TREPALIUM DOING THAT “MOONSHINE LIMBO”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Sep 142014
 

 

We had a big collection of things that are metal but not music earlier today, so I thought we ought to follow that with some actual metal music — sort of.

We knew as long ago as November 2013 that the French band Trepalium were working on something that was going to swing. Back then we came across (and wrote about here) a short video clip of Trepalium guitarist Harun Demiraslan practicing a new song that seemed to be taking the band’s signature “boogie death metal” sound even more directly into swing jazz territory. Oh man, little did we know how far they would go…

Today Trepalium released a music video for a new single named “Moonshine Limbo” that put a ginormous smile on my face. It comes from a new six-track EP named Voodoo Moonshine that will be released October 6 by Klonosphere. Not only have the band dived head first into swing, they’ve backed it to the hilt with a brass section, which gives the song a big-band sound. It’s got one foot in the 30s and one foot in 2014, and a couple more feet straddling the line between swing and groovy metal, with harsh vox on top of the whole hybridized, multi-legged thing. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ELIRAN KANTOR AND SATAN, INTER ARMA, SIDIOUS, ACHERON

 Eye-Catchers, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Sep 132014
 

 

I find myself once again with a long list of new items I think are worth sharing but not enough time to write about all of it. I’m beginning to think this is a perpetual state of existence: TOO MUCH METAL. But rather than be stymied by this predicament, I’ll just have to pick a random assortment of new things — something is better than nothing, right? The first three items in this collection first caught my eye because of the visual art — in each case you can see larger versions of them by clicking the images.

ELIRAN KANTOR AND SATAN

There may be a metal artist whose work I’ve featured on this site more than Eliran Kantor, but I doubt it. And yesterday I spotted his latest work, the cover of a forthcoming live album by the long-running British heavy metal band Satan. The new album is named Trail of Fire: Live In North America, and it will be released by Listenable Records. Kantor created the cover for the band’s previous album Life Sentence, and he explained the concept behind this new one as follows:

“As fire sets the tone of the last album cover, I wanted to focus this one on what you usually get afterwards – ashes left behind. Hence the burnt coal frame. The band came up with the title ‘Trail of Fire’ probably referring to being on the road, and it’s symbolized by the judge’s wig morphing into a trail of burning wooden logs, and the trail of fire actually leads to a trial by fire. I wanted the story told on the band’s covers to move forward too – ‘Court in the Act’ was a trial scene, ‘Life Sentence’ showed the incarceration stage, and now we’re witnessing the execution.”

Continue reading »

SPEED KILLS

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Sep 122014
 

 

If you’ve been hanging around the site today you can probably figure out what kind of mood I’m in. And I just decided, fuck it, I’m gonna stay in this mood all day.

Basically, the music I’ve featured so far today (including our two song premieres) has been fast-paced and furious. But I’ve decided to turn it up a notch, to punch the accelerator further to the floor, and to amp the filthiness quotient, too. And I’m not limiting myself to new music — but I am limiting myself to music that’s new to me. These are all songs I’ve discovered recently. The first three come from South American bands and then we move to Finland, Spain, and Greece.

This is really just a thrashing sulfurous speed metal play-list –I’m not going to write anything about the individual songs. I’ll just let them do their adrenalized dirty work by themselves. In alphabetical order:

BLASFEMADOR

Band location: Brazil
Song: “Speed Metal Ataque”
Album: A Meia Noite Levarei Tua Alma (2010)
https://www.facebook.com/BlasfemadorSpeed Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ANTROPOMORPHIA, BULLETBELT, COILGUNS, OBLITERATIONS, WRAITHS

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Sep 122014
 

My ears have feasted upon a big smorgasbord of new and newish metal over the last 24 hours, a big spread of many different styles of delectables. However, in deciding what to assemble for this round-up I was influenced by the Obscure Burials EP I reviewed for today’s first post. Which is to say I was in the mood for more jet-fueled mayhem. Sometimes you just want to have your head torn off, you know what I mean?

Because there’s so much stuff in this post, including two new videos, I’m going to dispense with complete sentences and keep my blather short and sweet. Presenting this alpha music in alphabetical order:

ANTROPOMORPHIA

Location: The Netherlands
Song: “Carved To Pieces”
Album: Rites Ov Perversion
Release date: Sept 12 (Europe) and Sept 16 (NorthAm)
Label: Metal Blade
https://www.facebook.com/AntropomorphiA

Ravenous, ripping, spine-smashing, skull-cleaving, roof-collapsing, gruesome, atmospheric, sing-along music. Continue reading »

BEYOND CREATION STREAM “EARTHBORN EVOLUTION”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Sep 102014
 

Once again I find myself in the miserable position of having many new songs I’d like to write about before ending our posts for the day but having only time to write about one (I blame my fucking day job). So, what to pick?

Ironically I’m picking one I can’t even play for you here, because it’s streaming exclusively at another site. But the song is so good that I want to send you over there to hear it. The song is the title track to the forthcoming second album by Montreal’s Beyond Creation, Earthborn Evolution.

