NO CLEAN SINGING

WITHERSCAPE: “THE NORTHERN SANCTUARY”

Aug 092016

(DGR provides this extended review of the new second album by Sweden’s Witherscape.)

Witherscape’s debut album The Inheritance is one of those albums where I’m not sure where the internet fell on it as a whole. Usually you can get a pretty good sense of the fan consensus around albums a while after release, once we’ve all gotten off of the shiny new high and hindsight takes over. But The Inheritance is one of those rare albums where it seems like some folks really loved it and others were content to look at it as an interesting experiment with some odd quirks. I fell into the latter camp.

I thought The Inheritance had some incredible highs but overall it felt a bit like Witherscape were throwing caution to the wind, which is an awesome thing for a new project, but by the same token it also means that some parts just don’t work together. However, with a release like that comes the ability to analyze what really worked for you and what didn’t. If done correctly, a followup disc could make a band like this sound stronger than ever before and really execute upon the premise that (in this case) Witherscape was founded upon — which admittedly, I’m not quite sure of to this day. Continue reading »

KVLTHAMMER: “OATH”

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Aug 092016

(T0dd Manning prepared this review of the new album by Indiana’s Kvlthammer.)

Extreme Metal nowadays draws from such an amazingly diverse range of influences that one would be forgiven for forgetting its essential roots in pure Rock and Roll fury, but there are always bands there to remind us of the vitality of the stripped-down approach. Indianapolis-based maniacs Kvlthammer are one such act and their latest opus Oath is a powerful statement of straight-for-the-throat Metal that any self-respecting Metalhead would do well not to pass by.

Album opener “Don’t Try” lays down the framework quite nicely with its mash-up of Motörhead and Discharge, with sprinklings of Sludge and tons of nice twin-guitar work. From there, each track touches upon so many classic elements while establishing its own niche at the same time. One might spot moments of Celtic Frost butting up against Venom and Kill’em All-era Metallica, and occasionally more current bands such as Goatwhore, Craft, and Darkthrone exert their influence as well. Continue reading »

“ARCTIC THUNDER”: DARKTHRONE RETURNS WITH A NEW ALBUM

Metal News 7 Responses »

Aug 082016

As you know, we don’t try to keep you abreast of the many breaking news stories in metal every day, but this announcement from an hour ago on Darkthrone’s Facebook page elevated my pulse rate in a way that usually happens only when I discover a hole in the electrified fence at the loris compound and all the knives have disappeared:

“Hi folks, it’s time to talk a bit about our new album – and as I don’t like to talk or write about music much I can say that it is more serious and primitive than usual. Vocals are only done by Ted as I thought this would create a more solemn/introvert atmosphere. The album is called ARCTIC THUNDER because it is my fave bandname (old mega-obscure Norwegian band from the 80s that I asked the permission from to use as an album title). Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: INTO THE STORM — “I GOTTA GET THE BEES OUT OF MY TEETH”

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Aug 082016

There’s no questioning the fact that Seattle’s Into the Storm have a sense of humor. That’s evident in the play on words that stands as the title of their new album, Where the Merfalo Roam, as well as in some of their song titles, including the one we’re premiering today — “I Gotta Get the Bees Outta My Teeth“. The batshit-crazy video accompanying the song is damned funny, too — in a very strange and somewhat stomach-turning way.

But this is one of those instances when you shouldn’t leap to the conclusion that the music is some kind of goof, just because the band wear their sense of humor on their sleeves. If you do that, you’ll be in for a jarring surprise. Continue reading »

MOROSE MUSIC: A COLLECTION ASSEMBLED BY NEILL JAMESON (KRIEG)

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Aug 082016

(Krieg’s Neill Jameson recently completed a very well-read three-part NCS series on obscure black metal from the ’90s (collected behind this link), and now he returns to our site with a different kind of mixtape.)

Even though we’re still in the middle of the season where your chances of getting skin cancer AND being irritated at all times is still going strong, I’m attempting to be forward-thinking. Thus to take my mind off the heat, I’ve decided to write about miserable and morose music this time around. I figure if places are trying to shove pumpkin beer up our asses in the middle of summer then I might as well shove some gloomy music up whatever orifice you prefer. I’m trying to be considerate.

As some of these artists have wildly varying styles across recordings I’m just going to hone in on one specific one per, but the majority of these fine and well-adjusted folks have a lengthy resume to choose from, so don’t just take my preference as gospel, which I’m sure no one does anyway. Continue reading »

CARNIFEX: “SLOW DEATH”

Album Reviews 3 Responses »

Aug 082016

(This is Andy Synn’s review of the new album by San Diego’s Carnifex.)

