BLOOD RED THRONE: “BRUTALITARIAN REGIME”

 Album Reviews  6 Responses »
Sep 092011
 

(NCS writer Andy Synn reviews the new album from Norway’s Blood Red Throne.)

I’ll tell you now that for me Death Metal is an easy genre to like, a hard one to truly love. But the bands that do it for me, REALLY do it for me. And Blood Red Throne are one of those bands. From the moment a close friend introduced me to “Slaying The Lamb” (off the inimitable Come Death) I was hooked, making it my mission to collect all their previous releases and stay up to date with every subsequent recording and line-up shift.

Perhaps one of the important factors that really drew me into the depths of the band’s crimson hell was the presence of former Emperor collaborator Tchort (also of Green Carnation and Carpathian Forest), his contributions giving each album an air of blackened malevolence that oozed from every pore, immediately setting the band apart from their Floridian-influenced brethren. Accompanying the distinctive and demolishing riffs produced by the pairing of Død and Tchort, the demented and crazed bass-lines flowing from the homunculus fingers of Erland Caspersen are the second key element whose presence is vital to Blood Red Throne’s distinctive sound. His scaly, slithering playing thrums with unholy power, sweeping and weaving with an eerie clarity and electricity that places him firmly in the company of masters such as Webster, Boyer and DiGorgio.

One might notice, however, that the band’s visual aesthetic has definitely shifted this time round, reflecting the major line-up changes that have taken place in the years preceding this record’s birth. With the departure of Tchort and the addition of a new guitarist, Ivan Gujic, and a new drummer, 19 year old prodigy Emil Wiksten, one might worry that this aesthetic shift reflects some fundamental change in the group’s sound. Thank Satan himself, then, that the core membership of main guitarist Død, agile-fingered bassist Casper Erlandsen and gravel-throated frontman Vald have stuck to their guns, demonstrating admirable confidence by preserving the sound and identity which they have developed over the course of 5 albums, refusing to react with knee-jerk predictability to their recent upheavals. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

HIGH SPIRITS: “ANOTHER NIGHT”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  8 Responses »
Sep 082011
 

(NCS writer BadWolf reviews the new album from Chicago’s High Spirits, one of the many projects of Chris Black (aka Dawnbringer).)

As I sit here, there’s a million things I should be listening to: brushing up on my beardo/nerdo metal in preparation for SUCKFEST ’11, putting together my Norwegian Hardcore playlist for Invisible Oranges, and brushing up on my Enslaved for their upcoming tour with Alcest and Ghost, not to mention the loads of promo records clogging my inbox.

None of those has factored in for the past 6 days thanks to Another Night, the debut record by Chicago’s High Spirits. This piece of self-released, Neo-Traditional metal awesomeness has possessed my iPod harder than Pazuzu possessed Linda fuckin Blair.

“The power of ‘Core compels you, the power of ‘Core compels you.” I scream at the little glowing screen… and then I listen to “Full Power” one more time. 45 repeats in 6 days. I need help. Islander—this is my vote for catchiest song of the year.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a one-song record. Hell no. Another Night is a 40-minute nostalgia trip that delivers. No concepts, no conceits, no bullshit. Just good times and hard rocking.

Then again, that shouldn’t come as a surprise—High Spirits is (in studio) a one-man project of Chicago metal royalty Chris Black. This man is an absolute beast. He writes lyrics for Nachtmystium when he’s not writing every instrument for High Spirits and another little project called Dawnbringer. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

DALRIADA

 Album Reviews  50 Responses »
Sep 082011
 

(Trollfiend displays his erudition about Hungary and about Hungarian folk-metal band Dalriada in this guest post. I’m enjoying laughing my ass off while learning about new metal. And Hungarian pizza.)

