AN NCS PREMIERE: CAECUS — “AFFLICTION”

 Premieres  6 Responses »
Nov 042015
 

caecus_affliction cover

 

Affliction is the title of the debut EP by a Scottish trio named Caecus. You listen to the music, and it seems born of affliction, and it expresses affliction — among other powerful emotions. It will take you less than 10 minutes to hear the three unnamed songs on the EP from start to finish, but it’s still an all-consuming experience.

If you’re like me, the first thing you’ll want to do at the end, while your head is still spinning, is go back to the beginning and launch it again so you can try to understand better what just happened to you. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: HANGMAN’S CHAIR (JULIEN ROUR CHANUT)

 Interviews  2 Responses »
Nov 042015
 

Hangmans Chair - 1
photo © Ony

(Comrade Aleks brings us another interview, this time with Julien Rour Chanut, guitarist of the French band Hangman’s Chair.)

This is one of the most nihilistic, dirty, and desperate doom outfits from France. Hangman’s Chair was born in 2005 and proved their skills with three full-length albums until now. These are hymns of outcasts, confessions of the addicted, a portrayal of crude reality from the backyard of a city’s daily life.

The reason for this interview with Julien Rour Chanut, the band’s guitarist, is the release of Hangman’s Chair’s new album This Is Not Supposed To Be Positive on Musicfearsatan Records. Another murky reflection in a cracked mirror of our lives… Another expressive art-work, another handful of depressive and realistic tunes from the underground of suburban Paris. Continue reading »

KAMPFAR: “PROFAN”

 Album Reviews  7 Responses »
Nov 042015
 

Kampfar-Profan

 

(Andy Synn reviews the new album by Norway’s Kampfar.)

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to witness a show-stealing, career-defining performance by Norwegian legends-in-waiting Kampfar, when they stepped out onto the main stage at Inferno Festival and proceeded to deliver a masterclass in true Black Metal power and spirit, ultimately describing their set as one which “will be spoken of for years to come”. And I still stand by that.

Calling the band “legends-in-waiting” is meant as no disservice to them, however. It’s rather an acknowledgement that although the quartet have long since achieved legendary status in certain circles, their wider acclaim has yet to reach the level which should be theirs by right.

Yet, by the same token, it’s startling to realise that now, 20 years into their career, Kampfar are in the midst of an ongoing (and seemingly unstoppable) creative and critical renaissance, which began with 2011’s riveting Mare, continuing through last year’s ravenous Djevelmakt, and leading us, in turn, to Profan, their latest slab of sharp-toothed metallic menace. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: SERPENTS LAIR — “CIRCUMAMBULATING THE STILLBORN”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  6 Responses »
Nov 032015
 

Serpents Lair-Circumnambulating the Stillborn

 

Last year I reviewed an impressive first demo by a mysterious hooded group from Sjælland, Denmark, named Serpents Lair. Now the band have completed their debut full-length, a seven-track, 43-minute album entitled Circumambulating the Stillborn that becomes available for download and physical pre-order today. In this post you’ll have a chance to stream the entire album for the first time. And if you’d like a preview of what you’re getting yourselves into, read on.

Following an introductory track consisting of beautiful choral voices and the slow, muffled pounding of timpani, Serpents Lair deliver five mostly long songs and an instrumental interlude. The songs are richly textured, dynamic in their pacing, and wholly unsettling. Continue reading »

HOODED MENACE: “DARKNESS DRIPS FORTH”

 Album Reviews  9 Responses »
Nov 032015
 

Hooded Menace-Darkness Drips Forth

 

(Wil Cifer reviews the new album by Finland’s Hooded Menace.)

By my lights, 2015 hasn’t been a big year for doom. Doom releases have been sparse, and when I say doom I am not talking retro stoner crap, but something that crushes your spirit in a mournful manner. I am pleased to say that the Finnish Doom merchants of Hooded Menace continue to bring it.

They come from the more deathly school of doom but their riffs still weep blood, so the death metal influence doesn’t bother me here. Speaking of weep, most bands would bore you to tears with a twelve-minute opener, but these guys suspend time and keep you in the moment. They are not afraid of picking up the pace without losing their grasp of darkness by going into a stoner rock boogie. Even when indulging in weird breakdowns they maintain their momentum. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: INVOCATION SPELLS — “DESCENDENT THE BLACK THRONE”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Nov 032015
 

invocation spells - descendent the black throne cover

 

Descendent the Black Throne is the name of the second album by the Chilean black metal band Invocation Spells. It’s set for release next month by the mighty Hells Headbangers, and today we’re presenting a stream of the album’s ripping title track.

