Andy Synn, Author at NO CLEAN SINGING

Andy Synn

A TRIPTYCH OF TECHNICAL TALENT: RASTER DENSITY / SUBORBITAL / VORMIR

Nov 102022

Exactly what constitutes the precise definition of “Technical” Death Metal is a controversial topic at the best of times.

After all, doesn’t Death Metal – above a certain number of bpm, at least – actively require a certain amount of technical talent to properly pull it off?

And where exactly does one draw the line? After all, no-one would go around referring to Cannibal Corpse as “Technical Death Metal”, obviously, but many of their riffs (and particularly their bass-lines) are pretty finger-flensing, while Dying Fetus (to pick another “big name” out of the hat) are pretty famous for their face-melting fretwork but are arguably just as well-known for their willing embrace of bone-headed brutality.

Perhaps it’s just an age thing – maybe some of today’s “Technical Death Metal” bands wouldn’t have been referred to as such “back in the day” – or maybe there’s more to it than that.

Whatever the answer is… I don’t have it for you here. But I do recommend you check out all three of the artists/albums featured in today’s article, whether you’re a fan of “Technical” Death Metal or not.

AN NCS PREMIERE (AND REVIEW): FELL RUIN – CAST IN OIL THE DRESSED WROUGHT

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Nov 082022

(Andy Synn is here to host our premiere of the new album from Fell Ruin, out this Friday via Tartarus Records.)

One thing everybody knows about us here at NCS is that – in addition to our dashing good looks and stunning sexual prowess – we are loyal.

If we write about your band and like what you do then we’re prepared to wait as long as it takes to hear more from you.

Case in point, Fell Ruin‘s debut album, To The Concrete Drifts, hit me like… well… like a tonne of concrete when it was released back in 2017, so when we were asked if we wanted to host the premiere of the band’s long-gestating follow-up I immediately jumped at the chance to do so.

After all, I’ve had Cast in Oil… for a while now, and since I had already planned to review it this week it just made sense to take advantage of this offer.

A word of warning though – the band’s second album is a far different beast than its predecessor. So expect the unexpected.

KAMPFAR – TIL KLOVERS TAKT

Album Reviews 5 Responses »

Nov 072022

(Andy Synn has a lot to say about Til Klovers Takt, the new album from Black Metal icons Kampfar, set for release by Indie Recordings on November 11th.)

It is often true, in Black Metal as much as any other genre, that the “best” bands don’t always become the “biggest” bands (and vice versa).

That’s not necessarily an attempt to belittle those acts and artists who – whether by luck, graft, or demonic intervention – have risen to the top, but it’s patently obvious (to me, anyway) that quality and popularity aren’t always correlated.

Case in point, having seen Kampfar perform multiple live shows which, in a just world, would long since have qualified them as festival headliners, and having lavished well-deserved praise on their recorded output for years now, it still galls me – as a fan of the band, and a fan of good music in general – to continually see them overlooked and ignored in favour of (arguably) lesser acts who are simply better at “playing the game”.

Let’s face it, seemingly ageless frontman (and veritable force of nature) Dolk, both live and on record, possesses the sort of natural charisma that other, more attention-hungry figures (naming no names) have clearly had to practice and rehearse very hard to achieve (or, at least, to fake), while the entire band have continually, and consistently, demonstrated themselves to be undisputed masters at crafting epic, instantly-infectious Black Metal anthems whose intensity, and integrity, is beyond reproach.

But, for whatever reasons, it still feels like the Norwegian quarter don’t get anywhere near the respect, or the acclaim, that they deserve.

Let’s hope that Til Klovers Takt will change that. Because it’s about damn time.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Nov 032022

(Andy Synn has four more recommendations of albums and artists you may have overlooked recently)

As we gallop towards the end of another year, the vast pile of albums that I haven’t found time to listen to has now become so threateningly large that I may well end up crushed under the sheer (meta)physical weight of all the music I’ve missed out on.

Still, I’ve tried my best to cover as much of this year’s musical crop as I possibly can, and I think that – come December – you won’t have that much cause to complain, as my current shortlist (actually, that should probably read “shortlist”, since there’s nothing “short” about it) of albums and EPs to include is several hundred long (though the final number will doubtless fluctuate a bit as new releases are added and some are removed because I don’t think I gave them enough time/consideration to form a proper opinion).

And four of those that will definitely be included – some of them pretty prominently, let me tell you now – are included here today.

DISILLUSION – AYAM

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Nov 012022

(Andy Synn basks in the splendour of the new Disillusion album, out Friday on Prophecy Productions)

How exactly does one follow up an album which not only catapulted you back into the public eye after years of absence, but which was also – according to some people – on a par with the best thing you’ve ever done?

