JUMP!

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Feb 182012
 

The roar is down there. Time to stop staring and thinking and just take the fuckin’ plunge. Could be a catastrophic finish after a long fall, or a real rush, but in either case I felt the irresistible pull of the . . . breakdowns.

What am I jumping into?  New music from Point Below Zero, Bermuda, Float Face Down, and Blood of the Broken. Not what we usually cover around here, which is why I stood and stared into the abyss for a while before launching into this swan dive. Kvltists and kvrmvdgeons may want to go back to their knitting (bags made of human skin, of course) rather than taking this plunge. Those who like to get a breakdown fix every now and then, with some decent music surrounding the bass-drop detonations, prepare to get wet.

I listened to one song from each band, and what follows are some reactions.  This is not exactly a MISCELLANY post, because I already knew something about the middle two bands, though I haven’t listened to what they’re doing in a while. But the first and last bands were going to be surprises.  After I heard their music, I decided they would fit with the other two in this post.

POINT BELOW ZERO

I found out about this band through an enthusiastic status by a Facebook friend. I don’t always stop and check out enthusiastic status updates from Facebook friends, but the cover art on this album caught my eye, so I jumped. Continue reading »

SATURDAY START: NEW MUSIC FROM TORTURE KILLER AND BLOOD AND THUNDER

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Feb 182012
 

This was supposed to be the third part of yesterday’s Friday round-up of new music and videos. Unfortunately, your humble editor’s fucking day job decided to interfere with the vastly more important task of keeping the NSC railroad running, and I didn’t finish it. So instead of being Part 3 of the Friday Finish, it’s now the opening salvo of a Saturday Start.

If you haven’t already checked out the music in the first two parts of Friday’s series, here are the links: Part 1; Part 2. In this delayed part, we’ve got tunes from Torture Killer (Finland) and Blood and Thunder (Seattle).

TORTURE KILLER

To date, this band have released three full-length albums, the most recent of which was 2009’s Sewers, on Dynamic Arts Record. That one followed Metal Blade’s release of their second effort, Swarm! (2006). As seems to be common in Finnish metal, all the band members have spent time (or still spend time) in other projects, including Demigod, Hateform, and Archgoat. Nevertheless, the current line-up have been together since the band’s inception in 2002, with the exception of new vocalist Pessi Haltsonen (Retaliatory Measures).

Dynamic Arts is now planning to release a new three-song Torture Killer EP titled I Chose Death. It will include two new tracks plus a cover of Demigod’s “Succumb To Dark” from the Unholy Domain demo tape. The distinctive cover art was created by Mark Riddick. What I’ve heard so far is the title track, which went up for streaming two days ago. Continue reading »

MESHUGGAH DEBUT SECOND SONG FROM “KOLOSS”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  14 Responses »
Feb 172012
 

“Do Not Look Down,” a second track off the upcoming new album KOLOSS by the almighty Meshuggah, is now available for streaming in the Nuclear Blast USA Web Shop.  If you click on any pre-order bundle item, it will take you to the SoundCloud player for the song.

Everyone will undoubtedly be comparing this song to the first one released from KOLOSS — “Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion”. Here’s my reaction: This song brings the funk, Meshuggah-style. The distinctive pneumatics are still present in abundance, but the song dances to a less coldly mechanical beat (not that I have anything against the frigid mechanics of the first song — I like it quite a bit, too). Plus, this song includes a guitar solo that will singe your eyebrows. Scorching vocals, too, but that’s to be expected.

Verdict: big win.

You should definitely go check out the album bundles at that Nuclear Blast shop — and listen to this song. For posterity, I’m leaving the SoundCloud player after the jump for the day when Nuclear Blast allows the embed to work on other sites. I believe this direct link will work, too:

http://soundcloud.com/nuclearblastrecords/meshuggah-do-not-look-down/s-hlFcg

Continue reading »

THE FRIDAY FINISH (Part 2): BRAND NEW CEREBRAL BORE SONG!

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  21 Responses »
Feb 172012
 

I’m not claiming that we were the first metal blog to climb up on the Cerebral Bore bandwagon before it was a bandwagon, but we were pretty fucking early. Thanks to a hot tip from our buddy Phro, we published a lengthy feature about them back in November 2010, when certain people were still doubting whether Som Pluijmers really recorded the vocals on the band’s Maniacal Miscreation album.

