Aug 212013
 

In this post I’ve collected three new videos and one new song on which you can feast your eyes and ears. Actually, although I can imagine eyes feasting — because I’ve seen hungry eyes before — ears just look like ears. But they will feast nonetheless.

SKÁLMÖLD

After you have dined upon the following video from Iceland’s Skálmöld, and assuming you enjoy the taste of it, I strongly recommend you read this December 2012 NCS interview of the band’s lyricist and bass-player Snæbjörn Ragnarssonin conducted in Iceland by our very special traveling correspondent Gemma Alexander. There you will learn, among other things, about the complex rules of traditional Icelandic poetry that Snæbjörn follows in his lyrics, the stories from Norse legend that became the foundation for the band’s latest album Börn Loka (“Loki’s Children”), and the use of parallel fifths in the choral arrangements for the last part of the song “Gleipnir”.

I mention “Gleipnir” because that’s the song which is the subject of Skálmöld’s new video. You might be interested in knowing that in Norse legend “Gleipnir” was the name of the magical binding fashioned by dwarves to hold the monstrous wolf Fenrir in captivity — until the events of Ragnarök, when Fenrir breaks free and destroys Odin. Or so says The Font of All Human Knowledge.

The video was made by director Bowen Staines (Don’t Panic Films), who also produced the excellent video for Sólstafir’s “Fjara”. As befits the subject matter, it’s epic. Feast upon it:

 

ANION

Not that long ago I wrote about the first single from a new album named Without Solace by Vancouver’s Anion, which is due from No List Records on September 17. Today brought another song, “Snake Oil”, and an accompanying video. Director Chuck Ibey did a nice job on the video. It combines eye-catching footage of the band performing the song, with creative lighting and adept editing, and certain . . . insectile images.

The song is pulverizing. Good headbang nutrients for your diet, and a ringing melody that feeds glimmers of light into this pit of sludgy hardcore.

 

Anion – Snake Oil from Anion on Vimeo.

 

IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT

NCS guest writer Austin Weber put this New York band’s 2012 debut album Abominamentvm on his NCS list of last year’s best records, and he alerted me to the fact that the band would be premiering an official video yesterday. And so they did.

This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a video from this band — we did it more than two years ago for the song “Stormgod” from their Obeisance EP. This new one was constructed for a song named “Crushing the Idol” from Abominamentvm, and it got its debut at Invisible Oranges. The video is a tale of privileged excesses. The song is a thundering rampage of black metal might. Watch and listen below.

https://www.facebook.com/imperialtriumphant

 

NOCTURNAL GRAVES

To wrap up this round-up, I bring you “Promethean War”, a new song by Australia’s Nocturnal Graves. The song will appear on …From the Bloodline of Cain, a new album scheduled for release by Hells Headbangers on November 12 (both CD and LP), which happens to feature cover art by one of our favorite metal artists Paolo Girardi. This is the band’s second album, though it comes six years after the first one and three years after their last release, a split with Hell Spirit.

“Promethean War” packs a punch. It’s a torrent of searing infernal thrash that makes a tempting teaser for this album. Check this out:

https://www.facebook.com/nocturnalgraves

  2 Responses to “NEW THINGS FROM SKÁLMÖLD, ANION, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, AND NOCTURNAL GRAVES”

  1. i’m liking the tracks from Nocturnal Graves and Imperial Triumphant

  2. The video about SKÁLMÖLD is filmed really well and the song is enjoyable too even if I feel more captured by the songs from Nocturnal Graves and Imperial Triumphant. Both tracks are powerful and well blended with a ruthless drumming. “Promethean War” is a really well written song and if you don’t know yet. I want advise you about a better quality sound of “Rain Eater ” from RIVERS OF NIHIIL posted on the web by Metal Blade Records two or three days ago, listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Eya-2JfoU

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