Andy Synn, Author at NO CLEAN SINGING

Andy Synn

TZOMPANTLI – BEATING THE DRUMS OF ANCESTRAL FORCE

May 092024

(Andy Synn beats the drum for the upcoming new album from Tzompantli, out next week)

A great many people have spent a lot of time arguing, both online and off, about the answer to one of life’s most fundamental questions.

Namely, “what is heavy?”

Some people say it’s chunky chugginess or pounding, pneumatic rhythms, while others will point to chordal density, or claustrophobic atmosphere, or even pure emotion, as the true source of “heaviness”.

But, as it turns out, the answer is far, far simpler than that – the answer is Tzompantli.

Tzompantli are heavy.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

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May 072024

(Andy Synn presents four albums from April which you may well have overlooked)

Depending on when you’re reading this there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be several thousand feet in the air, on my way to link up with the rest of the NCS crew for this year’s edition of Northwest Terror Fest.

As a result of this we’re probably going to have a quieter week than normal, posting-wise, but should still be able to get a few reviews, interviews, and assorted round-ups published to keep you all entertained (assuming you’re not also at the festival with us).

For my part, as well as a review of the new Tzompantli (which I’ll probably be working on during the flight) I’ve chosen four more artists/albums from last month – taken from a not-so-short-list that also included the likes of Antichrist Siege Machine, Carrion Vael, Exist, Full of Hell, Inter Arma, and Karst – for another edition of “Things You May Have Missed”.

And, hey, if you didn’t miss them… why not check out some of the other names I just mentioned instead?

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND REVIEW): NAXEN – DESCENDING INTO A DEEPER DARKNESS

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May 022024

(Andy Synn descends into the depths of the new album from Germany’s Naxen, out tomorrow)

As I’ve said before, the Black Metal scene today – in all its myriad forms – is in such rude health that it seems like you can’t go more than a day without stumbling over a fantastic new artist or album to fall in love with.

The downside of this, however, is that with so much quality material on offer – from the rawest to the proggiest, and everything in between – it’s getting harder and harder for bands to stand out and make themselves heard.

But it’s clear that Naxen have been hard at work themselves over the last few years, carving out their own particular niche – somewhere between the hypnotic intensity of Mgła, the infectious energy of Woe, and the gloomy despondency of Ultha – where they can plant their seeds, nurture them, and watch them grow.

And the fruit of their labours – which we have the distinct pleasure of premiering for you all today – is their new album, Descending Into a Deeper Darkness.

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 170): CLEARXCUT

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Apr 302024

Recommended for fans of: Shai Hulud, Earth Crisis, Heaven Shall Burn

The end of another month means it’s time for another discography deep-dive, which this time focusses on the work of Metallic Hardcore marauders ClearXCut.

Unsurprisingly for a band who describe themselves as “a vegan, straight-edge collective” (one whose shifting line-up over the years has included various members of King Apathy, Heaven Shall Burn, and Implore, among others) the group have no problem proclaiming their beliefs and ideals up front, with songs about everything from anarchism to addiction to animal liberation to all-out class-war.

But, as the band have been keen to stress in various interviews over the years, their primary purpose as a group is not to preach or pass judgement – even though they are just as willing to be critical of the hypocrisy and toxicity present in their own scene as they are the problems of the wider world – but to engage and inspire others through both their actions and their art.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to agree with the message – I’m neither vegan nor straight-edge myself, but I still find the band’s idealism and integrity inspiring – to enjoy the music on its own terms, and so… without further ado… let’s get to it, shall we?

STORM UPON THE MASSES – CRUSHER OF SOULS

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Apr 292024

(Andy Synn invites you all to get crushed by the new album from Belgian brutalists Storm Upon the Masses)

Did you know that, according to leading medical professionals, just 30-40 minutes of brutality a day can lead to drastic improvements in your physical fitness, me(n)tal health, and even your sex life?

It’s true!

So, if you were put off by Aborted‘s slight turn towards the ‘core end of the spectrum (I wasn’t, but I know some of you were), or felt that the new Hour of Penance needed a bit more bite and are looking for something to fill the void then the new album from Storm Upon the Masses should be just what the doctor ordered.

INFESTUS – ENTZWEIUNG

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Apr 252024

(Andy Synn dives into the darkness of the new album from Infestus, out now)

I like Black Metal. I’m pretty sure everyone around here knows that by now. But what kind of Black Metal I want to hear varies with my mood.

