SEEN AND HEARD FOR A SATURDAY: RAGNAROK, DECAPITATED, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, SKÁPHE, ENNUI

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
Jan 232016
 

Ragnarok-Psychopathology

 

I’m still catching up on the flood of new music and videos that appeared this week, in part because I spent so much time on the flood of new tracks we ourselves premiered since Monday. Because I’m short on time this Saturday, I’m mainly going to let the music speak for itself. Unless I damage myself too badly tonight at a big party I’m attending, I’ll have another collection of recommended new streams tomorrow. But before we get to the music, I have one news item.

RAGNAROK

In mid-December I posted the news that Norway’s Ragnarok would at long last be releasing a new album named Psychopathology. This week, further details were disclosed, as well as the cover art (above) by Marcelo Vasco (Slayer, Machine Head, Dimmu Borgir). The album will include 11 tracks and will be released by Agonia Records on March 25 in a variety of formats, including a limited-edition CD box set that will include a bonus compilation CD entitled Chaos and Insanity between 1994-2004, which features all of the band’s early demos and EP’s (the compilation will also separately be released on vinyl).

No music to share with you yet, but you can be sure we will as soon as something becomes available for streaming. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: MOONSORROW, TAU CROSS, WORMED, CIRITH GORGOR, INTERMENT, EREB ALTOR, KATLA

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Jan 212016
 

Moonsorrow-Jumalten Aika

 

I’ve had a crazy week, much of the craziness resulting from the demands of my fucking day job, coupled with hours spent yesterday morning anxiously working with our web host’s tech support to figure out how to get into the WordPress software for our site so I could write and post things — because it had spontaneously decided to lock me out.

Anyway, the net result of all this is that I’ve fallen way behind in both listening to and writing about new music — other than the enormous number of premieres we agreed to post this week. I’ve also been unable to write new installments of our 2015 Most Infectious Songs list. With luck, I can get that going again tomorrow.

Intermittently since the craziness began, I have managed to discover the interesting new things I’ve collected in this post, though I still have lots of catching up to do. I’ll begin with two news items and then move into actual music.

MOONSORROW

Yesterday brought the very welcome announcement that Finland’s Moonsorrow will release their seventh studio album on April 1 (via Century Media). The title is Jumalten Aika, which means ‘The Age Of Gods’ in English. Continue reading »

BANDCAMP FAKERY

 Metal News  24 Responses »
Jan 162016
 

Fake Aborted Bandcamp

THIS IS A FAKE

In recent days I’ve learned that fake band pages have been set up on Bandcamp by people whose aim is to defraud bands and labels of money that rightfully should go to them. As I looked into this a bit further, I realized this has happened before — and so some of you may already be aware of it. But for those who aren’t, here are a few examples of what’s happening.

Today one of our readers (thank you Sidney) alerted me to the fact that he was about to buy Aborted albums at https://aborted.bandcamp.com — but something about it looked fishy to him. He then contacted Aborted’s band management representative (as identified on the band’s Facebook page) and was told that the Bandcamp page was indeed a phony.

I’ve not found any links to a Bandcamp page on Aborted’s social media, and their current label Century Media does not put its releases on Bandcamp as far as I can tell. Aborted’s previous label (Listenable) does have a Bandcamp page that includes Aborted releases — but it’s a different URL (this one) than the one above.

Yesterday, the following announcement also appeared on Abbath’s official Facebook page: Continue reading »

FESTIVITIES: HAMMERHEART OSTARABLOT

 Metal News  9 Responses »
Jan 132016
 

HammerHeart Ostarablot flyer
Festival poster by Nate Burns

 

For the second year in a row, HammerHeart Brewing Company is putting on a metal festival. Bearing the name Ostarablot, it will be hosted at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday, March 18 and 19, 2016. And man, it’s a hell of a line-up.

