Mar 022011
 

Yeah, I did one of these MISCELLANY posts just two days ago, but I’m doing another one now anyway. See, I’ve been getting e-mails from one of the original co-founders of this site, IntoTheDarkness. He doesn’t write for NCS any more despite my nagging, but he does send me e-mails periodically with new music to check out. He seems to hit times in his life when he just consumes massive amounts of new metal for what must be hours, if not days, and then I hear about it.

So, this post is a variation on the usual MISCELLANY, because none of these bands came off the “official” NCS list of new music to check out (that would be the list I keep on scraps of paper, post-it notes, and crayon-scrawlings on the wall). Instead, I’ve pulled bands off the rush of e-mails ITD sent me over the last week. Still, they’re two bands I’ve never heard before, so they do fit that part of the MISCELLANY rules.

And to cap off this post, I’m adding music from two more bands I’d not heard before that were recentlyΒ sent my way by NCS readers. So, yes, it’s a lot of music, some of it pretty wild, but I think you’ll find it worth exploring.

After the jump, my brain-scrambling experience with songs from Monumental Torment (Russia/Arizona), Kakuna vs Metapod (Australia), Blut Aus Nord (France), and Walking With Strangers (Sweden).

MONUMENTAL TORMENT

Monumental Torment was started in November 2009 in the city of Tver, Russia by Artem Gultaev (guitars/drum programming) and Ioann Komkov (bass/samples).Β In December of that year, they found a vocalist from Phoenix, Arizona, of all places, namedΒ Lloyd Moore Jr, and soon after recorded an EPΒ that was self-released under the named Oppression Submission. Modern technology makes these kinds of global collaborations possible — as long as you don’t plan on gigging.

In mid-2010, they signed with SFC Records, and last month SFC released the band’s debut album, Element of Chaos, which features the tasty cover art at the top of this post.

ITD’s e-mail to me about this band was succinct:Β “HOLY FUCK BALLS. Talk about tech death.”

Usually, he doesn’t botherΒ with capitalization or punctuation when he e-mails me, so I knew this was serious. So I procured Element of Chaos and listened to the first two tracks, “Nameless One” and “Slaughter House” — and they kicked my ass right up between my shoulder blades. I now have two heads, one even uglier than the other. I’m hoping that gravity pulls the new head down in an assward direction before it begins to speak.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the ass-kicking music. It’s the kind of thing that slowly makes your jaw sag downward in wonder at the sheer speed, dexterity, and inventiveness of the guitarist. The drums are programmed to spit beats at an inhumanly fast pace, but they have a hard time keeping up with Artem Gultaev. Komkov is no slouch on the bass either. Are we listening to a future jazzed-up Necrophagist in the making? Could be.

Here’s the second song I heard. It’s fucking crazy. Wait for the guitar and the bass to start running together near the end. My advice is to stabilize your ass with both hands before playing it, unless of course your existing head is really nasty looking.

Monumental Torment: Slaughter House

Monumental Torment’s new CD and other merch can be ordered from SFC Records here. For more data about the band and more music, check their Facebook and MySpace pages.

KAKUNA VS METAPOD

As far as I can tell, this next ITD recommendation started asΒ some kind of one-off project by two dudes from Melbourne, Australia named Roy Browne (drums)Β and Chad Haynes (guitar/bass/synth/vox) —Β  with additional vocals supplied by Mitch Cooper on the song I heard. So far (and so far as I know), they’ve made only that one song available to the unsuspecting public — but from snooping around, it appears that Roy and Chad are now working on an album. Positive fan response can cause all sorts of changes in plan.

The song I heard is called “Slurry Dogs”. Here’s the e-mail I gotΒ from IntoTheDarkness, referring to a YouTube clip of the song: “holy shit. go watch the youtube video [here].Β It’s the one and only song from kakuna vs metapod and it’s insane. If you thought deathcore couldn’t be groundbreaking and technical and original think again…WATCH THIS”

Y’know, when he uses the fucking capital letters, I feel like clicking my heels and saluting. So I listened. Holy shit indeed. This song is also crazy. It’s got mean-as-fuck drumming, automatic-weapon-style riffing, electronica, little bursts of catchy melody, about four different vocal styles, blasts of sonic mayhem — and bass drops. I thought it all worked, but then again I often feel like a slurry dog.

Kakuna Vs Metapod: Slurry Dogs

There’s not much info to be had on KvM’s MySpace page, but here’s the link. There’s also a fan page on Facebook that KvM seems to approve (here).Β Those would seem to be the best places to find out about whatever KvM does next.

BLUT AUS NORD

As I’ve said before, I’m a relative latecomer to black metal. The music has grown on me over the last couple of years to the point that I’m well and truly hooked. But I’m still continuing my education, and that means there are iconic black metal bands whose music I still haven’t caught up with. Blut Aus Nord is one of those bands.

In our most recent NCS list of forthcoming albums, we noted that the band will release their new album,Β 777 – Sect(s), on April 19 (one day earlier internationally) viaΒ Debemur Morti Productions. That prompted a comment by NCS reader Johan Huldtgren (Obitus) about this band, and after I confessed that I hadn’t yet heard their music, he recommended a song called “Our Blessed Frozen Cells” from the band’s 2003 album, The Work Which Transform God.

