OGREFEST 2011 – Part 2

 Concert Reviews  10 Responses »
Oct 182011
 

(This is Part 2 of a post by BadWolf reviewing the 2011 edition of OGREFEST in Lansing, Michigan. Check out Part 1 HERE.)

Wastelander

Here begin the veteran acts. Wastelander Guitarist/vocalist Xaphan dedicated their set to his 14-year-old daughter, who attentively watched from the side while wearing an Asking Alexandria tee shirt. Ah, the generation gap. She should be proud of her papa; his band is badass.

Wastelander plays to my personal weaknesses with their mixture of black metal, groovy thrash, D-beat/crust punk and just plain ballsy metal-rock with a lyrical focus on post-apocalyptic survival. They sonically recognize Motorhead as the inception of all extreme metal, and play music that would make Lemmy proud, with twists of Amebix, mid-period Bathory, early Venom and NWOBHM-y goodness sprinkled on top. They made me go ‘ooh!’ and headbang from the first second—as they always do.

Growled vocals, big chords, mechanical beats (they used to play with a drum machine) and hairy, sweaty swing made for a compelling forty-five minutes of hair flying. I cannot imagine anyone, be they kvlt-er, beardo, neo-thrasher, or ordinary metalhead, who is immune to the charms of Wastelander. Since then they’re released a split 7” with a band called Abigail. (Their 2010 debut album is Wardrive.)

(more after the jump) Continue reading »

DIM MAK: “THE SOUNDS OF CARNAGE”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Oct 182011
 

This is the fourth of today’s four individual song posts. It begins with a story.

Once upon a time, there was a New Jersey band called Ripping Corpse. From 1987 to 1992, they recorded four demos and one full-length album called Dreaming With the Dead, and then , , , kablooie!. If you haven’t heard of the band, you may have heard of its members. One of them Eric Rutan, went on to join something called Morbid Angel. He’s done a few other things, too, like engaged in some Hate Eternal.

The rest of Ripping Corpse later joined together in a band called Dim Mak. Between ’99 and 2006, Dim Mak produced three albums. Now, five years after the last one, a new one is one its way. The original Dim Mak line-up hasn’t survived intact, but two of the key components are still there — both of them alumni of Ripping Corpse: guitarist Shaune Kelley (who was also with Hate Eternal) and bass player Scot Nornick. They haven’t exactly suffered a downgrade in the drumming department, since the current drummer is John Longstreth of Origin and Gorguts. The new vocalist is a dude named Joe Capizzi, who was once with a band I don’t know called The Dying Light.

The new Dim Mak album is titled The Emergence of Reptilian Altars. It will be released on November 29 by Willowtip Records, which is accepting pre-orders here. A new song from the album has been out for the last month, but I just found out about it thanks to new NCS reader/commenter Kevin — who is basically killin’ it with the tips, having recommended the new Ne Obliviscaris song we featured in one of yesterday’s posts. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

ICON IN ME: “LOST FOR NOTHING”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
Oct 182011
 

Here we are at the third of four song-posts for this Tuesday. Let’s start with an an age-old question: How much new ground must a band break before they’re deserving of praise? Do they have to break new ground at all, or is it enough that their music is solid, competent, and does justice to the genre in which they work?

I’ve been accused of being easy to please. That perception could be based in part on the fact that we generally don’t publish negative reviews at this site. That’s not to say that we don’t hear music that leaves us feeling meh or even disgusted; we just filter that out and ignore it in the pages of NCS, preferring to focus instead on metal we can honestly recommend. Still, compared to lots of metalheads I know and critics I read, I guess it’s true that I’m a soft touch.

Consistent with that truth, I like lots of music that doesn’t break new ground. But when a band is plowing existing furrows, I do want them to do it well — to dig that fucken groove deep, with sharp edges. Which brings me (at last) to Icon In Me. They’re a band “based” in Moscow, but they’re really a multinational collective of metal veterans (more on that later). They released an album on Goomba Music in July called Head Break Solution. I didn’t catch it when it came out, but I did catch their second official video from the album yesterday, for a song called “Lost For Nothing”.

The song isn’t ground-breaking, but man I do like it. It’s a vintage Soilwork-style cross between metalcore and melodeath that effectively spews vitriolic rage while plowing some very sweet grooves. Continue reading »

CANNABIS CORPSE: “GATEWAYS TO INHALATION”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Oct 182011
 

Here’s the second song of four for this morning, and this one’s a video that surfaced yesterday. The band is Cannabis Corpse, and the song is the brilliantly named “Gateway To Inhalation”. It’s from their 2011 album, the brilliantly named Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise. You gotta love a band who’s into gardening. Here’s the story about this video, as reported on Metal Injection:

“Last Saturday, October 8th, 2011, Cannabis Corpse’s van broke down and they missed their slot on the “Ritual Tour” that night with Black Dahlia Murder and All Shall Perish in Lancaster, PA. Through the band’s Facebook page, they were able to put out the word that the band wouldn’t make it and asked if anyone could help out with a DIY late night gig in the area.

