AN NCS PREMIERE: INTENT TO HARM — “DRAINED OF LIFE”

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Mar 022026
 

(written by Islander)

Some of us, but probably not many of us, have experienced some kind of physical trauma that forced us to recover while lying flat in a bed. Even fewer of us (probably none) used that prone time to learn how to play the electric guitar. But that’s what the Australian metalhead Matt Turkington did.

To flesh out more of the back-story, Matt was formerly the vocalist for Internal Devour, Splatterpuss, and Alter Idem. We’re told that he had to undergo multiple spinal surgeries that resulted in life-threatening complications, ultimately requiring surgeons to cut through his abdomen to access his spine and attempt to stabilize it. We received some photographic evidence of this: Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: APOLAUSTIC — “TESTIMONY OF AN OBSOLESCENT WORLD”

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Mar 022026
 

(written by Islander)

We have been ardent fans of the Swiss metal band Stortregn and interested observers of how the band’s music has significantly evolved over the last 20 years. And so we became quite curious when learning that one of the band’s founding members and (until last year) a steadfast presence in the Stortregn lineup had embarked on a solo project, and even more intrigued to learn that its debut album would be released by Transcending Obscurity Records.

The artist we’re speaking of is the former Stortregn vocalist/guitarist Romain Negro, and he has named this new personal project Apolaustic, which the dictionary tells us is an adjective that describes being wholly devoted to, or concerned with, seeking enjoyment and pleasure.

But as signified by the album’s title — No Plenitude Without Suffering — the music isn’t some kind of hedonistic carnival. As T.O. rightly observes, “[a]fter experiencing the turmoil of life, the aching pain in the melodies is all too palpable.”

Until today, two songs from the album had been revealed, and today we’re bringing you a third one, wrapped in a stunning video. Continue reading »

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 192): JUODVARNIS

 THE SYNN REPORT  No Responses »
Mar 022026
 

Recommended for fans of: Vintersorg, Enslaved, (early) Sólstafir

When one talks about “Progressive Black Metal” there are certain names that tend to get mentioned the most (some of which I’ve noted above already).

But Lithuania’s Juodvarnis (who recently released their 4th album) tend to get overlooked, which is a damn shame because the band’s evolution – their progress, if you will – has been a real joy to watch/hear.

Beginning as a a more ruggedly melodic, folk-ish band of brothers, the group have slowly evolved in an increasingly heavier and more “blackened” direction, which reached its apex on January’s outstanding Tékmés and – luckily for all you folks reading this right now – today’s edition of The Synn Report will give you an opportunity to follow the group’s creative progress/process right from the beginning all the way up until their current incarnation.

Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: PURE WRATH, BARBELITH, TRHÄ, HAIDUK, ÆDEL FETICH

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Mar 012026
 

(written by Islander)

I hope I haven’t bitten off more than you can chew. Only four selections today, compared to eight yesterday, but two of them are albums and one of them is an EP.

I also hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew. As I begin writing this, I realize it will be tough for me to fully express how all this music has impacted me or how it might impact you, given the time constraints I’m under. But I’ll give it a shot.

If there’s a through-line in these recommendations, it’s that all the music is searing, in sound or mood or both, although the stylistic paths traveled by them often diverge. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: PHASE MERIDIAN, COGNIZANCE, PIG’S BLOOD, NUNSLAUGHTER, SWÆRMMM, FRACTURED INSANITY, NIXIL, GODLESS ANGEL

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Feb 282026
 

(written by Islander)

I did a better job than usual this past week going through NCS e-mails every day, compiling a list of what I thought might be worth checking out, and digging through that list with sharp ears. I still had to leave a lot behind, but made a voluminous 8 picks for this Saturday’s column.

And then… I went out last night to party without writing anything, and woke up very late today. I thought about cutting my planned column in half so I could get it finished before sundown, but then decided, fuck that, I’ll keep everything but cut way back on the verbiage — to the likely consternation of music scholars who will be studying my writings for decades into the future (yeah, that wasn’t serious).

If my plan for the day works out, these 8 choices (many of them with good videos) will leave you with whiplash and a scrambled brain if you manage to make it through all of them. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: WOLFBASTARD — “F.O.T.D”

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Feb 272026
 

(written by Islander)

Any year that brings us a new Wolfbastard record isn’t a complete failure, even a year like this one which is already turning into an abysmal beast — with 10 months left to go! In fact, the worse everything around us looks, the more fuel it adds to Wolfbastard’s fires.

