NEW MUSIC: NACHTMYSTIUM, VOMITOR, GALLOWS, AND CUT YOUR TEETH

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Jul 052012
 

In this post I’m collecting new songs (and one video) from four bands that surfaced over the least 48 hours. The musical styles are different, but the new tracks have this in common: they’ll centrifuge that tofu-like substance housed by your skull into a sticky merengue.

NACHTMYSTIUM

Nachtmystium’s new album, Silencing Machine, has been making the rounds among your NCS comrades and has been getting an enthusiastic reception. We will have a review of the album and a Blake Judd interview in the not-too-distant future, or at least within the lifespan of a Galápagos tortoise. Two songs from the album have already premiered — the title track and “Borrowed Hope and Broken Dreams” — and yesterday brought us a third one, courtesy of The Onion’s A.V. Club.

The latest song is “Decimation, Annihilation”. With a name like that, one would expect the song to do some decimation’ and annihilatin’, but it really didn’t sound completely like what I was expecting.

In many ways, this album is evidence that Nachtmystium got most of the weirdness out of their system with the Black Meddle albums and have returned to the more aggressive, more raw, black-metal based slashing of Instinct: Decay. But the rhythms at the beginning and end of this new song are still a curveball — with something closer to black-metal decimation and annihilation layered in the middle. Hear it for yourself, right after the jump. Continue reading »

SHARING IS CARING: WINDFAERER, DEW-SCENTED, LOCRIAN, ROBOTS PULLING LEVERS, AND ACOUSTIC CATTLE DECAP

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jul 032012
 

In this post I’m collecting things I saw and heard yesterday that I thought were worth passing on. As you can see, I’m still trying out titles for these posts. Do you like “Sharing Is Caring”? I think it conveys the kind of love we feel for all of you, and it captures the reason why we do these posts — because we care. In fact, in the immortal words of Faith No More, we care A LOT.

Yeah, you’re right, that title is pretty vomitous. I’ll keep thinking about it. Maybe  I’d be better off lifting the immortal words of Bruce Willis: YIPPI KI YAY, MOTHERFUCKERS! Anyway, in this post I’ve got new songs from Windfaerer (US), Dew-Scented (Germany), Locrian (US), and Robots Pulling Levers (US), plus what has to be a worldwide first: an acoustic version of Cattle Decapitation’s “A Living Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat”.

WINDFAERER

Yesterday I listened to a song from this three-man New Jersey band (guitarist/bassist/vocalist Michael Gonçalves, violinist Benjamin Karas, and drummer JP Andrade) called “A Glimpse of Light”. It’s the second track from the band’s Solar EP, which will be self-released on July 10. It grabbed me right off the bat.

The bolting rhythm took hold of my head quickly and began slamming it up and down, and never did let go. But my head was happy, too, and not just because I got a good headband going. The swirling tremolo guitar melodies and soulful solo’s were as entrancing as the hammering drums and thrumming bass were galvanizing. The caustic vocals added an extra layer of bleeding passion to the mix. And the song has a brutal, bang-up, bass-heavy finish, too. Continue reading »

KORPIKLAANI’S “RAUTA” VIDEO WILL GIVE YOU HAPPY FEET

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Jul 022012
 

Are you like me? Have you ever changed your opinion about a band’s music for the better after seeing them perform live? That’s what I did after seeing Finland’s Korpiklaani on stage. There was a time when I had only a middling regard for their recorded music, and then I saw them in Seattle last year in a tour they headlined with support from Arkona, among others. I became a complete Korpiklaani convert after seeing that show.

Their set was just a complete blast — I could have continued listening to them and watching them ’til dawn. Now that I’ve been infected by their infectious exuberance, I get a big stupid grin on my face just about every time I listen to them, in part because it makes me remember how good they made me feel on that night in Seattle at Studio Seven.

I got one of those stupid grins this morning after watching the band’s new video for “Rauta” (Steel), which will appear on their next album, Manala. Manala will be released via Nuclear Blast on August 3 in Europe and August 14 in North America. Korpiklaani sing their music in Finnish, but the European limited digipak edition of Manala will come with a bonus CD that will include all the songs with the lyrics sung in English.

Anyway, there are actually two versions of the “Rauta” video — one with the song sung in Finnish and one with the English lyrics. It’s a foot-stomping good time in either language, though I prefer the Finnish. These videos follow pretty closely on the heels of two lyric videos (in Finnish and English again) for another song from Manala called “Kunnia” (Honor). It’s a good time, too. I think you would really have to be in an especially sour mood not to tap your foot and smile over these songs.

I’m also delighted to report that Korpiklaani will be touring North America again this fall, with an amazing line-up of support bands: MOONSORROW, TÝR, and METSATÖLL. So, get your hurdy-gurdy on and check out the new videos (in both languages) after the jump, along with the tour schedule. Continue reading »

NEW VIDEOS: BORRACHO AND GOJIRA

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  17 Responses »
Jun 302012
 

To start off the weekend right, I have some top-shelf video entertainment for you, from Borracho and . . . those Gallic dudes we may have mentioned once before around here.

