Islander

AN NCS PREMIERE: EUCLID C FINDER — “CORPSE PARTY”

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Sep 082023
 

(Below, Christopher Luedtke introduces our premiere of a song from a new album by the Baltimore-based math/grind group Euclid C Finder.)

The resurgence of the mathcore scene in the last half decade-plus has been a refreshing one to witness. Seeing those unwilling to put to bed frenzied, jarring meter changes, the skittering of panic chords, alongside the fusing of math rock, noise rock, hardcore, punk, grind, and noise, gives the genre more mobility than most—it has a very diverse palate. Euclid C Finder is here to add to that pool with their latest track “Corpse Party.”

Originally, Euclid C Finder started out as a one-person band by vocalist Mike Mehl, but the unit has since evolved into a three-piece. Originating in 2017 in Baltimore, MD, Mehl wrote the majority of the upcoming The Mirror, My Weapon, I Love You LP between 2018 and 2022, as well as the band’s previous two releases. Bandmates Adam Smith and Seth McFarland have since joined and rounded out the roster. Continue reading »

FINSTERFORST: “JENSEITS”

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Sep 082023
 

(Having made his NCS debut yesterday, guest contributor Didrik Mešiček comes right back with the following review of a new album-length EP by Finsterforst, which is out today on AOP Records.)

Finsterforst first appeared on my radar with their previous release, Zerfall, which turned out to be one of the best (blackened) folk metal releases of 2019. The Germans insist on their rather complex musical style, which can seem daunting at first, but it’s very worth investing some time into their music as it does reward you with every listen.

This time the band are back with a new EP (although at 40 minutes, is it really an EP?) called Jenseits, which is really one song, divided into four parts. It will be released on September 8th on AOP Records. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: KING OV WYRMS — “TO MARCH FROM DARKNESS”

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Sep 072023
 

We had some very positive things to say here about Lord Ov Thornes, the 2020 debut album by King Ov Wyrms, and we weren’t the only reviewers or listeners to greet the album enthusiastically.

It was then the solo project of Michael Oneirous Sanchez from Tuscon, Arizona, and represented a way of delving more deeply into more extreme forms of sonic aggression than his previous bands, drawing influence from classic death and black metal acts of the late ’80s and early ’90s, including such venerated names as Morbid Angel, Bloodbath, Enthroned, Vader, and Dark Funeral.

Now we are approaching the October 6 release date of a new King Ov Wyrms album named The Womb Ov Borealis, and it reflects changes, not only in the band’s lineup but also in the songwriting. All the changes take the band on a forward march, an advance that makes the new album even more impressive than the debut. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BAXAXAXA

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Sep 072023
 

(On September 1st The Sinister Flame released the second album by the German black metal band Baxaxaxa, and its impending release prompted Comrade Aleks to reach out to the band’s drummer Condemptor for an interview, which we now present today.)

German black metal act Baxaxaxa was formed in Niederwerrn, Bavaria in 1992. The demon after which the band was named didn’t help them much from the start, and Baxaxaxa was disbanded in the very same year after recording the Hellfire demo. And more than strange – Baxaxaxa was resurrected in 2017 by its original drummer Condemptor.

He gathered around himself a few more musicians (partly his colleagues from another black metal outfit, Ungod) and slowly new songs started to appear. The band’s new satanic exercises entitled De Vermis Mysteriis was released on September 1st.

Moreover, Baxaxaxa is going to hit the road and bring some black metal enlightenment to law-abiding citizens of Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Ridgewood, and Lombard on the second decade of September. Continue reading »

UADA: “CREPUSCULE NATURA”

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Sep 072023
 

(We welcome guest contributor Didrik Mešiček, who makes his first NCS appearance with the following review of a new album by Portland-based Uada which is set for release by Eisenwald on September 8th.)

I didn’t know I liked Uada up until this spring. Sure, it was vaguely alluring, with a sense of a woodland ritual and thus I had respect for the band, but their music never truly grabbed me. However, I got to see them live in March and while the sound was actually really bad, it was still very enjoyable.