The tiny landlocked nation of Hungary in Central Europe is home to, uh…um…wait, I think Bela Lugosi was born there.  And, uh…the inventor of the Rubik’s cube.  And incidentally when I attempted to Google edutaining facts about the country, “Hungary Howie’s” restaurant was the first thing to come up, so I can only assume pizza was invented there as well.  It is also home to a massive and diversified metal scene (some members of which have already appeared in these hallowed halls, such as Thy Catafalque, Gire, Slytract, Mytra, Meankind, and I Divine).

Hungary’s land mass is approximately 36,000 square miles.  Preliminary research suggests that at least 87.9% of this land mass is comprised of metal bands.  Aside from being the birthplace of the guy who discovered vitamin C (the actual vitamin, not the orange-haired pop singer), it’s also the home of HangSúly, the national Hungarian Metal Awards.  Metal Awards? Do WE have that? I mean I know not every country can boast spawning the creator of the three-phase alternating current electric locomotive, but that AND a national metal awards show? It must be something in the water (of Lake Héviz, the second largest thermal lake IN THE WORLD).

I’m only mentioning Hungary here because I am totally craving a pizza right now.

No, wait, there was another reason.  Folksy folk metal folk band Dalriada is from there as well.  By “there” I mean Hungary, home of the largest medicinal bath house in Europe.  Now I know Dalriada is going to be a hard sell to most of the NCS crowd: aside from the clean female vocals, it’s motherfucking PEPPY.  Peppy as shit.  I wouldn’t lie to you about something like that. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

KITTIE: “I’VE FAILED YOU”

 Album Reviews  20 Responses »
Sep 072011
 

(Stop rolling your eyes! I know what you’re thinking: Kittie on NO CLEAN SINGING?!? But hold your horses and read Andy Synn’s review. You will be pleasantly surprised.)

Straight off I’ll say this – this is the best Kittie album to date. And I say that as a huge fan of both Oracles and Funeral For Yesterday in particular. However, I think that identifies the crux of Kittie’s occasional problems – the former is clearly the band’s heaviest record, while the latter is clearly their most darkly melodic, and the band have spent the rest of their time trying to marry the two together with varying results, the intervening and subsequent albums pulled in several directions at once by these competing pressures.

Like many of you (and indeed the band themselves at times), I would much rather ignore the existence of the execrable Spit, as the band really only developed into a proper musical entity with the release of the utterly devastating Oracles, whose self-loathing, Obituary-esque stomp and grind was lightened solely by  occasional injections of emotionally fraught, PJ Harvey-channelling clean vocals.

Since then, building from a core of steady, grinding riffs, harsh blackened screams and chilling, ethereal clean vocals, the band (primarily the Lander sisters) have slowly attempted to expand their sound, giving it more energy and life with a steady influx of snappier riffs (“Until The End”), expressive and expansive structuring (“Funeral For Yesterday”) and nuanced leads (“Into The Black”) which, when added to the unflinchingly precise drumming of Mercedes Lander, all mix to create a rich melting pot of ideas from which to draw. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

RED SEAS FIRE

 Album Reviews  5 Responses »
Sep 062011
 

(TheMadIsraeli brings us this review of a new, free EP by Red Seas Fire.)

Red Seas Fire is the baby of Adam “Nolly” Getgood, a guitarist who was quite significant in the early development of the djent scene, trading ideas with other djent giants such as Misha Mansoor or Acle Kahney back in the days when they were just posting random shit on soundclick pages.  It’s been hard for him to be able to reach the point where he could finally produce a professional, totally put-together product to offer to the public, but now we finally have it in Red Seas Fire’s self-titled debut EP.

The EP begins with an instrumental intro that lulls the listener. It’s a bit of ambience, nothing special — that is, until “Epinephrine” comes crashing through your speakers with mammoth, down-tuned grooving assaults and crushes your balls with a sledgehammer.  From this beginning, however, it’s obvious that Red Seas Fire aren’t really a djent project anymore.