“Rich ‘Bebo’ Abraham of Richolow Films, a Lancaster based metal music video company [link] got in touch [with] the band and coordinated a show for Cannabis Corpse right down the street from the BDM show to start at midnight. The guys made it to the venue in time to watch BDM and after the show marched with 100 local thrashers to a small venue up the street. A complete rager commenced. Richolow Films caught it all!”

Now THAT is fuckin metal. So is the video. If you know Cannabis Corpse, you know this ain’t gonna be stoner rock, despite the band’s name. It’s a blast of death-thrash, heavy on the partying. From the video, looks like it was a high old time in the house. Have fun after the jump. Continue reading »

VENOM: “PUNK’S NOT DEAD”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Oct 182011
 

To start today’s festivities here at NO CLEAN SINGING, I have four songs for you, two of which take the form of new music videos. Instead of cramming them together into one long post like I did yesterday, I’m splitting them up — one song per post — and I’m dribbling them out. But I’m only letting 30 minutes pass between dribbles.

Why am I doing this? I’m not completely sure. Maybe it’s because I think each of these songs deserves its very own post. Or maybe I’m worried that your attention spans are like mine, and that your minds will wander before you get through 3 songs in a single post. Or maybe I’m just fucked up.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the first of three songs. This is the one that isn’t a video, but it’s by motherfuckin’ Venom. Thirty years have passed since their debut album, Welcome To Hell. They have a new album (Fallen Angels) set for release on November 28 via Spinefarm and Universal Records. Until yesterday, I was not looking forward to it. Yes, they are legends. Yes, they are given a large share of credit for spawning black metal. But really now, 30 years is a long fucking time, and honestly, they’ve done nothing in ages that provides much reason to think their new output will be worth the time it takes to listen.

But yesterday they released the first single from the new album, and I’m now interested. (Following a few more burblings from me, the song is after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

ROLLERCOASTER – PART 2

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  10 Responses »
Oct 172011
 


Here’s the second part of a post I started earlier today featuring a divergent assortment of new music and videos I heard and saw over the weekend. In Part 2, I’ve got a new song (and video) from Eryn Non Dae. (France), a recent live video from Iskald (Norway), and a new song from Dischordia (U.S.-Oklahoma).

ERYN NON DAE.

In 2010, we published no fewer than four posts about this band from Toulouse, France. Those posts included a review of the band’s 2009 album Hydra Lernaïa, an interview with the band, and two updates that included videos of live performances. The last post, from June 2010, includes links to all the others. And then we’ve posted about them twice this year (here) and (here). Do you think we’re overdoing it? Obviously, I don’t think so. I think they’re worth all the attention, and then some. They’re one of the growing number of bands from France who have put that country on the worldwide map of great current metal.

The cause for today’s attention is a new song (yippee!) from a new album (ki-yay-motherfucker!) that’s in the works and planned for release next year. The song is called “Scarlet Rising”, and the band was caught on film performing it at the Impetus festival in Montbéliard, France this past April. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

NEW KRISIUN: “RISE AND CONFRONT”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Oct 172011
 

The almighty Krisiun have a new album on the way. Called The Great Executioner, it will be released by Century Media in Europe on October 31 and in the U.S. on November 1.

Previously, Krisiun released a song from the album called “The Will To Potency”, which you can find for immediate brain-slaying purposes here.

This morning, the band released the second single from the album, entitled “Rise and Confront”.

You can hear it via the Soundcloud player below.

I really don’t need to say anything more, do I?

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/25726153″]

ROLLERCOASTER – PART 1

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  15 Responses »
Oct 172011
 

Over the weekend I came across a divergent array of largely new music that I feel compelled to share here at the beginning of the week. It’s really all over the place, up and down, swerving right and left. Tracking through these songs and videos put me in mind of a rollercoaster ride, hence the title of this post. There’s so much here that I’m dividing this into two parts. The next one will follow in a couple of hours. I’ll keep the verbiage brief and let the music do the talking for itself. In Part 1, the music comes from Ne Obliviscaris (Australia), God Is An Astronaut (Ireland), and Apostate (The Czech Republic).

