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 »

CHIMAIRA RELEASE A NEW SINGLE: “ALL THAT’S LEFT IS BLOOD”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
May 152013
 

Chimaira have had their ups and downs over the years, but at their strongest they’ve made some powerful, compelling music, and I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing a couple of their live shows that were an absolute blast. In recent weeks they’ve grabbed press attention with a successful indiegogo campaign to finance a special fan edition (a combined CD/DVD) of their next album, Crown of Phantoms, which will be released by eOne on July 30; they exceeded their $30,000 goal in less than two weeks. And now they’ve started streaming a new single and video.

The song is called “All That’s Left Is Blood” and it will appear on Crown of Phantoms. Like much of what Chimaira have done in the past, it’s a genre-bender. It incorporates elements of hardcore and melodic death metal, with hammering riffs, thundering breakdown moments, and a flashy guitar solo by new guitarist Emil Werstler (Daath, Levi/Werstler).

And speaking of new members, the band has basically been reinvented since their last album in 2011, with Mark Hunter recruiting an entirely new line-up. The current membership of Chimaira is: Mark Hunter (vocals), Emil Werstler (guitar), Austin D’Amond (drums), Matt Szlachta (guitar), Jeremy Creamer (bass), Sean Zatorsky (keyboards).

Check out the new song next . . . . Continue reading »

ABBEY OV THELEMA

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
May 152013
 

As occult band names go, Abbey ov Thelema is a good one. I didn’t immediately recognize the reference, but when I began to do a bit of research about this band, I quickly came across an article at The Font of All Human Knowledge which explained as follows:

The Abbey of Thelema refers to a small house which was used as a temple and spiritual centre founded by Aleister Crowley and Leah Hirsig in Cefalù, Sicily in 1920. The name was borrowed from François Rabelais’s satire Gargantua and Pantagruel, where an Abbaye de Thélème is described as a sort of “anti-monastery” where the lives of the inhabitants were “spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to their own free will and pleasure.”

Based on what I’ve heard from the band so far, the name is appropriate as well as kvlt: the songs are eclectic musical manifestations of the mantra “Do what thou wilt”. In two words, it’s utterly wild.

In its current incarnation, the band itself is the brainchild of Delgrast, a Slovakian musician who handles vocals, synths, and programming. He and Polish guitarist Quadrun have recorded the most recent Abbey ov Thelema album, Liber DCLXVI, a conceptual work of almost 80 minutes concerning the Apocalypse of John, with lyrics entirely in Latin. It’s now planned for release via Wraith Productions, and two songs from the album have surfaced to date. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: PATHOLOGY, FIRST REIGN, CHALICE OF DOOM, AND ENSHINE

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
May 152013
 

Here are a few new things I came across since our last post from yesterday that got me excited.

PATHOLOGY

The first item is at the top of this post. It’s another creation of the masterful Par Olofsson, the cover for the next album by San Diego’s Pathology. Yesterday the band announced that the album will be entitled Lords of Rephaim and will be released on September 3 by Sevared Records (the band having completed their three-album commitment as the fish out of water at Victory Records). Based on previous reports, this new album will feature the return of singer Matti Way and original guitarist Tim Tiszczenko. I’m ready.

http://www.pathologymusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PathologyMusic

Next, get a load of this new cover art: Continue reading »

DEEDS OF FLESH: “AMIDST THE RUINS”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  10 Responses »
May 142013
 

I thought we were finished posting for the day, and then I got a message from TheMadIsraeli that Deeds of Flesh had premiered a new track from their long-awaited eighth album, Portals To Canaan.

The song is “Amidst the Ruins”. It’s utterly fascinating. It scrambles the mind quite thoroughly, and in my case, left me gap-mouthed in a silly smile.

The technical acrobatics are top-shelf, of course, but the song is also cleverly constructed in a way that ties together the flurry of notes, the bullet-spitting percussion, and the big-barking-dog vocals. Threaded through all the impressive instrumental work and the unstable rhythms are magnetic little melodies and repeating motifs that begin to seem like old friends after a few listens.

But what really widened my grin are the few bars of warm guitar melody with which the song opens and closes. Brilliant.

Do listen right after the jump. The album is due on June 25 from Unique Leader.

Continue reading »

VIDEO ROUND-UP: BLOOD RED THRONE, REPTILIAN DEATH, INTERNAL BLEEDING, AND WREKMEISTER HARMONIES

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
May 142013
 

I already posted one kind of round-up this morning, one that involved sending you away to other sites to hear new songs that are exclusively streaming elsewhere. But the last 24 hours were so chock full of new musical discoveries that I need to add a second round-up. In this one, however, I can give you the music to hear and the videos to watch at our very own humble site.

BLOOD RED THRONE

And the first offering comes your way from the icy fastness of southern Norway where Blood Red Throne sit on their blood red throne. As previously reported, this band are celebrating the 15th year of their existence with a new, self-titled album in a special edition LP box set that’s been up for pre-sale on Blood Red Throne’s Bandcamp page (here) since March. It will be released by Sevared Records on May 21. It features that sweet cover art by Rafael Tavares that’s staring at you above.

Today, the band premiered a music video for one of the new songs, which bears the wonderfully descriptive title of “Primitive Killing Machine”. It’s a merciless meat-grinder of a song, but as your head is pulled down into the teeth of the machine, it will be ringing with an exotic melody and banging happily away as it’s being pulverised and pulped. Nasty video, too. Continue reading »

SENDING YOU AWAY: MAN’S GIN, SIGHT OF EMPTINESS, ELDKRAFT, AND KATECHON

 Exceptions to the Rule, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
May 142013
 

We like having you around here, but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave. That’s because a quartet of new songs debuted yesterday that I’m recommending to you, but you’ll have to go elsewhere to check them out. They’re exclusively streaming at other sites, so I can’t embed them here. Actually, I could, because no page code is safe from me, but I’m being atypically respectful.

MAN’S GIN

Man’s Gin is the brainchild of New York-based Erik Wunder, who is also one-half of another band I like a lot — Cobalt. He’s joined in Man’s Gin by New Yorkers Scott Edward and Josh Lozano. I thought Man’s Gin’s debut album Smiling Dogs (2010) was fascinating, and it seems the same will be true of the second one, Rebellion Hymns. It’s scheduled for release by Profound Lore on June 25. The new song that premiered yesterday is “Deer Head & The Rain”.

This song isn’t our usual fare. The vocals are more clean than unclean and the music is more folk than metal, though it’s not exactly folk music either. There’s a disturbing undercurrent in the music, and from the acoustic-guitar-and-hand-drum intro straight through to the discordant electrified finish, it’s been relentlessly tunneling through my head since yesterday. Continue reading »

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