Yes, there is a metallic guitar tone and a heavy use of syncopated groove and polyrhythmic attack, but the music has far more in common with Scar Symmetry or Fear Factory then it does Meshuggah or CiLiCe.  The chorus of “Epinephrine” speaks far more of modern melodeath than it does anything else, and the riffs otherwise feel more like something that courses through the veins of brutal industrial metal.  The particular choice of electronic and industrial tones and noises throughout this song cements this impression even further to me. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

DECAYING: “DEVASTATE”

 Album Reviews  7 Responses »
Sep 062011
 

I’m always looking for new death metal played in the old-school style, because few kinds of music push so many of my buttons. I don’t even look for some kind of new spin or tweak, because the whole point of authentic old-school death metal is to be faithful to the hallowed late-80’s and early-90’s progenitors of the genre. But when I do find a band that’s faithful, authentic in their sound, and doing something (extremely well) that’s not commonplace, I really pay attention. And when the band comes from Finland, which is demonstrably the most metal nation on earth (in terms of metal bands per capita), then I’m doubly excited. I’ve got one of those bands for you today.

The band is called Decaying, and it’s only a three-man operation, which provides a hint that the music is likely to be stripped-down and primal. Their debut album, Devastate, was released in May of this year, and it appears it’s being re-released in September by Hellthrasher Productions. It’s a compilation of two Decaying demo tapes, New Order (2010) and The Annihilator (2011). It includes “only” six songs, but it’s not an EP: The running time is 52 minutes, and three of the songs each range in length from more than 11 minutes to more than 14.

Now, add to that information the fact that those long songs are mainly down-tempo affairs, with the band wading through the soul-sucking tar-pit of death-doom. If you’re a fan of monsters like Bolt Thrower and Asphyx, you’ll recognize the style. But 11 – 14 minutes? How, you may ask, does an old-school band like Decaying maintain interest for that long? That turns out to be no problem at all. In fact, I can’t get enough of them. And if you like your old-school death with a heavier foot on the accelerator, don’t worry: The other three songs on the album swing the sledgehammer at your skull with more speed and they’re just as solid as the long ones. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

RAVEN WOODS: “ENFEEBLING THE THRONE”

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Sep 062011
 

(NCS guest contributor ElvisShotJFK is back, reviewing the latest release by Turkey’s Raven Woods.)

When doing some shopping online recently, something about Raven Woods’ Enfeebling The Throne caught my attention, leading me to their myspace profile to hear the two songs they had uploaded from the album. I liked what I heard, but I still wasn’t quite sold on getting the album. While looking for something else that I might like that I hadn’t encountered before, I kept coming back to this album, each time being answered with a whispered “you know you want to” in the back of my mind that became harder and harder to ignore. I was still a bit hesitant, but when I finally checked out at CM Distro I heard a triumphant roar in the back of my head. No turning back now. Okay, maybe that’s not quite how it happened, but then again… maybe it did.

The Turkish band was formed in 1998 by bassist Ozan Yildirim and guitarist Cihan Engin; Enfeebling The Throne is only their third release (via Italian label Code 666 earlier this year), preceded by In Silent Agony and their first full-length …And Emotions are Spilled. The band has gone through several lineup changes over the years, with only Yildirim and Engin lasting until now. Joining them are vocalist Kaan Koyuncu, guitarist Emre Üren and drummer Semih Örnek, who takes over from Yildirim, who was unable to find a drummer in Turkey skilled enough for Raven Woods’ music previously. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

SUBSTRUCTURE: “MONOLITH”

 Album Reviews  9 Responses »
Sep 052011
 

(TheMadIsraeli raves here about a new EP from a St. Louis band called Substructure that he says is “essential.”)

A few weeks ago, I wrote a very short post about a djeathcore band Aristeia, and how you needed to grab their debut EP pronto. In that post I mentioned another djeathcore band of even greater quality by the name of Substructure. So you’re wondering, what makes them stand out? This space-themed djeathcore thing seems to be getting out of hand.

