HERESIARCH: “DEATH ORDINANCE”

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Jun 272017
 

 

(New Zealand-based writer Craig Hayes (Six Noises) returns to NCS with this review of the new album by his countrymen in Heresiarch, which will be released on July 7 by Dark Descent.)

 

So here it is, Death Ordinance, the long-awaited full-length debut from New Zealand black/death wrecking machine Heresiarch. It’s no exaggeration to say that Death Ordinance is one of the most anticipated releases in the annals of Antipodean metal, and fans of belligerent and bestial metal the world over have been counting the days until the album’s release. That’s because Heresiarch deliver a singularly brute force audio onslaught –– aka everything you want in an obliterating war metal juggernaut.

Heresiarch are militant, violent, and ruthless; and hell, there’s even a whiff of spurious controversy about them too. All of that’s fuelled the band’s defiant mythos, which Heresiarch reinforce by delivering some of the most remorseless underground metal around. Continue reading »

SOMNIUM NOX: “TERRA INANIS”

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Jun 262017
 

 

(We present Andy Synn’s review of the new album by Australia’s Somnium Nox, released last month by Transcending Obscurity Records.)

When you say the words “Atmospheric Black Metal” what most people seem to think of these days are the shimmering soundscapes and ethereal melodies characteristic of the so-called “Post-Black Metal” scene.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually a fan of many of those bands who fall under that vaguely defined “Post…” umbrella, but when I think about the term “Atmospheric Black Metal”, I think of bands like Wolves In The Throne Room and Altar of Plagues, bands for whom atmosphere is about more than just the simple juxtaposition of ambience and dissonance, it’s about texture and tension, mood and momentum.

It’s something that isn’t painted in broad strokes, but which is built up, painstakingly, piece by piece, into something altogether greater than the mere sum of its parts. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: SINNERANGEL – “SINISTER DECÁLOGO”

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Jun 232017
 

 

On June 25th — two days from now — GrimmDistribution will release the new album by SinnerAngel, a group that first came together more than a decade ago in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The album’s name is Sinister Decálogo, which refers to “a precise set of ideas that conform to the sinister side of the human existence”. The album also “deals with themes about the allegorical double human morality, the need for approval and dependence of the deities to assert themselves, the constant fear of the earthly and the passing”.

Today we are pleased to present a full stream of what turns out to be an unusual album, one that incorporates a variety of musical influences that reflect the wide-ranging interests of the band’s members. Lacking any clearly defined genre boundaries and with a tendency to experiment, the band have grasped the term “dark metal” as a description. Of course, like the music on this album, that term has no precise definition. And so we’ll offer a few more words of introduction, though no one will blame you if you just skip right down to the album stream and dive in. Continue reading »

DECAPITATED: “ANTICULT”

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Jun 232017
 

 

(Andy Synn reviews the new album by Poland’s Decapitated, which will be released on July 7th by Nuclear Blast.)

I find, when a review has the potential to be contentious, that it’s always best to lay your cards out on the table right from the start.

So let’s be clear about one thing straight away – Decapitated are never going to go back to being a “pure” Death Metal band.

It’s just not going to happen.

In fact Vogg has been very clear, in numerous interviews, that as long as his hand is on the tiller (and seeing as how it’s very much his band, I can’t see that ever changing) the good ship Decapitated will keep on moving forwards, not backwards, upwards not forwards… Continue reading »

IGORRR: “SAVAGE SINUSOID”

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Jun 222017
 

 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli reviews the new album by the French band Igorrr, which was released within the past week by Metal Blade Records.)

 

Sometimes, when it comes to metal or heavy music in general, a concentrated dose of proper fucking insanity is the right call. Sometimes, you don’t need lyrics and sometimes all is said by a good vocalist shrieking his mind out into a mic with no intention of conveying anything other than exactly what you hear. Sometimes, you need accordion. Lots of fucking accordion. Continue reading »

HEIRESS: “RESTLESS AIM”

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Jun 212017
 

 

(Andy Synn reviews the new album by Seattle-based Heiress.)

 

Listening to this collection of material – some of it simply rare, some as-yet-unreleased – by Seattle metallites Heiress, is something of a bittersweet experience for me, due to how much it recalls two of my favourite, and now sadly defunct, bands – Himsa and Burst.

