Autumn was a brief affair here at the Sleeping Village, and now that rime coats our beards and the snow has unceremoniously de-robed the trees, we slumbering scribes are all set to slip into hibernation for the next five months or so. But! To combat said lethargy before it truly sets in, I, in all my administration authority, bequeathed our archivist to trawl through our overstuffed mailcart for something worthy of our collective attention. When he emerged, Galaxy’s sci-fi inspired debut EP clutched in white-knuckled grasp, I was confident we had, at very least, an approximation of a winner. And so here we are, blasting Lost From the Start ‘till our lids droop. Feel free to join in the festivities.
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Written by: Cantina Several things could be said about Bölzer, but beyond any possible connotation, this fascinating swiss duo surely doesn't pander to the herd of formulaic blackened death metal outputs. Furthermore, the artistic relationship between KzR and HzR, the masterminds between this band, seem to be tighter than ever. It's already been three years since the release of their divisive full-length debut "Hero," yet Bölzer have proven yet again to be ready to destroy any opposition by exhuming their most beloved musical format: the EP. Longtime fans may have different perspectives in regards of this, but the band is currently showing NO intention of drifting away from their unconventional yet resolute path. Their unique brand of black/death metal seems to have grown into its fullest form--and with a certain ease, I must add. The more eagle-eyed amongst ye lurkers may recall that, earlier this year, this particular Villager took a bit of a break from the more hefty, crushing, and otherwise violent end of the musical spectrum. During this time of relative quietude, one of my close companions was The Dwarf Star Sessions, a solo instrumental avant-garde cosmic exploration. Which should, in retrospect, tell you all you need to know. One Dr. Greenthumb excels at creating languid improvisational spaces--the kind of musical environ that invites you to nod your head and rest your eyes in a half-aware stupor. This is, in other words, the perfect soundtrack to your half-conscious daydreams. While The Dwarf Star Sessions impressed with it’s uncanny ability to draw me back into the fold of undulating psychedelia, the followup--Celestial Sounds From the Cosmic Ocean--feels like a gradual climb into the astral womb. And this, in the best possible sense. Our shadowy cabal of scribes has happened upon one of the most wondrous and/or perplexing albums in existence. The following reviews, released over the course of several days, is our humble attempt to decipher that which lays before us. This is the last entry in this ridiculous yet enlightening journey.- Ed. Ghat, I implore, hasn't already been said about this utterly Godlike album? If you're still unaware as to the depths of insanity one inevitably plumbs in the course of understanding Remmirath and their epic Shambhala Vril Saucers, I highly recommend you read the previous accounts littered in the annals by our brave scribes. Now then. Do you feel the comforting embrace of clarity? No? Apologies. Such is the scope and impact of Remmirath. Shambhala Vril Saucers is an odd album, to say the absolute least, and in many ways it feels genuinely uncategorizable. It defies genre convention with the kind of smug confidence that indicates a complete disinterest in following the rules, whatever they may be. For this alone, it's a very special album. Our shadowy cabal of scribes has happened upon one of the most wondrous and/or perplexing albums in existence. The following reviews, released over the course of several days, is our humble attempt to decipher that which lays before us. Prepare thyself. - Ed. Written by: Ancient Hand Life is full of unexpected and unexplainable things. With coincidences, strange events, moving art, and more, this small rock we spend our existence on causes us to cross paths with things that make us scratch our heads on plenty of occasions. In the 2+ decades I’ve been breathing air, I have found many unexpected and unexplainable things thrown my way. One of the most perplexing things I have ever come into contact with first crossed my path in the summer of 2017. I was living alone—just me and my cat at the time—and I had plenty of time to review music. If you look back at this page, you’ll see I opted to review Sunbather by Deafheaven, Minas Morgul by Summoning, Long Live by The Chariot, and more during this time. However, nowhere in those reviews do I make any mention of Shambhala Vril Saucers by Remmirath, which I first discovered during this time. Our shadowy cabal of scribes has happened upon one of the most wondrous and/or perplexing albums in existence. The following reviews, released over the course of several days, is our humble attempt to decipher that which lays before us. Prepare thyself. - Ed. Written by: Lichtmensch After a long SVR hiatus, yours truly, the Soliloquist, has awakened and unearthed an album that had been buried and forgotten in the deepest depths of the musical underground for far too long. The album in question is Shambhala Vril Saucers by Remmirath. I decided to approach this idiosyncratic piece of music from the absolute surface level. The first impression one gets is the painting that emblazons the album cover. I want to draw your attention to the figure it exhibits. Look at his face. His pose. He is thinking. Meditating. Contemplating the big questions of life. In fact, I think it is safe to say that this is the face, the pose, the demeanor of a man who is thinking about the question itself. Our shadowy cabal of scribes has happened upon one of the most wondrous and/or perplexing albums in existence. The following reviews, released over the course of several days, is our humble attempt to decipher that which lays before us. Prepare thyself. - Ed. Written by: Loveloth On November 25th, in year of our Lord 2019, I, Loveloth, release upon thee a review of a record to end all records. I am, of course, referring to Remmirath's sophomore Shambhala Vril Saucers. In case you somehow don't know about them, they were formed in Bratislava many moons ago and while they share three members with Malokarpatan, they sound completely different. Calling them eclectic may sound pretentious, but I truly believe they are. Things start off blackishly enough with "Tiger Of The City," whose generic riffs and blastbeats lulled me into a false sense of security before unleashing a deadly weapon--synths. Synths that would find no trouble finding themselves on a Hawkwind record. Assisting it