BORRACHO

Yesterday, I spied a video that combined two of my favorite things: an epic metal jam and film footage of Mother Nature at her awe-inspiring best. Yes, I used the word “epic”, and I know that means I’ll have to punish myself in some really hurtful way, but goddammit I just can’t talk about “All In Play” without using that grossly-cliched-and-therefore-forbidden word.

“All In Play” is the name of the song around which Richard Bomgren (a Swedish fan of the band who has done other music video work) constructed this video. It appears on Borracho’s June 2011 debut album, Splitting Sky, which I’ve mentioned before in connection with their last video (for “Concentric Circles”).

The song is a long, slow build, filled with thick, ropey riffs — and I’m talking about the kind of cables they use to tie down big ocean-going freighters, thicker than a fat man’s waist — gut churning bass chords, drums that go off like gun shots, and Noah Greenberg’s gritty vocal squall. It’s a soulful, heavy, head-moving piece that’s my favorite song on a very strong album. Continue reading »

WATCH ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS OF THE YEAR: A FOREST OF STARS — “GATHERER OF THE PURE”

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Jun 292012
 

A Forest of Stars (or more precisely The Gentlemen’s Club of A Forest of Stars) is a 7-person UK band whose music I haven’t previously explored, though their name is wonderful. My ignorance about them vanished rapidly today. They’ve collaborated in the creation of a new music video that’s probably the best one I’ve seen this year. I have a difficult time imagining that it will be surpassed.

The video is for a nearly 10-minute song called “Gatherer of the Pure”, which is drawn from the band’s new concept album A Shadowplay For Yesterdays. The album is scheduled for release on August 13 by Lupus Lounge / Prophecy Productions.

The music is a kind of very eccentric black metal. In keeping with the Victorian garb of the band members and their archaic names (e.g., “Mister Curse”, “The Gentleman”, “Katheryne, Queen of the Ghosts”, “Mr John “The Resurrectionist” Bishop”), the song sounds like history re-imagined — an occult conflation of the old (and odd) and the new.

The music is sometimes symphonically bombastic, sometimes waltzing, sometimes skin-scaping, and much else besides. It tells a story. I don’t know that from the lyrics, much of which I can’t make out, but the mere progression of the music makes that undeniable.

The animated video tells a story, too — a very dark and dramatic one. Visually, it’s stunning — no other word for it. It’s like watching the Indonesian shadow puppet theater called wayang kulit set against a backdrop of Victorian London and seeing it through a 19th-century stereopticon (don’t ask me where I pick up all this trivia). The visuals are so amazing that they almost overshadow the music, though I think that’s because what you see and what you hear mesh so seamlessly. Continue reading »

ROUNDING UP THE RIFF-RAFF (Part 2)

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jun 292012
 

As explained in Part 1 of this feature, I mean no disrespect to any of the bands mentioned herein when I refer to them as riff-raff. I guess I’ve been called a motherfucker so many times by bands during live shows that I’ve become convinced we’re all riff-raff, and surely that’s how the straight world looks at all of us, so why the hell not? Plus, there’s the appeal of alliteration.

This post is a continuation of my earlier report on news, music, and videos I saw over the last 24 hours that I thought were worth sharing. Even after dividing this into two parts, there’s still a shitload of stuff left to pass along. So I will try to be brief with my verbiage (yeah, like that will happen). In this post: Reports of new Season of Mist albums from Rage Nucleaire (featuring Cryptopsy’s Lord Worm) and Khonsu (featuring the Grønbech brothers and Thebon from Keep of Kalessin); Jucifer’s new Bandcamp page; new music videos from Profane Omen and Whitechapel; new songs from A Band of Orcs and Dysrhythmia; and for Mike Patton fans in the audience, a blurb about the revival of Tomahawk.

RAGE NUCLEAIRE

I just saw this, but three days ago Season of Mist announced the signing of a four-piece black metal band called Rage Nucleaire. It got my attention because the band was formed by Lord Worm, former vocalist of Cryptopsy. The band are working on a debut album called Unrelenting Fucking Hatred and they describe the music as a “hate-filled blend of melodic black metal and violent industrial.” Their list of influences range from early Emperor and Immortal to Anaal Nathrakh and Mysticum. The other members are bassist Alvater (ex-Frozen Shadows), guitarist/keyboardist Dark Rage, and drummer Fredrik Widigs.

The band have a new Facebook page here, which will allow me and you to sniff around for more info as it emerges. At the moment, although I’m hungry for some music by this group, I have none to share, nor do I have a release date yet. Continue reading »

ROUNDING UP THE RIFF-RAFF (Part 1): MURDER CONSTRUCT, ASH BORER, IN MOURNING, AND A MASTODON/OPETH/IN FLAMES COLLABORATION?

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  17 Responses »
Jun 292012
 

Yes, I’m still trying out titles for these posts in which I collect metal news, new videos, and new music that I’ve seen recently. I mean no disrespect to any of the bands featured in this post. In my lexicon, “riff-raff” is a compliment, plus I really wanted some alliteration; otherwise I probably would have called this “Rounding Up the Motherfuckers”.

