August 2015 - Page 5 of 11 - NO CLEAN SINGING

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: BEAUTALITY — “EINFALLEN”

Aug 202015

In February of this year we had the pleasure of premiering a song (“From the Abyss”) from the then-forthcoming second album by a London-based band named Beautality. The album’s name is Einfallen: A Tale Ov Torment & Triumph, and today we bring you the premiere of an official video for the album’s striking title track, “Einfallen“.

The video was directed, filmed, and edited by Dan Giannopoulos in his guise as Italian horror maestro Dario Pimento, and it includes excerpts from such horror films as The Satanic Rites of Dracula, Profundo Rosso, and Horror Express, along with appearances by Beautality’s mastermind David Ravengarde and Suzy Griffiths (aka Suzy Nola). The video is really a 14-minute short film that, in the director’s words, is “a nightmarish and visceral vision of lust, insanity and redemption”, telling the “brutal story of a love that goes too far”, “a love that takes a man to the very pit of hell”. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: THY CATAFALQUE, TYRANNY, GOATPSALM, INVOKER, VI, FLESH SS

Aug 202015

I haven’t had time to compile a round-up of new music since Monday. I enjoy posting premieres and accompanying reviews when I like the music, and we’ve had a lot of those this week (more are coming later today), but they do tend to cut into the time available to search out other new songs worth recommending. When three or four days pass without a round-up, it’s not possible to cover everything I’d like to cover — too much good music comes out every day. So this is just an initial group of things I’d like to recommend for now; with luck I hope to prepare another round-up for tomorrow.

THY CATAFALQUE

There are few bands whose music I admire as much as Thy Catafalque. Thanks to praise about the band I first read at The Number of the Blog back in early 2011, I discovered the wonders of Thy Catafalque’s discography and began writing about the music, which in turn led me to make the acquaintance of the band’s remarkable mastermind Tamás Kátai. And then later that same year I was simply blown away by the band’s newest album, Rengeteg. I’m terrible at making narrowed lists of things I like, but if I were to attempt to make a list of my 10 favorite metal albums of all time, I know it would be a strong contender. Continue reading »

THE NEGATIVE ZONE

Mosh Pit 35 Responses »

Aug 202015

(The author of this piece is Andy Synn. I expect it will generate some critical discussion — I hope it will — and as the editor of the site I expect to join in that discussion.)

Now, don’t worry, this has nothing to do with the (supposedly woeful) new Fantastic Four movie (“Fant4stic”?) that’s just come out. No, it’s just another rambling column by yours truly about the perils and pitfalls of this thing we call “blogging” – in this case on the topic of negativity, or the lack thereof, at this site and others.

You see, there are definitely times when I wish that NCS could be a little bit more negative in its outlook. Not much. Not drastically. But there’s definitely times when I’ve felt like writing about an album in order to point out its flaws more than to praise it, particularly when I see that album receiving what I feel is undue (or, worse, downright suspicious) levels of praise (more on this topic in a subsequent column).

That’s not to say we aren’t critical here at NCS, when the occasion calls for it. Though we try to remain positive and post mainly about music we’ve heard/found/discovered that really kicks our proverbial asses, we’re also willing to say when we think certain aspects or elements don’t seem to be working, or need a bit of polish, or simply aren’t quite up to the band’s usual standards (see my recent Soilwork review for an example of this).

So, I think there’s definitely a time and a place for a bit of negativity, without sliding into full-scale abuse. But where do you draw the line? Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: VENOM PRISON — “PRIMAL CHAOS”

Premieres 3 Responses »

Aug 202015

For the second day in a row, we bring you a premiere that’s preceded by a striking piece of cover art, which again tests my completely irrational hypothesis that cool cover art usually means cool music. This cover was created by Raul Gonzalez (Morbus Chron, Skinfather, Master), and in this case the music is a new four-song EP by a band from South Wales in the UK named Venom Prison. The name of the EP is The Primal Chaos, and my completely irrational hypothesis has been validated once again — because Venom Prison’s music is really damned cool, too.

The EP’s title track will stagger you in your tracks right from the beginning. The massive, groaning riffs and potent drum strikes hit with tremendous power, as if designed to soften you up for all the ferocious, grinding death metal savagery to come. But Venom Prison don’t just deliver morbid, early ’90s death metal, they also mix in elements of hardcore. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: GOREPUNCH — “GIVE ‘EM HELL”

Premieres 2 Responses »

Aug 192015

I bet that cover art got your attention. It was created by Enrique Lopez Lorenzana and it graces Give ‘Em Hell!, the debut album by a band named Gorepunch that will be released by Seeing Red Records on August 25.

