SUNDAY SINGLES: THE 11TH HOUR, SEAR BLISS, AND MORDAX

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Jan 082012
 

The last couple of days brought new singles from three bands that made an impression on my ear holes, so I’m collecting them here for your ear holes.

THE 11TH HOUR

I’m new to this band, but warming up to them quickly. The 11th Hour began as a Dutch/Swedish doom-metal collaboration between two dudes who were better known for their work in death metal: Ed Warby, the drummer for Gorefest, Hail of Bullets, and Ayreon/Star One, and Rogga Johansson, the man behind bands such as Paganizer, Ribspreader, The Grotesquery, and Demiurg (another Johansson/Warby collaboration). Their 2009 debut album, Burden of Grief, was a concept album about the last days of a man dying from a lung disease.

The 11th Hour now have a second album due for release by Napalm Records on January 27 (February 7 in the U.S.). It’s called Lacrima Mortis. As with Burden of Grief, Ed Warby played all the instruments on the recording and also provided the soaring clean vocals. Unfortunately, Rogga Johansson had to pull out of the recording work on this album due to a prolonged illness, but the band’s live vocalist Pim Blankenstein stepped in. Rogga is a tough act to replace, but based on what I’ve heard of the album so far, Blankenstein’s roars are fucking bottomless.

A day or two ago, Napalm released a single from Lacrima Mortis called “Bury Me”, and even better, they’ve made it available for free download at this location. It’s a fucken great song (and an Exception to the Rule around here, because it’s a mix of clean and un-clean vocals). Have a listen right after the jump (and thanks to KevinP for the tip on this one). Continue reading »

PRESENTS

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jan 082012
 

One of our Canadian readers, Ben, periodically sends me presents. I’ve shared some of these with you in the past. I got two more from him yesterday “from the filthy bowels of the internet.” Once again, these are too cool to keep to myself.

The first is a Pingu. I didn’t know what a Pingu was. Now I know. Pingu was a British-Swiss stop-motion claymated television series created by Otmar Gutmann. The show was about a family of anthropomorphic penguins at the South Pole. The series ran from 1986 to 1998, and then again from 2004 to 2005. But Pingu is not dead. A dude named Lee Hardcastle continues to make Pingu’s for his YouTube channel.

Last week, Hardcastle uploaded a Pingu re-make of John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece, The Thing. This was Ben’s first present to me yesterday. If you’re a fan of that movie, as I am, it’s a blast to watch, because Hardcastle succeeds in boiling down the plot of the movie into about two minutes, and the claymation effects he uses are ingenious. It won’t mean nearly as much if you’re not familiar with The Thing, but you might still like it.

And speaking of The Thing, there was a “prequel” movie that came out late last year (also called The Thing) telling the story of what happened at the Norwegian base in Antarctica leading up to the events that began the Carpenter movie. Did anyone see that prequel? Is it any good? As for the second present . . . Continue reading »

SHINING: THE “FISHEYE” VIDEO

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  10 Responses »
Jan 072012
 

I’ve been waiting for this for weeks, ever since Norway’s Shining began dribbling out the news that it was coming. It’s the band’s official video for the song “Fisheye” off their remarkable 2010 album, Blackjazz, and it just appeared.

“Blackjazz is wild in every sense of the word – feral, uninhibited, unpredictable, deranged, vicious. Ah, hell, wild is too tame an adjective — it’s just bug-eyed, batshit crazy. Not headbanging music. Not music you can have on background as you do something else. If you’re going to listen, that’s what you’ve got to do — listen with single-minded focus.” That’s what I wrote in a February 2010 review. I still pretty much feel that way, except I’ve decided there are parts of “Fisheye” that you can headbang to.

But mainly, it’s wild. It thunders, it squeals, it hammers, it howls. It’s creepy and it’s exhilarating. I was really curious whether Shining could put together a music video that would mesh with the aura of the music. Well, they did. Or rather, director Kyrre H. Larsen did. From the lighting, to the color scheme, to the editing, to the flashes of grotesque masks, the video provides fitting visual accompaniment to the music. Watch it after the jump. Continue reading »

NEW NAPALM DEATH: “FUCK ME WITH A BUZZ SAW”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jan 062012
 

At the moment, I’m not able to stream the new Napalm Death song that just premiered. I’m currently moving stealthily among the many secret locations I use to avoid detection by paparazzi who are hoping for something like a candid shot of me sunbathing in a thong.

