Islander

CONAN: “EVIDENCE OF IMMORTALITY”

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Aug 292022
 

 

(This is Wil Cifer‘s review of the new album by Britain’s Conan, released earlier this month by Napalm Records.)

Conan the Barbarian from Cimmeria is one of my favorite fictional characters, so a band named after him did not sit well, nor would I want a band called Bruce Banner or Frankenstein’s Monster sitting in my iPod. This set my mind against this British band when I checked out their first album. It felt like burly but otherwise nondescript sludge that did not impress me. Now, four albums worth of time has passed and I have put that behind me and was ready to listen to their newest album objectively.

It carries a great deal of thundering thump that resonates with more sonic heaviness than their first album. The vocals are howled with more conviction. Often labelled as doom, rather than a depressed plod, they lunge into an aggressive tempo for “Levitation Hoax” , and have a rawer, more sludged-out apocalyptic darkness to their sound. They even delve into more traditional, almost modern metal, grooves on songs like “Ritual of Anonymity” to create a flowing pulse of menace. “Equilibrium of Mankind” has a heavier weight to its throb. The tempo is less aggressive than the previous song. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: IN GRIEF

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Aug 292022
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us a very engaging interview with all three members of the Italian death-doom band In Grief, whose excellent debut album will soon be released by Iron Bonehead Productions.)

Sweet heaven! You’ve already read here about the forthcoming release of an album by the Italian death-doom band In Grief on Iron Bonehead Productions, and it’s something! I’m very skeptical towards the “Peaceville Three” definition. Even Peaceville’s chief Hammy speaks against using this term, but what else should I say? In Grief took the best from early Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, mixed these influences together, added a handful of their own ideas, and that’s it – impressive old school death-doom metal performed at full capacity.

The trio consists of Michele (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Kristian (guitars, drums, keyboards), and Paolo (bass). All of them played in a handful of different bands performing everything from death and grind to black metal and back. So An Eternity of Misery, which will be out on the 2nd of September, is their debut in a wide sense. We had a nice chat with the guys and I welcome you to spend some time together In Grief. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: ENSLAVED, THE LOOM OF TIME, PANYCHIDA, ASGRAUW, CAÏNAN DAWN, IMPLORE, TRUP

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Aug 282022
 

I had a lot of uninterrupted listening time over the last couple of days. For this column, that proved to be both a blessing and a curse — a blessing because it enabled me to wade through a broad swath of new music, a curse because what I found that I wanted to recommend after a lot of winnowing was still A LOT. So, today’s collection may test your endurance.

Coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally), there’s a lot of sheer dazzling madness in this collection. I tried to interweave some less insane but still gripping experiences, but it’s nevertheless likely that if you do make your way through everything here, your head will be spinning for a long time after. Today’s music also demonstrates why I called this column “Shades” of black, because there’s not much black metal orthodoxy here.

ENSLAVED (Norway)

I was dubious about the idea of starting the column with a new Enslaved song, because they’re rightfully famous and don’t need any help from us, and because I’ve not fallen in love with their more recent releases to the extent I did with earlier ones. But those doubts were in place before I listened to this new single. After hearing it I thought, how can I NOT begin with it? Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: MORTUOUS, KEN MODE, GRÁ, ACAUSAL INTRUSION, CODESPEAKER

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Aug 272022
 

I’ll dispense with the usual long-winded introduction to this Saturday round-up and just say that to assemble today’s collection I picked five songs from forthcoming albums, and chose them not only because I think they’re all extremely good and very intense, but also because the twists and turns from one to the next (and sometimes inside them individually) will keep you on your proverbial toes.

MORTUOUS (U.S.)

It’s difficult to pick out the most memorable aspect of the first song (“Graveyard Rain“) that I’ve chosen for today’s round-up, but it might be the spectral ring of mournful guitar (and perhaps piano) arpeggios that create a mood of haunting sorrow during the track’s slower and more magisterial movements.

But a stupefying death metal maelstrom surrounds those moments — a massed assault of maniacal riffing, thunderous drumming, and truly abyssal growls that sound like the fury of an ancient crocodile god. However, despite the breathtaking power and ferocity of the barrage, the song is also home to some killer riffs, and a magnetic solo, and the tornado of sound doesn’t obscure them. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ZOMBIESHARK! — “GRIM REAPER GUTTERS”

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Aug 262022
 

(Chris Luedtke, a new NCS contributor, introduces our premiere of a new video and song from Zombieshark!.)

Depending on where one has been lurking in the underground, one might have noticed that cybergrind is on the rise. But if one hasn’t heard about the genre, a brief introduction: an experimental subsection of grindcore that is no holds barred. Blasts, hyper-blasts, nintendocore, noise, djent, breakcore, metalcore, death metal, electronica, pop — the genre does not care. But it revolves around a largely harsh, digital sound. And ZOMBIESHARK! here is one of many of the skull-exploding bands hovering in this orbit.

With an output dating back to 2012, ZOMBIESHARK! has been kicking out cybergrind for awhile. The Philadelphia, PA’s one-person output (Corey Curly) has picked up considerably since 2020. Self-described as hyper-death, ZOMBIESHARK! infuses grind, deathcore, and pop through a digital blender. The result is chaotic, catchy, and brutal. And their latest track “Grim Reaper Gutters” features guest vocals from Rob Accardi of Dr. Acula from the EP Born From A Wish. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: CADAVEROUS — “I WANT TO KILL”

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Aug 262022
 

Although the Indianapolis death metal band Cadaverous only came together in 2021, this trio — guitarist/vocalist Jesse Curtis, bassist Alexander Farrington, and drummer Dre Duarte — have wasted no time in making their ghastly presence vividly known.

