AN NCS PREMIERE: NAMEBEARER — “BLACK VEIN, ATOM DRUM”

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Apr 012025
 

(written by Islander)

Is it a coincidence, or something like the alignment of stars in a constellation? Over the last month I’ve repeatedly been struck by impressive new music from bands located in the great state of Maine, and then enthusiastically spilled words about each of them. Bands like Obsidian Tongue, Blood Chariot, Stone Crown, and now Namebearer.

By some measures that’s surprising: Maine is in the bottom 10 of our States in population, and its location is remote from most of the country, which creates challenges for bands to get outside of New England if they want to expose themselves through touring. On the other hand, there seems to be something about the State’s rocky coast, its rivers, forests, and mountains — and its distinctive history and culture — that proves to be conducive to the creation of distinctive forms of metal, and especially black metal.

And because the community of such bands isn’t large and sprawling, it seems to lead to inspirational connections among them. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SUPREME VOID — “DISSOLUTION OF POWER”

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Apr 012025
 

(written by Islander)

The Polish metal band Supreme Void is a new outfit, but with a lineup that includes previous membership in such groups as Sphere, Bloodsoaked, Mesmerized, and Cancerfaust. What brought this trio together was a desire to make death metal that delivers an intense sensory experience, one that’s “striking, relentless, and deeply disturbing.” To do that, they drew inspiration from Ulcerate and Gorguts, and the results are revealed in their debut album Towards Oblivion, which will be released on April 25th by the French label Dolorem Records.

To help spread the word about this full-length debut, today we’re premiering the song “Dissolution of Power“. But before we get to that, we want to comment about the first song released from the album, “Remnants of Hope“. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: OUTERGODS — “COSMIC ABOMINATION”

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Mar 312025
 

(written by Islander)

The cover art of Outergods‘ forthcoming second album is abominable, a skeletal devil-winged regent that clearly won’t die despite its lack of flesh. The album’s title, Dethroned & Devoured, is equally cursed. But the name of the album track we’re presenting today through a video promises something even more abhorrent — “Cosmic Abomination“.

The new album, which follows this UK band’s 2023 full-length debut A Kingdom Built upon the Wreckage of Heaven, is now set for release by Apocalyptic Witchcraft on June 13th. As the label represents, it offers “an unrelenting blend of blackened death metal, grindcore, and extreme intensity” and “promises to deliver the same raw intensity and unbridled chaos that fans have come to expect from the band.” Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: TIL THE END — “THE SUMERIAN”

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Mar 312025
 

(written by Islander)

Earlier this month the international melodic death metal band Til the End released their debut EP, Dark Kings, preceded by a full streaming premiere at Decibel that included these words of introduction:

Across its runtime, the band flexes their songwriting chops with razor-sharp melodies, relentless energy, and a deep-rooted understanding of what makes melodic death metal truly hit. Fans of Slaughter of the Soul-era At the Gates, early In Flames, and modern Arch Enemy will feel right at home in TIL THE END’s sonic assault.

“With Dark Kings, the band distills the essence of classic melodic death metal into a modern, high-impact form—balancing soaring hooks with high-speed aggression and intricate riff work. This is just the beginning for TIL THE END, but if this EP is any indication, they’re a new force worth watching.”

To help spread the word further about this very impressive debut EP, we have two things to share with you today. The first is a stunning music video for a song from the EP named “The Sumerian“, and the second is a track-by-track commentary about all the EP’s songs by the members of the band — vocalist Antony Hämäläinen (Nightrage, Armageddon), guitar virtuoso Kostas Sotos (Mystic Prophecy, Crystal Tears), drummer Márton Veress (Orgy, Armageddon), and bassist/rhythm guitarist Nic Svensson (Slaves For Scores). Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: TUMULARIO — “BASTARDO HUMANIDAD”

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Mar 282025
 

(written by Islander)

The Colombian band Tumulario have already formidably hacked their own path through the dense, dark, and ever-expanding jungle of underground metal with a first tape release (2016’s Renace El Crudo Metal) and a pair of albums (Maligno & Esencial in 2021, and Vociferaciones in 2023). Now they continue forging onward with a third album named Vestigios that’s set for release on May 5th by Satanath Records (Georgia), Vestigio Records (Colombia), and The End Of Time Records (Ireland).

If you’re not familiar with the previous works of Tumulario, this pitch by the labels should prove to be very enticing (it certainly was for us):

Forged in the fires of the Colombian underground, this full-length bears six unholy tracks that echo the obscure tones of ancient traditions. Each note entails a sacrilege while every riff is a chant that reverberate through the darkened halls of time, a dense path through the most organic metal essence — savage yet sublime, drenched in the thick blood of old-school reverences like Root, Beherit, Ancient Rites plus the blasphemous heritage of everlasting South American influences such as Sarcófago, Dirges and Mystifier.