Who’d have thought it, but the modern Deathcore scene is now around 15 years old. And although the dreaded “D-word” is still used as a pejorative in certain circles I find it interesting to observe just how many of the genre’s early scions have gone on to change and (d)evolve over time.

Of course there are still those (both Despised Icon and The Acacia Strain immediately spring to mind) who have stayed relatively “true” to the style’s roots despite the passing of the years, but you don’t have to look far to see that many of the scene’s A-listers have long-since strayed into other arenas (sometimes quite literally).

Heck, Job For A Cowboy pretty much abandoned Deathcore with their very first (and still very Death Metal) album, while Suicide Silence transitioned towards a much more mainstream-friendly Nu-Metal influenced sound almost as rapidly. And I suppose the less said about Whitechapel’s recent decision to jump on the $lipknot train the better…

So with all this chopping and changing going on, where does this leave stalwart misanthropes Carnifex and their sixth album Slow Death? Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: ALCEST, ENSLAVED, WINTERFYLLETH, ULTHA

Exceptions to the Rule, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHADES OF BLACK 7 Responses »

Aug 072016

Just as yesterday’s Seen and Heard round-up was much shorter than usual, so too is this Sunday’s edition of Shades of Black. I got back to Seattle last night from that four-day wedding festivity in Vegas I’ve mentioned before, but between the two premieres I’ve posted since then and a backlog of personal stuff to deal with, I haven’t had time to write about everything I wanted to include in this post. I’m hoping to supplement it during the coming week before going off to Migration Fest on Thursday, when our site’s content will probably diminish again.

With so many songs and full releases on my list of Shades to choose from, I picked the following four items to recommend, without much rhyme or reason. The bands are less obscure than usual for these posts, until you get to the end.

ALCEST

I suspect I will always consider Alcest to be a shade of black even if Neige and Winterhalter decide to start playing bluegrass — though that hasn’t happened yet. The fifth Alcest album is named Kodama, which we’re told is the Japanese word for “tree spirit” and also refers to the process of sounds reverberating across mountains, valleys, and forests that’s often attributed to these spirits. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DEPRIVE — “DOOMED TEARS OF HUMANITY”

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Aug 072016

At the end of last month Memento Mori released the second album by the Spanish one-man death metal band Deprive. Bearing the title Temple of the Lost Wisdom, it follows last year’s promising debut album Into Oblivion. Today we have for you a stream of one of the new album’s ten tracks, “Doomed Tears of Humanity“.

As before, Deprive’s alter ego Erun Dagoth performs all instruments as well as vocals on this new work, making use of the experience he has gained in a multitude of other bands, including Briargh, Hrizg, Stormstone, CrystalMoors, Eldereon, and Omendark, while drawing upon a similarly diverse array of death and doom influences from the ’90s, including the works of Paradise Lost, Hypocrisy, Morbid Angel, Amorphis, Incantation, My Dying Bride, Cemetery, and Bolt Thrower. Continue reading »

THE REARVIEW MIRROR (CANDIRIA)

THE REARVIEW MIRROR 3 Responses »

Aug 072016

(Austin Weber steps up with this week’s Rearview Mirror feature, focusing on the 1995 debut album by Candiria.)

It’s been far too long since I contributed to our Rearview Mirror series here at NCS, and there’s still an endless number of old and forgotten gems I’d like to cover in this series when I have more time! If you’re ready to step into the time machine for a lesser-known gem by Candiria, come prepared with an open mind. This isn’t easy-listening or genre-by-numbers material. You ready for some supreme weirdness?

Brooklyn-based and never content to confine themselves within a single genre, Candiria have always created the music they want to make, critics and fans be damned. The band have had a long and storied history ever since their inception in 1992, going through multiple styles and sonic territories on different releases, a myriad of line-up changes, a tour-van-related crash tragedy that shook the band to its core, and a couple of breakups/hiatuses followed by multiple comebacks. Recently the band returned with 2014’s Invaders two-song release, and are set to release a new full-length next year. So it seems quite fitting to cover their initial album, Surrealistic Madness, in light of the band’s newly re-activated status. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: WARDAEMONIC — “DROWNING IN SEAS OF WRETCHEDNESS”

Premieres No Responses »

Aug 062016

I am so damned happy that I have a reason to put Australian artist Chris Cold’s phenomenal album art for Wardaemonic’s Obsequium on our site again. The last time was in February 2015 when we had the pleasure of premiering a song from that album named “Endless War”. And today the occasion is our premiere of an official music video for Obsequium’s opening track, “Drowning In Seas of Wretchedness“.

For those who may be discovering Wardaemonic for the first time through this post, they are from Perth, Australia, and Obsequium is the band’s third album, and their fourth release overall. And for those who are new to the band, this video makes for a compelling introduction. Continue reading »

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