It’s really the kind of music that should be held up as an example of how to use extravagant, technically exceptional performances in the service of an actual song, rather than as ends in themselves. “Earthborn Evolution” is thus a marvel both for the wizardry of the instrumental spellcasting and for the musical flow, dynamics, and memorability of the song as a musical composition.

So even though I know how wrenching it will be for you to leave our humble site, please do go here and listen (but do come back to us if you have any thoughts you’d like to share about the music): Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT, UNEARTH, OCCULTATION, WORMWOOD, 1349, IN DREAD RESPONSE

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  10 Responses »
Sep 102014
 

I’ve fallen behind in completing some reviews (one in particular) that I had planned to post on Monday of this week. Partly, this is the result of how many new music premieres and press releases of interest I’ve found this week. The last 24 hours have been no different. What follows is a sextet of such things.

THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT

One of this site’s favorite bands made this statement yesterday:

“We have some exciting news! To bridge the gap between TETRAGRAMMATON and our forthcoming album we decided to record some tunes from our first album The Apotheosis. This because The Apotheosis is sold out and we simply aren’t in for an ordinary repressing. We will release it as an EP+ some cool rare recordings we collected through the years. The title of the EP will be BLOODCVLTS & DEATHCVLTS.

At the moment we have no idea how and who will release this EP. Maybe it will be on vinyl, maybe on CD or maybe only on Itunes and Spotify. Stay tuned!” Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: VARATHRON, JUCIFER, HATESPHERE, DECEASE

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Sep 092014
 

Here are a few random metal items I spotted yesterday and this morning that I thought were worth sharing.

VARATHON

It’s been a fine year for Greek black metal, and it’s about to get finer with the release of Untrodden Corridors of Hades by Varathron.

Varathron have been a force in the Greek underground scene (and in black metal generally) since the late 80s, but their last album came out in 2009 (Stygian Forces of Scorn), and that was at a point when yours truly hadn’t waded deep enough into black metal waters to become aware of them. I do know of them now, and based on what I’ve heard, this is an album that goes on the “highly anticipated” list.

Also, the album’s cover art is a very fine piece of work by the almighty Mark Riddick — and unlike his usual pen-and-ink work, this one is an acrylic painting. This isn’t the first piece of art Riddick has created for Varathron — but the last one was in 1994! Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: FISTULA, REVENGE, SHEVILS

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Sep 082014
 

I thought I’d pass along a few more recently discovered items before calling it quits for the day. Obviously, I think everything in here is worth your time.

FISTULA

I’m about as peace-loving a soul as you could ever meet, yet much of the music I enjoy is violent. Maybe listening to violent music helps me keep cool most of the rest of the time. But I really don’t listen to violent music for therapeutic purposes — I listen to it because I get off on the power and the energy.

Violence in metal takes many forms. Fistula’s new album Vermin Prolificus (released by To Live A Lie Records) is the kind that just wants to beat you senseless with grotesque sludgy riffs and tear your throat out with raw, shrieking vocal extremity. Continue reading »

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO THIS YEAR — PART 3

 Listmania, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Sep 082014
 

 

(NCS contributor KevinP shares his latest quarterly round-up of albums that he commends to your ears.) 

We’re getting toward the end of the year and the amount of quality releases hasn’t slowed down one bit.  And there are even more to come as well (Wolfheart, At the Gates, Bloodbath to name a few just off the top of my head).  Here’s 5 more albums you should defintely check out.

Majestic Downfall/The Slow Death split

http://chaos-records.bandcamp.com/album/split

Once this is officially released on September 15th, you should be able to hear all 6 songs (3 by each band), but one listen to the Majestic Downfall track, “The Dark Lullaby”, should give you all you need to know.  The Slow Death is no slouch on this by any means.  Very good and competent funeral-esque doom.  So I don’t blather too much, start listening and see my review here [Editor’s intrusion: I don’t know why I’m letting Kevin link to his own review. I’m going to review this split and it’s the only one you’ll need to read.] Continue reading »

VIDEOGRAPHY: DECEPTIC, THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL, EMPTINESS, AND FREE SHIT FROM NAPALM RECORDS

 Exceptions to the Rule, Free Shit, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  10 Responses »
Sep 082014
 

In this round-up to begin our new week here at NCS, I’ve brought you a trio of recommended videos I spied yesterday plus news of a free music sampler from Napalm Records that’s worth checking out.

DECEPTIC

I discovered this first video via a link sent by our friend “deckard cain“. It’s for a song named “Ocean”, which appears on the debut album (The Artifact) by a band from Gothenburg, Sweden, named Deceptic. deckard wrote that the music reminded him of Textures, Scar Symmetry, and Soilwork, and after I heard the jolting song I thought that was a good summing up of stylistic references.

But the video as a whole is really what landed it at the top of this post. It was made by Igor Omodei, and it is truly a feast for the eyes, with both excellent camera work and editing of the band footage and superb animation and visual effects. I had a smile on my face all the way through, and then my eyes really popped wide in the final 30 seconds. Kudos to Mr. Omodei. Continue reading »

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