On (most!) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s rusted palisade, stuffed to the brim with musical sustenance. Today is the day we must offload 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!
As today is Bandcamp Friday--the day in which our belov'd Bandcamp waives their share of the cut, resulting in artists making a lil' more cash than usual, we're shaking it up a bit! Instead of our typical four mini-reviews, here's a a bunch of cool stuff released today that we recommend you check out (and purchase, if yer so inclined!) On the docket for today, April 2nd, 2021: Sea of Snakes, LORD, Pale Ale, Bog Wizard, Reduce Right, Non Serviam, The Sun and the Mirror, Everson Poe, Diplomats, and Hidden Mothers.
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On (most!) Fridays, a wagon arrives at the Sleeping Village’s rusted palisade, stuffed to the brim with musical sustenance. Today is the day we must offload 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! It isn't bandcamp Friday, but... ...that doesn't mean it isn't a great day to support musicians! On the docket for today, March 26th, 2021: Breaths, Celestial Sanctuary, Dope Skum, and Seven Serpents
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Dipygus: a severe and extreme deformity where the body duplicates at the caudal end. So yeah, that’s what we’re in for. The third and final of this Memento Mori run is a quick death metal spin heavily fascinated with gore, deformation, body horror, and… apes. Following their debut in 2019 titled Deathooze, Dipygus returned this year for an even more gruesome and rotted realm of Swedish-tinted riffs in the form of Bushmeat. Going in, it’s still loaded up with the utilization of samples to set the tone of the incomprehensible and overly guttural vocals. They’ve always rung in a bit of an Entombed vibe, but brought to greater extremes in abrasion and execution. “The Khumjung Scalp” is probably one of the single most disgusting songs I’ve ever heard. Matter of fact, this record draws out the riffing to far slower degrees than before, this song being a glaring example. “Osteodontokeratic Savagery” (have fun with that one) follows it up and injects a bass-loaded break before hitting an explosive lead guitar bridge. On (increasingly frequent!) 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, March 19th, 2021: Clouds Taste Satanic, Seraph In Travail, Egor Lappo, and The Noctambulant
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Our next death metal cut from Memento Mori’s Bar & Grill is a Canadian dish called Altered Dead. Returning to life for their sophomore effort Return To Life, these lads bring a pretty brief offering that resides on the chaotic side. Though I wouldn’t really call this a full-on technical disc, there’s definitely a lot crammed into a small space. Thirty minutes of grueling, otherworldly riffing and a Celtic Frost cover pass by before you know it. If the album cover doesn’t give this away immediately, there’s a running theme of space and science passed through a slimy and grimy pattern for an optimal decaying experience. As guttural as the vocals are, they get somewhat stomped into the lunar surface, giving the guitars the main focal point. Occasional tastes of hardcore chugging can come through, honing in wavier tones during the slower riffs, and vibrant reverberations during the faster ones. It can get overwhelming at times, particularly when the drums blast away over-top this. But I won’t pretend it isn’t impressive.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
How nice is it to have a band whose name starts with “dis” that isn’t a Discharge d-beat ripoff? Ha, I kid! (kinda). Anyhow, Memento Mori spits out some of the meanest, brain-boiling, and ferocious slabs of death and doom/death known to man. So to start out a little run of their recent outings, I bring Disrupted. This Swedish death metal act takes charred ruins of the pioneers and reconstructs them in a horrendous and skin-scorching style for their sophomore record titled Pure Death. And what a fitting title that is, because this thing sounds as grating and brash as the rotted guillotine on the cover looks. There is nothing remotely nice, welcoming, or friendly to be had. You can probably picture the buzzing Swedish tones, but there’s a layer of grit added to these that cast an even hotter level of harsh noise. Matching this is growling vocals boosted with powerful outbursts that avoid being overly guttural, matching the riffing yet standing out wonderfully. Written by: Blackie Skulless For all the hype that surrounded the latest Necrophobic release, I figured it was necessary to visit their albums that went beyond the first couple. Dawn Of The Damned dropped in October of last year, and this was a clear sign from the start that I’d been mistaken to sleep on the later material. For those unfamiliar, they’re a Swedish black/death metal band, widely looked at as pioneers of the style. Despite sticking to this since the early ‘90s, it certainly holds up. What’s important for a veteran band is to know how to gradually move forward with the style without overdoing it or going the opposite and isolating yourself. Necrophobic have found that nice medium in their latest. Atmosphere plays a big part in this record, casting ferociously fast drum blasts for an entire gradient of noise to get around. This acts as a sturdy barrier to go with the contradicting riffing, as it’s mostly done with tremolos and flattened basslines. All of it together creates a thick and saturated foundation that’s heavier than a train car.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Wow, talk about a much needed attack of chaotic thrash played in the traditional format! Beekeeper hail from San Diego, and have been around since 2010. Though their first record Slaves To The Nothing was technically released back in 2017, they’re re-pressing it to many vinyl variants as well as CD in May of this year, which is how it was brought to my attention. From the gate, I can tell this is very much going to be loved or hated depending on the set of ears, because of its grating delivery. The selling factor is the frontwoman’s piercing vocal style blended with unconventional riffing patterns that still never leave the thrash boundaries. This sets itself apart from the typical outing of its type. I for one love it; her vocals vary significantly. Shrieks that fire far above the mix (think Carmine Blades from Seax) bounce around lower hurls of force, which is such a unique approach. Moreover, the bass guitars coat the riffing to boost the levels of intensity everywhere. Thus, the finished product is overly energetic from front to back.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Coming from the cooler lands of Minnesota is a fresh project of thrash and death proportions known as Begravement. Considering how young these kids are, they definitely have an ear for abrasive fronts and classic tactics, managing to get out a demo-quality EP early this year known, in turn, as Conjuring The Necromancer. Notably, there’re also some slight hints at progressive-leaning writing. With all of that in mind, it is obviously pretty rookie. This is nearly a half hour of extremely unhinged layering at depths that are sometimes difficult to measure. By that I mean it’s a bit uneven in spots between bass and lead/rhythm precedence. On the bright side, the hooks are plenty sharp, such as the simpler rhythms in the title track, as well as its bridge. “Opaque Malevolence” is also a more straightforward one that was stronger in this regard, emulating thrashy passages that make up the better parts of this disc.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Wow, talk about a neat hybrid here. Sleepless are a band that took formation from the remnants of an ‘80s death metal project called Dead Conspiracy. The trick is that they are meant to be a traditional heavy metal act, but the death metal history makes its way into the actual music itself, thus creating something that could be heavy/death metal? It seems impossible, you can’t really have the latter without harsh vocals, but should it exist, I think this would be it. Entitled Blood Libel, this EP is four songs of chunky and brooding riffs that are topped off with melodic singing. Thank our lucky stars that the vocals aren’t overly clean production-wise, because this allows the two to work together rather nicely. Opener “The Man Who Could Not Sleep” is the beefiest song here, churning out multiple moods dipped into this odd blend. The constant jumps in pace and deep piano notes thrown in make it such a fun ride. “Host Desecration” follows this with a sinister drop in tone and overall meaner makeup. |
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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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