SHADES OF BLACK: TEMPLE DESECRATION, TEMPLE NIGHTSIDE, MORTUUS, VUYVR

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  6 Responses »
May 162014
 

I started writing this post last weekend, when the featured songs were fresh out of the blast furnace and had just appeared online, but every day since then has thrown distractions in the way of finishing it. Finally, it is done. I’m afraid there’s nothing in this collection that’s suitable for the faint of heart, but if you’ve become acclimated to ravaging sonic assaults I think you’ll find a lot to like.

TEMPLE DESECRATION

I re-ordered the appearance of Temple Desecration since I began writing this post because what started as a feature about a single song is now a review of a two-song 12″ EP, the name of which is Communion Perished. It’s due for release by Germany’s Iron Bonehead Productions on June 27.

Temple Desecration are a blackened death metal band from Poland and their previous output consists of a 2012 demo named Abhorrent Rites, which I’ve not heard. The new release includes two songs — “Ghoul Prayer” and “Apotheosis”. Both of them intertwine passages of rapacious, storming riffs and merciless percussive fusillades with ghastly doom dirges, the guitars and bass drenched in distortion and the bestial vocals reverberating as if recorded in a catacombs. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: NADER SADEK, RAGE NUCLÉAIRE, MEPHORASH, MOONSORROW

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
May 152014
 

With the album collections that Professor D. Grover the XIIIth and Austin Weber recommended earlier today, we’ve thrown a lot of music your way in a short stretch of time.  But does that mean we will stop? No, of course not. We’re like a hyperactive yappy little dog that will not stop trying to hump your leg. So you might as well just sit back and prepare for a sticky leg.

NADER SADEK

Three years ago the extravagantly talented musical and visual artist Nader Sadek delivered an album named In the Flesh, with the help of an eye-popping line-up of guest musicians. Now, Sadek has re-recorded a song from the album named “Mechanic  Idolatry” and re-titled the new work “Re:Mechanic”. This time the recording artists include Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Mike Hrubovcak (Monstrosity), Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), Rune Eriksen (Mayhem, Aura Noir), Orestis Nalmpantis (Greek band Genna Apo Kolo), and Kelly Conlon (Death, Monstrosity).

But that’s not all. Sadek has also directed a new video for the song that debuted today at DECIBEL. Visit that link to learn more about Sadek’s vision for the video. But to see it without delay, just go past the jump. Continue reading »

MISERY INDEX: “THE KILLING GODS”

 Album Reviews  10 Responses »
May 152014
 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli reviews the new album by Baltimore’s Misery Index.)

Misery Index have really come into their own over the course of their last couple of records.  Their transformation (for lack of a better term) from Dying Fetus-lite to a straight-up death metal titan all their own has been a pleasure for my ears, and has resulted in some of the finest death metal you can get your hands on nowadays.  I’ve always liked this brand of death metal (Man Must Die do something similar) — lots of grindcore, old school death metal riffage, hardcore groove, and the odd incorporation of melodic death metal, but with their own flavor, not to mention a taste for lyrical sociopolitical vitriol.  Of course, key early members of Misery Index were in Dying Fetus first, which had made a name as a musically excellent death metal band that addressed social issues with the anger and outrage they deserved.

The Killing Gods is the Misery Index standard-setter.  The song writing fat (what little fat there was) has been trimmed and the songs have been turned into efficient killing-machine Spartan warriors.  A toning down of the grindcore elements results in riffs that stick out more, quite a bit more melody has been introduced, and the central focus of this record seems to lean heavily on their particular brand of imperialistic might.  Misery Index have always had this quality, and it’s a vibe unique to them I think.  The “imperial vibe” has always been a Polish standard, but Misery Index never sound like they are copping the Polish sound.  Something is distinctly American, distinctly ruthless, about the majesty presented on The Killing Gods.  This truly is the definitive Misery Index record. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: STEVEN FUNDERBURK (WRETCHED)

 Interviews  2 Responses »
May 152014
 


photo by Daniel Cunningham

(In this post our man DGR interviews guitarist Steven Funderburk of North Carolina’s Wretched, whose new album Cannibal will be released June 10 by Victory Records.)

