WEEKEND VIDZ: LIVING SACRIFICE, RETALIATORY MEASURES, AND DOOMSDAY PROPHECY

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Jun 262011
 

Yesterday I saw three music videos from three bands I like, and I thought they’d make a good combined piece of entertainment for this Sunday. The music all qualifies as extreme, and no, there’s no clean singing in any of them, but there’s still a good variety of styles represented. We’ll start with a recently revealed video of Living Sacrifice performing at the Cornerstone 2008 festival. Then we’ll move to the first official video of a Finnish band called Retaliatory Measures whose most recent EP we reviewed just last week. Last but not least, we’ve got another brand new video, this one from a band we discovered in one of our MISCELLANY expeditions, Doomsday Prophecy.

LIVING SACRIFICE

I became a big fan of this band after seeing them on the 2008 tour that that marked their revival after an extended hiatus. It was one of those sets that gets burned into your memory — a performance by musicians whose maturity showed in the skill and self-assurance of their playing but whose energy level would leave lots of much younger bands in the dust. Yesterday I saw a post on their Facebook page about a video they’d never seen before of a show they did that same year — 2008 — at a festival in Illinois.

The visual quality of the footage is rough — which suits this song — but the sound quality is pretty strong. The whole package shows just how fucking heavy this band is and how much power they generate on stage. It’s a blowtorch performance of  a blowtorch song — coming up right after the jump. Continue reading »

NEWZ FROM ALL OVER (INCLUDING A MASSIVE INTERVIEW FAIL) AND ONE ACTUAL SONG

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  28 Responses »
Jun 222011
 

I’ve never been entirely sure about the point of metal news releases about music you can’t yet hear, albums you can’t yet buy, and tours for which you can’t yet acquire tickets, but people still seem to be interested in this kind of shit. Not me, of course. I’m so fucking zen-like in my outlook that these kinds of pointless cock-teasers just flow over me like a soft summer breeze, barely ruffling my hair. My pulse rate doesn’t move a beat from its normal, slothlike resting state. I remain as steady and unmoving as a hummingbird.

Wait, that didn’t end right. Okay, well maybe it did. Truth is, I am metal-nerd enough to get excited about this stuff, though I can’t provide any rational reason why. In keeping with our unintentional Finn-centric theme of this week’s posts, several of these items focus on Finnish metal.

So, here’s the top-level summary of news for this post: Announcement of two new European tours — one featuring Gorgoroth and Vader and the other headlined by Machine Head; a progress report on Insomnium‘s new album; word of an all-star album (and the label “all-star” is no bullshit) in the planning stages from Finland’s Spinefarm Records; and perhaps the most glaring example I’ve seen in months of an interviewer failing to ask a follow-up question (in this case, about Opeth‘s new album).

While I’ve got your attention, I might as well also throw in some music you can actually hear right now — high-quality footage of Suicide Silence performing a song from their forthcoming new album.  (all that stuff after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

BRYMIR: “RETRIBUTION”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Jun 212011
 

In Norse legend, the giant Ymir gave his life to create the world, and after the world’s end in the fires of Ragnarök, the souls of the honourable shall feast eternally in the sacred hall of Brimir. Or so I’ve read in the biography of a Finnish band from Helsinki called Brymir, who took their name as a conflation of Ymir and Brimir — representing the beginning and the end, before and after.

Brymir released their debut album, Breathe Fire To the Sun, on Spinefarm Records in April. I missed that news, but what I didn’t miss was the band’s official music video that became available today for a song called “Retribution”. Visually, the video employs an often-used theme in extreme metal videos — the scourging punishment of a man by unknown forces for unknown reasons, alternating with shots of the band playing against a black backdrop and in the great outdoors. Although the visual theme isn’t breaking any new ground, it’s well-executed.

The music may not be breaking any new ground either, but man did it hit my sweet spot. The song is a powerful, symphonic blast of melodic death metal with a pagan flavor. It conveys an epic, even cinematic, sweep, with a cavalcade of hard-charging riffs and anthemic keyboards. The vocals, which mix the unclean and the clean, are also quite good. This got my day off to a really nice start. If you’re a fan of bands such as Wintersun and Ensiferum, this video is worth checking out — and you can do that after the jump. Continue reading »

ODDZ AND ENDZ: UNKIND, DEATH, AND ATHEIST

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Jun 212011
 

I’ve been visiting family in Texas, and that’s cut into the time I need to finish reviews of new albums I’ve been working on. Yes, I know — my priorities are screwed up, but there you have it. Anyway, today I’m doing as I did with yesterday’s second post and just throwing together a variety of things that caught my attention as I snooped around the web last night.