In that first post about the band (the first of many), we included a video from another early Cerebral Bore adopter — Amsterdam’s THE INFIDEL (Ed Veter) — as proof that Som really did record the vocals. All those early suspicions have of course fully evaporated by now, and Som has become known far and wide, helping to rocket Cerebral Bore to international popularity (at least in certain carnivorous circles).

THE INFIDEL remains an ardent supporter, and today he was given the privilege of debuting a brand new Cerebral Bore song — “Horrendous Acts of Iniquity”. It went up on the Tube of You about a half hour ago, and it will be available for download from iTunes beginning on Monday. Check it out after the jump. Oh, the grindy slamming blistering blowtorch death metal brutality! Oh, the gurgling gutturality of the Som! Get some!

(Thanks to NCS reader Utmu for tipping me that this song debut was coming and how to find it.) Continue reading »

THE FRIDAY FINISH (Part 1): NEW VIDEOS FROM ASPHYX, THE INIQUITY DESCENT, AND SOULFLY

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Feb 172012
 

Except for those of you who must man your posts over the weekend, this work week is winding down — but the metal is winding up. So much worthy new music and so many watchable new videos have surfaced over the last day or two that I’m breaking this round-up into pieces, much as the music will break pieces off of you.

In this first post I’m including three new videos. Two of them are songs that I’ve already added to the new 2012 “master list” of candidates for the year’s most infectious extreme metal songs. (Yes, although long-term planning isn’t your humble editor’s strong suit, I’m making an effort to keep track of these things as the year goes along instead of frantically searching my memory at the end of the year.)

The third one I haven’t quite made up my mind about yet. As much as anything, I’m including it because it’s newsworthy. Here we go:

ASPHYX

In the hellish pantheon of death-doom progenitors, this Dutch band sits on a throne. Dormant after almost a decade, they came roaring back with 2009’s Death . . . The Brutal Way. The follow-up, Deathhammer, will be released via Century Media on February 27, 2012, in Europe and on February 28, 2012, in North America. Undeserving fuck that I am, I’ve heard Deathhammer, and it’s even better. Continue reading »

NEWS FLASH: AUTOPSY RELEASES NEW VIDEO AND FREE SONG DOWNLOAD

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Feb 152012
 

Trust the sensei’s to show all the young grasshoppers how it’s done.

Autopsy have today released an official music video for the title track from their new album, All Tomorrow’s Funerals, which Peaceville Records will drop on February 28. The album is a 22-track collection of re-mastered songs from all of their previous EPs, plus four new songs (of which the title track is one).

The band teamed up with Blood-Disgusting.com to premiere the video, which is streaming online at:

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/music/2575.

Generously, however, the video was made embeddable, so we’ve got it here, too. It’s essentially nothing more than the band playing the song on a stage, intercut with slo-mo film of the band members stalking through a decrepit building. But for me, nothing more is really needed. I’m quite happy just watching these legends prove they haven’t lost a step.

It’s a great song, too. The first part is a high-energy, thrash-punk take on old-school death-gore, fired up with some chaotic guitar solo’s, but this is Autopsy, and so you wait for it . . . and it comes: The racing ghoul first drops to its knees, and then collapses on all fours, and then begins to craaaaawl. Oh, the glorious filth!

Watch it after the jump, and get the link for a free download of the track. Continue reading »

NEW GOROD: “BIRDS OF SULPHUR”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  15 Responses »
Feb 152012
 

A Perfect Absolution, the new album from that French band of wizards known as Gorod is one of our most highly anticipated 2012 releases. Unfortunately, it won’t be released in our corner of the globe until March 12 (it’s available for pre-order at Listenable Records web shop here). Judging solely from the stupendous album cover by Yohann “HAÄSH” Huhner, you have to expect it will be . . . pulse-quickening.

But there’s further evidence that this album will be one of 2012’s best offerings. Listenable Records have just started streaming the first song from the album on their YouTube channel. It’s called “Birds of Sulphur”, a title that links up quite nicely with the eye-catching cover art. And man oh man, is it a helluva good song! Simply put, this is tech metal done right.