The band may be new, but the members have paid their dues in such bands as Aborted, System Divide, Fear Factory, and Malignancy — and if the cover art didn’t get your attention, I bet that info did. So now, perhaps you’re ready to find out about the music — which you can explore in depth by listening to our premiere of the entire album.

But first, why don’t you check out the album’s back cover, just to make sure you’re properly prepared and in the right frame of mind: Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SHRINE OF INSANABILIS — “RUINA”

Premieres 7 Responses »

Aug 192015

David Glomba’s cover art for the debut album Disciples of the Void by Shrine of Insanabilis puts to the test my pet hypothesis that cool album covers tend to be a sign that cool music lies within — and this cover is definitely wonderful.

For better or worse, there are few other advance clues about the quality of the music in the public domain — other than the fact that the album will be released by W.T.C. Productions (which is certainly another favorable sign). The band’s members are unidentified, the location of the band isn’t widely advertised (though they seem to be from somewhere in Germany), and I’ve been unable to find any previously released recordings of their music.

But you are about to get a very strong clue about the music, because we’re bringing you the premiere of the new album’s second track, “Ruina”. Continue reading »

SWALLOW THE SUN ANNOUNCE “SONGS FROM THE NORTH I, II & III”

Metal News 9 Responses »

Aug 192015

I haven’t taken a poll, but I think most of us here at NCS are long-time fans of Swallow the Sun. And so today’s news about their next album was exciting to see. But I must say that it is also the kind of news that causes some trepidation — because the new album, Songs From the North, is a TRIPLE ALBUM.

It’s due for release in November of this year. For pessimists and cynics, the idea of a triple album will raise the specter of self-indulgence. Only the best single albums are brilliant all the way through; even fewer double albums can make that claim. But three?

With fingers crossed, I present the official statement that appeared on the band’s Facebook page this morning: Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: WARDENCLYFFE

Interviews No Responses »

Aug 192015

(Comrade Aleks interviews Jacob Nordangård of the Swedish band Wardenclyffe.)

Sweden outfit Wardenclyffe were named after one of the most ambitious Nicola Tesla projects, so this doom band moves a bit aside from the main occult direction which was set to the scene by dark gods. Wardenclyffe consists of Ola Blomkvist from doom congregation Griftegard, Micael and Emil of death metal project Terrorama, guitarist of the black metal band Misercordia, Robert Karlsson, and former Doomsday Cult member and the band’s mastermind Jacob Nordangård.

I asked Jacob about Wardenclyffe, their debut record Control All Delete, and other stuff. It must be said that some of the answers were pretty unexpected. So, don’t waste time, and let’s read this interview in the name of Nicola Tesla!

******

Hi Jacob! Van Records released Wardenclyffe’s debut record on the 31st of January. What is the band’s state now?

We are preparing and rehearsing for a recording of the two new songs, “The Omega Point” and “Rockefeller”. Set to be released in December. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: HORSE HEAD — “MISSIONARY”

Premieres 4 Responses »

Aug 182015

Phoenix-based Horse Head came together in 2011, announced their own death in 2013, and have now resurrected themselves from the ashes with renewed purpose. Judging from the implements they’re wielding above, their purpose seems to involve cleaving and carving. But there’s no reason to simply draw inferences based on their culinary weapons of choice, because you can also listen to the song we’re premiering today, the title track to their self-titled debut which will be released in proper form for the first time next month.

The name of the EP and the song is Missionary. The song’s opening riff is a dismal little rocking teaser, but hardly adequate preparation for the steamrolling crushfest that follows it. It’s a heavy beast of a song, with a low end that’s as thick as tree trunks and a mid-section change of course that’s such a huge, lumbering headbanger that you better loosen up your neck muscles before you get there. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: “FROM THE HELLMOUTH”

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET 2 Responses »

Aug 182015

Back in May of this year we premiered a full stream of the first release by a new label named Redefining Darkness Records — an excellent EP by Vintage Warlords — and today we’re bringing you a full stream of the label’s second release. This one is a self-titled monster by the Cleveland band From the Hellmouth, which is set for release on August 28.

You have to hand it to this group for coming up with a band name that so accurately represents their sound. They also made wise moves in both illustrating the album with the masterful art of Zdzisław Beksiński and also having Alan Cassidy of The Black Dahlia Murder record the drums on this debut EP. Cassidy’s performance is absolutely decimating — a machine-precise, turbocharged, eye-popping percussive demolition project.

But the songs really demanded someone of Cassidy’s skill to complement all of the other head-spinning, utterly savage performances on the EP. The songs generally fly hard and fast, one blast after another of pugilistic riffs mixed with grisly tremolo-picked swarms, segmented by booming grooves that will both get your head moving (and loosen it from your spine). Continue reading »

Older Entries Newer Entries