AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): NAWAHARJAN — “LOKABRENNA”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  3 Responses »
Feb 182020
 

 

Today we premiere the entirety of Lokabrenna, the hour-long debut album by Nawaharjan, the Berlin-based black metal band whose name reportedly was built from the proto-Germanic word for “Nawaz” (corpse) and “Harjaz/Harjan” (army). The album will be released by Amor Fati Productions on the 20th of February. While we have (as usual) impressions of the music to share with you, in this case it’s worthwhile to first share what has been disclosed about the album’s conceptual underpinnings, because that gives further depth to the abundant array of sensations provided by the songs. To quote from the press materials:

“Lokabrenna is a conceptual work based around the Thursian Brandawegiz system, which is built upon the nine locks of Sinmara’s chest within the dark, liberating side of Germanic mythology. Each of the songs on the album symbolizes one of these locks and acts as a devotional hymn to Loki and a way to unlock his potential within oneself. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ABORTED, MEDICO PESTE, NECK OF THE WOODS, CÉNOTAPHE, GRAFSTROEM, IDOLOS

 Album Reviews, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  7 Responses »
Feb 182020
 

 

I’m scurrying this morning, so I’ll dispense with introductory comments and get right to the music I’ve chosen for this round-up — but did you see Mitchell Nolte‘s fantabulous artwork on the cover of Aborted’s new three-track EP? Of course you did — how could you miss it? The EP is called La Grande Mascarade [sic], with a release date of April 17th.

MEDICO PESTE

I’ve previously spilled some demented words here about the truly demented first song and video (“God Knows Why“) presented in advance of the release of Medico Peste‘s new album, ב :The Black Bile. Now I can’t resist crowing again about this Polish black metal band because another song from the album has escaped out into the world. Continue reading »

BENEATH THE MASSACRE: “FEARMONGER”

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Feb 172020
 

 

(Here we present Andy Synn‘s review of the long-awaited new album by Beneath the Massacre from Montreal, Quebec.)

Sometimes it’s hard to put into words exactly why certain bands “click” with you and others don’t.

And, before anyone chimes in with “but Andy, isn’t your whole job here putting things like that into words?” let me say… shut up, I’m not finished.

It’s particularly difficult at the more Brutal/Extreme/Technical end of the spectrum, where the “everything turned up to 11” approach of the bands means that the differences between them are, more often than not, more of a matter of gradient and nuance.

Can I tell you exactly why I find Wormed so ridiculously fun to listen to, while I find Brain Drill to be just ridiculous? Can I explain exactly why I can listen to Hideous Divinity over and over, but repeated exposure to Origin often just leaves me cold? Not easily, no.

But I can tell you just why I love Beneath the Massacre, and their new album, Fearmonger, so much. Continue reading »

BEST OF BRITISH: ENSLAVEMENT / GARGANJUA / GODTHRYMM

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  No Responses »
Feb 142020
 

 

(Here’s another one of Andy Synn‘s tripartite review columns devoted to recent releases by bands from the Emerald Isles.)

I’m sure I had some sort of cool, edgy, non sequitur of an intro in mind when I first started thinking about this column… but burn my eyes if I can remember what it was.

So let’s just get right down to it, shall we?

Here are three fine-fettered examples of “the Best of British” that I think you’ll all enjoy, two of which are actually only just being released today! Continue reading »

ANNIHILATOR: “BALLISTIC, SADISTIC”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Feb 132020
 

 

(This is TheMadIsraeli’s review of the 17th (!) album by the Canadian thrash band Annihilator, which was released in late January by Silver Lining Music.)

Annihilator are one of the most fascinating of the super-old-guard thrash bands. Jeff Waters‘ capacity for diversity and his willingness to experiment (and risk having egg all over his face) has resulted in a VERY deep discography that, while definitely inconsistent, is consistently compelling in its ambition.

This is one of my favorite thrash bands, despite that very issue of consistency, and that’s because when Annihilator are having a good run, the run is the best of the more deliberately technical thrash metal of bands from this era. Continue reading »

BLASPHEMER: “THE SIXTH HOUR”

 Album Reviews  8 Responses »
Feb 132020
 

 

(This is Vonlughlio’s review of the latest album by Italy’s Blasphemer.)

