Andy Synn, Author at NO CLEAN SINGING

Andy Synn

FUMING MOUTH – THE RINGING BELL

Jul 132026

(Andy Synn asks for whom the bell tolls… and it turns out it’s for him)

There are lots of different ways we could begin a review of the new Fuming Mouth (which comes out Friday).

We could, of course, talk about frontman Mark Whelan’s diagnosis with, and subsequent recovery from, Acute Myeloid Leukemia and how this has – unsurprisingly – influenced the band’s musical and lyrical approach.

We could also just as easily talk about how divisive the band’s second album, Last Day of Sun was, due to its more Punk/Hardcore influenced approach – though I still think that tracks like “Out of Time”, “The Silence Beyond Life”, and “I’ll Find You” are absolute bangers – and occasional (if not always successful) dash of moody melodic crooning.

But instead I’d like to start off by mentioning the one and only disappointing aspect of the record… which is the underwhelming cover art (which, to be fair, I’m sure must have some deeper significance to the group, but which really doesn’t live up to the high bar set by the eye-catching artwork of Lewandowski and Todorovic that adorned their first two albums, respectively).

Thankfully, however, this is one occasion where you definitely can’t judge the proverbial book by its literal cover.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

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Jul 082026

(Andy Synn has four more albums from last month that he needs you to check out)

I’m in a bit of a rush today, so don’t have time for much of a preamble here… suffice it to say that June was a very busy month, for everyone here at NCS, which has left us with a lot of stuff to catch up on.

Which is why you’re getting a second edition of “Things You May Have Missed” today, following on from last week’s equally killer quartet of recent releases.

NO CURE – IT IS GOING TO GET DARK

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Jul 062026

(Andy Synn shares his thoughts on one of his most anticipated albums of the year)

What’s the difference between Metal and Hardcore?

Some people, of course, see the two as entirely separate things… and refuse to have anything to do with the other one… but the truth is that Metal, Hardcore, Punk, Grind, etc, have always existed as part of a greater continuum – not a linear spectrum, by any means, but a complex, interwoven web of inputs and influences, constructions and perceptions – that doesn’t necessarily divide the genres into neatly defined little niches.

Take Alabama’s No Cure, for example, who are most definitely a Hardcore band – they even describe themselves as “the world’s most evil straight-edge band” – but who aren’t afraid of acknowledging that, in their own way, bands like Sepultura, Machine Head, and Dying Fetus have had almost as much impact and influence on their sound as the likes of Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, and The Acacia Strain.

So it’s more than fitting that their new album, set for release this Friday, has a little bit of all those bands in it, while still being defiantly its own thing.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

Album Reviews 3 Responses »

Jul 022026

(Andy Synn wants you to check out these four albums you may have missed in June)

There’s an unfortunate “catch-22” involved in these “things you may have missed” columns… because while they’re important as away of catching you all up on, well, things you may have missed (the clue is in the title) they also take up time and energy that might otherwise be expended on upcoming albums instead.

Of course, while we do love getting advance promos here at NCS (hint, hint) a lot of what we do (well, a lot of what DGR and I do) is finding newly and/or recently released stuff and trying to signal boost it once it’s already out in the world, and right now there’s only a handful of albums in my extensive “to do” list that haven’t actually been released yet (though I’ve got one lined up for Monday that will definitely please any fans of ultra-heavy Metallic Hardcore among you).

So maybe I shouldn’t sweat it so much… maybe we’re always going to be playing catch-up and the thing to focus on is that getting the music into the right ears is more important than getting it out there in advance.

And in that spirit, here’s four from June (with another four to follow next week) that you might not have heard yet, all of whom focus on the darkest side of the metallic spectrum in one way or another.

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 196): TODOMAL

THE SYNN REPORT 2 Responses »

Jul 012026

Recommended for fans of: Moonspell, Anathema, Tiamat

I always try my best to ensure that each edition of The Synn Report is different from the last, in the sense that I never want to have too many Black Metal, or Death Metal, etc, entries in a row.

