Welcome to the second edition of DEMO(LITION) DERBY, a relatively new column dedicated solely to demos. Bolstering our underground cred since 2024! Upon receiving permission to injudiciously trawl the depths of the Sleeping Village's promo pit for demo tapes, our hardworking  Pit Herder caught and subsequently presented a writhing haul. A legendary catch. Turns out there's a lot of 'em, folks. It seems like demos are all we're eating these days, and so here is a brief writeup of one of my recent favorites. is a quartet out of London, and this very strong 5-track demo indicates that t ..read more

Upon discussing the state of our abyssal promo pit with the Village's own Pit Herder, we came to realize that there are a great many unsung demo tapes swimming in the depths. They often go unnoticed, unfairly so. As we were ruminating, the Pit Herder recommended that we ink-splattered scribes create, and I quote:   "a brand new column dedicated solely to demos that you will get excited about in the short term yet inevitably abandon in several month's time?" To which I responded, And so here we are, having dredged a variety of delightful and terrifying specimens from amongst the ..read more

drop is always cause for celebration 'round these parts. I was a massive fan of 2018's  , and was quite pleased with 2022's as well, particularly the braying and discordant "Ataraxis." I can only hope the release of this latest single, "Learn To Love It," is a harbinger of another album to come. The fact that it originates from the   sessions may imply that it is a genuine standalone, but any case, I'll happily throw this single track on repeat. It's already done a serious number on my workout playlist. From the sheer ferocity to the thematic focus on catharsis and religious opp ..read more

I am neither big and burly nor lean and mean, but yes, all the rumors are true. I have indeed been working out a lot lately. Thanks so much for noticing! Unironically though, I am really proud of the gains and the consistency I've made lately, and none of it would be remotely possible without the assistance of my favorite and most valued workout companion: muscular hardcore riffage. Real heavyweight breakdown-laden shit. It reeks of stale sweat. You know the stuff, even if you regularly make a habit of avoiding it.  Anyways. Clocking in at a brisk 11 minutes and change, this 5 track EP is ..read more

A few months back, in inevitably lost to the sands of time, I discussed the unique honor of witnessing a band release their very first song. One lone track can say a lot about a band's intentions and potential, and in today's case, I'm primed and ready to see what comes next in the world of hardcore doomsters  . Their first song "Sun Stain" has been on rotation this past week here at ye olde Sleeping Village, and if a singular track is keeping my attention over multiple days, it is, in my book, certainly worth writing about. lean into overtly dynamic composition, demonstrating sludgy heft ..read more

Releasing your first album after over ten years as a band and four years after your last EP isn’t exactly orthodox. But then, you couldn’t call an orthodox band either. Releasing their first demo in early 2012, there were only sporadic releases across the 2010's as members’ attention remained divided. Vocalist James Tippett has described the band as more of a ‘passion project’ and ‘outlet’ in an interview given to Knotfest . This only became more of an issue when drummer Josh Baines’ other band began gaining more traction and success in the British, then global scene. That band is . But after ..read more

Ah, nu-metal. Occasionally umlauted, frequently maligned.  My own affair with nu-metal was lustful but exceedingly brief. The tail end of the genre's heyday represented the first time I got to introduce music to my dad rather than the other way around. While my fascination with the seemingly unmatchable aggression of or outspoken edge and jubilant oddity of didn't exactly translate, we did spend several months exploring and enjoying 's discography together. That phase passed pretty quickly in favor of my era of angsty grunge revivalism, and nu-metal ceased to have any impact in my life or ..read more

GLOVES OFF - My Death Was A Banquet (Track Review) I don't listen to a whole lot of it these days, but when I do, it inevitably comes from They routinely drop absolute bangers, and when I'm in the mood to go apeshit whilst having my skull sledgehammered, Upstate's excellent roster always does the deed.  is a prime example of a band that swiftly quenches such moods swiftly and with great violence. Their forthcoming   is a prime example of how intensely immersive a solid metallic hardcore release can be. Their sound is kinetic as hell, with attention divided fairly ..read more

Just before the world was taken by storm with a pandemic, blew my mind with their comprehensive brand of black/speed/punk. On 2020’s EP of only fifteen minutes, they managed to sell me instantaneously. With a newer love for extreme music, I found the Canadian duo to touch close to the powerviolence side of things due to the unforgiving delivery. Now, they’ve solidified this into the form of full length with The debut album is every bit as intense as what we were given before, with just a slight hint of clarity amongst the extremely coarse finish. The noisy gradient over the guitars and borderl ..read more

Without fail, I get excited when a project bearing the  moniker hits the ol' inbox. There is something so intrinsically intoxicating about the prospect of band's first foray, something utterly salivatory about the promise of raw potential. Add a "blackened crust" descriptor and you know I'm slamming in the earbuds with great haste.  ' first outing starts on a somber tone, opener "A Setting Sun" moves towards some significantly more furious environs. There's a jarring sense of movement that bring to the table across these three tracks--and I mean this, of course, in the most comp ..read more