NO CLEAN SINGING

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: ESCARNIUM — “GODLESS SHRINE OF DECAY”

Nov 182015

Earlier this year the Brazilian death metal band Escarnium signed a North American deal with Redefining Darkness Records, looking ahead to the release of their next album. To pave the way for that, Redefining Darkness is releasing Godless Shrine of Decay, a compilation that includes selected cuts (all of them remastered) from the band’s previous releases as well as one new song, and we’ve got a full stream of this godless shrine for you today. It seems only fair to issue a warning in advance: Prepare for a ravaging onslaught of hellish old school death metal.

The album hits the ground running (“marauding” would actually be a better word) with “Radioactive Doom” from the band’s 2014 single Genocide Ritual and then moves to “Human Waste”, the previously unreleased track that’s included on the album. From there you get the title track from that 2014 single, seven decimating cuts from the band’s 2012 debut album Excruciating Existence, five tracks from the 2011 EP Rex Verminorum, and the title song from their first demo, 2009’s Covered In Decadence. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: DOWNFALL OF NUR (ANTONIO SANNA)

Interviews 4 Responses »

Nov 182015

(Argentinian journalist Matías Gallardo rejoins us with this interview of Antonio Sanna, the man behind Downfall of Nur, whose fine debut album Umbras de Barbagia was released earlier this year.)

The year is coming to an end and the black metal scene has many things to toast to. One of them is the appearance of Downfall of Nur, the one man band from an Italian-Argentinian multi-instrumentalist named Antonio Sanna. Hailing originally from the land of Sardinia, Italy, Antonio moved to Argentina as a kid, and now at only 19 years old he has become one of the more interesting faces in the genre. Mixing the raw and classic sound of Scandinavian black metal whilst identifying himself with the Cascadian sound of masters like Wolves in the Throne Room and the folk influence of giants Agalloch, he released Umbras de Barbagia, one of the most exciting debuts of the year. In this interview, Antonio talks about the beginnings of the band and how much his indivisible emotional link with his homeland remains as the key influence in his music.

******

Before Downfall of Nur you played in projects like Dreon, Drowned in November, Funeralopolis, and Philosophie des Toren. What can you tell me about them and how different were they from DON?

They were all experimental projects, stages where I was interested in a musical style/genre and in recording something associated with it. Funeralopolis was the previous name of Philosophie des Toren, and then I changed it. I can´t remember why, it was a long time ago, anyway. None of them were serious projects. The project that may have been a bit more serious was Drowned in November. I’ve learned a lot thanks to the recording process of those projects, but they never had any other purpose than to experiment. DON was created with the idea of making a serious project, and beyond an experiment in sound and composition, although keeping some parameters. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: NEXHYMN — “REFLECTION OF REVELATIONS”

RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 9 Responses »

Nov 182015

This isn’t quite a complete premiere, because the song you’re about to hear has been available on Bandcamp for a couple of weeks. But the lyric video for it that you’re about to see is brand new, and the song is so damned explosive that it dropped my jaw the first time I heard it, so we’re stoked to help spread the word about it.

Allow me to elaborate on the jaw-dropping thing. I had no idea what was coming the first time I heard the song. Hadn’t bothered to read anything about Denver’s Nexhymn before pushing “play” on the video. Sometimes that’s the best way to go — it’s like unwrapping a present, except in this case it’s more like the present exploded as soon as I touched it.

I’m tempted to say nothing about the music, so you can get the same incendiary surprise that I got — but I can’t resist. You can always just skip past my words and get the music going straight away (be sure to crank the volume all the way up) Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: PUNCHING MOSES — “HUMANITY PANDEMIC”

Album Reviews, Premieres 1 Response »

Nov 182015

Integrity and Ringworm may be the first names that come to mind when people think of Cleveland’s landmark contributions to the inventive fusion of hardcore punk and metal, but those names don’t exhaust the town’s hotbed of vicious talent. Witness the new EP Humanity Pandemic by Punching Moses. For this listener, it’s been a revelation.

The opening instrumental track “Intro-Venous” may get your mind thinking in a certain direction. Slow, morbid, and heavy, with dismal guitar harmonies and a squalling, bluesy guitar solo, it might lead you to think you’re in for a really good dose of stoner doom — and then the double-bass kicks in and the riffs start to jab in a flurry. Even then, you don’t realize until looking back at the song after finishing the EP that you’ve just been teetering on the edge of an inferno. The rest of the songs hit you from behind and shove you all the way into the flames. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: THE BOTTLE DOOM LAZY BAND

Interviews 2 Responses »

Nov 182015

(Comrade Aleks brings us another entertaining interview, this time speaking with guitarist Guillaume of The Bottle Doom Lazy Band from France.)

Heavy as the worst hangover, dirty and frenzied as some medieval maddened crowd, desperate and rakish as a criminal on the scaffold — it is the essence of The Bottle Doom Lazy Band. They have a bloody heavy, crushing sound, impressive and insane hymn-like vocal lines, and a strong individuality and slow approach to recording sessions. The band was born in 2005, their remarkable first record was released in 2008, and new album second album Lost N’ Drunk saw the light of day only in September 2015. Yes, they’re slow and they play their sinister doom! Why is The Bottle Doom Lazy Band so slow? I don’t know… Maybe their guitarist Guillaume will give us a hint.

******

Salute Guillaume! We were speaking with you about four years ago and it seems that you already told us then about the second The Bottle Doom Lazy Band album… So first of all, what did you do all this time, man?

