SHADES OF BLACK: DØDSFERD, DARKEND, LIMINAL SHROUD

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK  9 Responses »
May 052024
 

I don’t have as many different things to share with you in this week’s edition of SHADES OF BLACK as I usually do, mainly because I’ve devoted most of my time to expressing detailed thoughts about a forthcoming record which I’ve found to be one of the most gripping black metal albums I’ve encountered so far this year.

After that, I’ve included a couple of recent singles that I also hope you’ll enjoy, both of which are fore-runners to eagerly anticipated albums that I haven’t yet heard in full.

DØDSFERD (Greece)

We’ll begin with the first two songs you can now hear from Wrath, the forthcoming 12th album by Dødsferd. The album’s title shares the name of the band’s founder and also describes the emotional energy that fuels much of the music. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: WORMED, 1349, WRACH, WOUND COLLECTOR, CEREMONY OF SILENCE

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
May 042024
 


Wormed

I think I’ll begin by previewing some likely disruptions in our usual roll-out of posts during next week.

As you may know, our site is a principle sponsor of Seattle’s Northwest Terror Fest, which will have its latest incarnation on May 8-10. Andy Synn, DGR, and I (islander) will all be working the fest, beginning with a lot of heavy lifting on the day before it begins, culminating in a pre-fest show that night.

Speaking for myself, I haven’t agreed to any premieres from May 8-10 and it’s unlikely I’ll manage any of the usual weekend posts on May 11-12. Rumor has it that Andy and DGR may write some things in advance to keep us from going dark during those days, and maybe some of our other writers will send things in.

Though I expect to be bleary-eyed every morning, I also hope to at least publish more of Comrade Aleks‘ interviews, many of which I have in hand, as well as an interview from Vietnam by Vizzah Harri.

With that notification out of the way, I’ll turn to a few picks for this Saturday’s roundup of new songs and videos. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: MORGUE MEAT — “CONQUEROR’S WRATH”

 Premieres  No Responses »
May 032024
 

Eight years after the release of their debut album Mutilation in the Chapel, and seven years after their EP Realm of Eternal Suffering, the bestial Dallas death metal horde Morgue Meat are returning at last with their second full-length, Apocalyptic Visions, which is now set for co-release on May 23rd by Satanath Records (Georgia) and Pest Records (Romania), emblazoned with stunning cover art by Mark Cooper.

To help pave the way toward the new album’s release, today we’re premiering a thoroughly evil song from the record named “Conqueror’s Wrath“. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: VORGA

 Interviews  1 Response »
May 032024
 

(Today we present an excellent interview conducted by Daniel Barkasi with guitarist and composer Atlas from the German black metal band Vorga, whose new album is out now on Transcending Obscurity Records.)

The cosmic side of black metal is a fascinating one, boasting a wide range of approaches and sounds – from the horrifying and disturbing to the eclectic and bombastic. Emerging purveyors from deep, dark reaches of space, Vorga has metastasized an energy-laden, yet cuttingly furious approach. If a soundtrack to being sucked violently into a black hole has any appeal, their latest Beyond the Palest Star should be on your list.

Said new full-length is an advancement on the acclaimed Striving Toward Oblivion, which was a sonic boom of pacey, vivacious black metal that was always traveling at Warp speed. Beyond the Palest Star achieves a balanced output; plenty of speed to burn, while also allowing a wider array of influences to take hold, forming a deeper and more complex offering.

We managed to track down guitarist Atlas to speak in-depth about the new record, a film-quality video the band released, the sci-fi and the black metal scene, as well as the impacts of AI and streaming on the artist and the world at large. Prepare to traverse into the void with us. After all – “In space, no one can hear you scream.” Yeah, we went there. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: ARALLU — “EMPIRE OF SALT”

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May 032024
 

Two years ago the long-running Israeli black metal band Arallu, whose roots go back to the late ’90s, released their latest album under the imposing title Death Covenant. And the music is also imposing — ferocious, heavy, often vast and towering — but it’s also complex, dynamic, and exotic (for want of a better word) in its seamless incorporation of Middle Eastern folk melody and instrumentation.

It’s a striking example of how a style of extreme music born in the cold regions of northern Europe can be reconfigured and reborn to suit the terrain and traditions of a dramatically different world. And its changing musical manifestations and elaborate songcraft make it an album that rewards careful and extended listening in addition to firing up the blood and casting spells on a first spin, the kind of record that reveals new discoveries with each journey through its 10 songs.