Sometimes I want it raw and nasty. Other times I want it dripping with orchestral excess. Heck, there’s even times when I want it so proggy and unorthodox that it barely even sounds like Black Metal at all.

But right here, right now, I want it dark, I want it moody, and I want it so sharp that you’re in danger of losing a finger every time you push “play”.

So it’s a good thing a new Infestus album dropped last week.

TERMINAL NATION – ECHOES OF THE DEVIL’S DEN

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Apr 232024

(Andy Synn enters the devil’s den that is the new album from Terminal Nation, out next week)

As someone whose first serious foray into “alternative” music involved getting seriously into Hardcore, I’ve been loving a lot of the new wave of Death Metal/Hardcore crossover acts.

Sure, there’s a few bands out there who’ve definitely taken the trend as an opportunity to play down to the worst aspects of the two genres (and the less said about them the better, in my opinion, as they’ve already gotten enough hype for their lazy, lowest-common-denominator bullshit) but the likes of Tribal Gaze, Xibalba Slowbleed, and Fuming Mouth have all made a big impression on me over the last few years.

And then, of course, there’s Terminal Nation, whose previous album (and subsequent split EP with Kruelty) I was a big fan of, and who are now set to make even more waves with Echoes of the Devil’s Den.

DVNE – VOIDKIND

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Apr 222024

(Andy Synn has nothing but praise for progressive Post-Metal messiahs Dvne on their new album)

Much like the legend of the Lisan ‘al gaib, Dvne‘s success seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point.

After all, both their debut full-length (which remains, to this day, one of my all-time favourite albums) and its bigger, bolder – and, dare I say, almost Villeneuv-ian – sequel demonstrated that the band were one of the brightest stars in the UK Metal scene, and now it’s time for their third album to seal the proverbial deal.

Interestingly enough – and I say this as someone who has read almost every single Dune book written (not just the Frank Herbert originals, but also the sequels, prequels, and spin-offs written by his son and others) – Dvne‘s career maps surprisingly well onto that of Herbert himself.

If you consider Asheran to be the band’s equivalent of their original namesake – a wild burst of creativity and ambition which seems to positively leap off the page/out of the speakers – then Etemen Ænka was clearly their version of Dune Messiah, a drastic expansion of the scope and scale of the original story, which was capable of soaring so high only because its predecessor had laid down such phenomenal ground-work.

Which would make Voidkind their very own Children of Dune, right?

AMIENSUS – RECLAMATION, PART 1

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Apr 182024

(Andy Synn brings you part 1 of a 2 part review, with the second to follow… later this year)

To start things off I should probably let you know that I’m lucky enough to have heard both parts of the upcoming Amiensus double-album, Reclamation, and thus my perspective on it is – inevitably – going to be somewhat shaped by my experience of the whole thing, rather than just Part 1, which I’m reviewing here.

Hell, when I first got my hands on it I was under the impression I’d be writing about both Part 1 and Part 2 simultaneously, only to learn later that the band had decided to split the release in two.

That’s not a bad thing though – in fact there’s been several occasions where I’d have preferred other bands do the same (it’s something that I wish Mastodon had done, for example, with Hushed & Grim, albeit for somewhat different reasons that I don’t have time to go into here).

If nothing else, it actually makes my job a little easier, as I can fully concentrate on just one half of this epic (in multiple senses of the word) undertaking, while also sneaking in a few tantalising teasers about what to expect from Part 2 later this year.

So, without further ado, let’s begin, shall we?

SELBST – DESPONDENCY CHORD PROGRESSIONS

Album Reviews 3 Responses »

Apr 162024

(Andy Synn delves into the depths of the new album from Selbst, out this Friday)

I remember saying, way back in 2020 when Selbst released their second album, Relatos de angustia, that I wished the band could have received even half as much attention and acclaim as their Portuguese peers in Gaerea had gotten for their breakthrough release, Limbo, the month before.

To be clear, I didn’t say that to cast shade on Gaerea by any means – I’m looking forward to their new album immensely – it was more of a comment on how the media hype cycle for one artist/album can easily, and unintentionally, end up burying many equally deserving records.

Hopefully, however, that won’t happen this time (although there’s a new Blaze of Perdition album also coming out this week) as Despondency Chord Progressions thoroughly deserves not to have its thunder stolen by anyone or anything else.

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