much precedence. In other words, they feel focused without being the star of the show. This allows the rhythms section a little more prominence, which just may be what captures my attention the most. ![]() Written by: The Administrator Given an interest in both cryptids and excellent music, I am a proud Mothman and the Thunderbirds fanboy. Ever since hearing and subsequently reviewing the crisply remastered version of "Simpson = Real Footage," one of my favorite tracks from 2021's debut Into the Hollow, I've been dying for news of a follow-up album. Into The Hollow presented a near-endlessly intriguing and eclectic weirdo blend of prog and sludge, but over time, Alex Parkinson has increasingly leaned into more infectiously poppy songwriting and production that feels lush and oh-so clean. The latter comes from Egor Lappo, who has polished away sludgy scuzz to exceptional results. The weirdness remains, however, and in the latest stage of evolution, the band labels their blend of "adventurous prog, thrilling hard rock, and dreamy psychedelia" as "dream metal." I'll be damned if that isn't a damn fine descriptor. Which brings us, conveniently enough, to today's premiere. Mothman and the Thunderbirds will be releasing the intensely enjoyable Portal Hopper on July 12th. We're honored to present here the lead single and album opener "Ruby Skies." Check it out below via the bombastic lyric video, and, as always, we'll await your arrival on the other side! ![]() Written by: Blackie Skulless Seeing that ol’ Bruce hasn’t put out a solo effort since 2005, and that the latest Iron Maiden record didn’t exactly blow me away, I was a little unsure of what to expect from The Mandrake Project. As time passes on and veteran musicians struggle to keep the capacity going, it often tends to fall into the “hit or miss” category. But, more often than not, more time between records will work to your advantage. Bruce Dickinson further solidified this idea, as his latest effort truly did blow me away. The Mandrake Project is a culmination of many things not too unordinary for the British frontman, meaning its magic doesn’t rest in anything new. Rather, this is an exceptional exercise of tactics that he had mastered between his own career and his several decades in Iron Maiden alike. Modern production values with deep distortion on the riffing works entirely to this album’s advantage, all the while sneaking in a hefty amount of raw emotion and beautiful story-telling. Writing a record that focuses on only one of these properly is impressive, let alone all of them. |
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