As many of you know, HammerHeart is a brewery and tap house located in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, that’s co-owned by Austin Lunn of Panopticon. He and his comrades have assembled an truly impressive array of bands for Ostarablot. Feast your eyes on this:

Day 1:
Wyrding
Wilt
Waldgefluster
Obsequiae
Falls of Rauros Continue reading »

TOURISM: BLASFEMIA AMERIKA 2016

 Metal News  5 Responses »
Jan 122016
 

Blasfemia Amerika tour

 

This should be interesting — a North American tour headlined by Behemoth with support from Myrkur, and a traveling exhibition featuring the creations of Sharon Toxic. Behemoth has never failed to disappoint in the 3 (or 4?) times I’ve seen them. It’s always powerful entertainment. And I confess I’m curious to see Myrkur live. It’s a moot point for me, however, since the tour won’t reach the Pacific Northwest, but maybe it will land in your vicinity.

Because I’m in a bit of a hurry, I’m going to excerpt a few passages from the press release we received, followed by a list of all the dates: Continue reading »

R.I.P. DAVID BOWIE

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  12 Responses »
Jan 112016
 

David Bowie-1

 

How very depressing. Two of rock’s biggest and most singular icons have now left this world within two weeks of each other.

When I posted about Lemmy’s passing, one of my friends made a half-joking jab (at least I think it was only half-joking) about jumping on the death bandwagon. I guess that might have been true for some people who were lamenting Lemmy’s passing, as it will be about Bowie’s. But not in my case. Continue reading »

EAGERLY ANTICIPATED 2016 RELEASES: A LIST OF OUR OWN AND AN INVITATION FOR YOURS

 Listmania, Metal News  62 Responses »
Jan 022016
 

Hellthrasher digital sampler

 

Our LISTMANIA 2015 series isn’t over yet. In fact, we have more year-end lists coming your way over the next two weeks from our own staff, from old friends, and from invited musicians. And I’ll also continue rolling out my list of 2015’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs. All of that will resume on Monday. But having said that, we’re also looking ahead to what 2016 will bring us.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday assembling a list of 2016 releases (by band name) that I’m interested in, most of which are expected during the first quarter of the year. This isn’t a comprehensive list by any means — I have no doubt I’ve forgotten or overlooked a lot of things — but it’s a massive list nonetheless. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: MISANTROF ANTIRECORDS, NYLITHIA, XANTHOCHROID, THE CLEARING PATH, FORNDOM

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Dec 222015
 

Misantrof 8th Antichristmas cover

 

I got far enough ahead on readying today’s year-end lists and album premiere for posting that I actually found some time to go surfing through the interhole and the NCS in-box in search of new things. Here are a few of the items I found. I’m saving some others for Christmas Day, because I feel a personal obligation to ruin the holiday as best I can.

MISANTROF ANTI-CHRISTMAS

Speaking of ruining the holiday, Misantrof ANTIRecords, the (intentionally) non-profit label masterminded by Carpathian Forest’s Daniel Vrangsinn) is once again giving us a hellish present. For the 8th year in a row, the label is releasing the Holy Fucking Antichristmas Compilation. And day by day, they’ve been adding fragments to the cover art for the comp. What you see above is the nearly complete picture as it appears today on Misantrof’s Facebook page (here). Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD (PART 2): CURSE, STYGGELSE, WAN, RAVEN MOCKER, THE REVENGE PROJECT

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Dec 192015
 

Curse-Styggelse-WAN-split

 

This is the second part of a two-part round-up of new music I discovered over the last 24 hours after taking a break from our year-end LISTMANIA orgy (which will resume on Monday, in case you want to shower and freshen up before the fluids start flowing again). You can find the first part of today’s round-up here.

CURSE / STYGGELSE / WAN

On December 27, the Russian label Satanath Records, along with Black Plague Records (USA) and The True Plague (USA), will release a three-way black metal split entitled Necroholic. — and one song from each band can now be heard on Satanath’s Bandcamp page for the split. All three are really strong. Continue reading »

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