Islander

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVEIW): BIAŁYWILK — “WNIEBOWSTĄPIENIE”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
Jun 042025
 

(written by Islander)

On June 6th, two days from now, Fiadh Productions will release the third album by Białywilk, the solo atmospheric black metal project of California-based but Polish-born musician Marek Cimochowicz (formerly a member of Vukari). The album’s name is Wniebowstąpienie, which is Polish for Ascension Day. Marek describes it as “a deeply personal record about getting older and finding your place in the universe,” about “aging, and being comfortable in your own skin.” On Wniebowstąpienie he is accompanied by sessions musicians Elijah Debey (drums) and Abel Jara (bass).

We’ve reviewed Białywilk‘s two preceding albums, Próżnia (here) and Zmora (here). They each had their own distinct inspirations and were musically distinct (but uncommonly distinctive) as well. They gave the sense of a very talented artist engaged in exploratory and experimental creative ventures, and so they created a sense of intrigue about what Wniebowstąpienie would bring us.

Now we know, and now you’ll know, because we’re hosting a full stream of the new album today. Continue reading »

T-800: “ANTIHUMAN”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Jun 042025
 

(April of this year brought the debut EP from the Colombian death metal band T-800, and today we bring you DGR‘s review of it.)

There is an art to taking things at face value when it comes to music sometimes. All one needed to do was glance at Colombia’s newly formed death metal act T-800 and its constituent pieces to know that this would not be some big, world-changing event in music. Instead, and purely based off of how the group are constructed out of their local scenes in various other brutal death, slam, and even one tech-death and deathcore band, to know that T-800 are likely going to be about as rock stupid as it comes in death metal.

That is, of course, if you hadn’t already caught the Terminator homage in the name or song titles, or the fact that the artwork for their newest EP Antihuman goes with the classic pile of skulls, zombies, and mutilation for its overall motif. There’s not going to be anything progessive in the mission statement of Antihuman. This is death metal in a form about as thick-headed as it could come… and sometimes that is what you need. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: WITHERER — “DEVOURER OF ALL GRAVEYARDS”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Jun 032025
 

(written by Islander)

In late 2019, paltry months away from the world being consumed and frozen in place by the covid pandemic, we came across a startling early single called “Milk Sea (Bathing in Its Waves)” by the Canadian black metal band Witherer, then the solo effort of one Tiamoath. It was a fascinating two-part piece of music that created the feeling of being caught in someone else’s disturbing yet transfixing hallucination, an intricate and unpredictable work that was by turns dreamlike, frenzied, and disorienting.

The song made a striking impression and, as I wrote at the time, left me eager to discover how Witherer would follow that first release. And then of course the world turned black, and even after it recovered (sort of) nothing more was heard from Witherer — until now.

Now, at last, Witherer is returning with a debut album entitled Shadow Without a Horizon (which will be released on June 20th by Hypaethral Records)‬, rising to the surface again only to lead us far down through crushing depths to witness stunning catastrophes.

But this isn’t the same Witherer we first heard more than five years ago. Both the band and the music have undergone a transformation, as you’ll discover for yourselves through today’s premiere of the song “Devourer of All Graveyards“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: HATRED INHERIT — “SHRINE”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Jun 032025
 

(written by Islander)

The German death metal band Hatred Inherit chose a good name for themselves. Humankind’s history, from the most ancient of times straight through to the grisly present, is replete with evidence that hatred is like an inherited trait. From one generation to the next, it seems to be passed down as if a central part of the species’ DNA.

In that context we can contemplate what inspires the band’s music: Is it an expression of our tribes’ undying hatefulness? Or a rage kindled by witnessing it, over and over again? Or a severe despondency and desperation caused by bearing witness to such destructive deviancy?

Each listener can draw their own conclusions from the music, most recently captured in the band’s 31-minute second album Void, which will be co-released on June 13th by Satanath Records (Georgia) and Pest Records (Romania) — and more immediately from the song we’re premiering today: “Shrine“. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: JOHAN LANGQUIST – THE CASTLE

 Interviews  1 Response »
Jun 032025
 

(We present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Johan Langquist, vocalist of Candlemass and mastermind of the solo project Johan Langquist – The Castle, whose debut album, accompanied by talented allies and digitally released last year, will receive physical releases on June 27th of this year via I Hate Records.)

It’s hard to imagine what the landscape of the world doom scene would be like if the Swedish band Candlemass hadn’t recorded the legendary Epicus Doomicus Metallicus in 1986. This and the following two albums became a source of inspiration and an unattainable quality mark for many bands who worked on the doom path for a long time.

