(written by Islander)
I don’t have much to share with you in today’s column. I spent a lot of time yesterday unsuccessfully trying to solve a security glitch that disabled my administrative access to NCS, and then more time communicating with our web host and third-party security service and staring at the in-box waiting for them to figure out the problem and fix it. Listening to and writing about music got elbowed out of the way.
The web host did eventually fix the problem by disabling the CAPTCHA feature on the site, which I guess is now forcing some visitors to re-register here and/or re-set passwords. Sorry about that. To celebrate the fix, and to flush away the anxiety caused by the fear that we wouldn’t be able to post anything on Monday (including premieres I’d committed to do), I went out last night and drank too much.
That led to a very late start on this Sunday, which compounded the problem of not getting a head-start on the column yesterday. To further compound the problems, my spouse and I are leaving home very soon to visit a family member who’s recovering from an injury.
I thought about just abandoning the column for this one day, but as you probably know, I hate leaving any days without music at NCS. So here is just one thing I’d like to recommend.
EVEALE (U.S./UK)
Eveale are a relatively new band, with a debut album named Enter the Woodland Realm that’s scheduled for release on May 1st by Hypaethral Records (on vinyl and CD) and Fiadh Productions (on cassette tape). The album comes recommended for fans of Borknagar, Emperor, Nidingr, Enslaved, and Darkthrone.
The band’s members are whimsically identified as:
Monarch of the Hillside (aka MOTH) – Vocals and lyrics, bongo, Tibetan singing bowl, field recordings on “The Beckoning”
North East Wizard Tyrant (aka The NEWT) – Electric guitars, bass, acoustic guitars, falsetto backing vocals on “Our Flame”
Basher at Things (aka BAT) – Drums
However, further credits on the album’s Bandcamp pages permit guesses as to their true identities — so have at it if you wish. Also, BAT is identified by name in the drum play-through video (see below) that the band released last week for the album’s first single, “Carniflora“. Here’s what Eveale have stated about that song:
“With this track, we set out to make a ‘black ‘n’ roll’ type song, taking something like ‘K.I.N.G.’ by Satyricon as the basic principle, with a sinister, jagged edge to the guitar work and buoyant, melodic bass. This is one of the tracks that was specifically written to help build the lore and mystery of the fictional universe we are creating within The Woodland Realm. The premise is that the carnivorous plants that border the Realm have evolved beyond being insectivores thanks to some dark power that they are drawing from within the earth and have now developed a taste for the flesh of larger beings.”
In line with that description, the song has an ominous beginning. Brittle guitars ring, swarm, and swell. Momentous drums boom and crack. A scalding voice screams the words. A burly bass heavily undulates.
The layered guitars seem to wail as well as sear, building moods of increasing peril and tension. The drums begin hammering more vigorously; the fretwork generates sounds of deep writhing and shrill darting; big throbbing grooves and blaring, discordant bursts appear as well. The music sounds dangerous, but also otherworldly (this woodland realm isn’t one any of us have wandered through!).
And the song continues morphing. Gargantuan upheavals occur down below, and high above a guitar weirdly but almost ecstatically twists and sparkles. The riffing viciously boils, and the vocals extravagantly cry out as well as shriek. Blast-beats erupt, signaling an engulfing instrumental onslaught — and a chilling finale.
Scary stuff… fantastical stuff… a thrilling introduction to this album’s mythical domain.
https://hypaethralrecords.bandcamp.com/album/enter-the-woodland-realm
https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/enter-the-woodland-realm
https://linktr.ee/evealeblackmetal