For example, so far this year we’ve had some maddeningly technical Death Metal brutality (Eximperitus), broodingly proggy Black Metal (Juodvarnis), genre-splicing Industrial Electro-Punk (Doodseskader), riff-heavy Death/Hardcore crossover (Black Breath), and gnarly blackened Sludge (Erdve), so today we’re continuing to keep things fresh by featuring the doomy romanticism of Spain’s Todomal (whose new album is out on Friday).

JUNIUS – SOTERA

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Jun 292026

(Andy Synn catches up with a band we’ve featured a lot of over the years)

With so much music being released all the time, by both new bands and old ones, it’s all too easy to lose track of even your favourite artists.

Case in point, has it really been nine years since the most recentl album from Boston-based Post-Rock-influenced, Shoegaze-inspired Alt-Metallers Junius?

Well, apparently it has (not counting an interim Live Album from 2024), and while nine years definitely isn’t the longest gap between albums I’ve ever heard of (I’m still waiting patiently for that new Anata album) it’s definitely enough time that you might be wondering if the band have still “got it”.

So, let’s find out, shall we?

BLACKER THAN THE BLACKEST BLACK: BLOOD MOTHER / ECHO ZERO / HALO OF TEETH

Album Reviews 2 Responses »

Jun 252026

(Andy Synn presents three recently-released albums from the stranger end of the Black Metal spectrum)

When I told you I was switching my focus to Black Metal… for this week, anyway… what I didn’t tell you was what sort of Black Metal I was going to be writing about.

In fact, some of what I’m covering today probably stretches the definition of the term “Black Metal” (though the boundaries of the genre are way wider than the more limited view some people try to impose on it)… but that just makes it more interesting, in my opinion.

So let’s not waste any more time on preamble, and just get weird, shall we?

BLACKER THAN THE BLACKEST BLACK: LACASTA / MAGDALENE / WINTER GRAVES

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Jun 232026

(Andy Synn transitions from covering Hardcore to Black Metal with today’s trio of killer cuts)

The UK is experiencing another sweltering heat-wave this week (let me tell you something, the shift from “temperate” to “temperate tropical” here is having serious consequences for a country whose infrastructure was primarily designed to retain heat and resist cold and damp) which means now is the perfect time to start listening to some blisteringly cold Black Metal, right?

Of course, since I’ve been writing about a lot of Hardcore in the last few weeks maybe a bit of a transitional step is required… so here’s three booming blasts of blackened fury from a trio of bands who also wear their Punk and/or Hardcore influences loudly and proudly.

SHORT BUT SWEET: CONDUIT / TORTURE REALM / VOMIT FORTH

SHORT BUT SWEET 1 Response »

Jun 182026

(Andy Synn tries to tempt you with another terrific triptych of short form releases)

The last one of these “Short But Sweet” collections I did was all about Hardcore… albeit, firmly of the more Metallic persuasion… and is well worth checking out if you haven’t already done so (read all about Ecotage, Melting, and Rats Will Feast here).

I promised, however, that next time I’d focus more on the Death Metal side of things, which brings us to today’s trio of terror from Conduit, Torture Realm, and Vomit Forth.

BEST OF BRITISH: SCORDATURA / TEMPLE GUARD / URZAH

Album Reviews No Responses »

Jun 172026

(Andy Synn has three more prime cuts of British beef to share with you today)

Look, I know I’ve titled this series of columns the “Best of British”, but I’ll admit that that’s not always the case… sometimes the artists/albums I feature here are just “good”, rather than “great”, and it’s more about me just wanting to write about them, and get you to listen to them, rather than literally claiming they’re the “best”.

Today, however, I really do have three excellent example of the “Best of British” for you, courtesy of Scordatura (Death Metal), Temple Guard (Metallic Hardcore), and Urzah (Post-Metal).

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