SEEN AND HEARD: CULT OF FIRE, CLERIC, HOT GRAVES, AND GEHENNA

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Sep 202013
 

Here’s the second part of my effort to collect worthwhile new music discovered over the last 24 hours. You can find Part 1 via this link. All the music in this Part is different, but all of it is just fuckin’ evil.

CULT OF FIRE

In May I gave a laborious description of how I had found the Czech black metal band Cult of Fire. It started with a shirt. It ended with a track from the band’s 2012 debut album Triumvirát that was included on a free comp from Demonhood Productions. As reported in that earlier post, Cult of Fire are now signed to the German label Iron Bonehead for release of their next album (which should be coming in 2013). Yesterday, I found a stream of the first advance track from the album.

I’m unable to write or pronounce the name of the album or the song, but I can show you what they look like: The song is “मृत्यु का वीभत्स नृत्य” and the album’s name is “मृत्यु का तापसी अनुध्यान”.

I took a chance and put those titles into Google Translate and, lo and behold, it turns out the language is Hindi. The song title translates to “ghastly dance of death” but Google Translate failed me when it came to the album name. I did find this statement about the album by the band: “It’s a homage to the Goddess Kali, the Aghoris, the funeral rites in India and its close surroundings.” Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: KATAKLYSM, SHEVILS, ZOMBIE INC.

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Sep 202013
 

I found a lot of new music and videos over the last 24 hours that I’d like to throw your way, like a tray of Molotov cocktails with the fuses lit. Really, too many to shoehorn into one “Seen and Heard” post, so we’ll have two. This is the first. As usual, I’ve tried to make up the musical styles so you don’t get too comfortable.

KATAKLYSM

I think it’s safe to say that Kataklysm are back with a vengeance. Two songs from their new album have been released for listening so far, and both of them have reinvigorated my interest in this veteran band. The second one, “Like Animals”, began streaming yesterday and it is indeed a huge, fanged groove monster, the kind of song that compels movement from the top of your pointy heads all the way down to your misshapen feet, while landing some stout blows to your kidneys along the way. Merciless.

If you happened to miss the first song, “Kill the Elite”, you can catch that after the jump, too. Waiting For the End To Come will be released in North America on October 29 and on slightly earlier dates in the UK and Europe, via Nuclear Blast. Continue reading »

KARYBDIS: “CONSTELLATIONS”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Sep 192013
 

This is turning into a very nice week for fans of technically exuberant, blast-strength death metal. Yesterday we had the pleasure of premiering a new song by Rivers of Nihil and today we discovered that London-based Karybdis have also debuted a new single. The new track is named “Constellations”, and man, does it fly. It jabs and jumps and spins like a whirlwind, too.

The music is in constant motion, switching tempos and switching moods at will. It delivers a flurry of prize-fighter punches as well as a dreamy instrumental interlude . . . and there’s what sounds like a string quartet letting you down easy in the outro. And did I mention the bass drops? I did mention the technical exuberance, and there’s plenty of that in “Constellations” as well.

The drums, strings, and vocals were produced and recorded by Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood and John Walker at Moles Studio, and the guitars and bass were produced and recorded by Karybdis. The whole thing sounds might nice. But wait! There’s more! Continue reading »

LISTEN TO INSOMNIUM’S NEW SONG. IT’S “EPHEMERAL”.

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Sep 192013
 

Today Finland’s mighty Insomnium have premiered a new song named “Ephemeral” via a lyric video. The song will eventually appear on the band’s next album, which is projected for release in 2014 by Century Media. The song includes, for the first time, the contributions of new guitarist Markus Vanhala (also in Omnium Gatherum), who replaced Ville Vänni in 2011.

The single will be released digitally on September 23 in Europe and will include, as bonuses, three acoustic tracks that appeared in the background of the latest Insomnium documentary DVD.

“Ephemeral” is recognizably Insomnium, though it’s more fast-paced and less melancholy in its tone than what might be thought of as the band’s classic sound. Yet the song is powerful, memorable, inspirational, and the lyrics are far more eloquent than most metal songs offer. Listen next: Continue reading »

RECALCITRANT ROUND-UP: UNHUMAN, NEKROGOBLIKON, ANAGNORISIS

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Sep 192013
 

(NCS contributor Austin Weber steps up, but not on my toes, to provide this round-up of new metal.)

Normally these songs and album news round-ups are all Islander, and I would dare not step on his toes lest he cut mine off. However, I had a few things to discuss, and he was busy so here are a few bands to check out.

UNHUMAN

The first item on today’s agenda is Unhuman, a name many do not know yet, but should. They are a supergroup from Canada, with a high degree of quality metal pedigree in their insane line-up.

Which really starts with the sole remaining founding member Youri Raymond (Secret Chiefs 3, Cryptopsy), who brings some punishing and varied vocals to the mix while also composing on guitar. He is joined by Kevin Chartré, the badass guitarist from Beyond Creation and the also excellent Brought By Pain. Following those two is Mathieu Bérubé on 7-string bass; he is also the guitarist in Teramobil, a group I wrote about earlier this year here at NoCleanSinging. Rounding out the line up is the excellent mechanical precision drumming of Alexandre Dupras who also is in Teramobil and also drums for The Plasma Rifle. Together, “Chaotic Equilibrium” shows the totality of what such an incredibly skilled and creative line up can achieve.

