Islander

AN NCS PREMIERE: VYRION — “MONUMENTS”

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Oct 152020
 

 

Somehow our putrid site has come this far without ever turning our gaze in the direction of Vyrion. Doing so now creates a feeling of dismay at how much we have missed, because this quartet from Brisbane, Australia have already released two albums that are real gems. It’s hard to say they are underrated, because both Vyrion (2011) and Geo (2014) both received glowing reviews from respected writers, but it’s nonetheless true that neither of them seems to have commanded the level of attention they deserve.

Six years on from Geo, Vyrion are returning with a new full-length named Nil that will beindependently released on October 26th, and we can only hope that it will open eyes like ours, which for too long haven’t focused on Vyrion’s talents. Today our aim is to aid that process of discovery by premiering a song from the new album, a track named “Monuments“. Continue reading »

DEFACING: “THE BEGINNING OF HUMAN CRUELTY – DESTROYING YOUR DIGNITY”

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Oct 152020
 

 

(Here we have Vonlughlio’s recommendation of a new compilation record by the Chilean brutal death metal band Defacing, which is out now on Rotten Cemetery Records.)

Defacing is one of the best BDM acts from Chile. Originating back in 2001, they graced us in 2003 with their demo The Beginning of Human Cruelty, a display of powerful in-your-face Brutal Death that has all the qualities fans of the genre love.  But it was not until 2005 with the release of their debut album, the well-named Spitting Savagery, that I was able to discover them.

A friend of mine said when we listened to the album (and I quote) “South America Cryptopsy twins”, and the funny thing is, they cover “Phobophile” on this release (which is hands-down an amazing cover). But for me, they are not twins. Sure, there is a strong influence, but Defacing still managed to create a special sound.  For 31 minutes you find yourself in constant movement with the punishing riffs, the blast beats, and vocals that are utterly nasty and full of hate.  This album made an impact that still holds 15 years after its release, an underrated gem of one great project. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: KING OV WYRMS — “THORNE BEARER”

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Oct 142020
 

 

King Ov Wyrms is the solo project of Tuscon musician Michael Sanchez, a vehicle that he developed apart from his main band (Pain Patterns) beginning in 2015 as a way of delving more deeply into more extreme forms of sonic aggression, 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. As he has explained about King Ov Wyrms‘ forthcoming debut album:

“Lord Ov Thornes is an album that to me attempts to bridge a gap between the earliest forms of death and black to a more modern approach of metal production, almost like taking Morbid Angel’s Formulas Fatal To The Flesh and mashing it with Sulphur Aeons’ Gateway To The Antisphere. These brutal compositions that have been in the works for several years are finally ready to surface from their grim depths and inspire a new wave of death metallers.”

King Ov Wyrms has already released a first single from the new album (“Threnody“), and today we’re helping spread the word about a second one — “Thorne Bearer“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: WOMBBATH — “THE FLESHLY EXISTENCE OF MAN”

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Oct 142020
 

 

Few bands this year, or in any year, can celebrate the 30th anniversary of their inception. Sweden’s Wombbath is one of those rarities, having come into being in the ancient year of 1990. Like many bands, including the few extreme metal bands who still survive from that era, Wombbath did not have an unbroken path to the present. But following an extended hiatus that began not long after the release of their 1993 debut album Internal Caustic Torments, they made a tremendous return with 2015’s Downfall Rising and have been on a tear ever since then. The Great Desolation followed in 2018, and on December 18th of this waning year Transcending Obscurity Records will release a new Wombbath full-length entitled Tales of Madness. The band announced the new record with these words:

“We are proud to announce this very special release. 2020 marks 30 years since the birth of the band, and with this release we cement those 30 years with a retrospective look at our history, all dressed in what makes up Wombbath right now. Through pauses and style changes the core of Wombbath has always been death metal, and this release marks both the past and the future of our legacy!”

We could not be happier to premiere the first single fro the new album today, a seductive sonic slaughterer named “The Fleshly Existence of Man“. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: INCANTATION

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Oct 142020
 

 

DJ Jet has brought us the following extensive interview of John McEntee (and Chuck Sherwood) of death metal legends Incantation, whose latest album (their eleventh), Sect of Vile Divinities, was released in August of this year by Relapse Records. Settle in, and prepare for a wide-ranging discussion of the band’s past, present, and future, and the new album (with lots of details that will appeal to gear-heads as well as listeners).

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John you formed Incantation back in 1989 in NYC back when Death Metal was relatively in its first stages. What influenced you to want to start incantation and what death metal bands were you listening to at that time?

 In the mid ’80s I really started diving deeper into the underground metal world of tape trading and fanzines. In 1986 I joined my first real original underground band called Revenant. That time really had a big impact on me as a musician and person. I learned so much from my time in Revenant about underground music and also on how to promote a band worldwide and locally. With all this promotion I started to learn about new bands, more extreme bands from around the world that I couldn’t find in the local music store. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: ECHOLOT

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Oct 132020
 

 

(In this new interview brought to us by Comrade Aleks he talks with Renato Matteucci, bassist of the Swiss band Echolot, whose new album was just released by Czar of Crickets Productions and Sixteentimes Music.)

