Seeing as how this is St. Patrick’s Day (in addition to being the anniversary of the patent for the rubber band), we thought you might like to hear a bit more Irish metal. To be precise, a bit more new Irish metal. A couple of new songs from bands you might have heard of, as teasers for albums they have on the way: Altar of Plagues and Cruachan.
But first, we want to make sure you’re aware that Candlelight Records has made available a new song from yet another forthcoming album — this one by Anaal Nathrakh. They’re not Irish. They’re British. But they’re fecking awesome, and we just discovered this new song, and it’s fecking awesome, so even though it seems to have been drifting around the webz for a few weeks, we’re still leading off this post with it.
ANAAL NATHRAKH
The band’s new album, called Passion, will be released in Europe on the May 23. On some other day, the rest of the world will presumably get their official shot at it. The new song now available from the album is called “Volenti Non Fit Iniuria”. That Latin phrase literally means something like “no injury is done to a person who consents”, but it’s also the name of a legal doctrine. (more after the jump, including these three songs . . .)
The legal rule holds that if someone willingly places themselves in a position where harm might result, knowing that some degree of harm might result, they can’t complain about it if they then suffer harm. We’re not sure how this connects to the song, if it does at all, since we haven’t seen the lyrics (and certainly can’t hear them on the song itself).
What we do know is this song is . . . what did we say before? Oh yeah — it’s fecking awesome: a blaze of vicious noise that surrounds an attractive melody; a cathartic blast of howling that also includes brief bursts of clean singing; an irresistible temptation for the album to come. Check it out:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/11012614″]
Makes your mouth water, eh?
So does this, which is the label’s description of the new album:
“For 2011, the band present the digested and re-vomited results of an 18-month journey through slings, arrows and outrageous misfortune. Intended in the most scourging sense of the word, Passion is an encoded vision of agony; desolation taken as the inspiration for incalculable rage.
This is only abetted by contributions of twisted misanthropy from Rainer Landfermann (Pavor, Bethlehem), Alan Dubin (Khanate, Gnaw etc) and the utter blackness of Gnaw Their Tongues. Glorying in their Pyrrhic epiphanies, Anaal Nathrakh have developed a deeper understanding of horror and Passion is the focused, distilled and above all bleakly triumphant result.”
ALTAR OF PLAGUES
After Primordial, we would guess that Altar of Plagues is Ireland’s best-known black metal band, principally on the strength of the very positive critical and fan response to their 2009 album, White Tomb. Their music is definitely black metal, but it’s not easy to summarize briefly, because it incorporates other diverse musical influences, including ambient and post-metal.
The band have a new album (Mammal) due for release, also via Candlelight. Check out the cover, which we thought was pretty cool:
As a teaser for the album, Candlelight have made available within the last 24 hours an edited version of a song called “Neptune Is Dead”. Even with the edit, it’s almost 11 minutes long. We’re not going to attempt an explanation. If you haven’t heard it, just consider it a St. Patrick’s Day surprise. It’s worth the 11 minutes you’ll spend.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/12051459″]
Mammal is scheduled for release on April 25.
CRUACHAN
Cruachan is an Irish folk-metal band who’ve been around since 1992. That would make them one of the founding members of the genre. They incorporate Celtic music, history, and mythology into their music, and they add traditional instruments to the usual armament of metal.
I’ve heard a song or two from their previous discography at some point in the past, but never listened to an entire album. The one they have on the way — again on Candelight — will be their sixth. It will be called Blood on the Black Robe. Here’s the cover:
The band have released a performance-based video for one of the songs from the album called “I Am Warrior”. It’s a blast to hear and to watch. Enjoy this — and enjoy the rest of your fecking day, too.
I am loving the new Anaal track. They’re one of the most consistent extreme acts around.
Although, someone at Sputnikmusic got a hold of Passion and HATED it. I’m anticipating loving it, myself.
I didn’t realise Sputnikmusic were the authority on awesome extreme albums.
Goddamn I love Anaal Nathrakh, can’t wait for the album.. Dave Hunt is a monster vocalist.
He is indeed. I’m often late to the party, but I’m still riveted by this track since finding it today. I’m about to start my 6th listen. My eyes are beginning to glaze over and green stuff is dribbling out of my ears, but I am happy.
I listened to the track a while ago, but it is awesome.
Constellations Of The Black Widow is still getting almost regular play from me.
At the moment my ears are bleeding to Amogh Symphony…
That’s another one I’ve really been meaning to check out. So much metal, so little time . . .
the Anaal song sounds awesome, can’t wait for this to be out. Really hoping Feto will release a vinyl version though.
Holy fuck, Anaal Nathrakh got so much better since…whatever album it is I have by them. (It’s an old one…)
This song is like being raped by acid demons singing gospels.
Phro approves.
I’m like halfway through the Nathrakh song and it’s amazing. I remember buying a single song from them off iTunes and I liked it, but at the same time I didn’t. This is far better though, and I look forward to this album.