WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM – THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

 Metal News  8 Responses »
Jul 112011
 

We received a press release earlier today. It made me sit up straight. It elevated my pulse. It may have elevated other parts of my body, but that’s between me and, uh, the other parts of my body. In a nutshell, we now know the release date and name of the next album from Wolves in the Throne Room, plus information about guest appearances on the album and advance news about the band’s touring plans. I’m just gonna lay it on you as I got it:

“After devoting late Winter season to writing and recording, Wolves in the Throne Room are in the final stages of completing their fourth full-length opus of epic, earthen Black Metal ceremony.

“For over six months the Weaver brothers, Aaron and Nathan, have been immersed in the painstaking writing and recording process of their newest album, and this week the process is nearly complete; at press time the album is in its final mixing stages. The Wolves in the Throne Room clan clan have confirmed the title of this forthcoming astral black metal document as Celestial Lineage.

“The transmutation reaches a new level with the completion of the album. In contrast to the bleakly hypnotic architecture of Black Cascade, the lifespan of Celestial Lineage breathes more expansive and visionary life into the duo’s work. The Wolves in the Throne Room trademark long-form approach to arrangement remains intact, but there is a stronger thread of Popul Vuh-inspired underworld synthscapes and star-lit pulse woven with the intertwining guitar figures.

(more after the jump . . .)

Continue reading »

THIS IS COOL TOO

 Metal News  23 Responses »
Jul 112011
 

Well, well, well. No sooner had I finished posting that clip of Opeth’s live performance at Sonisphere-UK than I saw this news — that the new album from Disma (Towards the Megalith) is now streaming in full at . . .

Take a guess where it’s streaming. I’ll wait.

I bet you didn’t guess NPR. But, amazingly, that’s where it’s streaming. Do you know about Disma? It’s Craig Pillard from Incantation, plus members of New Jersey’s awesome Funebrarum, Methadrone live bassist Randi Stokes and former live Incantation guitarist Bill Venner.

The album will be released on July 19. I’ve taken one spin through my promo copy so far. I think it may well be the heaviest record I’ve yet heard in 2011. Go check out the album stream HERE, unless you’re feeling . . . fragile.

THIS IS COOL

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Jul 112011
 

This.

Opeth performing one of my favorite Opeth songs, “The Grand Conjuration”, live at the U.K. installment of the Sonisphere festival, which was held July 8-10, 2011 at Knebworth House. Professionally filmed, multiple camera-perspectives (including a great shot of Martin Axenrot’s concentrated face viewed through a hole in a cymbal), awesome sound, smoke.

This is one of the reasons we recognize Exceptions to the Rule of no clean singing.

Equally superb clips of Opeth performing “Face of Melinda”, “The Lotus Eater”, “Master’s Apprentices”, and “Hex Omega” can be viewed here.

Opeth’s new album, Heritage, will be out September 20 on Roadrunner Records.

SMILES

 IQ Subtraction  10 Responses »
Jul 112011
 

I have to begin a week-long stretch of travel for my fucking day job beginning today, with longer work hours ahead than I usually endure. That probably means fewer and shorter posts from me over the next 10 days or so, though I do have a couple of reviews already finished.

Fortunately, I also have a number of worthy posts already in hand from both our regular contributors and, unexpectedly, from some guests, and I’ve got those lined up for the days ahead. We treated you to one of the guest posts yesterday — Surgical Brute’s feature on 5 don’t-miss bands lined up for this year’s RITES OF DARKNESS festival in Texas. More goodies are on the way . . .

My one contribution for today is this hodgepodge of things that made me smile when I saw them. Maybe they’ll make you smile, too. If they don’t, it means you’re either in a cranky mood or you’re not as retarded as I am. Those are the only possible explanations.

So, after the jump, we have video evidence of what video games are doing to the well-fed youth of America, and what Norwegian trolls do on tour, plus a news report about a well-rounded patron of the musical arts. Continue reading »

RITES OF DARKNESS 3: THE FIVE BANDS YOU CAN’T MISS

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  15 Responses »
Jul 102011
 

(Surgical Brute — NCS reader, commenter, and reliable source of skull-cleaving musical recommendations — returns with the second part of his preview of the Rites of Darkness 3 festival.)

Okay, after my original post, it quickly came to my attention that some of you reading No Clean Singing were probably unaware of the best festival to happen in the U.S. this year. The organizers of Rites of Darkness 3 have been quietly assembling one of the best line-ups of underground metal that I’ve ever seen. This one is going to be a marathon, with very little opportunity for rest stops.

In my last post I mentioned 5 lesser-known bands I thought people needed to check out. As we slowly get closer to the day of the festival (December 9-11th in San Antonio), I think it’s time to check out a few more bands scheduled to appear at this monster. So here are 5 bands that you absolutely cannot miss.