Substructure actually accomplishes the space feel AND EVEN MORE. Using extremely ethereal melodic landscapes, instrumentation that sounds like it could be out of a Final Fantasy game, and lush dreamy sections that are only counter-balanced by violent torrents of atonal brutality, contrast is the greatest strength this band has. They’re able to switch gears immediately, almost seemingly at random, and make it flow without a moment’s notice or hesitation. This band takes you on a journey. A JOURNEY I TELL YOU!

“Cassiopeia” opens the EP with twinkling chimes, pleasant synths, and a tapping guitar line with electronic beats behind it until the heavy comes in, unfolding a behemoth-sized melodic soundscape to your ears and properly introducing the monsters that are Substructure. In one minute and forty two seconds the band introduce all the elements encompassed in their sound. It’s almost as if this track serves to give you a pre-listening summary of the level of fucked-the-fuck-up you’re about to be put through. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

ACID WITCH

 Album Reviews  18 Responses »
Sep 052011
 

(Trollfiend is back with another guest contribution. Smokin’ a bowl before writing is clearly a winning literary formula.)

Let me preface this jibba-jabba by saying that I am not, normally, a fan of stoner or doom metal.  The reason behind this is simple: I have a tiny, walnut-sized bladder.  Now I know what you’re thinking: “did he really just fucking quote Mr. T?” Yes, yes I did, and I have only disdain for the ignoramus who doesn’t think Mr. T is awesome.

You might also be wondering what having a tiny, walnut-sized bladder has to do with stoner/doom metal.  The answer is simple biology: I don’t have the nephrotic fortitude to sit through an 11-minute long song.  I like my metal like I like my women: fast, punishing, and in a 16-year monogamous relationship (hi, honey!).  The thing is, if you’re playing with potheads in mind, you have to take into account the hallucinogenic time dilation that occurs with a good burn… even 90-second ‘core songs feel like they last hours (or maybe that’s just because I don’t like ‘core).  Conversely, you have the ‘elastic distortion effect’, or what is commonly known as ‘I smoked a bowl 15 minutes before work and suddenly I’m six hours late’ syndrome.  Most stoner and many doom bands take this latter approach, which is fine if you like grim, trudging, sludgy darkness but not so great if you have to whiz every five minutes.

One of the few bands that fits my rigorous “short enough to bridge pee breaks” rule is Detroit, Michigan’s Acid Witch. I can’t remember where I first stumbled across this band, probably thanks to the heavy marijuana use I enjoyed throughout my high school years, which has severely damaged my short term memory.  And my long term memory.  And is responsible for the extra forty pounds I’m now lugging around.  But anyway…back to the review. (after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

MELODEATH WEEK: DESTINITY

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Sep 042011
 

(Here’s the last installment of TheMadIsraeli’s almost week-long series on modern melodic death metal. He’s going out with a bang, featuring a killer band from France called Destinity.)

We’re gonna cut this a day short and call it a wrap with this post, since I now officially have other content to review. So, let’s close this baby up, shall we?

Destinity is the product of bringing together EVERYTHING that has been introduced into the melodeath style up to this point and a band who have evolved with the style. You may be surprised when I tell you that these guys have 7 albums. Yes seven. And you’ve probably never heard of them.

Destinity is also proof that despite its rising prominence, the French metal scene is still unfairly overlooked, because this is some of the best melodeath I’ve ever heard. The band’s most recent album,  XI Reasons To See (2010), is a slab of furious, fast, thrashing and blasting melodeath with dark symphonic elements and even some small electronic moments, with harsh, old-school death metal vocals that call back to the greats like Martin Van Drunen of Hail Of Bullets or Patrick Mamelli of Pestilence. If you want your list of influences for reference, it’s quite obvious this band listened to lots of old Arch Enemy, At The Gates, and Hypocrisy. LOTS, OF HYPOCRISY.

This album is made by the sense of drama it channels within its brutal mission statement. Moments such as the opening instrumental “Just Before…” transitioning into “A Dead Silence” show definite veteran status on the compositional front. This album makes a grand, profound entrance most bands have trouble invoking.  (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

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