AN NCS EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: SURACHAI’S “SURRENDER”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  8 Responses »
Apr 192013
 

(We are delighted to bring you the premiere of “Surrender” by Surachai, preceded by the following review by NCS writer BadWolf.)

Industrial black metal has not historically produced very many good bands or records—or that many records at all, for that matter—but 2013 is bucking that trend. I’ve heard several records that mix contemporary black metal with electronics and samples to excellent effect so far this year. Spektr and Altar of Plagues immediately come to mind, and now we can add Surachai’s new record, Embraced, to that list.

Ostensibly Surachai is another one-man black metal project, the brain child of Surachai Sutthisasanakul, who has been working as a sound editor by day and making experimental records by night for the past few years. Of course, he is working out of Chicago, home of many such avant-black metal projects such as Nachtmystium and Chrome Waves (and ex-Nachtmystium guitarist Andrew Markuszewski is one of many session contributors to this album).

Embraced sounds richer than your average bedroom black metal record. Surachai layers samples with guitar and various electronic effects to create an almost symphonic atmosphere. That mix is perfected by some of the most intricate black metal drumming I’ve heard since Cobalt’s Gin, courtesy of guest drummer Charlie Werber of Guzzlemug. That percussion absolutely makes the record whole. The magic of Surachai is his ability to make soothing music out of so much abrasive noise.. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: EYECONOCLAST’S LYRIC VIDEO FOR “RISE OF THE ORGAMECHANISM”

 Premieres  3 Responses »
Mar 212013
 

We’ve been singing the praises of Eyeconoclast ever since hearing their 2011 EP Sharpening Our Blades on the Mainstream. Now this Italian group of veterans is on the verge of seeing the release of their debut album Drones of the Awakening via Prosthetic Records. Today we’re proud to premiere the lyric video for a new song from the album, “Rise of the Orgamechanism”.

As a sci-fi nerd, I can’t help but applaud the band’s lyrical focus on bio-mechanical co-evolution, but of course it’s the music that really counts, and on that score “Rise of the Orgamechanism” is a winner.  It’s a galvanizing onslaught of technical riffing and fully weaponized percussion. Racing at high speed, the music unleashes a torrent of jagged, jabbing guitar and bass lines, writhing solos, and abrasive vocals. Yet the execution isn’t cold or robotic — this is death metal that’s on fire.

Drones of the Awakening will be released on April 16 and can be pre-ordered here.  The album introduces the band’s new vocalist Giuseppe Di Giorgio (Black Therapy) and it was recorded at Eyeconoclast guitarist Stefano Morabito’s 16th Cellar Studio (Hour of Penance, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Inherit Disease). Eyeconoclast’s members also include bassist Paolo “Urizen” Ballarotto (who used to play with Malfeitor), drummer Mauro Mercurio (ex-Hour of Penance), and guitarist Alessio Cosenza. Continue reading »

“BYZANTINE”: OUR REVIEW AND A FULL STREAM OF THE NEW ALBUM

 Album Reviews, Premieres  27 Responses »
Feb 272013
 

(The long-awaited fourth album by West Virginia’s Byzantine is out now, and we’re delighted to provide a full stream of the new album along with TheMadIsraeli’s review.)

I wish I could find a way to adequately express how much I was absolutely frothing at the mouth in anticipation of this album.  You’ve got to understand, this is a band who I musically idolized but who I thought had called it quits for good, and while I wasn’t originally stoked on the reunion since it lacked an integral founding member, his rejoining the band soon after sealed the deal for me.  Byzantine were back in business and ass kicking was soon to follow.

I’ve sung the praises of this band to the high heavens on this site already, so if you are unfamiliar with these guys or have forgotten what they’re about, go read my Byzantine discography retrospective, which also included their three previous albums for download.  Get educated.

Anyone who thinks that this album is a mere sequel to Oblivion Beckons would be sorely mistaken.  These guys have been out of the band game for five years, but have still pursued music in a personal way and have thus evolved.  What we have here isn’t a different Byzantine, but definitely a wiser, more sophisticated and diverse Byzantine.  Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: FEARED – “FUROR INCARNATUS”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  10 Responses »
Feb 212013
 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli reviews the new album by Sweden’s Feared, and then we’re stoked to give you a stream of the full album.)

Ola Englund is a name that guitar geeks like myself will probably know better than anyone else.  His YouTube channel hosts a myriad of really badass guitar and gear demos that I and fellow guitar players have flocked to frequently for ideas about what gear we want.  In addition to his membership in Six Feet Under, however, Ola has a musical outlet that not many may be aware of: The name is Feared.

Feared are a badass band, a band with a sound all their own, a band who will curb stomp the shit out of you repeatedly until you beg for mercy.  Their unusual combination of melodic death metal charged with trademark Swedish excellence and ballsy incorporation of groove metal creates a sound that’s refreshing.  Even though Furor Incarnatus is the band’s fourth record, it’s the first time I’ve heard them, and I suspect it may be a first for many of you, too. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SCENT OF DEATH — “MAN KILLS GOD TOO”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Feb 072013
 

Spain’s Scent of Death has recently released their second album . . . which followed the first one by approximately eight years. The new one has proved to be a real eye-opener for me. Whatever this band accomplished in the past, their new offering is an atomic-grade kick in the teeth — and in the head, and in the kidneys, and in other vulnerable organs.

Entitled Of Martyrs’s Agony and Hate, it calls to mind the likes of Suffocation, Hate Eternal, Dying Fetus, and Morbid Angel. Hell, I might as well throw in references to Origin and Behemoth, because I thought of them, too, at different points on the album.

