Islander, Author at NO CLEAN SINGING

Islander

AN NCS PREMIERE: HUMANITAS ERROR EST — “QUOD HOMO APPELLATUR MORBUS EST”

Dec 022015

Human Pathomorphism is the debut album by the German black metal horde Humanitas Error Est, and it’s set for release on January 11, 2016, by the unholy quartet of Satanath Records (Russia), The Black Plague (U.S.), Abstruse Eerie Radiance (Belgium), and The True Plague (U.S.). Today we present the exclusive premiere of a track from the album named “Quod Homo Apellatur Morbus Est“.

Few people alive can tell you what it’s like to be caught up in a cyclone, but you can imagine that experience when you listen to this song — except in this case it’s more like being whipped around in a tornado of flame and knives. Continue reading »

YOU’RE THE BEST AROUND, NOTHING’S EVER GONNA KEEP YOU DOWN (2015)

LISTMANIA 2015 15 Responses »

Dec 022015

(As part of our annual LISTMANIA series, KevinP brings us his round-up of awards for 2015.)

Here’s my rundown on the best stuff of the year that doesn’t fit into my Top 25 Albums and EP’s of the Year column (which will be published next month).

Best Metal Country: POLAND

How many Polish albums does it take to win the “best of” honors? Apparently 8. 1 to hold the lightbulb… ok, you’re not here for the jokes. This year featured releases ranging from outstanding to solid by Outre, Lost Soul, Blaze of Perdition, Mgła, Infernal War, Manipulation, Ogotay, and Kult Mogil. Greece, who won last years award, had yet another solid year, but was edged out by the big 3 kielbasas of Outre, Lost Soul, and Blaze of Perdition, a trio that’s impossible to beat. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: WRATHRONE (MATTI VEHMAS)

Interviews No Responses »

Dec 022015

(In this post, Latvian music journalist Evita Hofmane presents her interview with vocalist Matti Vehmas of the Finnish band Wrathrone, whose debut album Born Beneath is coming out next month.)

How many death metal bands are in Finland? Nobody knows.

Wrathrone saw the darkness of the day at the end of the year 2008, when Mr. Holm and Mr. Vehmas started to think how great it would be to start playing some good old death metal. And that is what they did.

The band is about to release their first full-length album Born Beneath on January 22nd, 2016, via Inverse Records. The album consists of eight slammering old-school death metal hits. The pre-sale has now begun worldwide at the Inverse shop (here) and at Levykauppa ÄX (here).

To promote the album they will begin the Born Beneath tour this December with two exclusive shows in the Baltics. After the release, the band will continue the tour in Finland and hopefully abroad as well! Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: BAPHOMET’S BLOOD, AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED, BEYOND THE DARK, KZOHH

RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 18 Responses »

Dec 012015

I have so much new music I’d like to tell you about, but not enough time for all the telling. Not for the first time, I thought about giving the tracks to the loris horde and letting them do the write-ups. Not for the first time, I came to my senses before it was too late. I’d still be waiting for their work product this time next year. So, with a sigh, I’ve randomly picked new music from four bands for now, and hope to write about more tomorrow (assuming I can finish a review I’m scribbling about something very surprising).

BAPHOMET’S BLOOD

On Saturday, Iron Bonehead Productions announced that on January 25, 2016, they will release a vinyl version of a new album by Italy’s Baphomet’s Blood. This is the band’s fourth album, and their first one in nearly seven years, and its name is In Satan We Trust. On they same day, we got the first advance track to stream, a whiskey-fueled rocker named… “Whiskey Rocker”. Continue reading »

FEST-IVITIES: CALIFORNIA DEATHFEST 2016, UNCONQUERED DARKNESS FEST, NIDROSIAN BLACK MASS V, NORTH DISSONANT VOICES

Metal News 5 Responses »

Dec 012015

Over the last 24 hours I spotted some announcements about some unholy festivals that I thought were worth passing along:

CALIFORNIA DEATHFEST 2016

They probably still haven’t finished cleaning up the Oakland Metro after the inaugural edition of the California Deathfest in October (which I scribbled about in these posts), and now CDF has already announced the initial list of bands for the follow-up installment of the festival on October 14-16, 2016 — and it’s a damned fine beginning. Take a look: Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: MAGE

Interviews 1 Response »

Dec 012015

Mage was born as a conclave of doom worshipers from Leicester in 2010, and its lineup was stable, as all five doom magicians have one goal — to create heavy, straightforward, groovy, and sincere music.

Tom was chosen to take the duty of vocalist, Woody and Ben committed to do best they could with playing guitars, as Mark and Andy (who replaced Moe in 2011) have formed a solid rhythm section.