This time around I have the opportunity to do a small write-up about the Italian band Blasphemer’s third album, The Sixth Hour, which was released on January 24th via Candlelight Records.

This project was given birth in 1998 by Simone Brigo (Guitars) and Paolo Maniezzo (vocalist up to 2017) with the intention to express their artistic vision, and their thoughts and views of organized religion, hate, and death, in a Brutal Death Metal setting.

It was not until 2002 that they released their debut demo, Life Kills, and subsequently they did some splits in 2003 and 2006, but it was when they released their debut album On the Inexistence of God that I found out about them. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ENSNARED — “INIMICUS GENERIS HUMANI”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  9 Responses »
Feb 122020
 

 

To try to sum up the music of Ensnared‘s new album Inimicus Generis Humani as “progressive death metal” or “avant-garde death metal” would probably send the wrong signals. It might make people underestimate how vicious, how emotionally disturbing, and how mentally mutilating the music often is. But it’s definitely something very different from the kinds of death metal you come across on the usual beaten paths. Perhaps “interdimensional death metal” would be closer to the mark for music of such predatory spirit and such evil alien allure.

Inimicus Generis Humani is this Swedish band’s frightful and fascinating second album, following 2017’s excellent Dysangelium. The same two labels that released that first record, Invictus Productions and Dark Descent Records, will be releasing this new one on February 14th. Not long to wait, to be sure, but you won’t have to wait a moment longer to listen to the album, because we’re bringing the full stream to you today. Continue reading »

UNSUNG HEROES OF 2019: MALEVICH / OUR EARTH IS A TOMB / UMBRA CONSCIENTIA

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Feb 112020
 


Malevich

 

(In this post Andy Synn combines reviews of three recommended albums that we largely overlooked last year.)

This week is, thankfully, notably less busy in terms of new releases than the last one was.

In fact the only ones which really jump out at me are the new Ihsahn EP, Telemark (which, as a long-time fan of the man’s work, I found to be a big disappointment), the highly-anticipated full-length from Godthrymm (about which I’ll be writing more later in the week), and the debut record from Washington-based Black Metallers Izthmi (which I’ll also be writing about very soon).

So, taking advantage of this temporary lull, I’ve decided now is the perfect time for another look back at last year so as to give some belated attention to three artists/albums which I/we otherwise didn’t get around to covering at the time. Continue reading »

A DOUBLE TECH-DEATH EP RECOMMENDATION: FROGG AND ERGODIC

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Feb 102020
 

 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli provides recommendations and brief reviews for two EPs, one by the Connecticut band FROGG released in January of this year, and one by North Carolina’s Ergodic coming out in March.)

Sometimes nothing hits you like a simple, effectively written, and short EP. It’s even more impressive when the band reveal themselves to be onto something at another level, or at least a clearly high-quality band who understand their own influences and where they want to take those influences.  FROGG is such a band, combining a good deal of modern and progressive influences to release a debut EP (A Reptilian Dystopia) that represents, at the very least, a promising new face in the technical death metal space. Continue reading »

STONED GOD: “INCORPOREAL”

 Album Reviews  6 Responses »
Feb 072020
 

 

(This is Andy Synn‘s review of the just-released second album by the German band Stoned God.)

There’s a hoary old cliché (with, let’s be honest, some solid basis in fact) that the older you get the less open you are to new sounds and new bands.

Thankfully this hasn’t happened to me yet (and hopefully never will), but I must admit that the more music I’m exposed to the more I seem to be tightening up my standards (although some people still seem to think I like everything equally… which is definitely not the case).

What this means, of course, is that while I still have no issue celebrating and supporting albums which I think are worth listening to, even if they don’t necessarily hit the heights of true greatness, it generally takes something really special to excite me to the point where I start ranting and raving at anyone who’ll listen about how they have to listen to this band/album right now!!!

It doesn’t even need to be something that reinvents the wheel or changes the game – it can just be something that twists or tweaks, or otherwise iterates on, an existing formula in a fresh, exciting way – as long as it gets the neurons firing in that special way, that’s all that matters.

So, with all that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to Prog-Death powerhouse Stoned God. Continue reading »

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