Islander

MASTIFF: “FOR ALL THE DEAD DREAMS”

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Oct 082025
 

(This is DGR‘s vivid review of a new Mastiff EP that’s set for release on October 24th by Church Road Records.)

Have you ever had a band that were perfect for ruining what would otherwise be a good day? A band that could drag you down into the depths of anger, violence, and misery no matter what in the world was happening outside? You could wake up and have everything be sunshine and rainbows, birds landing on your windowsill, all the animals of the forest resting kindly on your shoulder, and your beloved waiting just out of frame – only to put on a release by said group and have the whole feeling be annihilated and the skies darken around you?

What if we pitched the idea that sometimes that actually feels good in its own right? A weird sort of audio-masochism that works inversely to how your personality actually works? That we take this ugly music and it somehow gets us through the day no matter the situation. Propelled by either the sheer force of anger or the more nebulous ‘force of dumb’. That sometimes the artistic expulsion that helps them exorcise whatever demons might be bothering them works equally for us, calming anxiety and settling nerves.

No? Have you ever listened to the UK’s Mastiff, whose brand of sludge-infused hardcore is perfect for bullrushing whatever room you’re in and declaring, “Oh you thought things were going to be good today? Well, not on my watch!” Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: UNCHURCH — “PILGRIMAGE TO ABYSS”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Oct 072025
 

(written by Islander)

“UNCHURCH is an atrocity that emerges from the depths of the Chilean death metal scene in late 2022, where three entities form the strident disharmonies of this new act of violence manifesting from the abyss. Thus, this project, oriented toward anti-Christianity and harrowing death metal, with varied influences within the genre, is born, creating a tripartite conversation between primitive and technical metal, without losing the dark and bestial essence of death.”

That’s the introduction provided by the respected Mexican label Chaos Records, whose ears were caught by Unchurch via the band’s debut release in 2023, a self-produced EP rightly named Ode to Blasphemy. Having been invigorated by that sonic excursion into hell, the label is now set to release the self-titled debut album of these furious blasphemers on November 14th — and we’ve got the fiendish pleasure of premiering its first single today, a surging brain-exploder named “Pilgrimage To Abyss“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: LIGHTLORN — “TO DREAM OF DISTANT STARS”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 072025
 

(written by Islander)

The Swedish “cosmic black metal band” Lightlorn haven’t faltered since their first steps, but have only become more and more accomplished. From their debut EP These Nameless Worlds in 2022, to their first album At One with the Night Sky in 2023, and on through their 2024 single “Noctalgia,” all of which we’ve written about here, they’ve created atmospheric black metal that (as we once wrote) “reaches beautiful heights (in keeping with the band’s celestial interests) but also harries the heart.”

Today we happily share the news that Lightlorn are working on their second album, and we gladly extend our site’s attention to the band’s music by premiering a new Lightlorn single named “To Dream of Distant Stars” that’s scheduled for release on October 10th. They introduce it with these words: Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: STEVE MERRY (BE’LAKOR)

 Interviews  1 Response »
Oct 062025
 


Photo Credit: Oli Sansom

(NCS contributor Tør last appeared in our shredded pages during the depths of the covid pandemic, but he rejoins us today from Australia with a very extensive and interesting interview of keyboardist Steve Merry from the Australian progressive/melodic death metal band Be’lakor following completion of their recent North American tour and just a few days away from the band’s three-date tour of Australia with Persefone and Orpheus Omega. We’re grateful to both of them for all the time and thoughtfulness they devoted to this discussion.)

NCS: Years ago when I was still in the US, I was always looking forward to you guys doing a US tour. So, that’s where I want to start because it kind of relates to me personally, but also just knowing that the tour landscape in the US is logistically so brutal. There’s a lot of travel involved, it’s a different culture, there’s gear challenges, and lots of other things going on. So my first question is, how did it go for you guys? Did it live up to your expectations?

SM: Well, firstly, I hope you’re coming to our Melbourne show, we’ve got you on the guest list.

NCS: Yes, I am!

Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): DEATHFUCKINGWOUND — “VOID MMXXV”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Oct 062025
 

(written by Islander)

We’re about to premiere the debut EP of a Finnish duo who call themselves DEATHFUCKINGWOUND. To introduce it, we begin with the band’s own statement of intent:

“While the world is currently being courted by flames ignited by weak men wielding unfathomable power only paralleled by their insatiable greed and corrupt lust for land and wealth that isn’t theirs, art can be used as a bridge between the oppressed and the beaten, to be then deployed as a weapon against the aforementioned flaccid figures hiding in their ivory towers. Those towers burn, too. Everything burns.

“Our objective is to harness our own strengths into a tangible aural form that is equally unyielding and full of rage as the free spirits craving for the flesh of the sovereigns poisoning this world. VOID MMXXV is a documented moment in time that hopefully reaches many minds alike, representing merely the firsts steps taken towards our own caustic annihilation.”

Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: AMIENSUS, ELLENDE, HOLOGRAMAH, CAGED BASTARD

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  3 Responses »
Oct 052025
 

(written by Islander)

When I finished writing the SEEN AND HEARD column yesterday and scheduled it for automatic appearance this morning I really didn’t think I would be awake or clear-headed enough to prepare a SHADES OF BLACK thing for today, which is why I said there wouldn’t be one. But even though I didn’t get to sleep after my spouse’s Saturday night birthday party until 1:30 am, I woke up at 7 am — amazingly not hungover, only weary.

I still thought about not trying to do put this column together, but I really hate leaving holes in our regular schedule, so here we are. Fewer selections than usual, but (I hope you’ll agree) very good ones. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: EVEN IF WE LOSE, BELIEVE IN NOTHING, FIMBUL WINTER, JADE, HALLUCINATE, SPIRIT OF REBELLION, BINAH

 Album Reviews, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Oct 052025
 

(written by Islander)

I thought about deleting the placeholder post I made yesterday but then decided to leave it there so you can see the explanation for why this SEEN AND HEARD roundup arrives a day late. That way, I can get right to the music.

Sad to say, I don’t think I’ll be able to compile a SHADES OF BLACK feature today. Continue reading »

BLOG BREAK? MAYBE?

 Off Topic  3 Responses »
Oct 042025
 

Last night my spouse and I joined out-of-town visitors at a local casino for dinner and drinks — LOTS OF DRINKS. TOO MANY DRINKS. It was fun, but man am I paying for my fun this morning, even after sleeping way later than usual.

Before going out last night I did lay the foundations for a SEEN AND HEARD roundup. I’ve picked the music, uploaded cover art, installed the usual links, and made some notes that might turn into sentences. It’s possible I will eventually feel well enough to finish and post it, but if that happens it will be much later in the day than usual. It’s also possible I’ll finish it and wait until Sunday to post it.

Which brings me to another issue. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A BANDCAMP FRIDAY: GALUNDO TENVULANCE, MIND PRISONER, BEASTWARS, MAUDITS, QRIXKUOR, CATHEDRAL

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Oct 032025
 


(written by Islander)

It is another Bandcamp Friday. You will already have many suggestions and discoveries that point you toward how you might spend your music-oriented money today. Poor you, here are some more. (And I’ll have more tomorrow, so you can start complicating your life in advance of the final Bandcamp Friday of 2025 on December 5th.) Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: HELGE — “ZOONGIDE`E”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 032025
 

(written by Islander)

The Danish band Helge describe their amalgam of black and death metal as “spiritual metal”. Of course, many other metal bands also invoke spiritual concepts, but more often that not they’re talking about such things as diabolical spirits of vengeance, malign alien gods that venture forth from the void, or getting fueled up by ethanol spirits and running wild. That is not what Helge mean.

Instead, they delve into themes that include the presence of common bonds among people, the need to make a less violent world more nurturing of nature (and each other), and other ideas that point toward spiritual uplift rather than downfall. Their most recent album, Gidinawendimin (released on November 1st of last year) is (as they explained) “an ancient word from the Ojibwe people that means ‘we are all related.'”

Last year we premiered an exhilarating video for the album’s closing song “Keep the Fire Burning,” a song that lyrically exhorts listeners to “stand aside from ego,” to forsake anger and poison, to “return to the core of the spirit,” and thus to become reborn, and to rise.

And now we have another video premiere for yet another emotionally powerful song from that same album. This one is “Zoongide`e“. Continue reading »

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