 

I know many of the people who will be reading this interview will already be very familiar with you, but for the less enlightened among us out there can we get just a quick introduction as to who you are, what you play, and how long you’ve been with Wretched?

Hi Dave! Sure thing. I’m Steven Funderburk, I play Guitar, and I am one of the original members of Wretched. We started out in 2005, so almost 9 years now.

 

Cannibal actually marks the first one-word album title for you guys — after usually being in the three- to four-word range. Why did you guys settle on something as simple and straightforward as Cannibal?

Indeed! Well, from the get go, we wanted to write a straightforward heavy record from start to finish. We had nothing but heavy grooving in mind. It just made sense to have a title that not only fit with the lyrical content, but with the musical aspect of the record. We wanted to get straight to the point with the title, artwork, and everything behind this record. No frills, just straight-up in-your-face metal.

 

How’d you come around to the artwork for this album? It’s very different from the previous few.

The artwork on Cannibal represents Adam’s lyrical content on this record, as well as the music. We wanted something that visually represents our identity as a band, as well as remaining cohesive with the content of the album. Raf the Might did the artwork, and we could not be more stoked on it! Continue reading »

REMNANTS OF 2013 (PART 3)

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  6 Responses »
May 152014
 

(Austin Weber puts the spotlight on a big load of 2013 (and 2012) releases that he feels were overlooked.  This is Part 3 of a four-part piece; we’ll have the final part tomorrow.)

AEONS OF ECLIPSE

How I missed out on this killer death/black metal band from my home state of Kentucky is beyond me. As I found out, Aeons Of Eclipse is unfortunately now broken up, and The Parasite was released after they broke up, but it’s a damn fine statement.

The Parasite walks a fine line between old school influence and modern complexity without devolving into lead guitar overload all the time. Aeons of Eclipse find a solid balance between dark, furious riffing, smooth fitting melodies, and brutality without boring you. This is one of those highly consistent from start to finish albums that beg to be bought and replayed while headbanging relentlessly.

http://aeonsofeclipse.bandcamp.com/ Continue reading »

OCULUS INFERNUS: IN WHICH THE PROFESSOR EXAMINES P.L.F., DEMON HEAD, PORTRAIT, AND FARTBARF

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
May 152014
 

(Professor D. Grover the XIIIth surfaces from his investigations of the nether regions with his findings on four bands.)

Greetings and salutations, friends. Your Honorable Professor finds himself in the midst of a very busy time, between four weddings (two in the last week, two more in the next three weeks), three birthday parties (my daughter, whom you may remember as the original Baby XIII, is now four years old, my nieces are to be three, and my nephew will be eight), an impending stretch of working ten days in a row, and vain attempts to find time to work on a fantasy novel that has been kicking around in my head (and thus far exists only in a handwritten form and a collection of notes on the world, characters, and magic system). My music listening time has been more limited than in the past, but that has not stopped me from finding some semblance of listening time.

Thus, I bring you four more practitioners, in their own ways, of the Devil’s Musick. As always, I am attempting to cover groups not previously mentioned within the fine pages of No Clean Singing (apologies if some of these have been mentioned, as I am basing these claims off a cursory search and little else). Let us commence! Continue reading »

SHOW REPORT: THE DECIBEL MAGAZINE TOUR (CARCASS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GORGUTS) — THE NEWPORT MUSIC HALL, COLUMBUS, APRIL 6, 2014

 Concert Reviews  10 Responses »
May 142014
 

(In this post our man BadWolf reviews the performances of Carcass, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Gorguts at the Columbus, Ohio stop of the DECIBEL MAGAZINE TOUR, and the photos are his too!)