Well, the best course of action – if the upcoming new record from resurgent Prog-Metal powerhouse Disillusion is anything to go by – is that you don’t… or, more specifically, you don’t try to compete with yourselves.

Instead you take your time, follow your creative muse, and calmly (and confidently) continue to produce some of the very best work of your career.

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 151): ABDUCTION

THE SYNN REPORT 1 Response »

Oct 312022

Recommended for fans of: Leviathan, Behexen, Blaze of Perdition

Who knows what day it is today?

That’s right, it’s Synn Report day, and this month I’m turning my attention to all four full-lengths (including their recently-released new album, Black Blood) by the Black Metal sorcerer who goes by the name Abduction.

NOSTROMO – BUCEPHALE

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Oct 272022

(Andy Synn saddles up with Bucephale, the first full-length album in 20 years from Nostromo)

Better late than never, that’s what they say, right? Although, come to think of it, it’s mostly people who are chronically late who say that, so maybe they’re just trying to cover for themselves…

Still, in this case it rings true, as while I’m ashamed to admit I totally missed the boat on the first phase of Nostromo‘s career (during which time they produced three impressively intense albums), I’ve been hooked on them ever since I stumbled across their 2019 EP, Narrenschiff, and so felt that the impending release of their new record was the perfect time to make amends for overlooking them for so long.

If, like I used to be, you’re not familiar with the group, then l what you should expect from this album is a truly vicious, visceral assault on your senses (and your sensibilities) that sits somewhere between the more extreme proponents of “Metallic Hardcore” (aka the original “Metalcore”) like Integrity and Vision of Disorder, and the most furiously focussed form(s) of Grind a la Nasum, Napalm Death, etc.

But that’s not all, as – ever since their rebirth a few years back – the group have been exploring ever darker and more “blackened” sounds, with Bucephale being their darkest, harshest, and heaviest album yet.

BEST OF BRITISH: BATTALIONS / INGESTED / MOUNTAINSCAPE

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Oct 262022

(Andy Synn is back again with three more examples of home-grown British talent)

These “Best of British” pieces are a lot like buses… you wait ages for one and then two come along (almost) at once!

Does that joke/reference track? I hope so, because the underlying premise – that these articles were intended to be a much more regular thing, but tend to just come along at relatively random intervals – is pretty accurate.

If you haven’t checked out the previous edition of the “Best of British” from last week – where I covered the new albums from Everest Queen, Terra, and Vacuous – you might want to do so now, otherwise I invite you to settle in and get to know the latest offerings from Battalions, Ingested, and Mountainscape.

CHROME GHOST – HOUSE OF FALLING ASH

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Oct 252022

(Andy Synn enters the House of Falling Ash, the new album from Californian trio Chrome Ghost)

You know how insurance companies calculate that once you’ve been in an accident your chances of being in another accident drastically increase?

Well, the same kind of thinking applies here at NCS too… once we’ve written about a band we’re much more likely to write about them again in the future.

Of course, it doesn’t always work out this way – we don’t always have time to cover everything we want to – but there’s a good chance that, if we liked what you did once, we’re going to be keeping our eyes (and ears) on you for whatever you do next.

Case in point, while I was a few months late to the party with Chrome Ghost‘s second album, The Diving Bell (which you can read more about here), it quickly became a firm favourite of mine due to its unique integration of doomy majesty, ephemeral atmosphere, and rugged, grungy grooves.

So when I saw that the promo for their new album (out this Friday) was up for grabs I knew I had to hear it.

GLASS OX – WINDS OF VIOLENCE

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Oct 202022

(Andy Synn provides a last minute recommendation of the new album from Glass Ox, set for release tomorrow)

It’s pretty much an open secret that a lot of Metal media outlets still have a bit of a bias against all things ‘core.

Of course, that’s not the case here at NCS, as we definitely cover a fair bit of the ol’ Grind (mostly thanks to DGR) and even a healthy dose of Deathcore too (although, it must be said, most of this year’s “big” releases – you know who I’m talking about – have left me rather cold).

But when it comes to Hardcore… even of the “Metallic” kind… it tends to fall to me to highlight some of the new and notable releases, and I feel like sometimes I’m not doing a good enough job.

That being said, I’ve listened to, and lavished praise, on quite a few Hardcore (or Hardcore-adjacent) bands this year, and I’m hopeful that at least some of you out there will have been enticed to check out a few of the artists/albums I’ve covered so far this year, even if they aren’t necessarily in your usual wheelhouse.

In that spirit then, I’d like to bring to your attention the new album from Iowan trio Glass Ox.

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