NE OBLIVISCARIS

We originally featured this unsigned Melbourne, Australia band back in March 2010, focusing on a 2007 EP called The Aurora Veil. At long last, they’ve completed their debut album, Portal of I, which will be released in the near future (I haven’t yet found a specific date or how it will be distributed). It will consist of 7 tracks, with a total run-time of more than 1 hour 11 minutes. So yes, the songs are long ones. The band released one of them to their Facebook page on Friday night. It’s called “And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope”. I heard it via a link from NCS reader Kevin this morning — and it has floored me.

I know that I’m given to impulsive bursts of enthusiasm and that this undoubtedly devalues the weight that some people give my opinions. So, those people will want to take this with a grain of salt. Actually, take it with a pound of salt and choke ’til you pass out, because I’m serious: this is a wonderful song. It begins with a sweeping, violin-led melodic instrumental section and then moves on through a changing splash of musical colors and tones, part black metal, part melodic death metal, part prog metal — all good. It’s right after the jump. Continue reading »

OGREFEST 2011 – Part 1

 Concert Reviews  No Responses »
Oct 172011
 

(In this two-part post, which begins today and concludes tomorrow, BadWolf reviews the 2011 edition of OGREFEST in Lansing, Michigan, and we’ve got music for you from most of the bands whose performances he covers.)

[This article has been the absolute bane of my existence for six months. The weather messed with my car, I missed some bands while interviewing others, none of the photos turned out, half the interviews were unlistenable, and other variables (loss of employment, re-gaining employment, writing at InvisibleOranges) just fucked it for me.

That said, seeing as how I’m about to go to Suckfest (and have a blast!) I figured I would warm you readers up with another festival report, that for Lansing’s annual Ogrefest. I was going to put this article up at my personal blog, Midwestern Metalhead, but I spend so much time writing here and at IO that my personal project has fallen by the wayside. Therefore, this article is for you, dear NCS-ers!

Also, posting this article to a wider readership is my little way of apologizing for the unreasonable delay—it won’t happen again next year! Dave, Jim, this one’s for you guys!
And all of you strangers—come to Michigan. See Ogrefest. It will be the shit.]

Here’s the nitty-gritty: Lansing has the best underground metal scene in the US, IMO, and Ogrefest, curated by Satyrasis’ Dave Peterman, is that scene’s annual showcase. It’s held every year at Mac’s Bar and is always the show I anticipate most. At least one of these bands always ends up a personal favorite, and 2011 was no exception. On to the narrative! Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET: BRAIN FAMINE

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  2 Responses »
Oct 172011
 

Brain Famine is a studio project that was formed in 2011 by two guys named Chris Leamy and John Gillis, both of them veterans of other bands in their community. On October 1, they self-released a six-song, self-titled EP. Gillis played drums on the recording and Leamy did everything else, including the engineering and mixing work. The EP is now available for free download at Bandcamp. You can get there by following this link. And that’s pretty much all I know about Brain Famine.

Except for the music, of course. The music is a goddamned weapon designed to shred the contents of craniums and leave the listener cross-eyed and drooling. Generally, it’s faster than your average greyhound, but it obeys no rules of metric consistency, darting from one time signature and tempo to another with oodles of technical skill. Pulverizing riffs churn your fuckin guts while the drums go off like guns firing semi-automatic bursts of lead. Leamy barks like a big, rabid death-metal dog that wants to use your jugular as a chew toy.

The longest and probably most interesting song, “Ingest”, backs off the flamethrower pacing of the first two tracks, but it’s equally berserker in its use of schizophrenic rhythms and unpredictable, unsettling guitar leads. “Citizen Solution” starts as another similarly mid-paced marauder, driven by thick, sludgy riffs and frenzied drums, but it grows in complexity and builds in speed until it becomes just as whacked out as the more abrupt, grind-centric blasters like “Die Off” or “Ignorant Dopes”, and it includes a beautifully diseased guitar solo. The EP’s closer, “N.F.O.”, commences like another hair-on-fire grind beast, then drops into a ghoulish crawl, before ending the festivities in a burst of cacophonous noise.

Truth is, I’m sold on every one of the songs on Brain Famine, The EP is a solid mix of tech-death, grind, thrash, and even a prog tendency every now and then. I’m sold on the band, too. There’s some serious talent on display here. Fans of Napalm Death, Magrudergrind, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, and Pig Destroyer, this is an EP you’ll want to grab while the grabbin’ is good. Get your drool cup handy and check out a couple of the tunes after the jump. You can stream all of them at Bandcamp.

Continue reading »

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