The major difference between yesterday and today is that I now have my earbuds again and I’ve actually listened to the music before tossing it your way, so I can vouch for what I’ve got today (for what that’s worth): First, a badass new song from Finland’s Unkind. Second, a remixed and re-mastered version of the song “Suicide Machine” taken from the forthcoming reissue of the Human album by Death. And third, a professionally filmed, multi-camera capturing of Atheist‘s entire set at France’s Hellfest festival on June 19.

UNKIND

This Finnish band is, for me, a relatively recent discovery. They were signed to Relapse Records last September and they have a new album scheduled for release on August 2 in NorthAm and August 15 internationally. Titled Harhakuvat, it will be their fifth studio release. The band have just posted a song from the album called “Laumasielut” on their Facebook and MySpace pages, and I really like it. Though the band is described as a hardcore act, this new song’s prog influences are evident. The song is sweeping, crushing, beautifully played, and I’m really digging it.  (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

TAKING IT ON FAITH: NEW CHIMAIRA SONGS PLUS MAYHEM, AT THE GATES, AND MORE

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Jun 202011
 

Surely, I’ve done stupider things here at NCS than I’m about to do, though I can’t remember when.

So, in catching up with metal news this morning, I found a whole bunch of shit that peaked my interest. To decide whether it was all worth sharing with you, I needed to listen to some music. I reached for my trusty iPod to get the earbuds and plug them into my laptop, and . . . no fucking iPod. No fucking earbuds.

I’m in Texas visiting my mother and brother, and I think I left my iPod at my mom’s place yesterday, but at the moment I’m earless (and my hearing is too shot to make out very much from the tinny, crappy little speakers on my laptop). But I decided, fuckit, I’m going to share the items I’ve found with you even though I haven’t heard most of them. Maybe you’ll tell me whether it was worthwhile.

Here’s the line-up: Chimaira has debuted two new songs from The Age of Hell album, which is due for release in late August by Long Branch Records in Europe and eOne Music in NorthAm. One is streaming exclusively at MetalSucks (here) and one at Revolver (here). You can buy both of them at iTunes right now. As I said, I haven’t heard them, though I’m a Chimaira fan. I hope they’re good. I bet they will be. If you haven’t already heard, the new Chimaira line-up includes two of the dudes from Daath — Emil Werstler (on bass!) and Sean Z. (on keyboards!).

After the jump . . . performance videos from Mayhem and At the Gates at festivals this past weekend, plus news about full-album streams from In Flames and The Devin Townsend Project. Continue reading »

FLOURISHING

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Jun 192011
 

Flourishing is a three-man band from New York City consisting of Garett Bussanick (Wetnurse) (guitar, vocals), Eric Rizk (bass), and Brian Corcoran (drums). They have a debut album due in July (The Sum of All Fossils) that’s been described in a press release as a layering of “subterranean industrial vibe”, “ground-level brutality”, and “an astral use of melody”.

In deciding whether to listen to an advance copy of the album, I checked out a song from the band’s 2010 debut EP, A Momentary Sense of the Immediate World, which is streaming at their Facebook page. The song is called “Fixture”. I fucking love it; so much happens in this 3:52 of music that I’m not even going to attempt to describe it. I just have to share it with you. I will definitely be listening to the new album. Here’s “Fixture”. That is all.

[audio:https://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/02-Fixture.mp3|titles=Flourishing – Fixture]

STRING METAL

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Jun 192011
 

This post was inspired by some recent shit-shooting with NCS writer Israel Flanders and Quigs over at The Number of the Blog. By coincidence, they both sent me links to metal bands who feature stringed instruments. I don’t mean guitars and bass. I mean other instruments with strings, the kind you don’t usually see in metal bands. And the music they sent made me think of another example of string metal, so I’m adding that to the post, too.

I can’t say I usually go for this kind of music, though it does give us a change of pace in what we usually cover around here. What do you think of metal that features strings? And do you have any other recommendations along these lines? Think about that as we move into today’s examples:

IN LEGEND

In Legend is a 3-man band from Berlin who just released their debut album Ballads ‘n’ Bullets. Israel sent me a link to one of their songs, asking the question, “piano metal?” And yes, that’s possibly one label that would fit, because the piano is the lead instrument in this music. Largely self-taught pianist Bastian Emig (who can’t read music) uses the keys as much as a percussion-generator as a melody generator, and it’s that hammering attack which may qualify this music as metal. Perhaps this isn’t surprising since Emig is also a drummer (and plays in that capacity with a capella metal band Van Canto).

