(Back in February NCS contributor KevinP shared with us an early list of 2014 albums that were peaking his interest. More than three months have passed, and now Kevin brings us five more recommendations.)
2014 hasn’t slowed down with the new releases worthy of all our time. If you’re playing catch up, you can see Part 1 here.
Hexis – Abalam
I never liked straight-up hardcore and I’m not a huge fan of straight-up black metal either. Wasn’t in 1992, still not today. But when you mix the two together, it’s like “somebody put gasoline on my fuckin’ balls and lit it” (yes, I’m quoting Joey DeMaio, gotta problem with that?). Take the darkness and evil tint of black metal, mixed with the fury and bottom end of hardcore in a nice concise package of mainly 1-2 minute songs & nothing overstays its welcome.
http://hexisband.bandcamp.com/album/abalam
Loudblast – Burial Ground
In case you have been listening to metal under a rock since 1985, France’s Loudblast have been eating snails for almost 30 years. What they hinted at on 2011’s Frozen Moments Between Life & Death has come to full fruition on Burial Ground. Aggro melodic death/thrash with beefed-up classic metal/rock riffs seamlessly interwoven, producing something quite unique.
P.S. – Interview coming up by the end of the month with mainman Stef Buriez.
Emptiness – Nothing But the Whole
The “other band” of Enthroned’s Phorgath and Neraath (which is faaar superior). If you are tired of listening to the same old thing again and again, do yourself a favor and allow yourself time for this beauty to sink in (reviewed here).
http://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-but-the-whole
Vanhelgd – Relics of Sulphur Salvation
What a nice surprise. I liked the prior album, but didn’t expect something THIS good. My review (via this link) speaks for itself.
http://listen.20buckspin.com/album/relics-of-sulphur-salvation
Autopsy – Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves
Are people just generally bored with bands that release high quality album after high quality album? When Autopsy returned in 2011 with their first full-length in 16 years, Macabre Eternal, people were abuzz and rightfully so. Then in 2013 they followed that up with an equally brilliant (and more to the point) album in The Headless Ritual. Yet that album seemed to fly under a lot of people’s radar, I’m still not sure why. Now only 10 months post The Headless Ritual, they have spit forth Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves. And yet again I don’t hear much of anyone talking about it. Yeah, it’s a lot of new material for a band who’ve been away for many moons, but this is fuckin’ Autopsy we’re talking about it. It’s like not giving a shit about ice cream or pizza ’cause you just ate it yesterday, or whining that Bolt Thrower hasn’t “expanded” their sound. They don’t need to. And the next time Santa Claus gives you “too many” gifts, sod off you wanker!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUrsdHth250
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So what’s making you as excited as Islander gets standing in line for Bölzer merch?
Love the bands mentioned here.!!! Really enjoyed emptiness and Autopsy. New dead congregation new album is sick!!!!!! One of my favorite releases so far. Also lvcifyre new album is amazig
Yeah, all of those are great as well. Ridiculous amount of new releases of supreme quality so far, almost hard to keep up 🙂
I’m listening to “Emptiness” and “Autopsy” very carefully in these days. I know you were busy in these days so I hotly recommend you the new furious “Blissfucker” by “Trap Them” with “Passenger” by “Black Monolith” and the new outstanding track by “Fallujah” called “Sapphire” because I think you will be enthralled. Some other news “Decapitated” new record is almost done and the “Black Crown Initiate” quintet in about a week will be in the studio to record their debut full-lenght!
Please provide some links for us lazy folks 🙂
Sorry I’m late because I’m lazy too ha ha, here we are with the links and hope you guys will enjoy the music: TRAP THEM http://noisey.vice.com/blog/stream-trap-thems-blissfucker-lp
FALLUJAH: http://www.metalsucks.net/2014/05/27/exclusive-premiere-fallujah-sapphire/
BLACK MONOLITH: http://blackmonolith.bandcamp.com/album/passenger
Still trying to get into the new Loudblast as I loved Frozen Moments, but the new one has moments like the full-on rock riff at 2:50 in “Ascending Straight in Circles” which keep throwing me off. It does fit with the songs more often than not, but it’s still a surprise when it happens.
Vanhelgd is fucking supreme. The last album was okay, but the new one is stunning.