Their three-song debut EP Slam The Coffin Shut garnered heaps of praise from metal outlets and fans, and their gigs have included opening for such acts as Mortiferum, Obituary, Gruesome, 200 Stab Wounds, Kontusion, and more. Now they’re poised to build on that success through the September 23 release of a debut album named Remnants of Violence.

The horrifying cover art which we’re revealing today is a strong clue to the kind of gruesome and gore-stained music Cadaverous are making their own, but we have an even more startling clue in our premiere of a performance video for a single from the album, fittingly titled “I Want To Kill“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: NACHTS — “KEIN MORGEN”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Aug 262022
 

The German musician Wiedergaenger (a member of Total Negation, Absolutum, and other bands) has used his solo project NACHTS as a vehicle for moving through ever-changing sonic terrains.

Beginning in 2009, four demos and EPs have been released under that name, traversing lyrical themes that have included encounters in nocturnal in-between worlds, abysmal stories, and ruminations on death. Black metal has provided the musical framework, but through each release NACHTS has demonstrated an impatience with convention and an eagerness to explore different recording techniques and sound aesthetics.

The newest work of NACHTS is an EP named Kein Morgen (“No Tomorrow”) that will be released on September 30th on cassette tape by the Crawling Chaos label. It encompasses 7 tracks and 25 minutes of music, and today we premiere a video for the EP’s title track. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: PÂLEFROID — “L’EFFONDREMENT” AND “MOS MAJORUM”

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Aug 252022
 

In January of this year the French one-man black metal band Pâlefroid made its first release, a three-song EP named Soleil de cendres. Pâlefroid is following that with a self-titled debut album, which will be released by the distinctive Antiq label on September 26th. It includes the three songs from Soleil de cendres and six more new songs. Today we present two of those previously un-heard tracks, “L’Effondrement” and “Mos Majorum“.

That previous EP revealed a multi-faceted dynamic, combining both incinerating vocal intensity and solemn spoken words, ravaging riffs that moved in momentous waves and slashed with feral power, fire-bright leads that flickered and entranced like sparks from a bonfire, and pulse-popping drum- and bass-work. The music ripped and ravished, whirled and levitated, was rough and raw, but was also grand, sweeping, and even elegant and elaborate in its channeling of melancholy moods of remembrance and desperation.

The EP’s music seemed to hearken back to a long-lost age (some might even be tempted to call it “medieval black metal”), but it also brought forth breathtaking ferocity and powerfully head-moving riffs with a visceral appeal (sitting still while the song “Pâlefroid” blazes and rocks is a particular impossibility). Through all three songs, the emotional power was intense — intense enough to put your heart in your throat and send your head spinning.

And that brings us to “L’Effondrement“. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: HEAVING EARTH — “EARTHLY KINGDOM OF GOD IN RUINS”

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Aug 252022
 

When the Czech band Heaving Earth released their second album Denouncing the Holy Throne in 2015 our reviewer Austin Weber showered it with praise, writing:

“While their band name comes from the Morbid Angel song of the same name, and the band is indeed certainly steeped in early death metal influences, they come across with a sound all their own. Boatloads of killer serrated riffs are an integral part of the Heaving Earth experience, yet it’s their subtly erratic nature, off-kilter hairpin turns, and mountain-sized heaviness that keeps me coming back. That, and the way they come across as very dark and foreboding, very much in the mood and feeling that some of the most fucked-up and disturbing black metal channel so well.”

A long seven years later, Heaving Earth returned with a new album named Darkness of God that was released this past May by Lavadome Productions. Not surprisingly after such a long time, the band’s lineup has changed, but the music is still a striking experience, one that both exhilarates and challenges any sense of complacency.

The compositions are also challenging to perform, and demand a significant level of technical proficiency. Fortunately, Heaving Earth come well-armed for the challenge, and we have proof of that in the guitar playthrough video we’re presenting today, which features the formidable talents of lead guitarist Martin Meyer. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: BOTCH, THE OTOLITH, OMEGAVORTEX, PIOUS LEVUS, CIMMERIAN POSSESSION, BLACK ROYAL

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Aug 242022
 

 

Maybe you noticed that I posted no round-ups last weekend, neither the usual Saturday SEEN AND HEARD nor the usual Sunday SHADES OF BLACK. An annual two-day event connected to my day job proved to be too disruptive, even though it was a shitload of fun. So, the grab-bag of new music has swollen, continuing to fill since the weekend. I kind of blindly stabbed into the bag this morning until my hands filled up, and here’s what I chose from those handfuls.

I imagine these selections will cause people to feel like they’ve been blindfolded, spun around a dozen times, and then let loose to stumble about and run into hard objects at every turn. It’s a fun thing to think about.

BOTCH (U.S.)

Okay, I fibbed a little. It wasn’t blind groping that led me to this first song and video but a surprising press release and a torrent of “Holy Shit!” from assorted friends online. About what you’d expect when you get the first new song in 20 years from an influential and much-beloved band like Botch (especially beloved up here in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where they originated). Continue reading »

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