Islander

SHADES OF BLACK: SWARÞ, LUSTRE, MUR, MURG, GENOCIDE SHRINES

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHADES OF BLACK  12 Responses »
Apr 212015
 

 

If you’re new to our site, “Shades of Black” is the name I put on round-ups of recommended new music when everything I’ve found coincidentally happens to have some connection to black metal. As you’re about to find out, my definition of “connection” covers a big swath of territory.

Some of the songs featured in this post come from albums that are already available for streaming in their entirety. I’m mentioning them now because I’m afraid if I defer writing anything until I can listen to the whole album and prepare a review, there’s a chance I won’t write anything at all.

SWARÞ

The fact that my tastes in metal are so wide-ranging has good and bad consequences. I think it’s good for the site, because without trying very hard I can contribute variety to the music we feature simply by writing about what I like. It’s bad because I don’t have the kind of depth of knowledge that comes from really immersing myself in just one or two sub-genres. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SIX FEET UNDER — “GRUESOME”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Apr 202015
 

 

We’re premiering a new Six Feet Under song today. I’m actually not sure that 4/20 is the best date for the premiere of “Gruesome“. I was thinking that something like the birthday of Ted Bundy might make more sense.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t blaze one before listening to “Gruesome”, as long as you understand the risk of warfare in your brain chemistry — between the part of you that wants to sink into a couch and dial out for a pizza and the part, awakened by this song, that wants to skin your obnoxious neighbor with a lemon peeler and then set him on fire before he bleeds out. Continue reading »

DROWNING THE LIGHT: “FROM THE ABYSS”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Apr 202015
 

 

(Andy Synn reviews the new album by Drowning the Light, which is available now on Bandcamp.)

With so many quality releases coming from Down Under these days, you have to think there must be something in the water…

Actually, with this being Australia, there probably IS something in the water, and it’s probably trying to kill you / eat you / lay eggs in you… so maybe it’s not all that surprising the country’s producing some absolutely top-notch Black and Death Metal at the moment.

Drowning The Light are far and away one of the most prolific acts on the scene today, with twelve (now thirteen) full-length albums to their name, along with an almost uncountable number of EPs and split releases, each one a brilliant distillation of blackened spite and vitriol, layered with an exquisite sheen of sorrow and melancholy. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SCHAMMASCH — “INRI”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Apr 202015
 

 

We discovered the Swiss band Schammasch through their 2014 album Contradiction (reviewed for us here by Andy Synn), which was one of last year’s best releases and quickly became a favorite of our site. Contradiction was the band’s second album, and now Prosthetic Records is poised to re-issue the band’s debut full-length Sic Lvceat Lvx in re-mastered form, and we’re privileged to bring you a stream of the second single from the album, a song named “INRI“.

The album was originally issued in 2010 as a limited-edition CD. In addition to having it re-mastered, Prosthetic has revamped the cover with striking artwork by Valnoir of Metastaszis (Behemoth, The Black Dahlia Murder) and is making it available not only on CD but on vinyl, along with a double-sided t-shirt.

The band’s vocalist C.S.R. has described “INRI” as “one of the few groove songs we wrote so far — thrashy, simple, forthright and still a great one to play live.” As for the song’s title, he explains: “Unlike it’s usual meaning as the cross inscription, the letters “INRI” refer to the alchemist aphorism ‘Igne Natura Renovatur Integra,’ pointing out purification through the flame of consciousness.” Continue reading »

AN INTERVIEW WITH STEVE JANSSON OF CRYPT SERMON

 Interviews  7 Responses »
Apr 202015
 

 

(Our Kansas-based friend Derek Neibarger is not only the man behind the Godless Angel death metal project and the inventor of the Cat Hand Rest©, he also proved himself to be an energetic and successful interviewer during his recent day-long takeover of Metal Sucks [all the interviews are linked here]. In fact, he was so energetic in lining up interviews that a few responses arrived too late to be posted at MS — and so we get to be the lucky host of this interview of Steve Jansson of the amazing Crypt Sermon, whose debut album came out of nowhere to take the metal world by storm this year.)

 

In 2013 members of Infiltrator, TrenchRot, Labyrinthine, and Hivelords came together to form Crypt Sermon. The Philadelpia doom metaller’s debut album, Out of the Garden, was released February 24th.

A chance meeting with their drummer, Enrique Sagarnaga, led to the opportunity to ask guitarist Steve Jansson a few questions about the new album and the band’s future plans.

