WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THOU, AND VIT – COLUMBUS, SEPT 4, 2011

 Concert Reviews  33 Responses »
Sep 212011
 

(NCS writer BadWolf was on hand in Columbus, Ohio, earlier this month to witness Wolves in the Throne Room live — and he brought with him photographer Nicholas Vechery, whose awesome pics illustrate this review.)

Wolves in the Throne Room are, without a doubt, the best smelling metal band I’ve ever seen. I say that with honesty and seriousness. They smell amazing.

But I’ll get back to that later. First things first, I saw Wolves alongside Thou and local openers Vit at Columbus’ Ravari Room, and thank god the place was empty when I got there so I could get a good look before the floor was completely packed with bodies.

Someone could get lost in that comely place, with its abundance of dark corners. Everything about the bar felt apropos for an underground ritual—burlap-wrapped red and orange lanterns hung from a high wooden ceiling, but the atmosphere was thick and dark. Huge brick arches framed the bar and every alcove. The place could be the remains of an illegal gin distillery from the 1920’s, with all of its vitality and character.(more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

MASTODON NUTS REJOICE! “HUNTER” IS STREAMING IN FULL WITH VIDEO ACCOMPANIMENT

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Sep 202011
 

Thanks to Heavy Blog Is Heavy, I just found out that Mastodon has released a video that includes the entirety of Hunter, their new album scheduled for release next Tuesday. You can view it after the jump.

I decided not to delay this post by listening to and watching the stream. Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think. My fucking day job is probably going to stop me from immersing myself in this until tonight. So, let me know: Should I do that or should I watch the premiere of X Factor instead? Continue reading »

ANUBIS GATE

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Sep 202011
 

(Here’s TheMadIsraeli’s promised review of the new self-titled album from Denmark’s Anubis Gate.)

Previously, I asked Islander to post about the new Anubis Gate album streaming (here) and I told you I’d review it, so here we go.  You should just listen to that stream while reading, and you’ll be sold on this without even finishing it.

For the uninitiated, Anubis Gate is a (mostly) 4-piece progressive power metal act hailing from Denmark, with an occasional 5th being added in the person of Invocator’s Jacob Hansen taking the vocal position for shits and giggles.  Hansen appeared on two of the band’s albums, with the other two fronted by a different vocalist, but now on this album vocal duties are handled by bassist Henrik Fevre.  For the initiated, there should be nothing to adapt to here, as Henrik’s voice is completely familiar — you’ve heard him doing backup vocals all the time.

Anubis Gate plays a style of progressive power metal in the heavier, more aggressive vein of bands such as Symphony X, employing down-tuned guitars, weighty grooves, massive melodic landscapes and fiery shred.  Anubis Gate, though, does all of this in a way that feels entirely original.  NO ONE sounds like these guys, NO ONE!

I’m gonna let the album’s opener speak for itself.  (after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

ANAAL NATHRAKH: “MAN AT C&A”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  13 Responses »
Sep 202011
 

Sometimes I’m so on top of breaking news and music releases that I’m writing about it BEFORE it happens, kind of precognitively, know what I mean? And then other times, I’m so fucking slow on the uptake that I embarrass myself (and that takes some doing). Today is one of the embarrassed, slow-on-the-uptake days.

On September 6, we reported here that Anaal Nathrakh would be covering a song by a famous ska band who hit their apex in the 80’s called The Specials. The recording was to be included in DECIBEL magazine’s Flexi-Disc series. I subscribe to that magazine, but I have no turntable, so I generally just stare at the disk and wait for it to communicate its musical nature to me in some manner other than through audio waves. That usually turns out to be a long wait.

I had serious difficulty getting my mind around the concept of an Anaal Nathrakh cover of “Man at C&A”. Some of you weren’t all that perplexed by this choice. Well, you were right and I was wrong, because now I’ve heard the song and I fucken love it. The AN cover has been available for streaming since last Thursday, but of course I didn’t notice it until last night (see above re slow-as-a-fucking-sloth).

