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GVILLOTINE – HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE

Apr 102024

(Andy Synn presents a wake-up call in the form of the new album from Gvillotine)

For whatever reason, I’ve been having trouble sleeping for the last few days. More specifically, I’ve been having trouble getting to sleep, because my brain just won’t switch off.

The knock-on effect of this, of course, is that it’s been getting more and more difficult to drag my tired, sleep-deprived carcass out of bed each morning, because both my brain and my body just don’t want to wake up.

But, let me tell you, Gvillotine‘s particular blend of blistering Blackened Grind contains more chemical energy than 1,000 cups of the blackest coffee – with none of the associated carcinogens – and a quick burst of it to start the day definitely helps blast (and I do mean blast) away the cobwebs.

CONCERT REVIEW: WAYFARER PRESENTS “AMERICAN GOTHIC,” BLUEBIRD THEATER, MARCH 29, 2024

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Apr 092024

(Below we present our Denver-based contributor Gonzo‘s wonderful review of a unique show in March by Wayfarer performing the entirety of their American Gothic album, with support from Paul Riedl, Munly and the Lupercalians, and some special guests.)

I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point in my lifetime, metal music turned into the audial equivalent of Sriracha: You can add it to anything.

And few bands really understand this in the way Denver’s Wayfarer does. Their fusing of black metal’s raw underbelly with Old West lyrical themes and imagery is one of the best musical marriages happening in metal right now. They’re a huge part of what makes the Denver metal scene the unending adventure that it is. Any chance to see them perform live is a momentous occasion.

So when the quartet announced they’d be riding out to the Bluebird Theater for a one-night-only performance of their 2023 opus American Gothic, featuring some special guests that I’d never see coming, you could be damn sure yours truly would be present for it. Continue reading »

DÅÅTH: “THE DECEIVERS”

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Apr 092024

(Below we present Wil Cifer‘s review of the new comeback album from Atlanta-based Dååth, which will be released by Metal Blade on May 3rd.)

After a decade-long hiatus bands often return to a musical landscape that has shifted. With metal, the stakes are higher. Headbangers are like addicts who build a tolerance requiring an ever-increasing level of sonic stimulus to get the same results. This leaves musicians with the choice of either cashing in on nostalgia or trying to find their place in the new musical climate. Producer/ guitarist Eyal Levi finds a balance between the two with Dååth‘s new album. Levi might be the sole original member, but he brought long-time growling machine Sean Z along for the ride. Sean’s multitracked performance lends to this album’s massive sound. Continue reading »

BENIGHTED: “EKBOM”

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Apr 092024

(Benighted‘s new album Ekbom comes out this Friday, April 12th, via Season of Mist, so the time is right to present DGR‘s review… which proceeds in phases.)

Benighted are old friends around here – No Clean Singing has taken the banner up for the band for a long time and have been covering them in one form or another since 2009(!).

We’ve covered their EPs, singles, and albums and there’s a pretty hot chance that your author here has been involved in a large part of that.

The high-speed core of Benighted‘s evolution into deathgrind form was found pretty early on, and well, they’ve danced into and out of -core, black metal, and brutal-death-inspired circles but they’ve always cycled back around to the sort of relentless blastbeating backbone that is their foundation.

For the last couple of years they’ve subsisted on a somewhat steady drip-feed of singles that allowed them to get the horror movie craze out of their system during the pandemic downtime, and Ekbom – upon first listen – doesn’t really mess around with the formula.

But it doesn’t take long – nor many listens – for the band’s latest album to start revealing itself as being something more. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): VERITERAS — “THE DARK HORIZON”

Album Reviews, Premieres 2 Responses »

Apr 082024

Sometimes a relatively new band’s love for a relatively old and well-established brand of music is so evident that it runs the serious risk of having nothing new to say. The risk exists even when the love is genuinely earnest and not a cash grab (though about the only cash-grabbing most underground metal bands are capable of achieving is by looking for lost coins in the crevices of couches).

The relatively new Seattle band Veriteras wear their love for old-school Scandinavian melodic death metal on their sleeves, and it is clearly an earnest and genuine love, with the influence of such bands as early In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and Kalmah reverently embroidered on such sleeves.

