AN NCS DEMO PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): SHTRIGË — “WOUNDS OF ETERNAL HUNGER”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Jul 222026
 

(written by Islander)

Shtrigë is a collaboration between two experienced practitioners of the black (metal) arts — Swiss musician Solaris Lupus (the sole mind behind Aspaarn and vocalist of Lord Valtgryftåke) and the Italian musician Sanguis Antiquus (based in Finland), whose many other bands include Clactonian and Thecodontion. In their Shtrigë endeavor the former performs all the instruments and the latter is responsible for vocals, lyrics, and songwriting.

As they have explained, this project “takes its name from the Shtrigë, a vampiric witch of Albanian mythology said to suck the blood of infants during the night and to transform themselves into a flying insect (traditionally a moth, fly, or bee).” In line with that choice, Shtrigë draws inspiration “from the dark legends and folkloric traditions of the Western Balkans”.

The duo released their debut demo Of Blood and Night in February of this year, and on July 24th Prehistoric Sounds will release their second one, Wounds of Eternal Hunger, and we’re premiering it today. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: DAUÞUZ

 Interviews  No Responses »
Jul 222026
 

(In this new interview our Comrade Aleks conversed with the two members of the Mining Black Metal band Dauþuz, whose new album Todeswerk: Uranium II was released in late May by Amor Fati Productions.)

Having some knowledge of radionuclide technologies and the history of their application, I could not ignore the new album of the German black metal band Dauþuz entitled Todeswerk: Uranium II. The official press-release stated that the album’s concept was built around uranium mining in the Bohemian Joachimsthal after World War II and the inhuman conditions of workers who were forced to labour in the name of the Soviet Nuclear Program.

But the story is more complicated as always, and it’s easy to find that for long years the town was almost the only source of uranium since WW I. Uranium mining was temporarily suspended due to increasing cancer deaths in 1929, yet despite attempts to improve workers’ conditions, the mortality rate continued to rise. It’s not a secret that things went really bad when Jáchymov was occupied by German troops during WW II, and fascists utilized Soviet prisoners in the name of the German Nuclear Program there. Needless to say, the situation changed vice-versa when the War was over, and everything was in ruins.

As I reflected on this topic, I found some glimpses of the story of uranium mining in Africa… Did you know where the uranium used to make the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki came from? Go and check, there was no fun there either. So, okay, uranium mining in Africa, Canada, and the USA – back then no one gave a damn about the environment or miners’ lives either of course. There was no any trace of humanism in this field for decades, and I bet there is nothing like this in some Third World countries nowadays as well.

Todeswerk: Uranium II tells the story of suffering, forced labour, and death in the name of progress and power in a most artistic way – both straightforward and epic. The interview with Dauþuz’ members Aragonyth and Syderyth was tough sometimes due to the difficult topics we discussed, but we managed to keep it diplomatic to some degree. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): VISCERA/// — “4. ASSETS FOR PSYCHEDELIC WARFARE”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  1 Response »
Jul 212026
 

(written by Islander)

We have been fascinated by the unpredictable evolutions of the Italian band Viscera///, evolutions so adventurous that it’s not an exaggeration to now call their music experimental.

That’s not to say that they throw things against the wall to see what sticks, or drip ingredients into test tubes to see whether the fluids change colors or explode. They are instead quite obviously very demanding of themselves and very meticulous in their planning and execution, it’s just that they march to the beat of their own drummer; their musical interests are wide-ranging and they’ve never been satisfied by remaining in the same musical space for very long.

Because of that it’s probably not hugely helpful in our introduction of their new album to provide a history of the band’s releases (and the changing musical forays they have represented) across their 26 years of activity. It’s maybe more helpful to just focus on the new music and leave the past behind.

And yes, nine years after their last album, Viscera/// have a new full-length titled 4. Assets for Psychedelic Warfare that’s now set for release on July 24th by Time To Kill Records. And yes, we’re premiering it in full today. Continue reading »

PROTEST THE HERO – WITHIN

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Jul 212026
 

(Andy Synn has been a fan of this band for a long, long time… but is he a fan of their new album?)

There’s a commonly quoted, but often misinterpreted, maxim which states that as you grow older there comes a time when you must “put away childish things.”

What it actually means is that the process of becoming an adult means growing beyond selfishness and short-sighted, self-serving impulsivity to consider the people and the world around you… but it’s often taken as a claim that one should give up the things you enjoy, your passions, your hobbies, your interests, in order to display some sort of boring, performative “maturity”.

It’s a sentiment that afflicts a lot of bands too, especially when they suddenly decide to throw in an unnecessary ballad or some generically pretentious prog-parts as a signal to their audience that they’ve finally “grown up”.

Luckily for all of us, however, as much as Canadian genre-splicing jesters Protest the Hero have grown and developed over the years I’m happy to report that they still possess that same shamelessly nerdy, Theatre-Kid Pop-Punk meets Dream Theatre-loving, DnD-playing, Power-Prog energy now as they did way back before they could even grow some proper beards.

Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ARGUL — “KAMOG”

 Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres  1 Response »
Jul 202026
 

(written by Islander)

Surprises are often the spice of life, other than when the surprises involve things like getting T-boned at an intersection or having that mole turn out to be melanoma. But the song we’re about to premiere (and the whole album it comes from) has turned out to be a very happy surprise for this writer.

It’s a surprise because I wasn’t previously familiar with the band, and because their style of music is outside the kind of gnashing, gnarly, macabre, and malignant brands of extremity to which I usually subject my crippled ears. And it’s a spice-of-life surprise, because it turns out to be some of the most completely captivating music I’ve heard all year.

The band is Argul, a quartet from Lima, Peru, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Mauricio Guerrero, guitarist/vocalist Jose María Venturi, bassist Jian Holmes, and drummer Alonso Guerrero. They independently released a four-song demo in 2023, and now their debut album Soledad & Orgullo is set for release on August 21st by Personal Records. That album is the home of the remarkable song we’re now premiering, an enthralling track named “Kamog“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: HANGING GARDEN — “TEARS OF LUSTFUL, SECRET DESIRE”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Jul 202026
 


(written by Islander)

As you can see, we’re about to premiere a song by Hanging Garden. This is not the Finnish collective that has been releasing music for the last 20 years under that name but is instead a vehicle for the solo work of Dylan Cruz from Yonkers, New York, whose resume includes current or former membership in Noxis, Scumbag, and Dissonance.

Though the name may cause some confusion, no one would confuse the music of the two Hanging Gardens. The one whose song we’re premiering today traffics in a form of technically impressive and richly nuanced progressive death metal.

This Hanging Garden released a debut album (The God That Made Them Bow) in 2024, and on September 18th Transcending Obscurity Records will release the project’s second full-length — Dream Death. The song we’re now premiering is “Tears of Lustful, Secret Desire“. Continue reading »

SALLOW MOTH – HYDROPHILOUS BROOD

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Jul 202026
 

(Andy Synn has more words to share about long-time NCS favourites Sallow Moth)

It should be no suprise to learn that we love music here at NCS.

After all, none of us makes any money from this site, or takes any kick-backs – even if bands will sometimes, very kindly, offer to send us music or merch as thanks for a review – meaning we do this purely for the love of it.

And as part of that we also love to support bands who love making music for the sheer joy of it, with little to no regard for current trends or commercial concerns.

Which is one reason – but not, I must stress, the only reason – why we’ve been so supportive of the works of Sallow Moth over the years.

Continue reading »

THERE WERE WIRES: “VESSEL”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Jul 202026
 

(This is NCS writer Gonzo’s review of a comeback album from Boston-based There Were Wires that was released in late June by Iodine Recordings.)

When you think “heavy music,” the small slab of New England known as Martha’s Vineyard almost certainly won’t be what comes to mind first. And if it is, I want to know where the hell you’ve been hanging out lately. But never mind that.

Way back in 1999, the band There Were Wires formed in that quiet suburb, and they proceeded to play every sweaty New England club and basement venue they could crawl into. At the time, their sound was rooted in hardcore punk’s raw aggression, and they quickly found a home on Deathwish Records soon after. But after the release of their 2004 album Somnambulists, the band played what they presumed to be their final show, and the members went on to form other acts such as Doomriders, among others.

Now, over 25 years later, There Were Wires have made a return that’s just as ambitious as it is unlikely. Vessel is probably a record that nobody saw coming, but despite that, it deserves your full attention. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: CALLOUS MASTER, VAITARANA , SKJOLDEN, DEATHISTHEMASTEROFTHEWORLD

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK  No Responses »
Jul 192026
 

(written by Islander)

I had to hurry to finish yesterday’s roundup due to excessive partying the night before and excessive sleeping through the next morning. Not having learned anything, I repeated myself last night and this morning, and am paying for it by having to truncate this Sunday roundup.

I mean, it wasn’t wild partying. There was no rowdiness, no fights. No one went to jail. It was just me and my wife and a bunch of other gray-hairs enjoying each other’s company over a grilled salmon dinner and maybe a few more drinks than was strictly advisable.

In figuring out what to include today, and what to leave behind for now, I decided to give you a charred-black roller-coaster ride. It’s only three songs and an EP, but none of them sound anything alike. I also decided to root this collection deep in the underground — these aren’t “big name” bands, but their music makes big impressions, at least on me and I hope on you too. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: BEYOND GRACE, ENTHEOS, HÄMND, SEV LEZU, BOÖTES VOID, HAIL CONJURER

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Jul 182026
 

(written by Islander)

I did enough listening over the last couple of days to make the usual difficult choices for this Saturday roundup, but other activities prevented me from getting a head-start on the writing. Those same activities last night caused me to oversleep this morning, so this is arriving much later in the day than is ideal. And because I’m late, that’s the end of this introduction. Continue reading »

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