NO CLEAN SINGING

AN NCS PREMIERE AND A REVIEW: BROKEN FLESH — “BROKEN FLESH”

Aug 272015

(Grant Skelton presents his review of the new album by Broken Flesh — along with our premiere of a full-album stream.)

Broken Flesh formed in 2004 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They released their first album Forever In Flames in 2009 on black metal label Sullen Records (now defunct). On Forever In Flames, the band performed as a three-piece with Kevin Tubby handling guitar and vocals, additional guitar by Steve Maxwell, and Brandon Lopez on drums. Forging a strong DIY ethic, Broken Flesh followed up that album with an independent EP called Stripped, Stabbed and Crucified in 2012. The EP was the band’s only release to feature Ricky Puckett on vocals. Jacob Mathes took over as the band’s bassist and backup vocalist.

Over the next year, the band adjusted their lineup, honing their sound and perfecting their craft. While guitarist Kevin Tubby and drummer Brandon Lopez remained constant, Jacob took over lead vocals, with Joshua Mathes stepping in on bass. The musical seeds they began to sew on Stripped, Stabbed and Crucified manifested in 2013. That year, the band birthed Warbound. Their evolution was complete. In the span of only one year, Broken Flesh’s songwriting metamorphosed into a repulsive death metal scourge devoid of mercy… a wanton and sadistic lash with which to flagellate their listeners and fans.

Warbound saw Broken Flesh ascend from sepulchral obscurity. After its release, they played a hometown show with Rockstar Energy’s Mayhem Festival and Mexico’s Exodo Fest. In 2014, the band gave live audiences the pleasure of hearing new material written after Warbound. Broken Flesh attracted the attention of Luxor Records, and Luxor re-released Warbound in January. The new album was produced by Nick Morris of As They Sleep (who also have new material in the pipeline). The track “Hell” features a guest solo from Morris.

Now, No Clean Singing is proud to offer an exclusive stream of Broken Flesh’s new self-titled album in advance of its September 4 release date. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: THE WOUNDED KINGS (GEORGE BIRCH)

Interviews 3 Responses »

Aug 272015

(Comrade Aleks presents this interview with George Birch of UK-based The Wounded Kings.)

Born in misty Dartmoor, raised in vapors covering the infamous Grimpen Mire, doom metal outfit The Wounded Kings started their way to listeners in 2005. The somber Embrace of the Narrow House and the mournful and mystic Shadow Over Atlantis were composed by the duo of Steve Mills (bass, drums, guitars, piano) and George Birch (bass, guitars, vocals); both albums helped the band not only attract the attention of listeners but also to get in contact with Sweden’s I Hate Records, and later in 2014 – with Candlelight Records.

George left the band in 2010, but that didn’t stop Steve, who recorded two successful albums with a new line-up that included Sharie Neyland on vocals. George returned to The Wounded Kings not long ago, and now the band is finishing a new album. What should we expect from it? Let’s ask George Birch himself. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: UNDER THE CHURCH — “WALPURGIS NIGHT”

Premieres 7 Responses »

Aug 262015

It’s so nice to find a band still early in their discography who consistently kill it with each new release, especially when their weapon of choice is raw, unrepentant, bestial death metal of the old school. The band I happen to have in mind at the moment is Under the Church.

Perhaps the consistent quality of what they’re doing is to be expected, because although Under the Church is a new name, the band was started by two former members of Sweden’s Nirvana 2002 — drummer Erik Qvick and bassist Lars Henriksson, and they are joined by Australian vocalist Mik Annetts. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SPECTRAL LORE — “GNOSIS’ JOURNEY THROUGH THE AGES” (PREMIX VERSION)

Premieres 3 Responses »

Aug 262015

The remarkable one-man Greek band Spectral Lore has recorded a new EP named Gnosis that will be mastered by Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts) and released around November by the tasteful I, Voidhanger label.

Though Spectral Lore calls Gnosis an EP, it will be close to 40 minutes in length. It is the second of at least three EPs that Spectral Lore has planned for 2015, the first one being Voyager, which was released in May (and there may be a fourth before the year draws to a close). Continue reading »

BITING THE HAND / KISSING THE ASS / PLAYING THE GAME

Mosh Pit 34 Responses »

Aug 262015

(NCS writer Andy Synn penned the following thoughts….)

So this column is something of a follow-up to my piece entitled “The Negative Zone” that was published last week (here), as there were certain issues and ideas touched upon there that I felt deserved closer attention, particularly the complex, convoluted, and sometimes downright chaotic, relationship between humble Metal blogs like ours, and the Labels, PR reps, and bands that we deal with on a daily basis!