South American black metal tends to mix savagery with speed, and Invocation Spells deliver that experience in spades. “Descendent the Black Throne” is a galloping romp of speed metal riffs and gut-punching percussion trailing clouds of sulfurous smoke in its wake, capped by venomous vocals nasty enough to wake demons from their slumber. Continue reading »

BEVAR SEA: “INVOKE THE BIZARRE”

 Album Reviews  8 Responses »
Nov 032015
 

Bevar Sea-Invoke the Bizarre

 

(In this post Grant Skelton reviews the new album by India’s Bevar Sea.)

Bevar Sea are from Bangalore, Karnataka, in India. They formed in 2010 and the following year released two demos (Trendslaughter Sessions and Sessions Of Chaos). Those demos, which included covers of Kyuss, Sleep, and Black Sabbath, saw the band gain a following among doom fans worldwide. In 2012 the band recorded an album with Billy Anderson, whose more recent work includes Pallbearer’s Foundations Of Burden and Agalloch’s The Serpent & The Sphere.

Bevar Sea’s self-titled 2012 release led their popularity to spread even further as they played shows with Anathema and Kreator. In 2013 Rolling Stone India awarded Bevar Sea the title of “Best Emerging Band.” Continue reading »

INIQUITOUS DEEDS: “INCESSANT HALLUCINATIONS”

 Reviews  4 Responses »
Nov 032015
 

Iniquitous Deeds-Incessant Hallucinations

 

(Our friend Vonlughlio returns with his second review in as many days, this time singing the praises of the debut album by Iniquitous Deeds.)

Back in 2012 or 2013 when I discovered New Standard Elite, there was a band named on the label named Iniquitous Deeds, with a self-titled EP that displayed amazing musicianship and a killer production that fit well in the BDM genre. Now, flash-forward to 2015 and the release of their debut album Incessant Hallucinations, which saw the light a couple of months ago. With all the BDM releases I’ve been fortunate enough to hear, this album is one of my top choices in the genre.

The band are from California and the members are Matt Kilner (Drums), Niko Kalajakis (Guitars), Mike Simon (Vocals), and Chris Stratton (Bass). They are all top-notch musicians and have simply put out an album that has become one of my favorite debuts, along with Abhorrent Castigation’s from last year. Continue reading »

KAECK: “STORMKULT”

 Reviews  5 Responses »
Nov 032015
 

Kaeck-Stormkult

 

We might as well cut to the chase about this album, which is only fair, because it will chase you relentlessly from beginning to end: Kaeck’s Stormkult is one of the truly bright stars in the vast constellation of 2015 black metal. At least two qualities make it stand out in a crowded field.

First, in a genre known for its extreme intensity, Stormkult is extremely intense. For almost its entire duration, it’s a raging hurricane of sound — bombastic, terrorizing, and chillingly grim. If you want to be electrified by music, this will do it, and leave your head smoking. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ÄRA KRÂ, CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC, EVENT RELENTLESS, GOATCRAFT, INFERNÄL MÄJESTY, NO MORE ROOM IN HELL, OUBLIETTE, STURMOVIK

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  8 Responses »
Nov 022015
 

Ara Kra-self titled

 

There’s a ton of new music in this round-up that I really like, most of which I discovered over the weekend. I thought about dividing up this post and leaving some of the songs until tomorrow, especially since we’ve delivered so much other music to you on this Monday. But I’ve learned the hard way that when I defer something I want to do, sometimes it doesn’t happen at all. So I’m including music from eight bands in this post, and to make it somewhat less daunting I’ve tried to minimize my own linguistic spewing.

I’m presenting the music in alphabetical order by band name. I do hope you’ll find time at least to sample everything.

ÄRA KRÂ

I’m cheating on this first song — because I’ve already written about it, back in May to be precise. But this talented band have just established a Bandcamp page for the self-titled EP on which it will appear, and that gives me an excuse to repeat what I said before (and yes, I’m already going back on what I promised about minimizing linguistic sewage): Continue reading »

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