Actually, I’m just commuting right now and my internet connection is too slow for streaming. I have more sympathy for the tender sensibilities of the human race than to be caught dead in a thong. Plus, it seems like it would impair my already impaired ability to concentrate to have a line of fabric up my butt crack. I’m afraid the next time the cops pull me over and ask if I know how fast I was going, I’d blurt out: “Fuck no! All I can think about is what’s trying to cut through my butt crack like razor wire!” I don’t know how chicks do it, wearing thongs, not that I’m complaining about that, mind you.

Where was I?  Oh yeah — there’s a new Napalm Death song streaming from their next album, Utilitarian, which will be released on February 27 in Europe and February 28 in North America via Century Media Records. I can’t stream it right now, but when I got an e-mail from TheMadIsraeli alerting me to the stream, he added this pithy message: “All I can say is fuck me with a buzz saw.” That seemed like a positive review, so I’m posting this alert.

The song isn’t called “Fuck Me With A Buzz Saw”. It’s called “Leper Colony”, and it premiered earlier today at Brooklyn Vegan. So go over there and give it a listen, and then please come back here and let me know if it fucked you like a buzz saw. Thank you in advance.

DYSCARNATE: “THE PROMETHEAN”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Jan 062012
 

I’m sure that eye-catching cover art up there looks familiar to you — less than a month ago I splashed it across this site in a post that featured the first single from this UK band’s forthcoming album, And So It Came To Pass, which will be released on Feb 27 by Siege of Amida Records. Well, now Dyscarnate have not only premiered a second track from the album, they’ve also given us an official music video to go with it.

The new song is called “The Promethean”, and it’s a killer explosion of technically oriented, groove-heavy death metal, with great vocals, jolting rhythms, galvanizing guitar work — and even a breakdown that works.

By the way, I’ve now got this album in my greedy clutches, and I’m very fucking sold on Dyscarnate. Whenever I can kick my ass into higher gear, there will be a review . . . But for now, headbang to “The Promethean” video after the jump. Continue reading »

A TOP 5 LIST FROM MIKA ANDRE

 Listmania, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Jan 062012
 

We first made the acquaintance of Mickael André in the early days of this blog when we developed a fascination for the French metal band of which he is the bassist — Eryn Non Dae.. I counted, and we’ve posted about them seven times since 2010, most recently here. The band’s own description of their music is one I would endorse: “Complex and brutal structures, black and apocalyptic moods, an obscure music where dissonant compositions carry an in-your-face, aggressive vocal style… A trip into the depths of the soul.”

I asked Mika if he would share with us a list of the metal he enjoyed most during 2011, and he responded with a list, which I’ll come to eventually. But this post also gives me an excuse to feature music from the many projects in which Mika is involved. Eryn Non Dae. is only one of those projects, though it’s Mika’s main one. The latest news from END. is very sweet news indeed — they are now beginning to record their second album. Their 2009 Metal Blade release, Hydra Lernaïa, was a remarkable debut, and I’m really curious to hear what the band will come up with next.

But END. is not Mika André’s only musical project. He’s also the guitarist for an instrumental band called Nojia (that’s their photo at the top of this post), who recently released a fascinating debut album called Solarchitect. (available here).

The album starts with a 6-minute overture and then proceeds through four long songs, ranging from 11 to 18 minutes in duration. It was recorded live, with all the musicians performing together in the studio — and when you hear the range and complexity of the music, you’ll appreciate even more what that means. I’ve embedded a music player later in this post that will stream the entire album — listening is an intense, mesmerizing experience. Continue reading »

FUN WITH CONDOMS AND A POWER DRILL. ALSO, BROKEN GLASS AND A BED OF NAILS.

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Jan 052012
 

I think the first time I listened to Sweden’s Avatar was after Andy Synn reviewed a show they played in Oslo as support for Dark Tranquillity (here). I only listened to a couple of songs, but based on what I heard, I thought Andy summed up the music pretty well in his show review:  “a strange mix between Judas Priest-esque trad metal, Sentenced-style melancholy, and the upbeat folkery (?) of latter day Amorphis.”