So, the question arises: Do they have something new to say, and if so, what is it? The answer arrives in their second album, The Dark Horizon, which we’re premiering today in advance of its April 11th release. Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME IV: BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH

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Apr 082024

(We present another one of Dan Barkasi‘s monthly collections of reviews and recommended music, taking stock of 8 records that saw release in March.)

The year is moving quickly, isn’t it? March brings us the reminder of Julius Caesar’s big mistake, the conclusion of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 (Heja BVB), and some of the final episodes of the timeless Curb Your Enthusiasm. Whilst I agree with most of Larry David’s neurotic observations, we have to especially take his side on the cheese debate. Also, text chains are the worst. But, we could go on all day. Kevin P and Madder Mortem know the score.

We’re a quarter of the way through already, and the volume of releases is on a steady upward trajectory. That leaves a metric ton of music to take in – not that we’re complaining, mind you – in order to dig out a smattering of quality stuff that may be hiding between some of the more obvious heavy hitters. The month also brought its share of puzzling releases – Coffin Storm is the sonic equivalent of melatonin – but thankfully, there was more quality than not from the bigger acts on down. Continue reading »

MINUALA – В АГОНИИ

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Apr 082024

(Andy Synn embraces the pain with the new album from Russian riffmongers Minuala)

One thing you may have noticed about us here at NCS is that we are loyal (sometimes to a fault).

Once we find a band we like (which, you may have noticed, happens a lot) we try to keep abreast of everything they do and, where possible, write at least a little something about whatever they release.

Of course, with so much music coming out all the time, and so much else going on in our lives, it’s still easy for us to miss stuff – for example, I only managed to give Minuala‘s previous album a passing mention in my year-end round-up (though you can read all about their first four full-lengths here) – but we try our best to stay on top of things, which is why I was so excited to see В Агонии suddenly pop up out of nowhere last week.

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ICOSANDRIA — “A SCARLET LUNAR GLOW”

Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres No Responses »

Apr 042024

Albums such as the one we’re presenting today tend to invoke thoughts of tapestries, kaleidoscopes, or panoramas — visual metaphors of change, often rich in detail and sometimes startling, that occur as the scenes pass across our eyes.

In the case of Icosandria‘s new album, the title itself invokes an unusual vision — A Scarlet Lunar Glow. Like the title, the music kindles the imagination into its own glow, though the glow also becomes fire as the manifold changes unfold. Continue reading »

THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT – THE DEMON WHO MAKES TROPHIES OF MEN

Album Reviews No Responses »

Apr 042024

(We forced Andy Synn to listen to the new album from The Monolith Deathcult)

Our long-running relationship with Dutch deviants The Monolith Deathcult has been well-documented by now,

We’ve been friends, we’ve been enemies… and then there was that unfortunate incident where we all swapped brains… but our love for the band’s music has never waned.

The problem, of course, is that this means it’s impossible for us to be objective, or even pretend to be objective, about their new album – no matter what we say or do, whether we praise it or criticise it, someone is always going to find a way to dismiss what we say, regardless of whether it confirms or refutes their own biases.

But, as you may already have guessed, I still really wanted to write something about The Demon Who Makes Trophies of Men (which officially comes out tomorrow)… so what was I to do?

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): TENEBRIFIC — “LABYRINTH OF ANGUISH”

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET No Responses »

Apr 032024

Tenebrific is a new band from Australia, a studio project created by Adam Martin of Golgothan Remains and Sarcophagum, in collaboration with Cris Bassan from Decrepid. Their debut release (in which they’re aided by some special guests) is an EP fittingly named Labyrinth of Anguish, which is set for release on April 8th.

The band have described the EP (quite accurately) as a release that “offers a glimpse into the abyss of existential despair, inviting listeners to confront their own inner demons and navigate the labyrinth of anguish.” “Throughout 22 minutes,” they say, “we summon monstrous and hallucinatory blackened death deformations that echo the howls of tortured souls and the whispers of malevolent entities.”

Over the course of three substantial tracks, the EP progresses as a single cohesive and carefully planned journey, one that really must be heard straight through to get the full effect — and fortunately, that’s what you’ll be able to do further down in this article as we premiere the full stream. Continue reading »

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