Andy Synn, Author at NO CLEAN SINGING

Andy Synn

FERAL LORD – VIRES IN ABSOLUTO

May 052022

(Andy Synn dives headfirst into the abyss with the new album from Feral Lord, out tomorrow)

This week is a big one for those who consider themselves fans of the more abstract, abrasive, and avant-garde end of the Extreme Metal spectrum, with new albums from Haunter, Cosmic Putrefaction, and Feral Lord all scheduled to hit the streets on the same day.

Sadly I was never going to have time to write about all three of them (not, at least, before they’re released), and since I fell so hard for Feral Lord‘s debut album, Purity of Corruption, last year, the choice of which of the three to devote my time to pretty much made itself.

The thing is, even though I am a huge fan of the duo’s previous work, I’m not ashamed to admit that I simply was not prepared for what they’ve created on Vires In Absoluto, and chances are – no matter what you think you’re about to hear – neither are you.

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T) – PART 1

Album Reviews 3 Responses »

May 032022

(Andy Synn presents four artists/albums which you may have overlooked last month)

Ok, I promise I won’t make a habit of this, but I discovered so many new releases in April – records which seem to have been largely overlooked elsewhere, as far as I can tell – that I’m going to have to break up this edition of “Things you may have missed…” into two parts, the first coming today, the second coming… whenever I get chance to get around to it.

For today’s post I’ve chosen some ripping Black/Death from Canada (Althotas), some powerfully melodic Death/Doom from Portugal (The Chapter), some darkly dramatic Progressive Thrash from Greece (Disharmony) and some atmosphere heavy – as well as just plain heavy – Deathcore from the USA (Null Valley).

Chances are there’ll be at least something here you haven’t checked out before, so give them a spin if and when you get chance – you might just discover your favourite new band!

MISERY INDEX – COMPLETE CONTROL

Album Reviews 2 Responses »

May 022022

(Andy Synn shares his thoughts on the new Misery Index album, scheduled for release next Friday)

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” That’s how the hoary old cliché goes, right?

It just so happens, though, that it’s very much true in this particular case, as there’s no mistaking a Misery Index album when you hear it, whether you’re listening to their more overtly Grind-influenced early work, or their more recent, Death Metal focussed records, or anything in between.

That being said, it definitely feels – in hindsight – that the band’s post-Traitors transition into being a “pure” Death Metal act reached its apex (or nadir, depending on how you feel about it) on 2014’s The Killing Gods, with 2019’s Rituals of Power suggesting a slight return towards their thrashier, punkier roots in places.

That’s why it shouldn’t be too surprising, if you’ve been paying attention, to learn that on Complete Control the Baltimore bruisers have decided to let their inner Hardcore band out to play… and I couldn’t be happier about it.

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 145): INCANDESCENCE

THE SYNN REPORT 2 Responses »

Apr 302022

Recommended for fans of: Gaerea, Mgła, Dark Funeral

I have a confession I need to make. I lied to you all.

Last month I said that this month’s Synn Report wouldn’t be about another Black Metal band, since the previous four editions had all featured some form of Black Metal (though, in my defence, they were all very different takes on the genre).

But when I discovered that Canada’s Incandescence – a band about whom, I was shocked to discover, we’ve written very little over the years – had a new album out (featuring some of the best cover art of the year so far) I knew I had to break my promise.

Formed back in 2011 as a creative outlet for uber-drummer extraordinaire Philippe Boucher – known for his work with Beyond Creation, Chthe’ilist, First Fragment, and more – Incandescence now have four albums of epic, extravagant Black Metal to their name, and it’s high time you got to know their work.

So, without further ado…

MIZMOR/THOU – MYOPIA

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Apr 272022

(Andy Synn invites you to open your eyes, and your ears, to the morbid magnificence of Myopia, the recently-released collaborative album by Mizmor and Thou)

I am, as has been well-documented by now, something of a sceptic when it comes to so-called “supergroups”, whose main impact on “the scene” tends to be just taking up space and column inches which would be better off given over to less well-known (and better) bands.

There are exceptions to this “rule”, of course, and the common factor between them seems to be a real sense of collaboration, a partnership driven by an irresistible need to create, as opposed to the crass commercial aspirations or lazy self-aggrandisation which tends to fuel the majority of these shallow vanity projects.

Thankfully, as you may already have guessed, this new collaboration between Mizmor and Thou – written and recorded in secret and released without any prior fanfare to coincide with their joint-performance at Roadburn Festival last week – falls firmly into the former camp, and finds the two bands joining forces to create a singular piece of anguished, blackened art that truly feels far, far greater than the mere sum of its parts.

SPILL YOUR GUTS – THE WRATH IT TAKES

Album Reviews 2 Responses »

Apr 262022

(Andy Synn says it’s time to get rowdy with the new album from Shanghai’s Spill Your Guts)

Two of my favourite things about music are discovering new artists/albums and sharing them with other people.

