AN NCS PREMIERE: ARALLU — “SIERRA NEVADA”

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Jul 082025
 

(written by Islander)

The long-running Israeli black metal band Arallu has provided the following background information concerning the inspiration for their song “Sierra Nevada” that we’re premiering today through a video:

In September 2003, five hikers set out on a two-week expedition deep into the jungles of Colombia, in search of a mysterious place known as “The Lost City”, an ancient ruin on a jungle-covered mountain hidden high in the Sierra Nevada range.

But what began as an adventure soon turned into a nightmare. One night, while they were asleep in their camp, they were ambushed and kidnapped by the brutal guerrilla group ELN (the “National Liberation Front”). The five were taken from their tents at gunpoint and held hostage under harsh conditions, surrounded by the unforgiving wilderness and the constant threat of death. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: FELL OMEN — “BORN TO SIEGE”

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Jul 072025
 

(written by Islander)

Near the very last day of 2024 we hosted the premiere of a song with an arresting (and peculiar) name — “Dungeon Metal Punks Besieging Digital Castles” — presented through a video in which the music was performed by a figure in a suit of medieval armor, who wielded a hurdy-gurdy in the song’s opening. “Bonkers” was one of the words we used to describe the experience. Other words included “wild,” “fantastical,” “sinister,” “something like a hybrid between a battle charge and an exhilarating folk dance, both of them time-traveled from the Middle Ages and envisioned through the lens of a black crystal.”

That song was from Invaded By a Dark Spirit, the debut album of the Greek band Fell Omen, the solo work of one Spider of Pnyx and his first official “metal” release after performing live in dark ambient, neofolk, and noise settings, after contributing to the music of Mystras and Spectral Lore, and after also gaining recognition for crafting intricate cover art under the alias Gilded Panoply for black metal and dungeon synth artists.

We might have speculated that Invaded By a Dark Spirit would be a one-and-done curiosity, but it was received with considerable enthusiasm among listeners and reviewers (including us), and so Fell Omen has thankfully forged onward. Today we happily spread the news that in August True Cult Records will release a second Fell Omen album, this one named Caelid Dog Summer.

And we also happily have for you today the premiere of another Fell Omen video for the album’s first advance track, “Born To Siege“. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: EMISSARY — “HOBB’S END”

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Jul 072025
 

(written by Islander)

Some emissaries are open about the powers they represent, others are secretive or deceptive or simply misunderstood. The biblical Gabriel made quite clear who he represented. “The prince of the power of the air” had agents who were more secretive about their fiendish missions. We all know that big wooden horse was filled with Greek soldiers, but the Trojans thought it was a parting gift.

The Barcelona band Emissary are open-faced about their musical mission. The name they chose for their debut album — Eldritch — further signifies where they want to lead us: In their music they act as agents of cosmic horrors, beckoning us into “a labyrinth of shadowed realms where the unknown reigns supreme,” guiding us toward “a descent into madness” that “blurs the lines between reality and nightmare”.

Those are among the words offered to listeners on behalf of Fetzner Death Records, which released Eldritch in March of this year. We have some words of our own to offer, along with our premiere of a video for a song off Eldritch called “Hobb’s End“, which we hope will help spread the word of this Emissary to new listeners. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: FERMENTO — “THE STENCH SPREADING TO YOUR PROGENY”

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Jul 042025
 

(written by Islander)

If we had had our head screwed on straight and allowed a few minutes of calm thought instead of chasing after passing cars, we would have sent Fermento a few interview questions to accompany preparation for this premiere. Or at least one question: “What in the world caused you to make such a significant shift in sound on your new album?”

That question is the elephant in the room. Fermento made some big marks in the pages of Spanish (and even global) metal history, as perhaps the first death metal band in Spain when they formed in 1991, and as among the brick-layers over the next decade-plus in the building of the hostile edifice known as brutal death metal, with their 1997 debut album Symbols of Decrepitude, Symbols of Supremacy as a keystone.

Signs of restlessness became evident in their 2004 sophomore album Insignia, which followed the band’s move from Madrid to Ourense in Galicia and was far away from straight-forward brutal death metal, and in 2009’s Recipe for Cremation. But for as much evolution and experimentation as those albums revealed, they were still rooted in traditions of death metal.

Something clearly happened in the roughly 14 years that have elapsed since that third album and the new one, Acts of Blood, because, by the band’s own admission, it represents “a bold evolution in their musical direction.” Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): I PROÉLEFSI — SELF-TITLED

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Jul 032025
 

(written by Islander)

The Scream!

Despite the fact that black metal has warped in ways that never would have been foreseen by its young first-wave and second-wave progenitors, certain tropes still tend to define the genre in the minds of many bands and listeners. One of those is the screaming — the harsh, high-pitched, rasp-edged vocal volatility that has contributed to both the raw aggression and the supernatural aura of the genre.

What happens when there are no screams? And not just no screams, but reputedly no vocals of any kind, not even the kind of deathly gutturals and possessed wails (among many other vociferous manifestations) that have found their way into the genre?

Well, the answers vary among the small range of black metal projects, usually one-person formations, whose music is entirely instrumental. In the case of the Chilean project I Proélefsi, what happens is a range of experiences that include both atmospheric and avant-garde elements, drawing inspiration from, the likes of Emperor, Setherial, Abigor, and Limbonic Art, as well as Dark Ambient music.