Today’s press releases in the NCS in-box brought the news that Avatar has been signed by eOne Music for the North American distribution of their next album, Black Waltz, which will be released on February 14 in the U.S. There’s also a brand new music video for the album’s title track. And yes indeed, it’s interesting to watch.

It was professionally filmed at night in what’s billed as Sweden’s largest amusement park, and although it’s sort of fun watching Avatar’s face-painted front man spinning gleefully in a brilliantly lit carnival ride, it’s Hellzapoppin who steal the show. They’re a long-running group of performers who model themselves as a circus side-show act, and they contribute a variety of eye-catching stunts to the video.

As for the song itself, the title is a big clue. It is indeed a kind of metal waltz, a blending of melodic death metal and the cadences of the classical dance and a bunch of other shit thrown in the mix, too. My first reaction was that it was a bit too weird, a bit too schizophrenic, a bit too cheesy for my tastes. But then I noticed that the damned melody had gotten stuck in my head and I found myself listening to the song again. I may have to give this album a chance when it arrives. Check out the video after the jump. Continue reading »

COME INSIDE “THE CATHEDRAL WALLS”: SWALLOW THE SUN’S NEW VIDEO

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jan 052012
 

Swallow the Sun blend melodic doom and death about as well as it can be done. We’ve been eagerly awaiting their new album, Emerald Forest and the Blackbird, which is due for release on February 13 by Spinefarm. We already posted a preview of what the album holds in store at this location. And now, we have a first taste of the music.

Today, Terrorizer premiered an official video for the song “Cathedral Walls”, which features the vocals of Anette Olzon (Nightwish) in the chorus.

The first half of this nearly 7-minute song is all melancholy, the sorrow of bereavement, all clean vocals from Mikko Kotamäki and Olzon. Pretty and atmospheric. And then as the ashes fall to the ocean, the shit gets heavy, and it’s the heavy side of StS that I wait for in their songs. It’s usually worth the wait, and I’ve even come to enjoy the build-ups and the denouements.

No big surprises here — it’s Swallow the Sun doing what they do — but it’s a satisfying introduction to the new album. Watch and listen after the jump. Continue reading »

IRON MAIDEN + SIKTH = PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
Jan 032012
 

Okay, the headline of this post is a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you’ll forgive me after you hear the music.

The news is this: Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith has joined forces with former SikTh frontman Mikee Goodman for a new studio project. It’s called Primal Rock Rebellion, and the duo have finished recording an album that will be released on February 27 by the Spinefarm label.

The songs were all co-written by Smith and Goodman, with Smith playing both guitar and bass. Session musicians who also contributed to the forthcoming album include Abi Fry of Bat For Lashes, plus original SikTh member Dan ‘Loord’ Foord on drums, among others.

Spinefarm and the band have just released a song from the album called “I See Lights”. It’s dark and nasty, and the guitar and bass riffage get their hooks in you pretty fast. Listen to it after the jump — and if you like what you here, you can download it for free. Continue reading »

SOME NEW THINGS FOR THE NEW YEAR

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Jan 022012
 

The new year has started off with a bang here at the NCS island. We’ve been swamped with new music in just the last couple of days — too much for me to take in all at once, but I thought I’d pick out a random sampling to throw at your faces on this first Monday of 2012. Both of these songs come from relatively new bands, and both are damned impressive. So, while we’re still not finished with our Listmania look-backs at 2011, let’s also start looking at what the new year has in store for us.

BLOODSHOT DAWN

This is a band with members scattered around Portsmouth and Hampshire in the UK. They’ve completed a self-titled debut album scheduled for release on January 26 that contains 11 tracks and more than 50 minutes of music — and as you can see, it features some typically terrific Par Olofsson artwork on the album cover. The band have just made available a single from the album for free download as a taste of what the album offers. It’s called “Godless”, and man, it lit me up like fireworks exploding on New Year’s Eve.

The song is a double-barreled blast of melodic death/thrash with flashy riffing and a headstrong rhythm that’s immediately galvanizing. But what really got me enthusiastic was the instrumental extravagance that takes over in the last third of the song — one head-spinning guitar solo after another. It comes your way right after the jump. Continue reading »

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