NEW MUSIC FROM HAIL OF BULLETS AND VALKYRJA

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Sep 232013
 

This morning brought the premiere of two new songs from two forthcoming albums that we’ve been eagerly awaiting. You can and should hear both of them below.

HAIL OF BULLETS

The new Hail of Bullets album is entitled III: The Rommel Chronicles and it will be released in NorthAm by Metal Blade on October 29 (pre-orders available here). The new song is “DG-7”, and it follows the previous premiere of “Pour Le Mérite” (featured here).

The hammerstrikes of doom . . . the writhing melodies of dank death . . . the rampaging riff-tanks . . . soloing that’s both flame-spitting and soulful . . . the hoarse howls of the incomparable Martin van Drunen . . . it’s all here, and it’s all so damned fine: Dutch death metal devastation comes your way next. Continue reading »

A DEATH METAL SANDWICH: BLOOD MORTIZED, ERYN NON DAE., A SMILE FULL OF ALE, CRYPTOPSY

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Sep 232013
 

Here are a four new (or new-ish) things I saw and heard since the weekend began that I’m really liking. I could keep them to myself, but I believe that goes against the first rule of blogging: Assume that everyone is fascinated by everything that interests you, and therefore keep nothing to yourself.

You can think of this as a death metal sandwich, two slices of rotting death metal bread on the outside and two unusual goodies in the middle.

BLOOD MORTIZED

We’ve been tracking the output of Sweden’s Blood Mortized since the beginning, and now they’re about to follow up their 2012 album The Key To A Black Heart (reviewed here) with a new full-length — The Demon, The Angel, The Disease. Today the band unveiled a music video for a track off the forthcoming album. To sum up:

The Music: Doing it the flesh-crawling bone-smashing old way, and doing it right. OOOF!

The Video: Gore, gore, gore, gore! And more gore! Continue reading »

TEASERS: EYE OF SOLITUDE AND VALDUR

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Sep 222013
 

I was already eager for the new albums headed our way from the two bands featured in this post. I really didn’t need to be teased about them, because I’m impatient enough as it is. But they obviously didn’t get the memo.

EYE OF SOLITUDE

This UK band’s 2012 album, Sui Caedere (“to kill one’s self”) was really excellent. So was The Deceit, a three-song EP they released early this year (reviewed here). Both of them are still available on Bandcamp, and I encourage you to check them out. The new album is entitled Canto III and it will be released by Kaotoxin Records on November 25 in Europe and December 3 in the US.

Seems that it’s going to be a monster — six tracks that are lyrically based on Dante’s Inferno, with a total run-time of over 66 minutes. It appears that the album will also include guest contributions by violinist Casper and vocalist Anton Rosa from the Russian band Dominia. It further appears that the band will be adding some black metal touches to their orchestrally enhanced blend of funereal doom and death.

Yesterday I heard a teaser of music from the album that you’ll have a chance to hear momentarily. It’s titanically heavy and sweeping, but of course it’s way too short. However, brief as it is, it’s a potent reminder of how gargantuan Daniel Neagoe’s vocals are. Check it out: Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: CULT OF ERINYES, LORN, AND NOSFERATU

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHADES OF BLACK  4 Responses »
Sep 212013
 

When I staggered to bed last night I had a few ideas percolating about what I would post today. When I staggered out of bed this morning and started wandering through the interhole those ideas went out the window, and instead what you’re about to hear took their place. By chance I listened to three new songs in a row that really grabbed me. By chance, they’re all shades and phases of black metal, with interesting twists. I wasn’t familiar with any of the bands before listening to these new tracks, and with luck like this I should probably buy a lottery ticket today.

CULT OF ERINYES

This three-person Belgian band have recorded their second album, Blessed Extinction, which will be released in digipak format on October 21, 2013, by the Italian label Code666 Records. They’ve just begun streaming an advance track named “自爆 (Jibaku)”, which I discovered thanks to a Facebook post by Nico at Kaotoxin Records, who’s an acquaintance of mine and a friend of the band.

If the song consisted of nothing but the hurricane of cutting guitars, thundering percussion, and acid vocals with which it begins, I’d be happy enough, because that first phase of the song shoots a megawatt charge straight to the brainstem. But the song holds in store much more than that. Continue reading »

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 »

 Older Entries  Newer Entries