DIVERSITY: A.M.S.G., DREAMSHADE, MENDEL

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  20 Responses »
May 202013
 

I concede that I may get more excited about metal on a daily basis than most fans because my tastes are perhaps more wide-ranging than average. The diversity of metal is one of its great attractions to me, and so today I’ve gotten excited about the three items in this post that are dramatically different from each other. As the French say, Vive la différence.

This post includes two new songs (one captured on video) and one new video for a song released earlier this year. The bands are A.M.S.G. (Canada), Dreamshade (Switzerland), and Mendel (The Netherlands).

A.M.S.G.

A.M.S.G. (“Ad Majorem Satanae Gloriam”) are a “Holocaustik Canadian Terrorist Black Metal” band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. If you couldn’t guess already, they are not your friend.

The mastermind behind A.S.M.G. is Angelfukk Witchhammer, a member of Gloria Diaboli as well as the now-defunct Rites Of Thy Degringolade and Ouroboros, and the band also includes drummer Kaos Abhorrer. I happened upon them last fall and reviewed (here) their 2010 EP, The Principle Of Evil Becomes The Ideal Of The Promethean, which I liked a lot. Continue reading »

A NEW GORGUTS VIDEO!

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
May 202013
 

When it comes to technical death metal, Gorguts occupies a place in rarified air. It has gone through several iterations divided by long periods of inactivity, with legendary vocalist/guitarist Luc Lemay being the only constant.  The band’s last album, From Wisdom To Hate, was released 12 years ago, but word surfaced about four years ago that Lemay was reviving Gorguts yet again — this time with the line-up filled out by drummer John Longstreth (Dim Mak, Origin, The Red Chord, Skinless, etc., etc.); bassist Colin Marston (Dysrhythmia,  Indricothere, Behold… The Arctopus, Krallice); and guitarist Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia, While Heaven Wept).

And then in February of this year we learned (and reported) that Gorguts have signed with Season of Mist and will be releasing their extremely long-awaited fifth studio album later this year.

And then last night I found a video that had just been posted on YouTube. It’s a performance by the current Gorguts line-up at their only Canadian show in 2012 — the Trois–Rivières Metalfest at the Bâtisse Industrielle venue in Quebec on October 12. The song is “Stiff and Cold”, from the band’s 1991 debut album Considered Dead.

The video was filmed with 6 cameras, and it looks and sounds really good. If you want a taste of what this combined line-up of all-star talent is capable of doing, watch it next. You’ll be glad you did. Continue reading »

IN DREAD RESPONSE

 Free Shit, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
May 192013
 

In Dread Response are an excellent New Zealand metal band that we’ve mentioned a couple times in the past, but not recently — and it’s past time that we checked in with them again. TheMadIsraeli reviewed their debut album From the Oceanic Graves in August 2011 (here). We miserably failed to review their second full-length, Embers In the Spiritless Void, but our NZ blog sister Steph Metal did name that release as one of the 10 best 2011 metal albums from Down Under in a guest feature we published in January 2012. Here’s what Steph had to say about it:

Aggressive death metal with overarching melody and faultless musicianship, In Dread Response have been building a steady following in New Zealand since the release of their debut album in 2008. Songs like “Through Chasms” demonstrate their attention to details – lyrics that weave graven images in your mind, relentless double kick and layers of riffs that create drama and tension, and almost classical solos that deliver exactly what they promise.

Thanks to a tip from NCS supporter Booker, I’m pleased to tell you that as of yesterday In Dread Response made Embers available as a free download in a .zip file that also includes hi-res images of the entire CD album booklet (and it’s a feast for the eyes that includes paintings by the stupendous John Martin). But that’s not all . . . Continue reading »

NOW AVAILABLE: “HEART OF GOLD: A TRIBUTE TO WOODS OF YPRES” (AND A NEW CANOPY RECORDING)

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
May 182013
 

On December 22, 2011, David Gold died in an automobile collision near Barrie, Ontario, at the age of 31. With his death, so died Woods of Ypres — the doom/black metal band that he co-founded and of which he was the sole consistent member over the course of five albums and assorted other releases. But of course the music of Woods lives on in the lives of the band’s passionate fanbase.

As we reported last July, a woman named Steph LeDrew organized a musical tribute to Gold and Woods, recruiting a large number of bands to record covers of Woods songs. Yesterday, the tribute album — Heart of Gold: A Tribute To Woods of Ypres — was finally released and is now available for purchase on Bandcamp as a digital download for $10. At one point the project was soliciting PayPal donations to that gave donors the option of receiving a 2-CD physical version of the album, though the option to buy a physical format doesn’t currently appear on the Bandcamp page.