is a bass that sounds equally as 70's, but as soon as you get used to it--riff time. Our shadowy cabal of scribes has happened upon one of the most wondrous and/or perplexing albums in existence. The following reviews, released over the course of several days, is our humble attempt to decipher that which lays before us. Prepare thyself. - Ed. Written by: Capt. Graves (and his grisly extraterrestrial compatriots) As I smoke my cigarette, I feel better than I have in hours. The only thing that's changed? That album isn't playing. Remmirath reminds me of a bunch of angry dads: "Clean your room!" "Where's my screwdriver?" American Football-style leads really make us cringe. A couple surf rock and disco breaks make me want to hate them even more. This is the kind of music I want to like, but hate with every last bit of my being. If you put video game sounds inside of a shit black metal band, this is what you get. Never will we listen to this album again. I think I broke my ears giving them an ounce of my time. The guy rooting around in his garage really spoke to my hate. Some weird soundtrack to a horrible acid trip, and then I just lost control. Remmirath - Shambhala Vril Saucers was released March 2015 from Todestrieb Records Our shadowy cabal of scribes has happened upon one of the most wondrous and/or perplexing albums in existence. The following reviews, released over the course of several days, is our humble attempt to decipher that which lays before us. Prepare thyself. - Ed. Written by: Izzy Where do I even begin with this. This album. This fuckin’ album. It is a MONSTROSITY and an ABOMINATION and a cruel joke against nature, God, and all that is holy. And I fucking LOVE it. Listen, if you’ve never heard of these guys before, don’t feel bad, neither had I until a couple weeks ago. But listening to this album was a life changing experience. You think Dillinger Escape Plan is strange? That’s cute. You think Psyopus is weird? That’s adorable. You think Genghis Tron is wildly outlandish? That’s gosh diddly darn PRECIOUS. This review (in its unadulterated form) was originally published in April, but, as today saw the re-release of an expanded version under Ripple Music, we thought it would be appropriate to break out this ol' writeup. The following is an edited and updated version. - Ed. As obnoxious as it is to have people stoically refuse to admit that rock is, in fact, not dead, it's more obnoxious still to have a critic point out how patently absurd that statement is. So I'll refrain from falling down that particular rabbit hole. Needless to say, LA’s Void Vator plays some damn fine rock ‘n’ roll with the best of ‘em, and, from all accounts, they've got nowhere to go but up. This past April saw the release of Stranded as a 6-track EP, but here, after catching the eye of Ripple Music, it has been re-released as an album, with 2 brand new tracks in tow. If there was e’er a time to dust out the cobwebs and get back into chorus slinging high energy rock, yer looking at it. Biographical material indicates a similarity to bands as diverse as Nirvana, Pantera, Megadeth and Foo Fighters. An eclectic mix, yes, yet oddly accurate. Take quite literally any track here--let’s say "Nothing to Lose" or the dynamic "Put Away Wet," for argument’s sake--and you’ll find the best elements of the aforementioned lurking mere inches below the surface. Bottom line: if you want your rock to have it, Void Vator wears it proudly. Short tracks. Grin-inducing solos. Blatantly air guitar-able riffs, which create and subsequently release kinetic energy like one taking a boltcutter to a tightly wound coil. Straightforward head-bopping groove. Aggressively present drums. Some of the more earwormy vocal melodies I’ve heard in a very long while--and this, I mean genuinely. “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus,” riffs Grohl in some long-forgotten internet video. Rock may live and/or die by the guitar, but within the genre confines, a band’s staying power is often dependent on the vocalist’s ability to write the kind of chorus that get trapped in your head for days. Here, Void Vator succeeds remarkably. Take standout track "Inside Out," which features a hook that wouldn't go amiss in a newfound single from Audioslave or (the oft-neglected) Manman God. Lucas Kanopa’s classically gruff voice has the golden ability to inflict nostalgia-ridden glee, and if your track delivers a reaction of that pedigree, you’re doing something right. From an industry standpoint, “radio ready” has, unfortunately, become a bit of an unfortunate insult. Stranded deserves a wide audience, plain ‘n’ simple, and they’ve got the potential in spades. This album's high octane strains have graced the Sleeping Village's halls a multitude of times this year, and will likely receive some attention as we compile our end of year lists. It's dangerously repeatable, to the detriment of a certain stack of promos. This re-release includes two new tracks: "Everything Sucks" and "Monster." The former is a bit of a wildcard, featuring a doomy intro that launches into a particularly nihilistic and punky brand of garage rock. It's a lot less subtle than the rest of the tracks herein, and feels a little under-baked on it's own. That said, the asymmetrical intensity between the respective halves provides substantial interest. "Monster," on the other hand, feels like a very complete track, undoubtedly ready and able to fill the all-important closer position. This lil' number has a delightfully unrestrained quality, and feels like an accurate summation of the general vibe Void Vator continue to nail. Critically, the catchiness of each track does depend largely on the vocals. Personal preference, no doubt, but a thicker guitar tone might make these catchy-as-hell riffs a little heftier in stature. There's a thin line between remaining accessible and beating up your audience, but as it stands now, the guitar sounds a tad thin. But that aside: perhaps most importantly, Void Vator aren’t boring. If that sounds like a grossly under-applied veneer of accomplishment, know that dynamism and maintained interest are...startlingly rare. For a genre that has historically gotten by on singles and lots of filler, packing a punch with all 8 tracks is a victory. Let there be no doubt: as long as high energy bands like Void Vator are doing the rounds and writing kickass tunes, rock ain’t going anywhere. Keep fighting the good fight. Void Vator’s (highly recommended) Stranded was released Nov. 22nd, 2019 from Ripple Music |
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We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry!
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