Aug 262015
 

Under the Church-Rabid Armageddon

 

It’s so nice to find a band still early in their discography who consistently kill it with each new release, especially when their weapon of choice is raw, unrepentant, bestial death metal of the old school. The band I happen to have in mind at the moment is Under the Church.

Perhaps the consistent quality of what they’re doing is to be expected, because although Under the Church is a new name, the band was started by two former members of Sweden’s Nirvana 2002 — drummer Erik Qvick and bassist Lars Henriksson, and they are joined by Australian vocalist Mik Annetts. Continue reading »

Aug 262015
 

Spectral Lore-Gnosis

 

The remarkable one-man Greek band Spectral Lore has recorded a new EP named Gnosis that will be mastered by Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts) and released around November by the tasteful I, Voidhanger label.

Though Spectral Lore calls Gnosis an EP, it will be close to 40 minutes in length. It is the second of at least three EPs that Spectral Lore has planned for 2015, the first one being Voyager, which was released in May (and there may be a fourth before the year draws to a close). Continue reading »

Aug 262015
 

biting the hand

 

(NCS writer Andy Synn penned the following thoughts….)

So this column is something of a follow-up to my piece entitled “The Negative Zone” that was published last week (here), as there were certain issues and ideas touched upon there that I felt deserved closer attention, particularly the complex, convoluted, and sometimes downright chaotic, relationship between humble Metal blogs like ours, and the Labels, PR reps, and bands that we deal with on a daily basis!

Now, I’m not sure how many of you, or indeed if any of you, stop to think much about the various issues that go into running a blog like this, or whether you simply just enjoy reading the articles now and then (which is totally fine!). But it’s not just about making sure the reviews get edited and published on time (or, at least, in a timely fashion), there’s also a hell of a lot of work involved in managing the relationships that keep the gears turning and keep that content rolling in – all the while trying to maintain at least some sense of journalistic integrity and honesty! Continue reading »

Aug 262015
 

Plague Rider-paroxysm cover

 

Paroxysm is the name of the new EP by Plague Rider. The Oxford English Dictionary, which seems like the appropriate reference source since Plague Rider hail from the former mother ship, alternately defines “paroxysm” as “a sudden strong feeling or expression of an emotion that cannot be controlled” and “a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity”. With a name like that as an EP title, you don’t expect ambient drone. And as you’re about to find out, the EP lives up to its name.

You will find out, because today we’re premiering a full stream of all four songs on Paroxysm. Like the EP’s name, the song titles are also suggestive — “Retrovirus”, “Occidite”, “Hydrophobe”, and “Prion”, most of them referring to infectious, lethal agents. In a word, all the songs are remarkable (as well as lethal). Continue reading »

Aug 262015
 

Aevangelist-Enthrall To The Void Of Bliss

 

I haven’t been able to pull together a round-up of news and new music in five days, and you know what that means: I’ve got a backlog that’s so big I’ll never catch up. But instead of just uttering a big sigh and looking ahead instead of behind, I decided I should at least pick some of what interested me out of the last five days’ discoveries (in the hope that they will interest you, too).

The entries in this first part of a two-part post are almost all news items — and they include a ton of great cover art — but since this feature is called Seen and HEARD, I’ve tacked on one new song at the end that you can stream right here. Part 2 will be all music.

ÆVANGELIST

This interests me greatly: Through 20 Buck Spin, Ævangelist will release their fourth album on October 9 in the U.S. and October 23 in Europe. A vinyl edition is projected for December. The name of the album is Enthrall To the Void of Bliss. I have to find out who created the cover art, because it’s very good. (UPDATE: I’ve learned that the wonderful art was created by Stephen Wilson [FB page here], and more of his work will appear in the digipak of this album.) Continue reading »

Aug 252015
 

Serpent Venom - band

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us another interview, this time with guitarist (and visual artist) Roland Scriver of the UK doom band Serpent Venom — with a stream of the band’s latest album at the end.)

Serpent Venom is one of UK doom-scene’s most perceptive flagships. Based in London, they have a contract with one of the best modern doom-oriented labels The Church Within and two full-length records at hands. Their second album Of Things Seen And Unseen has haunted me since its very release, so after one year of nightmares, I got ready to interview some of the Serpent Venom cult’s members and was lucky enough to get in touch with Roland Scriver (guitars). Roland is here today, so let’s see what he has to say. Continue reading »

Aug 252015
 

Invoker-Aeon

 

When I first laid eyes on the wonderful cover by Misanthropic Art for Invoker’s second album — Aeon — I immediately became eager to hear something from the album. That was five days ago, and all that was then available was just a brief excerpt of a song. It sounded both massive and mesmerizing — but it was painfully short. I wished (in print) that I could hear a complete song.

Well, sometimes wishes are granted, because now I’ve heard Aeon’s title track, and you’re about to hear it, too. It’s black as night and heavy as an avalanche, shifting between ominous booming hammer blows and racing, ravaging riff assaults laced with a grim but immediately memorable melody. Continue reading »

Aug 252015
 

Fight Amputation-Constantly Off
The new EP by Philadelphia’s Fight Amp(utation) is a whirlwind roller-coaster ride — or it would be if a roller-coaster were capable of leaping off the rails with a mind of its own in addition to veering up, down, and sideways. It’s only six songs with a total run-time of about 18 1/2 minutes, but Fight Amp pack a lot of head-spinning diversity into that span of time. It’s the kind of music that keeps you pinned in place, gleefully wondering what the hell is coming next.

Precisely for that reason, it’s also the kind of release that justifies a track-by-track commentary from the band — and that’s exactly what we have for you here. But you need to listen to the songs either before or while you’re reading — or ideally, do both. A stream of Constantly Off is at the bottom of this post, along with a Bandcamp link where you can pick it up if you like what it does to you. And to get an LP edition of the album, Brutal Panda has got that HERE. Continue reading »

Aug 252015
 

SOM 364LP Gatefold 8mm spine (LP1044) OptM.indd

 

Antiliv is the name of the fifth album by Norway’s Tsjuder, which will be upon us in mid-September. Last month I wrote (here) about the first advance track from Antiliv, a song named “Demonic Supremacy” that I thought was an instant classic. And now we have the chance to bring you a second new song from the album, a track named “Djevelens Mesterverk”.

Tsjuder have a well-deserved reputation for unleashing hellfire with tremendous intensity, and “Djevelens Mesterverk” is a striking example of the band’s unmitigated ferocity. It’s in the red zone from start to finish, a non-stop adrenaline injection driven by AntiChristian’s jaw-dropping drum performance and Draughluin’s blazing riffs.  And Nag’s shrieked vocals are utterly poisonous and savage. Continue reading »

Aug 242015
 

Ereb Altor - 1

 

(Comrade Aleks presents his interview of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mats from the Swedish band Ereb Altor.)

Ereb Altor is a band that doesn’t need a special introduction. It was founded in 2003 by two members of Swedish traditional doom outfit Isole (Mats and Ragnar) to channel their inspiration by Bathory (of the “viking period”) in a new direction.

Cyclone Empire released the fifth Ereb Altor record Nattramn in April 2015, and this new work continues the line of the two preceding albums as the band holds onto the combination of epic Viking metal with both doom and black elements. I was lucky enough to draw the attention of Mats, and he patiently answered my questions. Continue reading »