FUNEBRARUM

One of my personal favorites, and probably one of the heaviest bands out there right now.

These guys were playing dirty, old school death metal long before it caught on again in the underground. I got the chance to catch their live set at MDF 2011, and I can vouch for them. Only getting an incredibly short 30 minutes, this band pummeled me harder than anyone else that day. For fans of Incantation and Disma.

(There’s lots more after the jump, including Surgical Brute’s hand-picked sample tracks from each band featured in this preview, beginning with Funebrarum . . .) Continue reading »

I CHAOS: “THE HUMAN REPELLENT”

 Album Reviews  5 Responses »
Jul 092011
 

(Israel Flanders returns with his second review in as many days . . .)

Here we are again reviewing a death metal album. This is the debut album of Dutch death metallers I Chaos called The Human Repellent, and it is a solid slab of speedy technical mayhem. I’d wager to sugg- wait a fucking second. Why am I talking like some pompous suit-and-tie wearing asshole? This is a metal review.

Alright, so if your face wasn’t already sufficiently raped by the serpentine riffng, the technical, syncopated drum assaults, the abysmal hoarse howls of death, and some kick-ass groove as an underlying foundation, just remember, there are 9 more servings of this on the album. NINE MORE SONGS OF BEING SKULL-FUCKED BY BRUTAL INHUMAN PRECISION!  (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

NOW, IF HE HAD LOST HIS MIDDLE FINGER, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM

 IQ Subtraction, Metal News  13 Responses »
Jul 082011
 

I just took my usual mid-day break at work to check up on doings in the world of metal, just to see if something earth-shaking had happened while I was droning away, something that would be of such vital interest to NCS readers that I’d need to post about it. No such luck. But I did find this (thank you Blabbermouth):

Guitarist Tim Carley of U.K. punk-infused death metallers THE ROTTED severed the top of his finger yesterday (Wednesday, July 6) when a 60-kilogram flight case fell on it from a van. Tim received treatment in hospital to remove the damaged parts of the finger, including the nail and the torn flesh. The doctors then sewed the remaining parts back together. The incident has left the top of Tim‘s bone unattached to the rest of his finger, which the doctors have said in time will heal.

In a statement, Tim said, “The doctors have told me it will take at least 10 weeks to heal. When I asked her if I could still play the guitar, she replied ‘I’ve heard your records, and to be honest, I can’t see this making much difference.’

Laughed my fucken ass off when I got to that last sentence. But wait! There’s more, including video!  (after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

LOCK UP

 Album Reviews  5 Responses »
Jul 082011
 

(NCS writer Israel Flanders goes crazy over the new album from Lock Up . . .)

Today is just a get-devastated-by-death-metal/grindcore-that-destroys-my-soul-and-makes-the-remains-consume-themselves-so-I-turn-into-nothing-but-a-lifeless-meat-puppet-of-abysmal-darkness day. Alright, so . . .

Lock Up. Super group that plays blackened deathgrind with thrash metal tinges, but ultimately it’s overall label would be grindcore. Contains members of Napalm Death, At The Gates, Pentagram, and a drummer who’s done his time in MANY bands. What’s my point? This album, Necropolis Transparent, is the phrase “Get Fucked” in audio form. This is an explosive cacophony of pure anger, rage, hate, misanthropy, I don’t even know if enough words exist in the dictionary to describe the pure, utterly unrestrained vitriol blasting at you on this album. Do not underestimate this band, do not fuck with them, for you shall be destroyed in their wake.

The album opens up with the grinding fury that is “Brethren Of The Pentagram”. The music is fast, makes you want to break shit, induces feelings of homicidal rage even Dahmer and Hitler would be terrified of. What’s that you say? Super groups always suck and are for nazi-loving liberal facist pinko’s who are taking our jobs? I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of how awesome this album is. There is no mercy once the first song starts. (more after the jump, including a bunch of Lock Up tracks . . .) Continue reading »

PHRO, PLEASE EXPLAIN

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Jul 082011
 

I’ve never been a fan of Dir En Grey, even after seeing them live in Seattle, but I forced myself to watch their new video for a song called “Different Sense” when I peeped it at TheNumberOfTheBlog yesterday. The song is a schizophrenic mix of death-grind, proggy instrumentalism, and overly dramatic clean singing. I almost found myself getting into it at the beginning — but failed by the time it ended. Just not my thing.

So, I’m not adding this post because of the music. It’s the video. And all the tentacles. What is the fucking attraction that Japanese pop culture (or is it underground culture?) has for tentacles? Gore + tentacles! Sex + tentacles! Food + tentacles! Tentacles + tentacles! All the time tentacles!

I first discovered this Japanese tentacle fetish courtesy of NCS reader/commenter/occasional-blogger Phro, who is imprisoned in Japan for undisclosed past sins. So Phro, buddy, how ’bout some cultural analysis here? What da fuck is up wit dis?

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