The song from the new album we’re premiering today — “Bastarda humanidad” — is also damned enticing. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: VORTEX — “HAUNTING THE ABYSS”

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Mar 282025
 

(written by Islander)

Among the many musical vortices that violently spin in the dangerous straits of extreme metal (the sonic manifestations of Charybdis opposite the smashing rocks on the other side) are numerous bands, living and dead, who’ve actually taken the name Vortex. The one we focus on today (and not for the first time) is a group of seasoned and hard-gigging musicians from remote Rimouski in the Canadian province of Quebec.

The occasion for revisiting them today is the impending release next month of a new five-song EP entitled Alien Realms, and our premiere of a video for a song from the EP named “Haunting the Abyss“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SIJJIN — “DAKHMA CURSE”

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Mar 272025
 

(written by Islander)

Following up on their debut album Sumerian Promises, the German/Basque trio Sijjin are storming back this year with a new album named Helljjin Combat that Sepulchral Voice has marketed for release on April 25th. It is described (and accurately so) as an amalgamation of “the most antediluvian variety of death metal” and “a derivative of evil thrash with utmost evil intent,” conjuring “its own life of Satanic imagery, diabolical debauchery, and biblical fatalism.”

The album was recorded live, with a cutting sound that brings to mind ’80s analog-produced records, which is part of what links the songcraft on the new album to such hellish names as Infernäl Mäjesty, Nasty Savage, Possessed, and very early Slayer or Megadeth.

What you’ll also discover on the new album are songs that are not only diabolical in mood but also diabolical in their arrangements, with constant and technically impressive twists and turns that are a big part of why the album is going to keep listeners pumped up and right on the edge of their seats (or toes). You’ll understand that for yourselves when you hear the song “Dakhma Curse” that we’re premiering today. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: SVNTH — “NARROW, NARROW”

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Mar 272025
 


SVNTH – Pink Noise Conception

(written by Islander)

In case you’ve forgotten or never knew, the Roman experimental metal band SVNTH pronounce their name “Seventh”, a connection to their former name Seventh Genocide. Their last album, 2020’s Spring in Blue, was an hour-long double-LP and part of a planned trilogy of colors based on emotions in different phases of human life. Almost five years later the plan evolves with a new album named Pink Noise Youth that will be released on April 18th by These Hands Melt.

SVNTH explain about this second part of the trilogy: “If the previous record Spring in Blue was about facing life’s struggles on a childhood perspective, the upcoming Pink Noise Youth will be based on exploring awareness as an adult in late youth, trying to give a voice to a generation emotionally unstable and chaotic as pink noise.” The album’s cover image by Tryfar is in line with that conception.

But not only has the subject matter moved into a different phase of life, the music has moved too. SVNTH have already established themselves as a band interested in bringing together a wide variety of musical colors — as varied as black and post-metal, shoegaze, art pop, and cinematic post-rock. The new album is equally transcendent of genre boundaries, combining elements of hardcore, metal, shoegaze, and post-rock with some new instrumental choices — incorporating an electric Indian sitar, classical and 12-string guitars, and (gasp!) clean singing. It is also the work of a lineup that has changed significantly since the last record.

As a hint of what the album brings, it’s recommended for fans of Deafheaven, Alcest, Brutus, Svalbard, and Agalloch. As a more concrete hint, today we premiere an official video for the third single from the album released so far, a song called “Narrow, Narrow.” Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: VISCERAL — “LOATHE”

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Mar 262025
 

(written by Islander)

Time has flown, two years and almost five months since we last premiered music from the Portuguese death metal band Visceral. Back then the occasion was the impending release of Visceral‘s debut album The Tree of Venomous Fruit. Back then, the band’s veteran mastermind Bruno Joel Correia was accompanied by members of such bands as Enthroned, Lucifyre, Grog, Earth Electric, Gaerea, and Oak.

And now, at last, Visceral return with their second album, Eyes, Teeth and Bones, which has been set for release on April 4th by Raging Planet Records. The label accurately describes the music as a “blistering, high-speed death metal onslaught”, but it is also more than that, and we have an eye-opening, jaw-dropping example of how much more it brings through our premiere of a frightening lyric video for the song “Loathe“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OPUS EST SANARE — “AXIS OF REGENERATION”

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Mar 252025
 

(written by Islander)

Searching through our site’s vast archive, I confirmed what I knew, which is that I’ve been following and writing about the musical activities of the cellist Kakophonix (Christopher Edward Brown) for a long time — since the fall of 2017, to be precise.

Over these last 7+ years, most of the attention has been paid to the Kakophonix solo project Hvile I Kaos (articles collected here), most recently in the context of premiering and reviewing the album Lower Order Manifestations, released last summer by Eisenwald and House of Inkantation. However, I and others here at NCS have also covered songs and records by other bands and performers in which Kakophonix performed as a guest musician (and there have been many of those).

As I explained in that album premiere last summer, Kakophonix has decided to lay Hvile I Kaos to rest; Lower Order Manifestations was the final work of that project, whose music Kakophonix labeled as “Cellistic Black Metal” or “Black Ritual Chamber Musick.” Although closing that book, however, Kakophonix has begun a new chapter under a new name — Opus Est Sanare — and has shared with us this “Mission Statement” for the new endeavor: Continue reading »

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