Just one year after their birth, Mage recorded their first self-titled EP with four good’n’heavy songs. Limited to 100 copies, it was distributed by Witch Hunter Records. Ten new songs have shaped the full-length record Black Sand, released in October 2012 by the band’s own efforts.

With massive and punchy riffs, memorable solos, and impressive vocal lines, Mage easily gained recognition. Tom sings in a forthright, pretty hardcore manner, and it works excellently with Mage’s uncompromising riffs… It took the band only two years to finish their second album Last Orders, which was released by Witch Hunter Records on Halloween 2014. Continue reading »

LISTMANIA 2015: READERS LISTS OF THE YEAR’S BEST METAL

LISTMANIA 2015 196 Responses »

Dec 012015

We’re now beginning the final month of 2015, and you know what that means: Now begins the countdown to the end of the year and the strengthening onslaught of the annual holiday season. In the world of metal, this month we’ll also start seeing more and more lists of the year’s best albums.

Back in 2009, when this site was just a few days old, I wrote a post about year-end lists and why people bother with them. The best reason still seems to be this: Reading someone else’s list of the albums they thought were best is a good way to discover music you missed and might like.

We don’t do an “official” NCS year-end “best albums” list. However, we publish the picks of each of our regular staff writers as well as a large group of guest writers (which we’ll start doing later this month), and every year we also invite our readers to share their lists. If YOU have made your own list of the albums, EPs, or splits released in 2015 that you think are the best of what you’ve heard this year, we invite you to share it with us in the Comments section to this post. And if you haven’t made a list yet, maybe you should consider doing that. Continue reading »

SWALLOW THE SUN: “SONGS FROM THE NORTH I, II & III”

Album Reviews 16 Responses »

Nov 302015

(In the longest review we’ve ever published, DGR assesses the mammoth new three-disc album by Finland’s Swallow the Sun.)

We’ve had this disc for a bit. I know we’re late on this, but I hope to make it up you guys by essentially deep-diving and excavating this album, as there’s a ton going on with Songs From The North I, II & II that deserves to be highlighted.

I have become one with this album. It is inside me, and I am inside it. At this point, I consider myself the Jacques Cousteau of album reviewers — minus the whole being French, deep-sea diving, and talented part, but still. I believe the analogy holds on its own merits. I have stared into the abyss through the eyes of this album and asked if there was anything worth saving, and still my heart said, “No”.

Songs From The North is an album that a lot of folks have been approaching with equal measures of dread and excitement. A huge cause of this is obviously down to the fact that the up-front description of Songs From The North was essentially this: doom metal band from Finland decides to release a triple-album — as in, not one disc, or two discs, but three separate platters of music. Continue reading »

KEVINP’S ALBUMS OF THE MONTH — NOVEMBER 2015

LISTMANIA 2015 9 Responses »

Nov 302015

(Here’s KevinP’s list of favorite releases during the month of November.)

Last month this column was posted on October 28th, three days before the end of the month. I had a reader and then a friend of mine on Facebook ask me how I could create my list when the month didn’t even ended yet (since there were a plethora of releases due on October 30th). So I realized maybe what I thought was common knowledge (advance promos) wasn’t as common as I thought? For instance, as I type this now, I already have four albums on my iPhone that are due in February.

One of the perks for this labor of love we do here is getting to hear albums from a few weeks to many months prior to release. Record labels and PR companies know websites/magazines need lead time to prepare stuff. As flattering as it may be for some to think so, I would not be able to hear an album on the release date (say October 30th), make an accurate assessment of it, write a column, send it off to Islander, and get it posted the same day.

And now for a few housekeeping items before we get to this month’s releases. This is the first year I’ve done a monthly column. I will still be doing a Best of 2015 list, but will have that ready in early January as to give it some separation from December’s releases. You’re the Best Around, Nothing’s Gonna Keep You Down will be ready next week (where I go over all the OTHER best stuff of the year). Continue reading »

THE SYNN REPORT, PART 66: “OBSCURE SPHINX”

Exceptions to the Rule, THE SYNN REPORT 5 Responses »

Nov 302015

(In this edition of THE SYNN REPORT, Andy Synn reviews the discography of Poland’s Obscure Sphinx.)

Recommended for fans of: Cult of Luna, Tool, Triptykon

Polish Post-Prog-Doomsters Obscure Sphynx are one of those bands who you just can’t believe aren’t so much bigger than they are. Both their albums (particularly 2013’s utterly phenomenal Void Mother, which is easily up there with my all-time favourite albums) could serve as a masterclass in how to craft songs melding mood and emotion, rage and clarity, captivating song-writing and focused metallic heaviness – and both have similarly been underrated and underappreciated by the metal-loving public at large.

Well no more! It’s time to sit up and take notice, it’s time to give the devil his due… it’s time… for this band to reap the just rewards for the brilliant music that they’ve sown! Continue reading »

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