Written by: Blackie Skulless
Philadelphia based heavy metallers Blazon Rite seem to have struck up a little love with their debut EP last year. Coming in fast with an epic edge lightly painted atop a traditional mass, they’ve cooked up a full-length to follow. Endless Halls Of Golden Totem captures a solid image of this style, boasting lyrics focusing on fantastical and mystical characters with some narrative angles. Though common for this style, Blazon Rite packed some memorable punches. If Savatage were a bit slower overall and used lower-pitched vocals more often, you’d be pretty damn close to what Blazon Rite are all about. Their epic nature casts a pretty spotless atmosphere, dialing in plenty of synthesizers as a side. The writing style is impressive, as they can take this and smoothly mold their swift passages and slower ones together while fitting in solos for the foreground and background. Transitions in general are one of their biggest strengths.
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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! 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. 
Tomorrow, April 2nd, we'll be publishing an interview with Maxwell Jeffries of Underking. Stay tuned! - Ed.
Written by: The Administrator
Please understand, dear reader, that when I say that At Hell’s Gate is my favorite album o’ the year thusfar, I’m not being dramatic for the sake of it. In March, my proposed review schedule was utterly strangled by this damn thing--garroted and left in the spring mud. Rather than checking out new stuff, or catching up on older stuff, I have found myself, time and time again, hitting repeat on Underking. As such, enjoying this album was never in question; it was an inevitability. I’ve written pretty extensively about Underking in the past few months, and have immensely enjoyed--publicly and privately--the three pre-release singles. As such, the ultimate conclusion here isn’t exactly a secret: in this scribe's humble estimation, At Hell’s Gate is a stellar album, and Underking is an underrated talent who--if there is any justice in this world--will be turning many a headbanging head in very short order. Underking--the moniker of the very talented Maxwell Jeffries--plays a stupidly infectious blend of traditional heavy metal, thrash, alternative metal, and NWOBHM, all encased in a decidedly modern sheen. Across the varied breadth of At Hell’s Gate, Jeffries sounds like he’s paying homage to a veritable horde of influences, while simultaneously delivers a fresh-faced take on the side of metal that revels in jubilant hooks, catchy choruses, and enthusiastic groove. Underking arrives at hell’s gate with glee-inducing energy and a penchant for catchy-as-hell songwriting, and if that ain’t enough to wet yer whistle, I can offer nothing but sympathy and condolences. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Haunt mastermind Trevor Church and Co. have basically been churning out endless material since I discovered them in late 2018 around the release of the debut album. Sticking to a pretty traditional style of heavy metal, they made their first mild shift in early 2020 with Mind Freeze, a record that I admittedly simp for. This marked the first of a gradual step towards synthier, perhaps poppier songs that had more chorus-based structures. Although I thought Flashback was a bit of an awkward transition, the latest full-length Beautiful Distraction basically steps in and ties up loose ends. Continuing off of the prior idea, you get a better executed version of these accessible tactics molded with firm heavy metal riffing. The layering especially is the best that Haunt have done with the trade-offs between guitar/keyboard and how they follow each other. Allowing for songs to flow from one to the next easier, they can now squeeze in different writing directions smoothly. That, in and of itself, is one of the biggest standouts. FRESH MEAT FRIDAY - March 12th, 2021, Feat. Underking, Rise To The Sky, Necropanther, and WitchTit3/12/2021 On (regrettably infrequent) Fridays, 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 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--and have been--listening to this week at the Village HQ. We hope you join us in doing so! Note: All of today's releases are independently released, which is a direction we're increasingly trying to move with this column. Show 'em some support! On the docket for today, March 12th, 2021: Underking, Rise To The Sky, Necropanther, and WitchTit
 Written by: The Administrator
Lookin' for a little feel-good heavy metal revelry on this fine Valentine's Sunday? If so, you've got something in common with our population of highfalutin peasants, who hath persuaded yours truly to scribble a few words. in honor of Dangerous Times For the Dead's latest banger. Back in the fall of 2020 we covered, in our weekly roundup, a self-titled single by the band in question. "Dangerous Times For the Dead" tickled our fancy--indeed, to self-plagiarize: "Exuding a spirit reminiscent of, well, basically any of your favorite 80's personalities, it's not a particularly inventive track, but clearly isn't aiming for lofty heights so much as providing a rollickin' good time...a potent metal brew with a hooky-ass chorus, some delicious axemanship, and a full-throttle Danzig-esque momentum that just won't quit." Needless to say, further efforts were worth checking out, and so here we are, hitting play on "Queen of the Night" yet again. 'Cuz, y'know, it's becoming a bit of a pattern around these parts. 
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
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. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Considering Dread Sovereign’s semi-decent following, it’s amazing that I’ve only stumbled upon them this year, as well as the closely-tied Primordial. Dropping their third album titled Alchemical Warfare, they’ve awoken an inner beast that wasn’t realized earlier. This doom outfit treads far darker waters, dealing in satanic lyrical themes and medieval tamperings, wrapped in storming fury. Given what we know, it fits with the black metal-painted history of the frontman. With six tracks, an intro, an interlude, and a Bathory cover, Dread Sovereign stretches their writing boundaries to great lengths. Nemtheanga and Co. primarily focus on epic build-up, pummeling drum/rhythm guitar blowouts, and galloping leads. Almost every song crawls in with some kind of noise or anticipation, but what breaks them up is how they proceed to the heavy clashing. “Nature Is The Devil’s Church” sneaks in and wreaks havoc with blitzing intensity and raging riffs that don’t cool down for its entire run-time. Others like the opening “She Wolves Of The Savage Season” stick around for a while to really build that momentum. It then focuses on a steadier trudge once it picks up. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
The third full-length offering by Vanik somewhat came out of nowhere, but seeing how much I liked Vanik II: Dark Season, this became a priority. Simply titled III (or Vanik III), it delivers more of what they’re great at. Since the beginning, Shaun Paul Vanek and Co. have delivered hefty blasts of heavy/speed metal residing on the rustier side. Picture something like Venom but not quite as abrasive--or in other words, lose the blackened atmosphere. A notable difference that could be spotted right away is the cleanliness of the riffs and even the vocals a bit here. Though still raspy, the layering is better placed to allow every part to stand out in its own merit, even if it loses a little bit of the bass prominence from before. That also forces room for a tiny drop of melody boost and passages that feel a bit more comprehensive. No worries though, because you still don’t lose that spooky undertow that coats everything this band does. |
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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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