****** 

Derek: Hi! Thank you for granting me an interview! In February of this year you released your debut album, Out of the Garden, on Dark Descent Records. Are you happy with how it turned out? How has the response been to the album?

Steve: We are definitely really pleased with how the record came out. Of course when I listen back, there are things that I wish I had spent more time on and done a little better on my end, but that’s the name of the game. As far as the response, it’s been extremely positive and we are certainly stunned at how much attention the album has been getting. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: SAMAVAYO (BEHRANG ALAVI)

 Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews  No Responses »
Apr 202015
 

 

(Comrade Aleks interviews Behrang Alavi, the Iranian-born vocalist/guitarist for Germany’s Samavayo — and of course we have music for you to hear as well.)

Samavayo is the band for those who like stoner music and don’t fear experiments. If you want to know how stoner sounds with progressive, alternative, and Middle Eastern roots, then this band is for you.

Samavayo was born in Berlin somewhere around 2000, and different elements have prevailed in their music in different periods and on different records, but after all of that, the band have found their golden mean. I do think that their last work stands a bit apart from other albums – it’s a vinyl split release by Samavayo and the Russian band The Grand Astoria. We had a talk with Behrang Alavi (vocals, guitars) about this record and some other things. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: AION, ASHBRINGER, CRYPTICUS, DRAGUNOV, GODISDEAD, TEMPEL

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Apr 192015
 

 

I have a lot of new music to share with you on this fine Sunday, music that I carefully selected after an extended bout of completely random listening early this morning. Because this post includes six songs, I will make an effort to restrain my tendency to vomit forth big chunks of text so your attention doesn’t wander. Presented in alphabetical order by band name:

AION

This Swiss three-person band has recorded a five-track debut named Verses of Perdition that will be released by Goathorned Productions on May 1. I haven’t listened to the entire album yet, but the one song I have heard is an eye-opener (and I thank KevinP for linking me to it). Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET: PROGENIE TERRESTRE PURA — “ASTEROIDI”

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  2 Responses »
Apr 182015
 

 

After many months of listening to the 2013 debut album by Italy’s Progenie Terrestre Pura, I finally attempted (here) to write something that captured the wonders of the album — and failed. I think all I succeeded in doing was to express the profound effect that U.M.A. had on me.

Even after the dramatic impact of U.M.A., I somehow missed the fact that last October, q[T]p (which is how they prefer to abbreviate their name) released a digital EP named Asteroidi. Andy Synn named it to his 2014 year-end list of the “Good” albums and EPs, and I still didn’t dive into it. And then yesterday I received a notification that Avantgarde Music is releasing the EP in physical form. Finally, I listened. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ISRATHOUM — “ALLEVIATE, ELEVATE”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Apr 172015
 

 

Antru Kald is the name of the new three-song EP by the Portuguese/Dutch band Israthoum. Ever since discovering their phenomenal 2012 album Black Poison and Shared Wounds, Israthoum has become a favorite of this site, and today we have the privilege of premiering one of the new songs from Antru Kald: “Alleviate, Elevate”.

Antru Kald is a conceptual creation, one that has been gestating for many years, and it was recorded over a multi-year period as well, with help from Mories of Gnaw Their Tongues and Cloak of Altering (whose projects also happen to be favorites of this site). Mories also created the EP’s cover art. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: EREB ALTOR, LUCIFER’S CHILD, WHISKEY RITUAL

 Exceptions to the Rule, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Apr 172015
 


Ereb Altor

I’m on the road again, for pleasure not business this time, reconnecting with family in Texas and going to a school reunion. So, we won’t have many posts today because I’ll be out and about instead of hunched over my computer.

Before I disappear, I wanted to give you a few new songs to hear that I sifted from the effluent of the interhole and the rat’s nest of our in-box this morning. The new Slayer song isn’t one of them. I assume anyone who is still a fan of the band has already discovered it on their own. It seems like a better use of time to highlight things you might miss.

EREB ALTOR

Sweden’s Ereb Altor have a new album (their fifth) named Nattramn that’s due for an April 24 release on the Cyclone Empire label. The cover art (after the jump) was created by Gustavo Sazes of Abstrata Design. I haven’t managed to listen to the whole album yet, but I do recommend the song that premiered today, by the name of “Midsommarblot”. Continue reading »

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