I may be late writing about this song, but I want to do something to make up for my tardiness. So, after the jump, I’ll enable you to listen not only to the AN cover but also to The Specials’ original, so you can better appreciate the complete re-wiring of the song that AN accomplished — though without completely losing touch with the original music. Check it out. Continue reading »

EYE-CATCHERS: ALL THINGS ROTTEN

 Eye-Catchers  10 Responses »
Sep 202011
 

NCS reader and multi-instrumental musician Ray Heberer gave me a great idea yesterday. He wrote me to sing the praises of a metal artist who goes by the name All Things Rotten, who will be creating the cover art for the album debut by one of Ray’s many projects, Dreams of Winter. I decided that in addition to putting together this feature about All Things Rotten, I’d make this the first installment in a continuing series on metal album art.

We’re certainly not the only metal blog that pays attention to album art, but it is something that matters to us. So it seemed only fitting that we devote some attention to artists even when it’s not in connection with a newly released platter of music. Like every other continuing feature on NCS, this one won’t appear on any kind of predictable schedule, because I’m just too disorganized and generally half-assed to manage regularity. But when the spirit moves me, I’ll do more of these. And like everything else I do here, I’m counting on the help of readers. So, if there’s an artist whose work you admire, leave a comment or e-mail me with your recommendations (islander@nocleansinging.com). And it will be even better of you send me names of people who aren’t already well-known in the world of metal artwork. If you can, include a link to someplace where examples of the art are posted for viewing.

Now, with that intro, let’s talk about All Things Rotten. He (and I think it’s a he, though I’m not positive) has done art for bands like Disgorge, Hacavitz, Snowy Shaw All Stars Band, Destroyer 666, Hirax, and many more. In addition to creating album art, he also does shirt designs and logos. He also periodically just gives away his artwork for use on album covers. For example, in browsing his Facebook page, I saw that he gave away the piece you’ll see right after the jump to the first person who replied and committed to use it on an album cover. Continue reading »

A VIOLATION OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION

 Metal News  11 Responses »
Sep 192011
 

I’m beginning to think that the Geneva Convention should be amended to prohibit album teasers, unless the music sucks like a toothless meth whore, in which case, y’know, the sooner it’s over the better. But when the music sounds awesome, it’s torture to be given just a few seconds of tease and then be left tumescent and unsatisfied.

I used to think Tamás Kátai and his band Thy Catafalque were great. I’ve been singing their praises recently (here, for example). What a fool I’ve been. I’ve learned the hard way that they’re just a bunch of teases. I wake up this morning, bleary eyes still crusted with sleep and belly badly in need of caffeination. I stumble over to the computer and check the e-mail to see if any of my supposed African benefactors have actually made arrangements to provide the bags of gold dust and multi-million-dollar wire transfers they promised in return for my personal details, and what do I see instead but a note from Tamás about the dose of torture at the top of this post.

Yes, it’s a fucking album teaser. Just long enough to produce a swelling sensation in my pants and then . . . silence. It’s an especially heartless thing to do since the new album (the band’s first on Season of Mist) won’t be released until November 11 in Europe and fucking January 10, 2012 in North America. I bet dollars to donuts that they’re not finished with the torturing either. I bet they’re going to release a song sometime between now and then followed by more tumescence and then more . . . . . . . . . . waiting.

I am one of those people who believes that my own suffering will be ameliorated if I cause other people to suffer in the same way. Don’t you just love people like that? So, listen to the teaser, won’t you? It’s after the jump. Continue reading »

A BAND OF ORCS: “WYRD OF THE WINTER WOLF”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  22 Responses »
Sep 192011
 

A Band of Orcs is a band of orcs who we discovered in October 2010 and included in a piece on “goblin metal”. They’re from that well-known congregating place for goblins, orcs, and assorted other vicious creatures bent on the subjugation of humankind — Santa Cruz, California. At the time of that previous post, A Band of Orcs had one release to their credit, 2007′s debut EP WarChiefs of the Apocalypse, which we described as “full of full-bore, superheated pummeling  – big, thick riffs hammering away at high speed, shrouded in sulphurous fumes and throwing up images of fang and claw.”

The orc clan have been at work on a debut album, which is currently projected for release next summer by a label called Itchy Music. In the meantime, they’ve recently vomited up a 3-song “single” called Wyrd of the Winter Wolf. The physical package includes the title track plus another new song called “Hall of the Frozen Dead”. Both of those songs also appear on the digital version of the single, which is being offered on iTunes and Amazon mp3.

In CD form, the “single” also includes as the third track A Band of Orcs’ cover of a Type O Negative song called “Green Man”, which we previously featured when it appeared on a Peter Steele tribute album that was released in April. It’s a rank piece of flesh-eating evil and therefore a nice addition to this release.