Not only is it fast, jolting, and jaw-dropping in its instrumental virtuosity, not only does it include voracious vocals and an attack-and-destroy sensibility, it’s also a head-spinning trip through an inventive musical landscape — and I emphasize the word musical.

Listen after the jump — and I’m warning you: the first person who uses the phrase “mindless wankery” in the Comments, I’m coming for you with a meat cleaver. Continue reading »

CATCHING UP WITH DEMONIC RESURRECTION AND SATYROS, AND SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE EVOLVING BUSINESS OF METAL

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  13 Responses »
Feb 152012
 

Demonic Resurrection (India) and Satyros (Germany) are two bands we’ve been following for a while at NCS, and they both have some recent news I thought was worth sharing, in part because they’re further examples of how the business of metal is changing.

DEMONIC RESURRECTION

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that DR is currently India’s best-known and most popular extreme metal band. They’re been riding a wave of deserved recognition that has been surging since the release of their third album, The Return To Darkness, in 2010.

On February 8, the band announced their goal of making a self-financed music video and soliciting financial help from fans. Other bands have been using the Kickstarter or Pledge Music web sites as vehicles for raising money for projects such as videos, the recording of new albums, transferring releases to vinyl, and even buying vehicles to make touring possible. Those sites weren’t ideal for India-based DR because they collect funds in dollars and require payment by credit cards (which many DR fans don’t have). So, DR partnered with a local music webzine called India Music Revolution to run the project.

They set a goal of raising 100,000 Indian rupees (about $2,000), and offered various reward packages depending on the level of commitment. Just a little more than 48 hours later — 48 hours — DR announced that they had met their funding goal. That speaks pretty loudly about the dedication and support of DR fans. But people can still donate to the project, and DR is now offering further inducements to keep the pledges coming in. Continue reading »

PARADISE LOST, NOW AND THEN

 Exceptions to the Rule, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Feb 142012
 

Huh, it still seems to be Valentine’s Day. And I found someone else who loves you, even if no one else does (besides your friends at NCS, of course, because we love all of you). The someone else is Paradise Lost. I discovered that they love you last night (thank you DemiGodRaven), and meant to tell you about it earlier today, and . . . just fucked up.  What a shock.

Here’s how much they love you: They and their label (Century Media) are giving away a song from their next release (their 13th studio album), Tragic Idol. The song is called “Crucify”, and you can listen to it after the jump and get the download link if you like it — but the free download is only for today.

I may have listened to Paradise Lost once long ago, but if I did, I’ve forgotten. I became interested more recently because of all the coverage we gave the UK death-doom band Vallenfyre last year. Vallenfyre was started by Greg Mackintosh, who is a key member of Paradise Lost. I liked the Vallenfyre album so much that I decided to give Paradise Lost a chance, even though I knew their music wouldn’t be my standard fare.

If you’re unfamiliar with the band, their music is melodic doom, with mainly clean singing. Much of it is slow. Of course, much of it is atmospherically bleak. But much of it is also beautiful, and it achieves that without sacrificing heaviness. Continue reading »

NEW MESHUGGAH SONG, WHICH YOU’VE ALREADY HEARD, BUT WITH VIDEO BELLS AND WHISTLES

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
Feb 132012
 

Last Thursday we broke the news about the apparently intentional leak of the first song from Meshuggah’s forthcoming album Koloss. That’s right, WE broke the news, along with 80% of all metal blogs in existence, 50% of all Facebook pages, and the e-mails you got from your grandmother.

Well, guess what, today we have an O-FFI-CI-AL release of the same song, this time with its proper name — “Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion” — instead of “iamaleak”. It’s available for streaming on Meshuggah’s Facebook bandpage. BUT, the band have ALSO released an official lyric video.

The opening frames of the video explain the title of the song: It’s an excerpt from a quote by philosopher, physician, organist, and 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer: “Revenge… is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return upon him with a greater violence, and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion.”

The more I listen to this song, the more I like it. It’s so dark and cold, and so very heavy. “This is the soundtrack to our hostility . . . .” Watch the video after the jump. Continue reading »

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