“Chaotic Equilibrium” traverses a diverse melding of melodic and aggressive ideas fighting back and forth trying to reach resolution, much as the title would suggest. As much as I hate most metal lyrics, this song is the exception to that rule. The lyrics are intriguing, a sort of positive philosophical musing with a powerful message I can get behind. If you go to YouTube from the link they can be found in the “show more” section. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ENDSTILLE, CREMATORIA, A SOLSTORM-KIM HOLM “DUET”, SINCARNATE, AND AN ASHENCULT/MEPHORASH UPDATE

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Sep 182013
 

Collected here are a large handful of items of interest that I came across today and yesterday while crawling through the underground. The last four items consist of pairings that work. You’ll see what I mean.

ENDSTILLE

German black metal band Endstille, they take no prisoners. They have a new album named Kapitulation 2013 that Season of Mist plans to release in NorthAm on November 12 (November 8 worldwide). I remembered their name somewhat fearfully from the last album, which is now on Bandcamp, so I was interested to hear the new song that debuted today — “The Refined Nation”.

I find it very difficult to be very refined in writing about music like this. In my case, the capacity for careful dissection and articulate analysis go up in a mushroom cloud of obliteration, and Endstille don’t strike me as a band who care terribly much about refined criticism anyway. The song is a black metal detonation that fills the air with shrapnel and the screams of the dismembered (or that may be Endstille’s vocalist, it’s hard to be sure). Continue reading »

WATCH KVELERTAK’S NEW VIDEO FOR “EVIG VANDRAR”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Sep 182013
 

About two weeks ago Norway’s Kvelertak uploaded a teaser for a new music video for the song “Evig Vandrar” (“Eternal Wanderer”) from their latest album, Meir.  I usually don’t bother posting about snippets of anything because I usually find more than enough complete songs and videos to write about every day. But this one looked so cool that I made an exception.

A few minutes ago, the entire video premiered. And guess what? It’s really fuckin’ cool!

The sci-fi themed animation is a feast for the eyes, and a bit of a puzzler for the mind at first. And it goes without saying (so of course I’ll say it) that the song rucks hard. Watch and listen next.  Continue reading »

INQUISITION AND YOB

 Exceptions to the Rule, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Sep 172013
 

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to make headway in listening to entire new EPs and albums when one is continually being distracted by the premiere of individual songs, especially when so many are so good. And that’s been the way the last several days have gone. So here’s one more round-up, though I’m limiting this one to two songs.

INQUISITION

As previously reported, Season of Mist will be releasing the next album by Inquisition — Obscure Verses for the Multiverse — on October 29 in North America and October 25 elsewhere. In our last post about these developments, we included a collection of excerpts from all the songs on the album, but today brought the premiere of one complete track — “Darkness Flows Towards Unseen Horizons”.

There are good reasons why this duo are so highly regarded by lovers of extreme music, and this song proves the case again. It unleashes a flood of mounting intensity, yet couples the storm front of razored riffing and attacking percussion with ringing melodic chords and twisted soloing that provide the magnet for repeat listens. I still prefer the vocal roars to the cracked croaking, both of which are in evidence on this song, but this really is a thoroughly compelling song. Listen via the lyric video that comes next. Continue reading »

A NEW SKELETONWITCH SONG AND VIDEO: “I AM OF DEATH (HELL HAS ARRIVED)”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Sep 172013
 

Skeletonwitch has just premiered a new song and video, and if you like what you hear, you can get the song immediately.

If you hadn’t heard yet, Skeletonwitch have a new album on the way. Entitled Serpents Unleashed, it was recorded earlier this year at GodCity Studio with Kurt Ballou (Converge, Trap Them, High on Fire) and it’s due for release in North America on October 29 (October 28 EU/UK, October 25 Germany). It features delicious cover artwork by John Baizley (Baroness, Kylesa, Kvelertak), who last created album art for the Witch on 2007’s Beyond The Permafrost.

We previously featured the first advance track from the album, “Burned From Bone”, and the new one is called “I Am Of Death (Hell Has Arrived)”. Black thrashing mayhem anyone? With a sing-along chorus? And a little open heart surgery in the forest? You got it. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: DIABOLICAL, VALKYRJA, SARKOM, THE BODY

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHADES OF BLACK  7 Responses »
Sep 172013
 

Continuing a round-up that I began yesterday, here are new songs, new videos, and an enticing piece of news that caught my eyes and ears since the last weekend began. They share a certain . . . darkness . . . at their core.

DIABOLICAL

I’ve been waiting with bated breath for Diabolical’s new album Neogenesis since hearing a collection of pre-production excerpts released during the summer of 2012 (featured here). I say that without knowing precisely what bated breath means, but I presume it smells better than baited breath. In any event, Neogenesis is finally on the verge of release (the official date is September 27), and to build anticipation Diabolical have released a music video for a track named “Metamorphosis”.

The song is a wave front of blasting, blackened, death metal. In its most powerfully storming moments, it reminds me of those Polish masters Behemoth and Hate. It has an infernally imperial aura, and the production underscores its crushing might. The video is also very well done, though be aware that it includes nudity (not presented salaciously, I might add). I’m really looking forward to hearing all of Neogenesis. Continue reading »

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