And before any piano-savvy readers jump my ass, I do realize that the piano is in fact a percussion instrument, its notes produced by hammers striking strings, which is why I’m including this band’s music in a post called “String Metal”. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

NECRONAUT SUPERGROUP: FIRST AND PROBABLY LAST LIVE PERFORMANCE

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Jun 182011
 

Necronaut is the all-star project of Fred Estby, the former drummer of Dismember and Carnage. He recruited an impressive line-up of guests to help create an album that was released last year. It was one of many 2010 albums that rocked my head but I never got around to reviewing for NCS. All I could manage was a short “teaser” that I wrote before disappearing on vacation last November. Hardly what the album deserved, but all my feeble self could manage.

Now check out the names of the people who collaborated with Estby on this album, and note that I’ve put an asterisk alongside some of them:

* Hellbutcher (NIFELHEIM)*
* Tyrant (NIFELHEIM, DAGGER)*
* Andreas “Drette” Axelson (TORMENTED, ex-EDGE OF SANITY)*
* Chris Reifert (AUTOPSY, ex-ABSCESS)
* Ulf “Uffe” Cederlund (DISFEAR, ex-ENTOMBED)
* Janne “J.B.” Christofferson (GRAND MAGUS)*
* Tomas Lindberg (DISFEAR, AT THE GATES, THE GREAT DECEIVER)*
* Nicke Andersson (DEATH BREATH)*
* Joakim Nilsson (GRAVEYARD)
* David Blomqvist (DISMEMBER, SHREDS OF DEATH)*
* Erik Danielsson (WATAIN)*
* Robert Pehrsson (DEATH BREATH, DUNDERTÅGET)*
* Robert “Strings” Dahlqvist (DUNDERTÅGET)

So, why did I add those asterisks?  Because those people joined Estby for a Necronaut concert at this year’s edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, which was held June 8-11, 2011 in Sölvesborg. And in addition to them, L.G. Petrov (Entombed) also performed with the band. And some decent-quality video of that show has surfaced. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

BIG CHOCOLATE AND SUICIDE SILENCE INFLICT HUMAN VIOLENCE

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  16 Responses »
Jun 172011
 

The Black Crown is the third album by Suicide Silence, scheduled for release via Century Media on July 11. I’ve started listening to it, and so far, so good. I’m especially enjoying a song called “Smashed”, which features the inimitable Frank Mullen (Suffocation) on guest vocals.

We’ll get around to reviewing the album eventually, but that’s not what this post is about. This post is about a remix of one of the album’s songs called “Human Violence”. That was the record’s first single, released for streaming on May 13. What we discovered yesterday is that Cameron “Big Chocolate” Argon has remixed “Human Violence”, and the remix is available for free download.

Big C has done this before, remixing a Suicide Silence single called “Disengage” about a year ago (we featured that here). You probably remember that he also collaborated with Suicide Silence frontdude Mitch Lucker on a project called Commissioner. Now he’s brought his remix skills to bear again — and what he’s done with “Human Violence” is a fuckin’ kick in the head.

Big C brings a fluctuating industrial vibe to the original song while preserving the screaming, groovy fury of the original. It will make you want to bounce, careen off walls, punch things, whip your head all the way around. Check it out after the jump, and then we’ll let you know how you can download the thing for yourselves. Continue reading »

NEW TUNES: REVOCATION AND VADER

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  18 Responses »
Jun 152011
 

On Monday night of this week, NCS co-founder Alexis and I visited Studio Seven in Seattle. Our principal reason for going was to see Revocation again (my third time, her fourth), who were appearing in support of of the headline act, Forbidden. We really can’t get enough of these dudes — their live performance is an electrifying experience. The set just whizzed by, and we both remarked afterward how much we looked forward to the day when we could see Revocation at the top of the bill, with more time in which to turn our heads inside-out.

In addition to being tremendously talented musicians — especially guitarist extraordinaire David Davidson — Revocation have been creating music that is genuinely original. Their blend of thrash and death metal just doesn’t sound quite like anything else, and with each new release, they take more steps ahead in establishing their own unique identity. We’re tremendously excited around here for their next album, Chaos of Forms, which is scheduled for an August 12 release on Relapse Records.

On Monday night, Revocation played two new songs from the forthcoming album. One of them, “Cradle Robber”, has been streaming in full recently (here, for example). The second one I’d heard only as an excerpt in this compilation of samples assembled from iTunes. It’s called “Conjuring the Cataclysm”, and it’s my new favorite Revocation song, in part because it’s so different from the band’s usual style. I found a fan-filmed video of the band performing the song on the current tour, and you can see that after the jump.

Also after the jump is a high-quality fan video of Poland’s Vader performing a new song called “Come and See My Sacrifice” on June 12 in The Netherlands. It will appear on Vader’s next album, Welcome to the Morbid Reich, which is projected for release late this year. If you’re a Vader fan (and really, who isn’t?), then you need to see this. Continue reading »

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