The similarity to the former is mostly accounted for by the presence of one John Pettibone – whose voice has lost none of its savage, sandpapery snarl – behind the microphone, but heavier numbers such as “Kodiak” and “Suffocate On Command” also have more elements than just the vocals in common with the dearly-departed Thrash-core quintet.

But the comparison to Burst is also undeniable at times, as the band’s particular brand of atmospheric, Hardcore-tinged Post-Metal is often a dead-ringer for that of the (in)famous Swedes, and songs such as “Restless Aim” – all fluid, hypnotic rhythms and sparkling melodic undercurrents – and the punchy, punky catharsis of “Distant Hold” could almost have been drawn straight from Origo or Lazarus Bird if you’re willing to squint a little. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): UNDERGANG — “MISANTROPOLOGI”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  9 Responses »
Jun 202017
 

 

Undergang have become masters of a particular kind of lean and mean audio horror, one that is simultaneously brutish and primitive, atmospherically morbid and grotesque, mercilessly destructive, physically jolting, and virally infectious. They write compact songs that are nevertheless dynamic in their pacing and rhythmically varied. And they execute their strategies just as masterfully as they have conceived them.

All of these talents are powerfully on display in this Danish band’s new album Misantropologi, which will be released by Dark Descent Records on June 23, and today we have the privilege of bringing you the streaming premiere of all 10 tracks. Continue reading »

DEITY: “DEITY”

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Jun 202017
 

 

(TheMadIsraeli wrote this review of the self-titled debut album by the Canadian death metal band Deity, which was released earlier this month.)

 

I have a very hard time getting into a lot of the technical and progressive death metal that’s being released these days because so much of it misses the fucking point. It’s all plastic mixes, weak noodly riffs, with death metal as the least prevalent of ingredients. It just… isn’t death metal, man. Whether bands are fellating their fretboard with an overly digitized guitar tone and simply running through rote, stock melodic progressions or playing what amounts to really bad progressive rock with weak black metal vocals and no power, it’s no wonder I’ve tended to gravitate toward either old school death metal, or death metal that’s just straightforward and no bullshit.

Sometimes, though, I run across bands like Deity and my hope is restored. I remember the beauty, the majesty, and the putrid overwhelming crushing power that can be channeled once the musicianship and spirit are on par with each other. Continue reading »

BENEATH THE NCS RADAR (PART 24): SKÁPHE, NETHERBIRD, IMINDAIN, MOONLIGHT PROPHECY,

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Jun 192017
 

 

(Our friend Gorger from Norway brings us this 24th installment in his ongoing series reviewing releases we’ve overlooked. To find more of his discoveries, type “Gorger” in our search bar or visit Gorger’s Metal.)

Four reviews in a row means quite a lot of text to ingest. I’ve been pondering on a way to decrease the amount without compromising too much on the content. I’ve come up blank save for one solution. A means that involves resorting to self-promotion. I was hoping to avoid this attention-seeking hey-look-at-me-everyone approach, but what the hell, I’ll give narcissism a shot.

Feel free to comment on this, the music or how your wife left you due to you wasting three years on a useless Ph.D. on perpendicular circular movements in vacuum. Or simply enjoy some tunes without blabbermouthing about it, if that suits you. Continue reading »

WODE: “SERVANTS OF THE COUNTERCOSMOS”

 Album Reviews  4 Responses »
Jun 192017
 

 

(Andy Synn prepared this review of the new album by Wode.)

 

The absolutely stunning self-titled album by British Black Metal initiates Wode was, without doubt, one of the finest albums released in 2016.

In fact, I felt so strongly about this assertion that I even went as far as to select it as part of my Critical Top Ten albums, stating that it captured “the true spirit of classic Black Metal with unflinching, unapologetic ferocity, without ever resorting to simply aping the classics” – a statement, and a decision, which I continue to stand by today.

Clearly aiming to capitalise on the momentum generated by their debut, the Mancunian quartet (now incorporating the additional guitar and synth work of one Karl Sveinsson) wasted no time in writing and recording their second album, Servants of the Countercosmos, which finally dropped at the end of last month, and which is available right now from the group’s Bandcamp site.

The big question, however, is this – is the band’s latest slab of blackened beef as devilishly delicious as their debut, or has the short turn-around time between albums left things feeling a little… undercooked? Continue reading »

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