The doom I am drawn to, more often than not, doesn't seek to drown the listener in a sludgy bath of muck and murk. While that approach has a place, I typically gravitate towards the more dynamic stuff--the stuff that pairs doom and gloom with a flair for exploration. Earth-shattering riffs are all well and good, but if they are balanced out with some high-flying vocals, unexpected interludes, and a tendency for borderline-hypnotic meandering, the band in question will likely catch my eyes and ears.
In other words, a certain penchant for dynamic composition and aesthetics is a quality that this particular Villager seeks out when it comes to music to premiere. In this regard, Rat King's forthcoming Omen knocks it out of the park. This crew balances a heftier aggression a la Electric Wizard or Conan with harsh growls and ethereal cleans that ultimately serve to maintain a high level of intrigue. "Capsizer," the single which we are pleased to present here today, demonstrates this strength in juxtaposition quite handily.
But! Before we scare ye away with our ceaseless blathering, however, we'll just point you in the direction of the damn track. Check it out below, and, as always, we'll catch you on the other side of the fold.
While music appreciation--and, by extension, music reviewing--are an entirely subjective affair, I'm paradoxically of the mind that some bands are deserving of a big break from a purely objective standpoint. Budapest's Vanta are such a band.
A couple years back we wrote about their massive track "True Enemy," stating that "like a mossy sasquatch stomping around whilst strapped into mechanical armor, Vanta is seemingly bent on wanton destruction. Your eardrums (and spinal column, no doubt) stand little chance against this churning distortion and brobdingnagian swagger...these guys rip, tear, and obliterate their way through the doom/sludge umbrella, leaving little behind but shreds and twisted metal." And that, all in reference to a single track and a single almighty riff. Imagine our excitement by the prospect of a whole damn album of this stuff. Time, methinks, for a big break.
Needless to say, we’re pleased and honored to present Feel Alive, the lead single from Vanta’s forthcoming album Kelvin Zero. Give it a listen below! Crank it up, and, as always, we’ll catch ye on the other side.
I'm a child of the 90's, but predictably didn't learn to appreciate its bounty of music until a decade after the fact. In any case, this scribe's angsty teenage years were filled to the brim with, y'know, appropriately angsty music. From Soundgarden, to Mudhoney, to RHCP, to Silver Chair, to Tool, to Our Lady Peace, and far beyond, my formative days were crammed with rockin' riffs and the gritty melancholic tirades of the era. Given a heartfelt love for that grunge-infected generation of rock, I was exceptionally excited by the opportunity to premiere Static, the debut EP from Melbourne's very talented Canyon.
On paper, this power trio plays a blend o' alt metal, stoner rock, and prog. In practice, that description certainly feels accurate, but their tunes are notably imbued with a grungy flair. Or, y'know, the dour equivalent of flair. Back in Oct. of last year, when we reviewed Insane, this EP's lead single, we stated that if felt "caught in the amber of 90's headbang fodder," while simultaneously displaying a high level of maturity. I'm please to report that the entire EP follows suit...but you hardly have to take my word for it. Give Static a listen in full below. We'll catch ye on the other side of the y2k divide.
If you've been traipsing around the underground metal blog-o-sphere these past few months, you have more than likely run into Mothman and the Thunderbirds. Y'know, wielder of an unforgettable moniker and equally unforgettable tunes. This popularity, I hasten to add, wasn't simply birthed into existence by benefit of Alex Parkinson's industry connections as a fellow metal reviewer. As anyone who has heard any of the advance singles will undoubtedly attest, his debut album Into The Hollow stands strong on its own two (three? seven? undeterminable?) legs (wings? assorted appendages?)
A sludge/stoner project for the purpose of succinct PR, Mothman and the Thunderbirds is, in reality, a very difficult beast to define. Into The Hollow does feature a whole lot of the sasquatchian heft and aggression that one might expect from conspiracy-and-cryptid-themed sludge--take, as a prime example, "Hollow Earth," which seemingly pays homage to Mastodon's "Circle of Cysquatch." However, merely singling out a single song does absolutely nothing to prepare you, a fact that you can, in fact, independently verify in very short order. Eclectic ain't the half of it.
Anyways. More on that later. More pressing matters are at hand. We slumbering scribes are happy, honored, and otherwise Very Fuckin' Pleased to present said album in its entirety, prior to release this coming Friday. Give it a listen below! Provided you're still standing, we'll meet ye on the other side.