That’s one of the many reasons I enjoy the Loudblast so much, it’s just not them being safe and predictable 🙂
Gravecrusher: Morbid Black Oath EP (Death Metal)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpDrz0WzRNg
Saccage: Vorace EP (crust/black/thrash) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_9sZwzH6tc
Skeletal Augury: Bless of Destroyed, Raped, Dismembered Flesh (raw black/thrash) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vqF6ogcxc0
Darkest Era: Severance (heavy/celtic) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7SdlW2SfAM
The Skeletal Augury album is pretty sweet. Also, Darkest Era. I haven’t heard the new one yet but I’m a huge fan of the debut.
I enjoyed the debut as well…solid mix of metal with some Celtic influences. New one is every bit as good
I guess SB is slipping, I actually already know one of the bands he posted (DE)
The name Darkest Era rings a bell, faintly. Otherwise, all new to me.
Thats not slipping…that just shows all my training and preparation is starting to pay off for the rest of you 🙂
Or resting on your laurels 😉
The Emptiness album IS really good… but it’s nowhere near better than “Sovereigns”. Fuck that.
Im having trouble getting into the new Emptiness.
Oblivion was super. I never dug Error and this one seems more intriguing, but I probably need the right mood to crack it. Cant go into it expecting “death metal” in the traditional sense, which is what I did.
Keeping this post open so I can listen to it all after this nap. Glad to hear someone else confused about how The Headless Ritual flew under everyone’s radar like it did–probably my favourite record of last year and TH&G is like a glass of milk to THR’s chocolate cake.
I love the analogy, well done 😉
Lately I’ve been cranking this heaps: http://munruthel.bandcamp.com/. Released back in Nov 2012 but I just stumbled on it via the joys of bandcamp. A one man band from Ukraine – interesting in that he seems to have started off doing ‘dark ambient’ on his first albums and now strayed further and further into black metal with symphonic and folk elements. Quite an interesting mix.
I’m so far behind with this year’s releases I doing think I’ll ever catch up 🙂
Doctor Livingstone: Contemptus Saeculi – I’m not usually a huge fan of hardcore and black metal together, but I like the way they do it. There’s a weird/creepy variant of black metal instead of just the full-on hateful kind, and there’s a few ear-catching left turns along the way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKzN9FwZ8J0
Cloak of Altering: Plague Beasts – Symphonic/Electronic Black Metal/Noise? I dunno. Crazy stuff. http://crucialblast.bandcamp.com/track/white-inverted-void
Vestal Claret: The Cult of Vestal Claret – Really good traditional heavy/doom metal. http://cruzdelsurmusic.bandcamp.com/track/three-and-three-are-six-2
Spectral Lore: III – It’s on I, Voidhanger. What else do you need to know? http://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/iii
Voyager: V – Just came out but I’ve been cranking it a lot lately. Super catchy melodic prog. http://voyager.bandcamp.com/
Spectral Lore III is one of my absolute favorites of the year
(along with Vanhelgd)
I really need to make time for the Spectral Lore promo I have access to.
That new Cloak Of Altering album is boss!
“Burial Ground”, “Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves” and “Relics of Sulphur Salvation” are all fantastic!! whoohoo!! 🙂
I’ve only listened to that Vanhelgd album once so far, but it was really good. The album art made me expect black metal, but that was misleading.
Spectral Lore – III (http://www.i-voidhanger.com/spectral_lore_iii.htm)
Bland Vargr – Perpetual Return (http://blandvargar.bandcamp.com/album/perpetual-return)
Fuoco Fatuo – The Viper Slithers in the Ashes of What Remains (http://fuocofatuo.bandcamp.com/)
Castle – Under Siege (http://store.prostheticrecords.com/products/526561-castle-under-siege-cd)
Barghest – The Virtuous Purge (http://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/the-virtuous-purge)
There’s five anyway.
To echo earlier sentiments, that Spectral Lore is amazing. Possible album of the year at this point, though I, Voidhanger has a few more releases upcoming that could match it. That Bland Vargr is phenomenal as well, top caliber atmospheric black metal for sure. Love the death/doom of Fuoco Fatuo, reminiscent of Hooded Menace without the Tombs of the blind Dead references. Castle’s brand of traditional heavy metal mixed with ample amounts of Candlemassian doom is outstanding, and I don’t think I’ve heard anything as militant as the new Barghest all year.
Also severely looking forward to the new Diocletian, Incantation, and Pallbearer records. I expect whittling my favorites this year down to 10 come December will be tough work.