And, let me tell you, I’ve been antsy to share these guys with you ever since I stumbled across them last week.

So let’s not waste any time and get right to it, shall we?

TE RUKI – MARAKO TE RUKI

Album Reviews 5 Responses »

Apr 252022

(Andy Synn once again proves himself a man of the world with this review of the magnificent debut album by Te Ruki)

There’s absolutely no denying it these days – Black Metal has truly become a worldwide phenomenon.

From its humble beginnings the genre has spread out to practically every corner of the globe, constantly evolving and mutating, forming new local scenes and embracing local sounds along the way.

And while much (physical and digital) ink has been shed debating why, and how, this happened, for me the answer is quite simple – whether intentionally or not, those crazy kids who first kicked off the whole movement ended up tapping into something truly primal, something so primitive and fundamental to the human condition that it connects with people of all ages and races, colours and creeds.

Of course, there will always be those who don’t approve of how far the genre has travelled from roots, but to me there’s something almost magical – not to mention deeply ironic – that the so-called ultimate “outsider’s” music has gone on to connect so many different people together through their common humanity.

Plus, let’s face it, if Black Metal had never left the basements and bars of Norway then we’d never have gotten to hear Marako Te Ruki… and that’s not a world I want to live in.

VANUM – LEGEND

Album Reviews 5 Responses »

Apr 212022

(The living legend himself, Andy Synn, has thoughts about the epic new album from Vanum)

There’s this idea, prevalent among a lot of Metal fans (hell, among music fans in general, let’s be honest) that every band’s newest album has to be better than the one before, otherwise it’s considered a failure.

And I know what you’re thinking… of course it should be better. That’s just the way things should work. Only, no-one ever seems to want to take a moment to stop and think about what exactly “better” means.

Does it mean heavier? Faster? More technical? Does it mean more melodic? More popular? More accessible?

We always say that music isn’t meant to be a competition – but when we do so we’re usually talking about competition between bands, not about bands competing against themselves.

But the older (and, ahem, “wiser”) I get, the more I realise that the point of any album, any piece of art, is not to be “better” than the one which came before it, but to best represent the artist themselves, who they are and what they are trying to say (in whatever medium) at this precise point in their lives.

So when I say that Legend isn’t a “better” album than 2019’s Ageless Fire, I’m also not saying that it’s “worse”. It is, simply put, a perfect companion piece to it’s career-defining predecessor – one which showcases a more morose and melancholy side of the band – and a more than worthy addition to the group’s legacy.

AN NCS PREMIERE: FERAL LIGHT – PSYCHIC CONTORTIONS

Album Reviews, Premieres 4 Responses »

Apr 202022

(Andy Synn presents a review, and full premiere, of the new album by Minnesota’s Feral Light)

Let me tell you a bit about how premieres work here at NCS.

Generally speaking, a label (or a band) will contact us at some point in advance of the release date of whatever they want us to host – whether it’s a single, a video, or a full album stream – and ask us directly if we’d like to handle a premiere for them.

Before we say yes we have to check two things – firstly, do we have time and space in our schedule to actually do the hosting (the more lead-in time we have the better, obviously)? And, secondly, do we actually like the music enough to want to host it?

This latter question is definitely the more important of the two. After all, we only want to promote things that we honestly think are good – we do have some integrity, after all – so we need to be sure that what we’re premiering is something that’s definitely worth your time, and ours.

Every so often, however, things just seem to line up and we’ll get offered a premiere for something which we were already writing about… which is exactly what happened in the case of Psychic Contortions, the upcoming fourth album (set for release this Friday by I, Voidhanger) from Feral Light.

A PANACEA FOR THE POST-TOUR BLUES

MISCELLANY 2 Responses »

Apr 182022

(Andy Synn has a few thoughts to share, and a few bands to recommend)

As some of you may know, I’m in a band. And you may also know that we just spent this last weekend “on tour”.

Of course, I put “on tour” in scare quotes because, in reality, it was just a quick three-date weekender, and nowhere near the epic, continent-spanning effort those words often imply, but it was still our first chance to get back out “on the road” in a long, long time.

Even though it was only a short (but sweet) run of dates, however, we’re still all feeling the post-tour blues right now, especially considering the third (and final) show of the run was easily the best and we were all really settling into our groove and ready for more.

Alas, it was not to be (though we’ve got more dates in the works for June, and then we’re hoping to get across the channel for some EU dates in September/October, and even possibly looking to the US at some point next year) but we’re still left with a lot of really good memories, made a lot of new fans, sold a fair bit of merch (including several copies of the new vinyl edition of our latest album) and got to meet and see a handful of new bands to boot.

And it’s those bands I want to talk about today.

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