The album was mastered by Dan Swanö in Sweden and includes cover songs by 19 different bands or band members, including Novembers Doom, Panzerfaust, Amaranth, and members of Woods, Thrawsunblat, and Into Eternity. The full track list and album stream appear later in this post. But I first want to highlight one song in particular, because it was recorded by a long-time favorite of this site — Sweden’s Canopy. Continue reading »

CHILDREN OF GOD, VULGAR TRADE, AND DRUG CHURCH

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
May 172013
 

I’m no social anthropologist, but there still seems to be something of a divide between punk and hardcore, on the one hand, and metal on the other. Decades ago, the divide was like an ocean between them — a storm-tossed ocean marked by outright hostility. I saw that first-hand. As time passed, of course, there’s been a lot of cross-polinization, the lines have blurred, and I don’t sense that the hostility has survived. But I still don’t know many people who are equally avid fans of all three genres.

I’m as guilty as anyone. I listen mainly to metal and only dabble randomly in those other genres; I definitely don’t feel well-educated any more on what’s happening there. But every now and then I’ll come across bands with crossover styles, who lean more toward the punk or hardcore side of things than what I usually listen to, that really get my blood racing. By sheer chance, that happened to me yesterday with three bands . . . and here they are. In order, they move from more metal to less . . .

CHILDREN OF GOD

I have CVLT Nation to thank for this discovery. They recently premiered this Orange County band’s official video for “Unrelenting Storm” off their 2013 debut album We Set Fire To the Sky. The video is really well-executed — a beautifully filmed black-and-white band performance interspersed with images of death and destruction. And as for the song itself, “Unrelenting Storm” is an apt title. It’s kind of a Converge-Meets-Neurosis blend of vitriolic hardcore and groaning sludge, with a segment that’s almost atmospheric and meditative, too. I like it a lot. Continue reading »

COFFINS WILL FILL YOUR VACANT PALE VESSEL

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
May 172013
 

I recently plastered this album cover by Chris Moyen on our site in an EYE-CATCHERS post, for obvious reasons. It’s the cover for The Fleshland, the new album by Japan’s Coffins, which is one I’ve been eagerly anticipating. The album will be released by Relapse Records in NorthAm on July 9 (and can be pre-ordered here).

Yesterday the band premiered a lyric video for a song from the album named “The Vacant Pale Vessel”. I was really thrilled to see that they had named a song for me. I didn’t realize they even knew who I was!

I was even more thrilled when I heard the song. My gawd, it just oozes illness — a festering, suppurating mass of death-doom. It’s rancid and raw, and it compels the head to bang and the bodily fluids to leak in slow congealing flows from every orifice as the organs liquify. And oh my, that guitar solo . . .  and the crushing dirge that follows it  . . . and the horrifying vocals . . . and, just everything. Listen to it after the jump. Continue reading »

MASTERS OF SHRED: ROBERT VIGNA

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
May 172013
 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli begins what may become a continuing series on notable metal guitarists.)

I’ve outright stated and hinted at numerous other times that I’m a guitar player; even though my choice of instrument within the metal realm is pretty standard, that’s just the one that sucked me in.  I’ve always wanted to do a continuing feature on guitarists whose work I felt was extremely noteworthy, whether or not I was a fan of their work on a personal level.  It should be understandable, though, that I’m mostly gonna pick guitarists to write about who I’m into.  I figured that before reviewing Immolation’s new album, I’d start with someone who I believe has remained an anomaly in the death metal circuit: Robert Vigna of Immolation.

I’m pretty sure no one would disagree with me if I made the statement that as a riff writer, Vigna is just fucking weird.  Out of all of the fantastic guitar players of the 90’s death metal giants, Vigna is definitely the mad scientist of the bunch.  While other bands opted to be simply crushing, Immolation opted in the end to be very eerie, in a very earthy way.  Vigna’s guitar work is both a signature, and a vital component, of that sound.  I’ve heard the term “simple technicality” used to describe Gojira, but I would say that if any band best defined this term, it’s Immolation.

Vigna, of course, like so many musical geniuses, evolved from a place rather far removed from what he became known for.  Immolation’s first record was for the most part straight-up, fast-as-fuck, firebrand death metal, with only hints of the signature Immolation trudge-and-groove that would later become their hallmark.  As such, it didn’t leave a lot of room for what would later come to define Vigna’s playing, although Dawn of Possession definitely stood out nonetheless.  It wouldn’t be until the band’s sophomore album, Here in After, released a full FIVE YEARS LATER, that you’d be hearing a completely different band. Continue reading »

HAGGIS AND BONG: “REVELATION OF THE GODS”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
May 162013
 

What a damned fine way to help start the day: Haggis and Bong have released a new video.

