Review: “Pillaging Villagers” by Pillaging Villagers

A concept album composed entirely by Milwaukee, Wisconsin based vocalist David Frazer, the debut self titled album from Pillaging Villagers features the session contributions of drummer Jason Hirt (Ghost Bath), guitarist Brian Koenig (Lords of the Trident) and bassist Adam Tucker (A Scanner Darkly) as together the quartet seek to take the listener, willing or otherwise, on a journey into a Medieval World of pitchfork-wielding rebellion where the flames of the burning thatched rooves kiss the night sky in victory as bottles of Moonshine are raised high. Mastermind Frazer describes the project as Peasant Metal and while the terms Crossover Thrash, Folk Metal and Celtic Punk are all thrown around in the press release, those genres together sound like a disaster waiting to happen…

…fortunately this is one of those where genre tags are almost utterly pointless; instead take a deep breath, close your eyes and imagine if you will what it would sound like if Nekrogoblikon or Children Of Bodom played a collection of Dropkick Murphy’s covers and then you might have something that sounds like the debut record of Pillaging Villagers, something better described as an incredibly fun Extreme Metal record. A high octane record packed with crossover Thrash riffs, galloping drums and Death Metal vocals ignite “Wretched of the Earth” with its anthemic gang-chanted chorus and organ accompaniment the kind of thing you can just picture tankards being raised to up and down the lands. The Celtic Punk aspect is a reference to the pacing and the melodies that the organ provide which could also be described as giving a sea shanty feel to parts of “We Remember“, giving it Alestorm vibes, the vocals themselves being the single heaviest part, the anchor if you will, of the Pillaging Villagers ship. The energy is restless and relentless, the punk fuelled percussion and razor sharp riffs perfectly balanced in the mix and what we’re left with is something infectious and catchy; it seems near impossible that you won’t find yourself roaring along with “Smash The Factory” after a couple of spins, a testament to the quality of the craftsmanship that has gone into this.

The lyrics call for social justice from the perspective of a Medieval uprising of oppressed peasants and it wouldn’t surprise if that was a metaphor or inspired by a few chapters in history, perhaps even the Irish Potato famine and to that end there is also a theatrical vibe that comes across over multiple listens, “The Crisis” in particular reeking of it and it’s bloody brilliant. Nearly three times the length of some of the cuts on the record, it is one that remains fast but builds on a longer narrative with Frazer using multiple voices in his Death Metal range to tell the tale and at times he sounds like not only his throat is splitting but his personality as well. “Voices in the Sky” is one of the few cuts where lead guitar comes into play, the preference of using the Organ to provide the melody a clear stylistic choice and one that works really well because it injects a different feel entirely while the nature of the ear worm rhythmic gymnastics will keep you coming back time and time again. You will may never hear a more fun infused violent affair than “Crush the Enemy” and you can just picture Frazer’s evil grin as he screams at the microphone, pitchfork in hand with glee. Embrace your destiny and raise a glass before burning and looting to this Medieval soundtrack, you will not be disappointed [8.5/10]

Track listing

1. Wretched of the Earth
2. We Remember
3. The Count
4. The Bishop
5. The Emperor
6. The Crisis
7. Voices in the Sky
8. Burn the Monastery
9. Smash the Factory
10. Ready to Die
11. Crush the Enemy
12. Freedom is Ours

“Pillaging Villagers” by Pillaging Villagers is out 11th March 2022 and is available for pre-order via bandcamp