The music is a non-stop onslaught from start to finish. It’s brutal, bruising, and bludgeoning, but it’s executed with an impressive degree of technical flourish. The songs are loaded with punishing grooves and fire-breathing guitar solos, with gut-level vocals that summon up images of voracious lions. In short, it’s a nasty piece of work.

Today we’re stoked to bring you the exclusive premiere of the album’s sixth track, “Man Kills God Too”, which we hand-picked from among the album’s 9 songs. The album’s first song premiered earlier this year, and we’re including a stream of that one, too. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: BYZANTINE’S “SOUL ERASER”

 Premieres  8 Responses »
Jan 112013
 

It was a very sad day when West Virginia’s Byzantine dissolved roughly five years ago following the release of Oblivion Beckons. But as everyone knows by now, Byzantine are back with a new, self-titled album that’s set for release on February 26. We’ve had the good fortune of hearing it in advance, and it’s going to blow people away.

We’ve already featured (here) a lyric video for the first track from the album that Byzantine released — “Signal Path” — and today we’re privileged to debut the band’s official music video for another song: “Soul Eraser”.

One of the hallmarks of the new album (in addition to massive grove) is its musical diversity, and “Soul Eraser” is a good example of that. In addition to bringing a truckload of stomping, jabbing, pummeling riffs and rhythms, it’s built around a melody that will get stuck in your head awful damned fast. The song also includes spiraling lead guitar work and a whole lot of vocal diversity. And when the song really cuts loose at about the 3:00 mark, hold on to your hats. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: SCORDATURA’S “NEUROTIC ABERRATION”

 Premieres  10 Responses »
Jan 062013
 

The world turns, time marches on, and good things from the past rise again.

Scordatura are a five-piece death metal band from Glasgow, Scotland, who we first wrote about early last year in a piece on Scottish metal. They’ve now finished recording their debut album, Torment of the Weak, which is set for on-line release on February 1, 2013, and today we’re pleased to give you an exclusive premiere of the album’s third track, “Neurotic Aberration”.

If you let your mind turn to the idea of a blender filled with scoops of Hate Eternal, Suffocation, Dying Fetus, and Origin, set to puree, then you’ll have an advance idea of “Neurotic Aberration”. Though it may be your brain that gets pureed.

Scordatura twist and turn and slice and dice in a whipping fury of technically oriented brutality. And by “technically oriented”, I don’t mean a flurry of prog-minded note-wanking. I mean the whirring teeth of a meat grinder turning slabs of beef into finely carved tartar. It’s raw, red, and delicious. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ÆTHER REALM — “ONE CHOSEN BY THE GODS”

 Premieres  16 Responses »
Jan 032013
 

We’ve been following North Carolina’s Æther Realm quite closely since discovering their auspicious debut EP Odin Will Provide (2011). At last, the band have completed their first album — One Chosen By the Gods — which is scheduled for release on January 8. And today, we’re pleased to give you an advance listen to the entire album.

But don’t dither around, because this full-album stream will only be up for one day. And as for what we think of the music, it’s very, very good. For a detailed assessment, check out DGR’s review posted a bit earlier today.

To find out more about Æther Realm, visit them on Facebook via this link. To learn how to order the album, go HERE.

Now, do yourself a favor and check out our exclusive premiere of the music right after the jump. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: KRISIUN – “THE WILL TO POTENCY”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Dec 122012
 

Krisiun’s eighth studio album, The Great Execution, was one of the best death metal albums of 2011. As Phro wrote in our review, “This album goes to war and it doesn’t bother with prisoners or survivors . . . . It’s the distinctive sound of flaming swords and armor crashing as the Morning Star leads his army against the Throne on the Plains of Heaven.” It’s a dynamic, diverse, endlessly listenable album that has lost none of its potency in the year since its release.

Yesterday we kind of made our own music video for the album, matching the song “Blood of Lions” to slow-motion film of one of nature’s most magnificent predators going flat out. Today, we give you the premiere of an official Krisiun video. This time the song is “The Will To Potency”, and this time the predators are those três irmãos from Brazil.

Blending footage from live performances with scenes of the band surrounded by death in the high desert of New Mexico, the imagery of the video matches the supreme bad-assery of the song. Right after a great acoustic guitar intro by guest guitarist Marcello Caminha, “The Will to Potency” starts in the pace of a war march, and then explodes into pure speed and brutality. The roaring vocals shout words of fury and defiance over an epic main riff, and the lead guitar brands the song with fast sweeps and arpeggio picking, raising shades of the band’s debut album, Black Force Domain. The music hunts, and it kills. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: FULL ALBUM STREAM OF UNDERCROFT’S “RUINS OF GOMORRAH”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  4 Responses »
Oct 092012
 

Roughly a decade has passed since Undercroft left Chile for Northern Europe. Roughly six years have passed since the band’s last studio release, during which time Undercroft’s vocalist and bassist Alvaro Lillo became a live performing member of Watain. But this group has re-grouped, and the blood of their homeland beats in this new album, the band’s sixth since 1995, Ruins of Gomorrah.

Undercroft hook you up like Frankenstein’s monster. They drive those iron bolts into your neck and then bring down the lightning in one super-charged rhythmic blast after another until you just can’t help but jump and bang your helpless head. This is maggot-ridden, old-school death metal that’s so packed full of deep-grooved, beefy riffs and mauling percussion that even rotting flesh could not help but move with the rhythm.

But as much of a riff-monster as this album is, it’s also something more. Listen to “El Triunfo De La Muerte” and “Emplando Al Invasor” and you’ll hear the rhythms of South America in the “tribal” drumming and the melodies, and you’ll even be surprised by brief trumpet notes in the latter track before being engulfed in a decimating explosion of blast beats and huge, grinding riffs. And, holy hell, there are congas and acoustic guitar in the title track. Continue reading »

 Older Entries  Newer Entries