You’ll discover the initial results of I Proélefsi‘s creative visions (near wordless but not entirely so) in the band’s self-titled demo that we’re about to premiere. But before getting to the music, we’d like to share what the band’s solo creator M. has to say about it: Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: OPHIOLATRY — “REVENGE”

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Jul 032025
 

(written by Islander)
Originally emerging from the depths of Brazil’s extreme metal underground in 1998, Ophiolatry have earned increasing amounts of global attention over time, especially since their return with a renewed lineup in 2021 after a 13-year hiatus, and most especially because of the multi-faceted power of their newest album Serpent’s Verdict, released last month by WormHole Death Records, which has garnered a widespread positive response.

Even the album’s inspirations stand out. As described on behalf of the label: “The album delves into themes of spiritual revenge, indigenous resistance, and the clash between ancient traditions and imposed beliefs. Inspired by real events in the Amazon, mythology and existential suffering, the lyrics paint vivid scenes of war, punishment and transcendence through pain. Each song tells a story, whether it be warriors resurrected for revenge, the wrath of serpent gods, or the fall of oppressive ideologies. The words are raw, intense and unrelenting, reflecting the chaotic brutality of the music itself.”

Musically, the album stands out from the pack too, and as a reminder of that we’re premiering a video for the song “Revenge“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ANCIENT TORMENT — “UNDER THE GUISE OF VIRTUE”

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Jul 022025
 

(written by Islander)

Nearly a decade after their inception, the Rhode Island based black metal band Ancient Torment will at last release their debut album after a handful of shorter records that have emerged beginning in 2019. Entitled Follow the Echo of Curses, it will be discharged by the Eternal Death label on August 1st.

Although this is a first album, it’s not the work of novices: The band’s lineup includes members of such bands as Witch King, I, Destroyer, and Cruciamentum, and former members of Black Sorcery (among other bands). And it doesn’t sound like a novice work either.

The music is often vast and emotionally devastating in its dynamic renditions of fury, torment, and desolation, the kind of experiences that swallow up listeners and hold them captive to the band’s intentions. Not for naught does Eternal Death describe the album as “an immersive, introspective journey through the shadows of abysmal suffering and mysteries of death’s embrace.”

To help blaze the path toward the record’s release, today we’re premiering one of its six expansive songs, “Under the Guise of Virtue“. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): STYGIAN — “DREADLANDS”

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Jul 012025
 

(written by Islander)

Dreadlands is the debut album of the Italian band Stygian, which will be released on July 4th by Time To Kill Records. In its thematic conception and its lyrical expression, it reflects serious thought, scorching insight, and honest rage. Here is part of Stygian‘s preview of what the album is about:

Dreadlands explores the contrast between two spiritual worlds: the harmony-centered pagan traditions and the legacy of Abrahamic religions, which often channel humanity’s most violent instincts. While pagan rites served to express and contain primal forces, maintaining balance between humankind and nature, monotheistic dogmas have frequently justified war and destruction in the name of faith. This work stands as a tribute to life, to the sacred bond between people and the natural world — a bond shattered by centuries of religious conflict.

At the end of this article we’ll share more comments from Stygian about the album, including their statements about the meaning of each of the record’s 10 songs. In between here and there we’re also sharing a full stream of Dreadlands, which musically is itself an intersection or fusion of two worlds, a hybrid of crust punk and black metal. The music proves to be as fierce, as wounded, and as defiantly resilient as the album’s thematic insights. Continue reading »

ANTIHÆLIX: A SONG PREMIERE AND AN INTERVIEW

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Jul 012025
 

(Our friend Neill Jameson (Krieg) introduces our premiere of music from the debut album by the Philadelphia black metal band Antihælix, and also shares his fascinating interview with the band’s two members.)

Black metal in the United States has become, much like the global scene I suppose, infinitely shapeless, changing form, moving forwards and backwards. Genre blurring has become less of a unicorn and more of a regular horse you see by the road when you’ve driving through farm country. Those who consciously try to be unique are just as obtuse as the folks trying to live like the 1980s never ended.

I’m trying to say that there’s a lot of boring shit made by boring people, but in the nicest way possible. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: IMPERISHABLE — “OATH OF DISGUST”

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Jun 302025
 

(written by Islander)

The covid pandemic cast a dark and deadly cloud across the world, but it did have some silver linings in the musical world. With shows canceled and in-person rehearsal and recording sessions suspended, restless creative types began thinking in different directions, and that led to some collaborations that otherwise probably wouldn’t have happened.

One of those silver linings was the formation of the U.S. death metal band Imperishable (to be distinguished from the Swedish band of the same name, who released an album of their own last April). The U.S. band started in 2020 as the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Brian Kingsland (from Nile and Enthean) and bassist Alex Rush (Olkoth, Enthean). They wrote material during covid, but then put that on the back burner as they got busy again with more normal life and activities with their main bands.

But they brought their ideas to the front burner again after completing their lineup with the addition of famed drummer Derek Roddy (of Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation, and too many other bands to name), and now Imperishable‘s debut album Revelation In Purity is set for an August 29 release by none other than Everlasting Spew Records — and we’ve got a lyric video for the album’s astounding first single today. Its name is “Oath of Disgust“. Continue reading »

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