As 2020 marches on and Covid turns out to be the common background for any news, just like another ecological catastrophe, the underground scene endures. Swiss label Czar Of Crickets keeps on supporting the scene as far as it’s possible, and so here we have a new album from Basel-based trio Echolot, who have mixed sludge, post-, and prog influences in their songs since 2014.

Lukas Fürer (guitar), Renato Matteucci (bass), and Jonathan Schmidli (drums) are back with a new full-length album, Destrudo. As Renato says: “Heavy tones, loud amps and some floating rhythms full of different time signatures is what we want to do at the moment”. Sounds good, so let’s try it!

Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): INTAGLIO — “INTAGLIO” (15TH ANNIVERSARY REMIX)

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Oct 132020
 

 

On the 15th of October, 2005, Solitude Productions released the self-titled debut album of the Russian band Intaglio (also known as Инталия). The album made a deep impact, not only because Intaglio were one of the earlier pioneers of funeral doom in their homeland but also because the music created such a powerful and memorable amalgam of crushing weight, desolate atmosphere, and profound melody.

It is thus entirely fitting that on October 15 of this year, on the album’s 15th anniversary, Solitude Productions and Weird Truth Productions will be releasing a very special “reimagined” edition of the album. As they explain: “All the original source audio tracks have undergone restoration and processing using top of the line digital and analog gear. In place of the original version’s programming, all drum parts have been live recorded without the use of any triggering or sampling technology. The album was restored and remixed by Evgeny Semyonov (When Nothing Remains, Woe Unto Me, Sorrowful Land) at Slow Burn Studio, and mastering was performed by Mika Jussila (Shape Of Despair, Isole, Unholy, Moonspell) at Finnvox Studios.”

The results of this careful work are stunning, and an experience that no fan of funeral doom should miss. We are very happy to give you the chance to experience it today through the premiere of a full stream. Continue reading »

OMINOUS SCRIPTURES: “THE FALL OF THE CELESTIAL THRONE”

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Oct 132020
 

 

(Here is Vonlughlio’s review of the second full-length by the Belarusian death metal band Ominous Scriptures, which is out now on Willowtip Records and features striking cover art by Jon Zig.)

I have to say that I have been fortunate to write my small reviews and lists of best releases for some years now and am thankful to Islander for the trust.  As I’ve mentioned, my main purpose is to promote Brutal Death Metal since other genres are well-covered here. Having said that, yes I do listen to other genres as well but for the reasons mentioned I try to focus on BDM here in NCS, and am doing that again now.

Today the subject is a project from Belarus that goes by the name Ominous Scriptures. On August 28th they released their sophomore album The Fall of the Celestial Throne via Willowtip Records. This release is crushing from start to finish, revealing the work of outstanding musicians who have come together in crafting something special that will forever be cherished by their fans. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OMEGAVORTEX — “VOID POSSESSOR”

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Oct 122020
 

 

Omegavortex occupy a rare place in the hostile landscape of blackened death metal, where it often seems that everything is trying to kill you. In thinking about their music, metaphors like “maelstrom” and “vortex” come to mind, because the fury is explosive, chaotic, and rampantly destructive — but the band’s rocket-fast execution is technically mind-blowing and the composition of their songs is ingenious, albeit thoroughly demented.

These Germans were born under the name Ambevilence in 2007, and spent the first decade of their existence under that banner, but adopted their new name before releasing a 2018 promo. They followed that with the Spectral Blackness compilation and now at last have produced a debut album set for release by Invictus Productions on November 13. As fitting as their newer name is, the title of the album is equally evocative of the audio experience: Black Abomination Spawn.

If you haven’t yet heard any of the music on the new record (one song has been out in the world for a month), we’ll give you the chance to teleport yourself into the Omegavortex madhouse today through our premiere of the album’s fourth track, “Void Possessor“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: GRIFFON — “LES PLAIES DU TRÔNE”

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Oct 122020
 

 

On October 23rd Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions will release the second album by the French melodic black metal band Griffon. Its title is ὸ θεός ὸ βασιλεύς (o Theos, o Basileus — the god, the king).

As the title suggests, the album thematically addresses the relationship between spiritual and temporal power over the span of millennia, when at times monarchs and religious peoples and institutions fought, cooperated, and sometimes claimed the power of the other as their own. Lyrically, the album begins with the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus and ends with a different kind of claimed union with the divine — the apotheosis of Roman emperors into godhood by the vote of the Senate.

In between those opening and closing tracks the songs use different languages and musical paths to explore episodes in the album’s historical narrative arc. Today we present one of those tracks, “Les plaies du trône” (the plagues of the throne), a song co-written by Griffon with Tedd from the French band Wyrms. Continue reading »

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