Although Johan Langqvist, who left Candlemass immediately after recording the debut, was only a guest vocalist, this did not stop fans from dreaming about his return for many years, and dreams came true in 2018 when the band reunited in almost “the same” line-up. Who would have thought that today, against the backdrop of Candlemass’s 40th anniversary and the release of their new EP, the news about the release of Johan’s first solo album would be lost? We’ll correct this omission. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: MORNINGSTVR — “WHISPERS OF A NAMELESS FEAR”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Jun 022025
 

(written by Islander)

On June 20th the Los Angeles-based one-man black metal band Morningstvr will release the second album in a planned trilogy. Its name is A Fate Engraved, and it follows from its predecessor, In Memoriam of the Blvck Wind.

As Morningstvr explains, it “tells of a land far to the north of the world, with cold and abysmal ranges covered in snow, ancient structures of an empire from a forgotten age, much like in the image of the medieval period, continuing the tales of Slavic witchcraft, knights charging their last battles, betrayal, heartbreak and rituals upon a full moon,” and thus references Tolkien’s legendarium.

As for the music itself, Morningstvr describes it as “if (early) Darkthrone had a love child with Verses in Oath by Hulder and Kaer Morhen by Hekseblad.” We have a more tangible demonstration of the music today as we premiere a music video for the new album’s final track “Whispers of a Nameless Fear.” Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: CREEPING FEAR — “FEAST OF VIOLENCE”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Jun 022025
 

(written by Islander)

There are so many ways humanity could extinguish its own existence or render it vastly more miserable. No doubt you can count the ways as easily as we can. Death creeps toward us all, and sometimes races at us out of control. But if we don’t make it to the end of this year (place your bets!), at least the French death metal band Creeping Fear have provided us both a new soundtrack for the wretched end times, and a parting gift.

Their new album, Realm of the Impaled, will be released by Dolorem Records on June 27th — surely we will last that long! (place your bets…) It again features eye-impaling cover art by the great Paolo Girardi and again confronts us with the ghastly visage of the hellish horned creature (armored this time) that presided over their last album, 2021’s Hategod Triumph.

As for the music, it’s hellish too. Here’s how Dolorem sums it up: “Creeping Fear is the burning breath of the apocalypse in death metal: brutal, technical, and uncompromising. Devastating riffs, abysmal growls, and suffocating atmospheres—something between Immolation and Hate Eternal, prepare to dive into a masterful sonic chaos.” Continue reading »

AGABAS: “HARD ANGER”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Jun 022025
 

(We present Didrik Mešiček‘s vivid review of a new album by the Norwegian “deathjazz” band Agabas, which will be released on June 13th.)

Have you ever been so sick you’ve hallucinated things that made absolutely no sense when your fever dropped and you got better? Something so surreal it’s actually not possible to put it into words? Or perhaps you’ve done an incredible cocktail of drugs and went on an amazing trip, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that can never be repeated?

Well, Agabas have, to my knowledge, done neither of those two things, yet they’ve invented deathjazz. Which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s jazz. Mixed with death metal. Lots of yelling and lots of sax. And today we’re gonna delve into this mess(?) and see what their new album, Hard Anger, which will be released on June 13th, is really about. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: SIGH, AMIENSUS, HELHEIM, THOMAS BEL, VARHARA, ÙNA

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  6 Responses »
Jun 012025
 

(written by Islander)

I’m no Cinderella but on days like this I do turn into a pumpkin (charred black).

After missing two Sundays due to festival-ing in May I had grand plans to partially make up for those absences in a larger-than-usual column today. But I forgot about plans my spouse had made for us this morning that will take me away from home and computer.

So the grand plan has been trashed. Rather than rack my brain trying to figure out what to save, I decided instead just to start and to keep going until time runs out (and I turn into a pumpkin). Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: PSYCROPTIC, NIGHTBEARER, BEHEADED, AETHERIAN, IN MOURNING, GRAND CADAVER, IMPUREZA, DIABOLOGY

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
May 312025
 

(written by Islander)

Well, I’m back here at my usual post on Saturday, having survived Maryland Deathfest after surviving Northwest Terror Fest. I only have one slow-healing knee scab and moderate soreness as detrimental physical signs of the adventures — and, amazingly, no respiratory viruses.

I have a habit of whining about how hard it is to choose music for these weekend roundups because there’s always so much to choose from, but after missing two weekend roundups in the last month the whining would reach ear-bleeding levels if I let loose today. I feel like if I laid all the song and video links I’ve saved up end to end they’d stretch up to where Musk’s latest rocket experienced “a rapid unscheduled disassembly” as it skimmed space last Tuesday night.

So, no whining, and no explanations for why I picked these out of the 100 or so possibilities, though the reasons will probably become evident. I’m very happy with this collection and hope you will be too. More picks, of the more charred variety, coming tomorrow…. Continue reading »

 Older Entries  Newer Entries