For the purposes of this review, let’s accept a false dichotomy: that there is a real and tangible difference between ‘mainstream’ extreme metal music, and ‘underground’ metal music. It’s a bullshit claim perpetuated by a self-important blogosphere and a sometimes-right-sometimes-wrong minority of metalheads with a serious penchant for nostalgia, but assume for a moment that it is true.

If so, then up until three years ago, the large package tour was exclusively in the domain of mainstream metal music. Mayhem, Summer Slaughter, and their progenitor, Ozzfest, are each the domain of the popular music industry. Even the Metal Alliance Tour falls into this trap to a lesser degree (mostly in its over-abundance of bands with too-short set lists).

The occultocrati’s sole entity in this realm has become the Decibel Magazine Tour, which year after year has presented solid and cohesive lineups that stand on the razor’s edge between critical acclaim and commercial viability. It was a bold move in 2012: when I caught that first Decibel tour (reviewed here), there was no guarantee it would happen again. Who could have predicted the way that the tour would break the careers of bands like In Solitude, or poise groups like Behemoth and Watain for the kind of massive album sales they’ve enjoyed since. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: TORRID HUSK — “CUT WITH RAIN”

 Premieres  7 Responses »
May 142014
 

For an unpaid blog created by a small group of people on a part-time basis, I think we do a fair job of covering new releases across a broad spectrum of metal. But more metal is being created today than ever before, and we miss out on a lot of albums, EPs, and splits that deserve attention. Torrid Husk’s Caesious is a prime example.

Caesious is a three-song EP released in February of this year by Grimoire Records, and it was this West Virginia band’s second collection of music, following their 2013 debut album Mingo (yeah, we missed that one, too). It drew very favorable (and well-written) reviews from sites such as Metal Bandcamp and Invisible Oranges, but I still overlooked it. Fortunately, I’ve been given a chance to make amends by premiering the official video for one of the excellent songs on Caesious — “Cut With Rain”.

The video was directed and filmed by Tyler Davis (who is also the vocalist and guitarist for Maryland’s Barbelith) in the woods near Martinsburg, West Virginia, not far from the cabin where Caesious was recorded. It’s a beautiful setting, and the video is beautifully made. Continue reading »

DEVIN TOWNSEND: “CASUALTIES OF COOL”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  8 Responses »
May 142014
 

(Andy Synn reviews the new album by Devin Townsend.)

When it comes to Exceptions To The Rule here at NCS, there’s one man who’s clearly the most exceptional of all. And it’s a damn good thing too, because the music on Casualties of Cool is simultaneously fantastic, rewarding, and thoroughly outside of the usual NCS ethos.

In fact if I had to describe this one in simple terms, I’d call it “Canadian Space Country”.

Wait, come back…!

It’s really, really good! Continue reading »

STILL MORE PREMIERES: TRAP THEM, HOUR OF PENANCE, DOWN, MERCENARY

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
May 142014
 

As you know if you were following our site, yesterday brought such a great flood of new song, video, and album premieres that it was hard to keep up — in my case, like trying to keep up  with Usain Bolt over 100 meters (even if he were wearing flip-flops). In fact, I couldn’t keep up. By noon I had spotted three more new things worth featuring (and one that’s a few days old), but instead had to stop blogging and start doing what I’m paid to do. So, later than I would like, here’s that foursome.

TRAP THEM

Prosthetic Records will be releasing a new album from this vicious East Coast band on June 10. Its name is Blissfucker, and how could you forget that name? One song has previously appeared for streaming and yesterday brought another (via Lambgoat), by the name of “Organic Infernal”. It begins like an alien ant swarm, and then the ants start rocking hard (while continuing to devour whatever writhing creature is caught in their mandibles). Vicious, and memorable.

Blissfucker can be pre-ordered via Prosthetic Records or iTunes. If you missed “Salted Crypts”, which premiered last month, I’m including that below as well. But first, “Organic Infernal”… Continue reading »

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