As for the two new ABOO songs, they sound pretty much like what you’d expect if orcs turned their attention from plotting the decimation of humanity and decided to work on some death metal. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

HOW ‘BOUT A TASTE OF GOBLIN COCK?

 Exceptions to the Rule, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Sep 182011
 

Goblin Cock is a heavy metal band from San Diego, California started by Rob Crow of the band Pinback. I had never heard of them before this morning, when I saw a link to one of their nutzo music videos on another band’s Facebook page. I’m not even sure if the band is still active; their last album (their second) came out in 2009 (the cover is up above). But with a name like Goblin Cock, how could I not check them out?

Once I listened to the music, I understood why I’d not heard of them before — the style is a sludge/doom/stoner-rock amalgam, and that’s a genre niche that I’ve only recently started to explore more seriously.  Goblin Cock’s music is an Exception to the Rule around here, because all the singing is clean, but I do like it. I’m not ready for a steady diet of this, but in small doses the bass-heavy, fuzzed-out chords and catchy melodies do get the old noggin’ noddin’, and the two videos I’ve seen are pretty fuckin’ funny. Plus, I admire their fashion sense — all hooded black robes and masks — and the names the band members have taken for themselves:

Lord Phallus (Rob Crow) – Guitar and Vocals
Larben The Druid (Lara Benscher) – background vocals and Guitar
Bane Ass-Pounder (Dave Drusky) – Guitar
King Sith (Sam Mura) – Bass Guitar
Braindeath (Anthony Fusaro) – drums
Loki Sinjuggler (Adam Ekroth) – Keyboards
Phuck Tard (Mike Goldfarb) – Keytar and Banjo

I’ve put three videos after the jump. You’ll figure out pretty quickly if this is your kinda thing. Continue reading »

LUNATIC MEDLAR

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Sep 182011
 

Yes, I have been called this name before, but this post isn’t about me. It’s about a new band from Athens, Greece called Lunatic Medlar. The band  is composed of members from other longer-standing collectives: Tardive Dyskinesia, Konkave, Sun of Nothing, and Universe 217. I’m a big fan of Tardive Dyskinesia (most recent post about them is here). So, when I saw a mention of this new band, I checked them out this morning.

Their music turns out to be just what the doctor ordered for a sleep-deprived, slightly hungover Sunday morning here in the Pacific Northwest, where summer is now already a distant memory and it’s wet, cool, and gray (pretty much what every day will look like between now and next July). They’re working on a debut album that will be titled Finely Tuned Machine. Until that baby is ready for birth, the band have recorded five songs in a live performance. The multi-camera videos are pro-quality, and all of them can be streamed on the Lunatic Medlar facebook page.

The music is instrumental metal, featuring the kind of polyrhythmic complexity and heavy groove that first drew me to Tardive Dyskensia, and the live performances are pretty fucking tight. It maketh my head to bang. Check out a couple of the vid clips after the jump. We’ll keep you posted on what’s happening with that album. Continue reading »

“THAT’S METAL!” – BUT IT’S NOT MUSIC (NO. 44)

 That's Metal -- But It's Not Music  35 Responses »
Sep 182011
 

Man, time does fly. More than six weeks have passed since the last installment of this series. With so many days drifting by like tumbleweeds on the prairie, I’ve accumulated lots of potential items, including recommendations from our readers. I’ll have to save some of them for the future or this post would go on and on and on, and I know my metalheads, so the last thing I wanna do is overtax your limited attention spans.

What we do in this series is feature images, videos, occurrences, and other items that we think are metal, even though they’re not music. Today, we’re going to start off with a couple of photos and then go from there.

ITEM ONE

You’re looking at Item One at the top of this post. You get one guess what that is. If you guessed the cover art for the next Graveworm album, you’re close, but no cigar.  If you guessed an image of a hydrothermal worm made with a scanning electron microscope, congratulations. These worms are deep-sea creatures and live near hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor. They are very small — almost as small as a bacterium. This photo magnifies the worm 525 times. The true width of the field captured in this photo is actually 568/1000 of a millimeter.

I don’t know about you, but I’m really fuckin’ glad these things aren’t the size of sharks, or pro football linemen. And as far as I’m concerned, they can stay down on the ocean floor. The original of this image is here. Thanks to our buddy Ullr for the tip on this photo. Our remaining items are after the jump. Continue reading »

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