Yesterday I saw and heard a lot of things worth passing on, so I’m dividing this collection into two parts, with the second part to follow a little later this morning. In this Part 1 are observations involving new albums from two excellent bands —Results by Murder Construct and Cold of Ages by Ash Borer — plus a recent live performance by In Mourning caught on film, plus a from-the-horse’s-mouth report on a potential Mastodon collaboration with Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt and In Flames’ Björn Gelotte.

MURDER CONSTRUCT

This band is a super-group of sorts, featuring Cattle Decapitation’s Travis Ryan on vocals, Exhumed/Phobia/Impaled’s Leon del Muerte on guitar and vocals, Intronaut/Uphill Battle’s Danny Walker on drums, Bad Acid Trip’s Caleb Schneider on bass, and Fetus Eaters/Watch Me Burn’s Kevin Fetus also on guitar. The name of their game is death-grind, and I fuckin’ loved their 2010 self-titled debut (described here). Continue reading »

GOJIRALTERNATIVES

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  13 Responses »
Jun 282012
 

(Andy Synn has music recommendations for Gojira fans . . .)

So with this being unofficial Gojira week here at NCS, I thought I’d try and continue the theme a bit, while also branching off in my own direction.

What you’ll find here are five bands, some of whom we’ve covered before, who I think will appeal to a good number of you Gojira fans out there, for a variety of reasons.

Now I’m not trying to say any of them is better than the French eco-behemoths, nor am I trying to replace them in your affections. Instead this column exists for two reasons:

1. I know that Gojira are one of those bands who captivate even the most casual of metal fans. I know several people myself who aren’t obsessive metal-explorers like myself and instead have a much more varied taste in music, but who nevertheless carry a pretty impressive torch for the band. So for these people I wanted to bring some attention to other bands who might suit them, who they might otherwise not have time to investigate for themselves.

2. I also know that many of us (myself included) have a real appreciation for Gojira, but don’t LOVE them unconditionally, as many do. Now while that does make me the perfect (cough…) candidate to critically appraise the band from a pretty objective standpoint – hence why you might find find my reviews a little more critical, in some ways at least, than others – it also makes me feel like I’m missing something. I know exactly how good the band are, and there are songs I do love, even albums, but for some reason the band and I are just not getting to the stage where I can put a ring on it. SO for those like me who “get” Gojira, but don’t “GET” Gojira as much as others, here are a few alternatives that might just fill that empty hole. Continue reading »

BEARING WITNESS TO THE PROWLINGS OF THE BEAST

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Jun 272012
 

These are short notes about things I saw and heard over the last couple of days that I couldn’t make room for in any other post. And yes, I’m trying out yet another title for these posts. I confess that I’m still partial to “Brain Fuckerings! I Haz Thems!”, but the search goes on . . . In this post: Ensiferum, Testament, As I Lay Dying, and Beherit.

ENSIFERUM

I saw the artwork above. It definitely caught my eye, (a) because it’s for Ensiferum’s new album, Unsung Heroes, and (b) because it depicts the wise, godlike Väinämöinen from the Finnish Kalevala epic in gorgeous reddish colors with a forest and a lake and a vaulted sky of stars. Also a sword, a shield, and . . . what the hell is that thing he’s holding?  A harp of some kind perhaps?

Anyway, it’s a damned epic cover, and I expect no less from the music. The album will be released on August 27. As previously mentioned on this site, it’s available for pre-order at Finland’s Record Shop X (here), which ships worldwide.

TESTAMENT

I also heard a new song from Testament’s next release. It’s called “True American Hate”, and it will be on the group’s forthcoming album, Dark Roots of Earth, which is due on July 31 from Nuclear Blast Records. It includes kickass cover art, too. We featured it once before, but one good turn deserves another . . . Continue reading »

DEATH METAL SUNDAE: NECROVATION, MISERATION, AND AMON AMARTH

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  14 Responses »
Jun 262012
 

As an interlude between our second and third Gojira reviews today, I have for you a big old death metal dessert: three big scoops of Swedish sweetness. You’ll have to find your own whipped cream and nuts (yeah, have fun with that line in the Comments), but I got you covered on the core of this three-flavored sundae.

NECROVATION

Of the three Swedish bands featured in this post, Necrovation is the least well known, and certainly a new find for me. I spied them because they have a new self-titled album that Agonia Records released today in Europe (it will be out in North America on August 14). This follows their album debut way back in 2008, which I haven’t heard, though it has the mouth-watering title of Breed Deadness Blood.

I’ve started listening to the new album, and so far it’s very impressive. Today, Agonia put up one of the new tracks for streaming on SoundCloud, and that’s the first big scoop of rich death metal in this dessert. The song is called “Sepulchreal”, and man, is it a trip. It begins with a deceiving instrumental, just a dreamy bit of ambience to get your guard down — and then it begins to rip hell with a blackened torrent of double bass and eviscerating guitar.

But there’s a lot more to come in the song, as it switches both tempo and style and lays out an attention-grabbing guitar solo before ramping up again for a blasting finish. Hope you like “Sepulchreal” as much as I did. It’s right after the jump. Continue reading »

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