Hi Aleks, I agree that’s a long time since Blood for the Bloodking. We recorded one split EP with Children of Doom and a split LP with Void Moon from Sweden and we’re here now with a new album called Lost N’ Drunk … We have had some line-up changes too. Emeric who helped us in the past is now a permanent member on the bass. Jerome (guitar) left the band, replaced by Pierre 2 years ago. Some of us have other bands (Mantras, Pulmonary Fibrosis…). It’s not easy for us to work quickly but we don’t care about that. We’re happy with this album. That’s most important. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD (PART 2): DEVOURER, SACRILEGIUM, UN, GESPENST, TAKATAK

RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 4 Responses »

Nov 172015

Earlier today we brought you a round-up of songs from Comrade Aleks. The epicenter of all his chosen music was Italy, and so I thought I would expand our geographic horizons with the following collection of recommended new tracks that I sifted from the usual flood of sounds over the last 24 hours. The bands featured below come from Sweden, Poland, Seattle, Denmark, and Pakistan.

DEVOURER

Devourer are a two-man Swedish band founded in 2002 by John “Steinfaust” Falk (who plays all instruments and has also been the drummer for Sorcery) and he was joined in 2007 by lead vocalist Fredrik “Crocell” Håf. After recording two demos (Malignant and Thy Devourer), the band released their first album in January 2013 under the title All Hope Abandon. I discovered the band through their 2013 single, Filth; the title track was released in video form and reviewed here. Yesterday, Devourer released another single — and it’s also excellent. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DRUGS OF FAITH / CLOUD RAT (SONGS FROM A SPLIT)

Premieres 2 Responses »

Nov 172015

Let’s cut to the chase: Poland’s Selfmadegod Records is releasing a 7″ vinyl split by Drugs of Faith and Cloud Rat, and today we’re streaming the premiere of one song from the split by each band. If you know anything about these bands, I’m guessing you’re already scrolling down to hit the play buttons, and I wouldn’t blame you one bit for that. If perchance you’re unfamiliar with the bands, or you’re curious about how many adjectives I can string together to describe these songs, read on.

DRUGS OF FAITH

Both of the bands on this split are distinctive, they go their own way, and they’re very, very good. Drugs of Faith are based in Northern Virginia and have been kicking around since circa 2002. Their current line-up consists of vocalist/guitarist Richard Johnson (Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Enemy Soil), bassist Taryn Wilkinson, and drummer Ethan Griffiths. They’ve produced a variety of short releases since their founding, as well as a debut album in 2011 (the phenomenal Corroded). Their most recent releases were the 2013 EP Architectural Failures (here) and a cover of “Paralyzed” by Godflesh for the Fathers Of Our Flesh tribute album (here). Continue reading »

SHEVILS: “THE WHITE SEA”

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Nov 172015

As those of you who follow us regularly probably know, I have a soft spot for Norway’s Shevils, despite the fact that their music is different from the extreme metal onslaughts that have become the (nearly) non-stop soundtrack for my life. And the appeal of the music isn’t something I can describe simply, because the music itself isn’t as simple as it may sometimes seem on the surface. There’s a dichotomy at work, a division among (and sometimes within) the songs, and it has never been more pronounced than in their new album The White Sea.

The album cover (created by Chris Faccone) is populated by fantastical cartoon characters, seemingly at war with themselves somewhere far beyond our solar system. It’s light-hearted and crazy, frenzied and frenetic. And there’s more than a little of that high-energy, off-the-wall sense of aggressive fun in The White Sea. But there’s another side to the album as well, one that shows the band growing and exploring new territories, creating more complex and dissonant sonic landscapes that resonate with a sense of menace and even despair. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD (PART 1): ABYSMAL GRIEF, BLACK OATH, EPITAPH, NIGHT GAUNT

RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 7 Responses »

Nov 172015

(If all works as planned today, we will have two “Seen and Heard” posts, and in this first one our frequent interviewer from Russia, Comrade Aleks, puts the spotlight on new music from four fine doom bands.)

Four Italian bands presenting four different aspects of Italian doom metal: Abysmal Grief brings the darkest and most sinister doom from decrepit and horrible crypts. Black Oath weaves baleful spells with twisted tunes of occult doom metal. Retro doom metal band Epitaph spreads tunes of evil in their own old school manner. And Night Gaunt reveals the anxiety and terror of our daily horrors with an ascetic and minimalistic doom sound. Accept the will of Mother Death and follow these dark rites, defending your soul only with your inner strength and spiritual tenacity.

Abysmal Grief

Who knows the most effective way to bury the dead? Who knows the most effective way to return them back to life? Who knows how to perform guitar sound as heavy as a coffin lid? Who knows how to transmit a creepy atmosphere of a forsaken cemetery with freshly dug graves? And who leads the procession? Of course it is the Genoa-based band Abysmal Grief. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: JONBAR HINGE

Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres 2 Responses »

Nov 162015

There’s something about the cover art for Jonbar Hinge’s debut album that gives me the shivers. Maybe it’s the fact that the eyes look like shivered panes of glass, with no one home behind them — or at least no one you might really want to meet. This Swiss band’s name is equally fascinating. It appears to refer to a concept (derived from science fiction) for “a crucial point of divergence between two outcomes” — a “forking place” in time where a choice must be made that will lead to a lasting and dramatic change in the unfolding of the future. Or at least that’s what The Font of All Human Knowledge tells us. Between the artwork and the band’s name, I was very intrigued by what the album might hold in store.

This self-titled record, which will be released by Division Records on November 20, consists of five tracks. At the end of this post you’ll have the chance to stream all of them. I’ll warn you up-front that the album is often an exception to our “rule” (the one about singing), and it’s not quite as extreme as most of the vicious monsters to which we devote most of our time. But you’re seeing the premiere here for a reason — Jonbar Hinge will get your head moving, and repeatedly slug you in the spine while it does that. Continue reading »

Older Entries Newer Entries