HOT RAM. If you know 'em, you undoubtedly love 'em...'cuz frankly, what's not to love? This crew from Atlanta exists in an arena where big riffs, big fuzz, big groove, and a hard rocking attitude are pretty much par for the course. Back in 2019 we reviewed their killer album Where Light Goes To Die--an album that (prophetically) remains in constant rotation to this day, due to a strong tendency to provide intriguing songwriting in a genre that is regrettably bogged down by repetition. Indeed, as I stated back then: "As much as I love the genre, we all know the truth of the matter: in the hazy confines of stoner rock, sophistication and brevity aren't always the qualities most sought. HOT RAM throw that stereotype in the woodchipper, delivering six massive (yet varied) bangers."
Needless to say, this particular slumbering scribe is very pleased to present the first single from HOT RAM's forthcoming follow-up. The album in question, Electric Medicine, will undoubtedly receive a little more attention around these parts upon its release on May 21st, but for the meantime, we highly recommend checking out the excellent "Grave of Arch Stanton" below! As always, we'll see you on the other side!
As a young scribliong, my very first exposure to music that could be deemed "heavy" was my father's Black Sabbath collection. Indeed, the opening cough on "Sweet Leaf," and subsequent sweet-ass riffage, was the clarion call of my youth. This appreciation for the low, slow, and psychedelic as a child has only grown to this day, and, more often than not, I'm quite comfortable strolling the pastures of stoner rock, doom, heavy psych, and affiliated genres.
As such, premiering a track from Burning Sister's forthcoming self-titled EP was a bit of a no-brainer. This self-declared "mile high downer rock" trio from Denver plays in an admittedly crowded field, but possess a unique ability to balance a simultaneously mellow and energetic quality. I'll blather on further soon enough, but before you're scared away, check out the excellent "Lord of Nothing" below!
While we Villagers have, alas, never had the good fortune of encountering a Tyrannosaurus Rex (or similar 'saurus) in the imposing flesh, today's offering provides the closest sonic equivalent the musical 'verse could possibly spawn. Enter Titanosaur, a one-man band from Hudson, NY. Over the course of a couple of albums, this guy practically exudes destructive coolness in a fashion only befitting the titular 30,000lb behemoth. Titanosaur, in other words, possesses some notable swagger and a fearsome bite.
Titanosaur plays a self-reported "dash of Monster Magnet, pinch of Red Fang, large dose of Motorhead, and some Ramones for good taste, all poured over a bed of Black Sabbath." While such a wide bibliography of legendary acts all-to-oft feels like wishful thinking, I'm happy to report that all of these influences have made a clear mark on today's artist (and track!) From the whiskey-n-cigarette vocals, to the thundering drums, to the simple-yet-monolithic riffage, there's a clear stoner/desert rock grit on display, swaddled in a punky 'tude and doomy heft.
But! Lest I give it all away here, I wholeheartedly recommended checking out "Deceiver" below. As always, we'll meet ya on the other side!
We slumbering peasantry tend to grumble and complain about the back-breaking labor involved in this review-writin' trade, but this profession isn't marked solely by a surplus of sweat and tears. When encountering hordes of new music and bands on a daily basis, there are many moments of pure and unbridled excitement--and nothing is more invigorating than a brand new band that positively reeks of potential. Such is the case with today's (one man!) crew in question: Philadelphia's Mothman and the Thunderbirds. The sheer fact alone that this single track has garnered a bevy of reviews from our neighboring blogs and publications should be indication of the promise, and we haven't even got to the damn music yet.
To review such a track is exciting, but to premiere one is a genuine honor. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, give "Nomad" a listen below! We'll meet ye on the other side.
Frequent passers-by through Ye Olde Sleeping Village will (hopefully) have noted by this stage that I enjoy when bands toe the line of convention. Indeed, I celebrate when a group throws in the towel and lets deliberate genre-melding lead the process. As such, when Yukonian one-man musical maverick Rick Massie approached us highfalutin peasants with the idea of premiering his forthcoming debut album, all it took to seal the deal (besides, of course, sampling a track) was the promise of genre tomfoolery. In his words, Eclispe is "kind of a mix of everything from prog, to symphonic, to black, to death, to doom-ish, to rock." That's a Now, dear readers, we're talkin' my language.
But let's cut to the chase, shall we? Today, it's our absolute pleasure to present Rick Massie's Eclipse in its unadulterated and unabridged entirety, prior to its release this Friday, May 1st. Before we get too far absorbed in the details, hit play on the stream below. I'll meet you on the other side.
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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