That song pretty much took my breath away, from the amazing intro straight through to the end. It’s creative, it’s distinctive, it’s dark, powerful, and hypnotic. It’s 8 years old and it still sounds new. Listen:

Blut Aus Nord: Our Blessed Frozen Cells

WALKING WITH STRANGERS

A song by this deathcore band from TrollhΓ€ttan, Sweden,Β was recommended by loyal NCS reader “Jaimehere”. The band released an EP in 2010 called Buried, Dead & Done.Β About two days ago,Β they released a new single, plus a music video for the song, and that’s what Jaimehere brought to my attention.

In his words, the band “sounds like a mix between August Burns Red and Circle Of Contempt”. I get those references. The band certainly adds some ABR-type melodic stylings to this song, and there’s a similar combination of techy riffing and unexpected instrumental add-ons (here, a contrasting piano interlude in the mid-section), a/la those Finns in CoC.

The first three songs on this excursion were going to be tough acts to follow, and I didn’t find “Dead Hands” to be as creatively distinctive. But I still found things to like in this song. Check it for yourselves — here’s the video for that newly released single, “Dead Hands”:

This new single, as well as the band’s preceding EP, are available on iTunes.Β  Walking With Strangers’ Facebook page is here, and their MySpace is here.

  21 Responses to “MISCELLANY NO. 26”

  1. Thanks for posting my recommend! and I’ve seen Kakuna Vs Metapod being recommended by the league of extraordinary djentlemen’s facebook but never listened till now, pretty good, and the name just fucking rules hahaha

    • Thank you for the recommend! And that KvS name? I’m sure you know the derivation, but I didn’t: Apparently characters in the Pokemon game. Why those two? No idea

      • NERD OUTAGE: Kakuna and Metapod were two pokemon that had no offensive abilities at all–they can only shore up their defenses. So the name basically means a fight that will go on forever without anyone throwing a punch.

  2. I love tech death metal.
    Monumental Torment just defined tech death for me.
    (Though I want to throw in another tech death recommendation: Hedonistic Exility http://www.myspace.com/hedonisticexility | http://deathmetalinvasion.blogspot.com/2010/08/hedonistic-exility-deevolutional-stasis.html The second link has a free download for their album.)

    KvM is heavy as freight train! (wait, does that make sense?) My girlfriend said it was pretty good…I guess she liked the use of melody. Good suggestion! Now, let’s have that full length…though with a touch less of the whiny clean singing. (I don’t actually dislike clean singing…I just haven’t heard a deathcore band with a GOOD clean singer…)

    Walking with Strangers is okay…but definitely not as memorable. For some reason the music sounded better when I didn’t look at the video……

    • I’m commuting now with a slow net connection, but I’ll check those links. I definitely could have done without the clean singing in the KvM. Fortunately, it was just a brief burst. I guess it was intended to add to the craziness of the song, but I found it jarring. It didn’t sound like it was even intended to be a quality vocal. Note to KvM: no more of that on what comes next, please!

      • I kind of got the gist of what they were going for, but it just didn’t work for me.
        I like craziness (Mincing something something something had clean vocals that added craziness), but I don’t like that pop punk, emo sounding clean singing that so many bands use. Why not try for something that either sounds good or at least sounds humorously bad?

        Sorry, KvM, you guys are making some great music! Just less of that….stuff. hahaha!

  3. Do comments get flagged for moderation if they have links?

    • Sorry about that. I had to approve that comment and I was away from the computer for a while. I’ll have to search for the moderation rules, but I think if someone includes just one link, the comments come right through, but if they include more than one, I have to approve it.

  4. Wait so all I have to do is email you bands for the Miscellany posts….Great..do you want this in chunks or in one long message?

    • πŸ˜€ You are too funny. I’m drowning in unheard music. Just to give you an idea, IntoTheDarkness emailed me a list with 37 bands on it, 32 of which I’ve never heard before. That was just his latest list. And then there’s my list. You get the idea.

      How about e-mailing me just two names, as a start? πŸ™‚

      • At least I write my own!

        Although my horrendous ego will allow no less.

        • And I very much appreciate that. Don’t get me wrong, I love learning about bands I don’t know, I love getting recommendations, and writing about new bands seems like a useful service for readers too. It’s just a question of time. I wish I could just quit my day job and do nothing but this.

      • Just two?…okay this will require some thought…

        My massive lazy streak will not allow me to write actual posts

  5. and also Peter Altham on Guitars, also Mitch Cooper is the main vocals and Chad does most the vocals in the chorus’s, however songs in future will vary, i havnt posted anything in a while so im just gona let everyone know whats going on, theres about 5 songs recorded 4 more to go then i will release the album of KvsM which will be called “Harden” haha, although we take our music seriously we just like to have fun and not get caught up in some “IT ALL HAS 2 BE ALL 100% SERIOUS AND BRUTAL” na man we just having fun and this music is interesting to us so thats what we are all about. Sorry its taking a while but its hard for us to find time, but i cant wait to get it out there, hopfully a few months, aiming for June Release πŸ™‚ Thanks – Roy Browne

    • Thank you for this news man. Awesome to hear that you’ve got a full album’s worth of music in the works! We’re looking forward to it. And great name for the album, too. πŸ™‚

  6. Have you heard their new song, This War We Wage?

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