NO CLEAN SINGING

NO/MÁS: “NO PEACE”

Mar 062026

(Below is Wil Cifer’s review of No Peace, a new album by D.C.-based No/Más that’s set for release on March 13th by Redefining Darkness. The cover art was created by Brian Sheehan.)

There could never be a more fitting soundtrack for the world today than this album. NO/MÁS are angry as fuck. They are not here to spread good news. They are bringing their apocalyptic message to you with a perfect guitar sound for it, that is a balance of brutality which is refined enough to keep the riffs in focus, rather than just being a raw outburst.

At times, grooves slide into the riff. They write songs with an ear for detail, and maximize the two-minute runtime of these songs, cramming more punch in under three minutes than some bands can pack into an entire album. A Slayer influence certainly looms over this album. They throw in guitar harmonies into “Blood Soaked Soil” to break up the feral explosion and breakdowns. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: HUMERROR — “VICIOUS DOMINION”

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Mar 062026

(written by Islander)

The Indonesian deathgrind band Humerror hail from Palembang, South Sumatra. They have prepared a debut album named Liturgy of the Synthetic Gods that will be released later this year, and today we reveal its first chapter, a furious new single called “Vicious Dominion” that the band are presenting through a spectacular lyric video.

Humerror explain that their music “explores modern idolatry and institutional power, portraying a world where devotion is exploited and new gods are manufactured through systems, technology, and collective compliance,” and their dystopian artwork incorporates these themes. Thus, they “frame extreme sound as a vehicle for social commentary — merging classic grindcore urgency with contemporary critique.”

We’ll also share the band’s synopsis of the song you’re about to hear: Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: IFFERNET — “TRIUMPH OF DEATH”

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Mar 062026

(written by Islander)

The French black metal duo Iffernet released their self-titled debut album in 2019 and followed that with their second full-length Silences in 2022 and a split with Dolpo in 2024. Now they have completed work on a third album, Life at Heart, that’s set for release in different formats on March 20th by a quartet of labels — La Harelle, Vendetta, Breathe Plastic, and Fiadh.

The new album includes seven tracks, and what we have for you today is the premiere of a devastating song named “Triumph of Death“. Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): PUTRISECT — “PUTRISECT”

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET No Responses »

Mar 052026

(written by Islander)

On March 6th (a Bandcamp Friday) the Rotted Life label will release a rotten and ruinous new EP by Baltimore’s Putrisect, their third EP overall and their first new music since 2018’s Cascading Inferno. The label previews it this way:

Six tracks (including a cover of Machetazo’s “Espectro”) of crushing, malevolent, death metal, rife with darkened melodies and sinister, doomy atmospherics. With it’s tank-like tremolo passages, Putrisect no doubt work off an early ’90s template carved by heavyweights such as Bolt Thrower and Incantation but come fully equipped with a sound all their own.

We have our own more detailed preview to offer, but the main attraction is a full stream of the EP which we’re offering you below. Continue reading »

MISERERE LUMINIS – SIDERA

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Mar 052026

(Andy Synn encourages you to embrace the mellifluous black magic of Miserere Luminis)

I have no problem at all acknowledging that one thing I’m not great at is making predictions… or, at least, a certain kind of prediction.

There have been bands that I was sure would see massive success who have continued to labour in obscurity for years after what should have been their break-out moment, just as there have been bands who have suddenly blown up out of nowhere… even though that’s exactly where I expected them to go.

But while I’m not all that good at prophesying future fame and success (honestly, I’m not even sure what “success” looks like for bands these days, as most of the old metrics have been rednered obsolete) I like to think I’m at least pretty good at scrying out those albums, regardless of genre, that have the requisite depth and potency to have real staying power.

And Sidera is definitely one of them.

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XXV: 28 HEAVY DAYS LATER

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Mar 052026

(In this latest of Daniel Barkasi’s monthly reviews for NCS he focuses on records released in February 2026.)

With the snow thawing in our area – a much different tale for many in the northeast US – leaving the house has become much more of a normal feat, without the risk of slipping on an ice sheet. I should have whipped out my ice hockey skates when we had sub-freezing temperatures, and made a complete ass of myself. Well, you know, in a different way than normal.

The lessening presence of arctic cold in the air hasn’t slowed the release calendar, with proceedings picking up with an icy bluster of quality releases in the year’s shortest month. For the “bigger” releases, Mayhem put out what has been one of the most dynamic and intriguing releases of their existence, while Worm went symphonic with dazzling results, and vets Converge bestowed an all-timer upon us.