In the following weeks, having listened to the setlist a few more times, I realised I absolutely adore their melodic and ritualistic black metal sound, and that means this album could not be released at a better time for me. Crepuscule Natura will be released on the 8th of September on the Eisenwald label, almost exactly three years after their previous album, Djinn. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: THE TONGUE OF EDEN — “STONE BURNER”

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Sep 062023
 

We’ll venture the guess that most of you have never heard of the North Texas duo who call themselves The Tongue of Eden. In part that’s because, until today, they have only had one single to their name. In part, it’s also because their music doesn’t fit within any of the orthodox sub-genres of metal. As one sign of that, consider the fact that they recommend their music for fans of these bands:

Behemoth, Carpenter Brut, Perturbator, Crystal Lake, Igorrr, Dance with the Dead, Waveshaper, The Browning

How does that work? The odds are that whatever words first pop into your heads when you read each of those names one by one, putting all the words together likely results in a kind of jumble that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The odds are that for some of you no words will pop into your heads at all.

Fortunately, The Tongue of Eden‘s music holds together much better than you would expect after playing that word-association game, even if it leads you outside your usual comfort zones. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): HEAD CLEANER — “THE EXTREME SOUND OF TRUTH”

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Sep 062023
 

Hailing from Thessaloniki in Greece, Head Cleaner are a prime example of a death/grind band that’s criminally underrated.

Over the last two decades they’ve made eight official releases, including three albums, a pair of EPs, and two split albums with other well-known bands from the local and European scene.

They’ve also shared the stage with some of the most influential bands of the genre, such as Carcass, Extreme Noise Terror, Benediction, Pestilence, and many more, in addition to performing at festivals such as Obscene Extreme in the Czech Republic, Bloodshed in the Netherlands, and NRW Death Fest in Germany.

And yet there’s still a sense that, especially here in North America, not enough people have been exposed to their formidable capabilities. With a bit of good luck, that will change with the September 8 release of their eye-popping new album The Extreme Sound Of Truth. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SCHAVOT — “WAART OE!”

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Sep 052023
 

On October 13th the Zwaertgevegt label will release an album-length split that assembles the music of four connected Dutch black metal bands: Schavot, Asgrauw, Hellevaeder, and Duindwaler. The title of the split is Verloren Vertellingen (“Lost Tales”), so-named because each of the eight tracks is a musical interpretation of folk tales from the rich history of the Netherlands.

Despite the thematic focus of each band’s recordings for this split, and the connections among members, the bands definitely do not all sound alike, which is one of the factors that makes the split so compelling. What we have for you today is one of the two songs on the split by Schavot. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: AGLO — “LAST RITES”

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Sep 052023
 

Imagine a Venn diagram. In one circle are fans of Star Trek: Voyager. In the other are fans of crushing, crawling, and careening sludge and death metal. In the intersection is where you’ll find the Australian band AGLO and its debut album Build Fear.

How big is the intersection? Who can say? Granted, it’s unlikely that AGLO will be invited to play a Voyager con, but it’s wonderful to imagine the stunned looks that would produce. Most people there would run for the exits in horror. Some would stay ’til the bitter end, either relishing the experience or too scared to move, and the size of the intersection would expand.

Yes it’s true that AGLO‘s new album, which will be released by Brilliant Emperor Records on November 10th, is entirely based on storylines from Star Trek: Voyager episodes. It’s also true that if you’re a fan of such bands as Crowbar, Incantation, Eyehategod, and Morbid Angel, you’ll find yourself rooted in place ’til the album’s bitter end, whether you care about Voyager or not. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: SHORES OF NULL — “DARKNESS WON’T TAKE ME”

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Sep 042023
 

In March of this year, with the assistance of Spikerot Records, the Roman band Shores of Null released their newest album The Loss of Beauty, and it has quickly drawn widespread admiration (including at our site) for its compelling renderings of melancholy and tormented moods, and earned its recommendations for fans of Amorphis, Enslaved, and Paradise Lost.

We are fortunate, however, that Shores of Null seem just as devoted to the creation of captivating videos as they are captivating music, and they are fortunate to have done this through a very successful collaboration with director Martina L. McLean and the filmmakers at Sanda Movies.

Shores of Null have already released four accomplished videos for songs from The Loss of Beauty, and we’ve assembled all of them at the end of this article. But the principal focus today is a fifth video, this one for the song “Darkness Won’t Take Me“. Continue reading »

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