Now, I’m not sure how many of you, or indeed if any of you, stop to think much about the various issues that go into running a blog like this, or whether you simply just enjoy reading the articles now and then (which is totally fine!). But it’s not just about making sure the reviews get edited and published on time (or, at least, in a timely fashion), there’s also a hell of a lot of work involved in managing the relationships that keep the gears turning and keep that content rolling in – all the while trying to maintain at least some sense of journalistic integrity and honesty! Continue reading »

A REVIEW AND A PREMIERE: PLAGUE RIDER’S “PAROXYSM”

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET 1 Response »

Aug 262015

Paroxysm is the name of the new EP by Plague Rider. The Oxford English Dictionary, which seems like the appropriate reference source since Plague Rider hail from the former mother ship, alternately defines “paroxysm” as “a sudden strong feeling or expression of an emotion that cannot be controlled” and “a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity”. With a name like that as an EP title, you don’t expect ambient drone. And as you’re about to find out, the EP lives up to its name.

You will find out, because today we’re premiering a full stream of all four songs on Paroxysm. Like the EP’s name, the song titles are also suggestive — “Retrovirus”, “Occidite”, “Hydrophobe”, and “Prion”, most of them referring to infectious, lethal agents. In a word, all the songs are remarkable (as well as lethal). Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD (PART 1): ÆVANGELIST, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, VHÖL, CRUCIAMENTUM, HORRENDOUS, NIGHTFELL

Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 8 Responses »

Aug 262015

I haven’t been able to pull together a round-up of news and new music in five days, and you know what that means: I’ve got a backlog that’s so big I’ll never catch up. But instead of just uttering a big sigh and looking ahead instead of behind, I decided I should at least pick some of what interested me out of the last five days’ discoveries (in the hope that they will interest you, too).

The entries in this first part of a two-part post are almost all news items — and they include a ton of great cover art — but since this feature is called Seen and HEARD, I’ve tacked on one new song at the end that you can stream right here. Part 2 will be all music.

ÆVANGELIST

This interests me greatly: Through 20 Buck Spin, Ævangelist will release their fourth album on October 9 in the U.S. and October 23 in Europe. A vinyl edition is projected for December. The name of the album is Enthrall To the Void of Bliss. I have to find out who created the cover art, because it’s very good. (UPDATE: I’ve learned that the wonderful art was created by Stephen Wilson [FB page here], and more of his work will appear in the digipak of this album.) Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: SERPENT VENOM (ROLAND SCRIVER)

Interviews 2 Responses »

Aug 252015

(Comrade Aleks brings us another interview, this time with guitarist (and visual artist) Roland Scriver of the UK doom band Serpent Venom — with a stream of the band’s latest album at the end.)

Serpent Venom is one of UK doom-scene’s most perceptive flagships. Based in London, they have a contract with one of the best modern doom-oriented labels The Church Within and two full-length records at hands. Their second album Of Things Seen And Unseen has haunted me since its very release, so after one year of nightmares, I got ready to interview some of the Serpent Venom cult’s members and was lucky enough to get in touch with Roland Scriver (guitars). Roland is here today, so let’s see what he has to say. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: INVOKER — “AEON”

Premieres 9 Responses »

Aug 252015

When I first laid eyes on the wonderful cover by Misanthropic Art for Invoker’s second album — Aeon — I immediately became eager to hear something from the album. That was five days ago, and all that was then available was just a brief excerpt of a song. It sounded both massive and mesmerizing — but it was painfully short. I wished (in print) that I could hear a complete song.

Well, sometimes wishes are granted, because now I’ve heard Aeon’s title track, and you’re about to hear it, too. It’s black as night and heavy as an avalanche, shifting between ominous booming hammer blows and racing, ravaging riff assaults laced with a grim but immediately memorable melody. Continue reading »

FIGHT AMP: “CONSTANTLY OFF” — A FULL MUSIC STREAM AND A TRACK-BY-TRACK COMMENTARY

Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews 2 Responses »

Aug 252015

The new EP by Philadelphia’s Fight Amp(utation) is a whirlwind roller-coaster ride — or it would be if a roller-coaster were capable of leaping off the rails with a mind of its own in addition to veering up, down, and sideways. It’s only six songs with a total run-time of about 18 1/2 minutes, but Fight Amp pack a lot of head-spinning diversity into that span of time. It’s the kind of music that keeps you pinned in place, gleefully wondering what the hell is coming next.

Precisely for that reason, it’s also the kind of release that justifies a track-by-track commentary from the band — and that’s exactly what we have for you here. But you need to listen to the songs either before or while you’re reading — or ideally, do both. A stream of Constantly Off is at the bottom of this post, along with a Bandcamp link where you can pick it up if you like what it does to you. And to get an LP edition of the album, Brutal Panda has got that HERE. Continue reading »

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