While we’ve only got six spots to bestow in this column, there were several strenuous omissions, not due to a lack of quality of course, but fierce competition amongst a bevy of top level records. Mors Verum’s death metal manifestation is ever intriguing, Howling took me by surprise with their abrasive black metal, and The Magus and Nazghor provided contrasting-yet-gripping slabs of the dark arts, whereas Bizarrekult and Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne gave their own inspiring and undeniable viewpoints on all things black. Hell, there’s a full slate for this monthly exercise that would have been fantastic, but therein lies the strength of February’s offerings. Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ABSENT RITUAL — “THE CRYPTIC DESCENT: A COMPILATION OF MADNESS”

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET No Responses »

Mar 042026

(written by Islander)

The Eternal Death label bills the debut demo from NYC’s Absent Ritual as “outsider black metal”. But what does that mean? Isn’t all black metal “outsider” music at its core? Wasn’t that indeed what spawned it so many decades ago, as a rebellious reaction to death metal and other musical genres that were then captivating listeners?

Well, times do change, don’t they. You could make a claim that the bones of black metal have become ossified in some respects, to the point when many bands in the genre seem more conformist than they do rebellious. And so here in the current day, the description of Absent Ritual’s music as “outsider black metal” signifies that the band are following an unorthodox, idiosyncratic approach that isn’t hemmed in by strict genre boundaries, perhaps more true to the original animating spirit of the genre even though the music reveals surprising twists and embellishments.

You’ll understand what we mean when you listen to all three songs on their demo — The Cryptic Descent: A Compilation of Madness — which we’re now premiering in advance of its March 6 release date (a Bandcamp Friday, btw). Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: FOETOREM — “REBIRTH IN MORBID DISGUST”

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Mar 042026

(written by Islander)

In mid-January we premiered a song from Foetorem’s debut album Incongruous Forms Of Evergrowing Rot, preceded by some thoughts about human beings’ everlasting fear of inescapable death and our persistent nightmares of being buried alive — “in coffins, tombs, or beneath a weight of freshly turned earth, deprived of oxygen, unable to move, and with naught but worms or the natural liquification of flesh eagerly awaiting the heart’s final beat.”

Those thoughts came to mind naturally when reflecting on the music of this Danish death metal band (whose name itself translates to “stench of decay”), because they’re so frighteningly good at rendering musical visions of human pain and putrefaction, so formidable in conjuring ruination, putridity, stench, and the hopelessness of being trapped by the kind of mindless violence from which there’s no escape.

And now here we are, about six weeks later, when across a large swath of the planet body parts are being scattered like dead leaves in a high wind and blood (and missiles) are raining from the skies — a fresh and foreboding reminder about the self-destructive savagery of humanity (as if one were needed). What better time to revisit Foetorem?!?

And that’s what we’re doing through our premiere of another abominable Foetorem song in advance of their album’s March 27 release by Everlasting Spew Records. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: MIDRYASI’S KULT

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Mar 042026

(On March 27th Dying Victims Productions will release Italian Dark Sound, the debut album from Midryasi’s Kult, and to help pave the way our Comrade Aleks conducted the following interview with the founder Geilt — and we’ve included the album’s first two singles as well.)

This story begins in 2002, when the Italian trio Midryasi officially embarked on their own creative explorations in the field of authentic progressive doom metal with a stoner rock edge. This blend fell under the somewhat vague definition of “Italian Dark Sound,” a local subgenre encompassing original bands geographically based in Italy and stylistically associated with the realm of dark prog and vintage doom. The group recorded three eclectic albums and unofficially disbanded for over a decade, but when the first demo (Mountain Devil) of Midryasi’s Kult, led by former Midryasi vocalist and bassist Geilt, was released last year, the situation took on a new dimension.

Although the project has a relatively consistent lineup, all the songs feature Geilt’s participation, and a couple of tracks were actually recorded by the old Midryasi lineup (“Hypnopriest” is taken from the band’s first album). Their new album’s title leaves no room for interpretation – Geilt adheres to roughly the same “Italian Dark Sound” line, relying on harsh guitar melodies alongside pure doom riffs, intricate prog patterns, and an eclectic vocal delivery with a distinctly deranged edge. And the band’s spokesman today is Geilt, of course — here we go. Continue reading »

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

Album Reviews 3 Responses »

Mar 032026

(Andy Synn tries his best to catch you up with some of what you may have missed last month)

Today’s edition of “Things You May Have Missed” is going to be another bumper one – six albums, instead of the usual four – due to the ridiculous number of new releases that came out in February.

In fact, here’s an abbreviated list of everything that didn’t make the cut this time around, just so you can see what I’ve been struggling with – including Ashbringer, Atlas, Ensanguinate, Diespnea, Farson, Fayenne, Fossilization, Howling, Misotheist, Muertissima, Palaces, and Puke Wolf – all of which are well worth checking out (Advent of Wounds in particular is likely to make an appearance on a lot of “end of year” lists).

There’s a small chance, of course, that I might find time to do a follow-up article to this one covering some of the above artists/albums in depth… but don’t bet on it (after all, the more time I spend on last month the less time I have to dedicate to albums from this month).

However, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by the bands I’ve selected for today’s article – some of which have received very little coverage elsewhere, as far as I can tell, and several of whom are making their first appearance here at our site as well – which, hopefully, cover a pretty wide spread of styles and (sub)genres, meaning there should be something for almost everyone here.

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