I’ve been pimping this South African band since January 2010, when they were just two pipers and a drummer. They’ve filled out since then, adding electrified instruments, turning into a more recognizably metal band. But the Highland bagpipes are still what make Haggis and Bong special. That, and their name.

Their new video is for a track from their latest album, Of Myth and Legend, which can be downloaded from CDBaby (here). The song is called “Revelation of the Gods”. It includes a hard-driving rhythm and two kinds of shred: the skirl of the pipes, of course, and a very cool guitar solo. The video is also really well-done (kudos to director Ross John Warwick and cameraman Theo Crouse). It’s a swirling performance clip, enhanced by shots from Go-Pro-type cameras mounted on the instruments, cool lighting, and some nice visual effects.

Watch it after the jump. That’s an order. Continue reading »

EYE-CATCHERS: WATAIN, FATHER BEFOULED, NOTHNEGAL, AND I KILLED EVERYONE

 Eye-Catchers, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
May 152013
 

I came across some news today involving three bands I like.  Unfortunately, the news involves releases that we can’t yet hear, but at least the news brings album art that’s pleasing to mine eyes. And then I came across one other piece of eye-catching new artwork that introduced me to a new band and a new song that I’m pretty sure fractured my skull . . . as if I needed any more skull fractures. Here’s what I found:

WATAIN

As we previously reported, this Swedish black metal band have a new album named The Wild Hunt coming on August 19 in Europe and August 20 in the US via Century Media Records. Today I learned that they will first be releasing a two-song single, both digitally and in a variety of physical formats, in late June. One song will be an original album track named “All That May Bleed”, and the B-side will be a cover of “Play With the Devil”, originally recorded by the Swedish black/heavy metal band Taiwaz in 1988; Gottfrid Åhman from In Solitude has contributed a guitar solo to that cover track.

Above, you can see the just-disclosed artwork for the single, which is quite cool and was created by the amazing Zbigniew Bielak II, whose work for Ghost we featured at length here. As for the original song, here’s what Watain had to say about “All That May Bleed”:

“‘All that May Bleed’ shows but one facet of a quite diverse album, but we chose this song as a first glimpse into ‘The Wild Hunt’ because of its bombastic lunacy and white-eyed malevolence which could be said to constitute a main foundation for the album. The lyric is an invitation to sacrificial blood letting, ecstatic zealotry and human sacrifice. The salt of Satan in the wounds of Christ!”

Well then, if this is an invitation to sacrificial blood letting, ecstatic zealotry, and human sacrifice, I accept! Continue reading »

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER PREMIERE ANOTHER GENTLE NEW SONG: “RAPED IN HATRED BY VINES OF THORN”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
May 152013
 

Revolver Magazine has just premiered another new song from The Black Dahlia Murder. It will appear on the band’s Everblack album, which is coming on June 11 from Metal Blade. The new song is titled “Raped in Hatred by Vines of Thorn” and was written as “an ode” to one of frontman Trevor Strnad’s favorite horror movies, Evil Dead.

Revolver included the lyrics to the song. As you reflect upon being raped in hatred by vine of thorn, and as you peruse the lyrics, begin trying to imagine the music. I was thinking something along the lines of a lullaby.

Dense dark forest dismal fog a spectral force perverts these woods flight prevails frantic escape the unearthly horrors at each turn they wait wandering roots they creak and move slithering toward what mortal life intrudes terrified eyes opened wide ensnare her flailing limbs to the earth they are tightly tied raped in hatred by vines of thorn by the evil dead to ribbons ripped and torn raped in hatred by vines of thorn pierced from within her child is skewered unborn raped in hatred by vines of thorn twisted in halves in this gruesome tug-of-war raped in hatred by vines of thorn flora possessed suckling the gore untamed kudzu green cocoon inside her flesh their food death prevails gnarled roots entwine syphon the marrows from her splintered spine animate trees shuffle their roots gathering around this late night rendezvous murderous orgy in full bloom her screams they cut the fog this night on sheer terror the seedlings thrive raped in hatred by vines of thorn behold the wrath of the necromicon raped in hatred by vines of thorn lancing her womb the child inside is gorged raped in hatred by vines of thorn broken in two entwined within the growth raped in hatred by vines of thorn necrotized demonic spores you brought this all unto yourselves should not have tampered with this hell opening the book your last mistake these haunted woods shall be thine grave raped in hatred by vines of thorn by the evil dead to ribbons ripped and torn raped in hatred by vines of thorn pierced from within her child is skewered unborn raped in hatred by vines of thorn twisted in halves in this gruesome tug-of-war raped in hatred by vines of thorn flora possessed suckling the gore

Okay, ready for the music? Go past the jump . . . Continue reading »

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