Their newest release, arriving four years on from their third album Hammer The Bastards, tells you what’s coming right in the name: Satanic Scum Punks. And sure enough, it delivers a drunken brawl in Hell’s filthiest bar, where the denizens’ eyes are red, their teeth filed to points, and their blood-hunger ravenous. Get in, get fucked, or fuck off.

The song-names point the way too — such tracks as the opener “It’s Fucking Dark” (you can say that again), “Let the Bastards Burn”, “Blood on Steel”, “Drink for Hell”, “Fuck the Bastards”, and “Maniac Street Rats”. The name of the song whose video we’re premiering today — “F.O.T.D” — is a bit more obscure, but you’ll figure it out (it’s “Fuck Off Then Die!”). Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BARBARIC OATH — “SWORD AND SORCERER”

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Feb 272026
 

(written by Islander)

The German duo Barbaric Oath made their truly barbaric debut with a three-song demo in 2024 accurately named Attack Attack Attack!, and on March 27th of this year they’ll have their debut EP Sword, Sorcery, Vengeance released by Caligari Records.

As you might guess from the EP’s title, the songs thematically focus on fantasy from ’70s and ’80s cult films, as well as role-playing games like Heroquest. But the music isn’t what most people would imagine as “sword and sorcery” metal. For example, it’s about as far away from power metal as you could get. Instead, it’s a gutting, gouging, thunderously bone-breaking, and vocally unhinged attack of blackened death metal — “a sound more akin to the likes of Finland’s Belial, Mythos, and early Bolt Thrower” (to quote from the PR materials).

What we’ve got for you today is the premiere of “Sword and Sorcerer”, the second song to be revealed from the EP so far — and it’s likely to get all your nerves firing on full auto. Continue reading »

VESSELES: “HOME”

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Feb 272026
 

(We present NCS writer Gonzo’s review of the debut album released in January by the California band Vesseles.)

A friend once made an interesting point to me about metal in general:

With some exceptions, metal is basically the modern-day equivalent of counterpoint.

It’s important to note that this friend wasn’t just spewing uninformed opinions—he’s a damn good guitarist and he’s released at least one equally good death metal record in the past few years. Also, it helps that I agree with his observation.

But as much as I could bore the shit out of you all about metal and its atavistic origins, this review isn’t about that.

Instead, I’m going to tell you about why California’s Vesseles is not only keenly aware of what they owe to classical music in their ambitious debut, Home, but also how deftly they wield it. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: MOROS — “CONSUMED BY AGONY”

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Feb 262026
 

(written by Islander)

We’ve been avidly following the Philadelphia-based extreme metal band Moros since the days of their first EP in 2016, and now we reconnect with them because in March they will release their second full-length, aptly titled Cemetery Hallucinations.

In its current configuration, Moros includes founding guitarist/vocalist Jay Dost, founding bassist and backing vocalist John Hauser, and drummer Mike Howard. Over time, their music has stylistically evolved, moving from punk-infused sludge to the kind of dreadful and damaging music encompassed by their last EP and even more so by this new album. To quote Jay Dost: Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: CRYPTWORM — “INFECTIOUS PATHOLOGICAL WASTE”

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Feb 262026
 

(written by Islander)

We have observed before that only in the musical realms of death metal are adjectives like “grotesque”, “disgusting”, “regurgitating”, “mutilating”, “rotten”, “foul”, “putrescent”, and “maggot ridden” considered words of praise. Try publicly excreting those words on the music of Taylor Swift or Luke Combs and see where that gets you. But those are among the descriptors discharged on behalf of Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Extremely Rotten Productions for the forthcoming third album by the UK filth-mongers Cryptworm, and they cause salivation around here instead of disgust and repulsion.

The name of the new album is Infectious Pathological Waste, a title that would also cause most surface-dwelling music consumers to run for the hills — and they would run sooner and faster if they caught a glimpse of the album’s colorfully horrific cover art. We, however, are more than ready to dive into this diseased effluvium, maybe involuntarily swallow some of it, and see what happens.

You can have a big gulp yourselves, through our premiere of the new album’s traumatizing title track. Continue reading »

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