One of this writer’s favorite songs on Death Covenant is the penultimate track, “Empire of Salt“, and so it’s a real pleasure to host the premiere of Arallu‘s transfixing video for that song today — especially since we’re doing it on a Bandcamp Friday, a good day to pick up records like Death Covenant. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: GAEREA, FUMING MOUTH, AKLASH, HYPERDONTIA, OMNIVORTEX, DYSRHYTHMIA, ÖXXÖ XÖÖX, PRIMAEVUS, PERCHTA, DEMERSAL, DOWNCROSS

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
May 022024
 

Tomorrow is another Bandcamp Friday, and I had enough time to get ahead of the game today with a few selections that might help drain your bank account tomorrow. Actually, it’s more than a few — new singles and videos from 11 bands, spanning a very broad spectrum of music.

GAEREA (Portugal)

We begin with an intense new stand-alone single from Gaerea. As the band explain, “‘World Ablaze‘ tells the story of a man who has lived all his life inside a cage. He knows that one day he will be set free and experience the world with its true colors. Unfortunately, he also knows that day will be his last hours alive. It’s a song about desire, hope and freedom. A dance between life and death, hope and despair”. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: CADAVEROUS CONDITION — “THEY CAME FROM THE HILLS”

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May 022024
 

The Austrian extreme metal band Cadaverous Condition started in the early ’90s (their first demos were released in 1990-’92), and since then their discography has swelled significantly, though more than a dozen years have passed since their last album (Burn Brightly Alone), if one doesn’t count an album-length collaboration they did with Herr Lounge Corps in 2018.

Despite their significant number of releases, this seems to be our site’s first encounter with them. The musical histories we’ve been provided are intriguing, to say the least. We’re told that their path has taken “many twists and weird turns, incorporating neofolk (‘death folk’) and collaborating with a wide range of artists creating a weird yet coherent body of work”.

It’s a crooked path that reportedly made them the first death metal band to cover The Sisters Of Mercy and Death In June and included their own interpretations of songs by The Decemberists and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and collaborations with such acts as Nurse With Wound, Thighpaulsandra, Tobias Nathaniel (The Black Heart Procession), and the afore-mentioned Herr Lounge Corps.

They also did an art project with Bill Drummond (The KLF) involving a specially made CD and sending a message in a bottle from the shores of Iceland.

Having read all that, we really had almost no idea what to expect from their new album Never Arrive, Never Return, which is set for a June 14 release via The Circle Music. What we found is something fascinating, something clearly rooted in death metal but with tendrils that taste of other terrains. As a sign of what we found, today we’re premiering a lyric video for the new album’s chilling but powerfully captivating opening song, “They Came From the Hills“. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND REVIEW): NAXEN – DESCENDING INTO A DEEPER DARKNESS

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
May 022024
 

(Andy Synn descends into the depths of the new album from Germany’s Naxen, out tomorrow)

As I’ve said before, the Black Metal scene today – in all its myriad forms – is in such rude health that it seems like you can’t go more than a day without stumbling over a fantastic new artist or album to fall in love with.

The downside of this, however, is that with so much quality material on offer – from the rawest to the proggiest, and everything in between – it’s getting harder and harder for bands to stand out and make themselves heard.

But it’s clear that Naxen have been hard at work themselves over the last few years, carving out their own particular niche – somewhere between the hypnotic intensity of Mgła, the infectious energy of Woe, and the gloomy despondency of Ultha – where they can plant their seeds, nurture them, and watch them grow.

And the fruit of their labours – which we have the distinct pleasure of premiering for you all today – is their new album, Descending Into a Deeper Darkness.

Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: UNEARTHLY RITES

 Interviews  No Responses »
May 012024
 


Photo by Lassi Kojola

(In two days from now Prosthetic Records will release the politically charged debut album by the Finnish death metal band Unearthly Rites, and to help pave the way we present Comrade Aleks‘ very interesting interview with vocalist Sisli and guitarist Santtu.)

Here’s a quite fresh and dirty entity from very North of Finland. Unearthly Rites was formed back in 2020, and since then they released only a self-titled EP in 2021… until now.

The lineup in Unearthly Rites includes members from the bands Dome Runner, Fosforos, Frogskin, Fuck-Ushima, Bolt Cross, Praise, etc, so this company of two ladies and three gentlemen seem to be quite busy with different sorts of underground activities. Yes, right, Unearthly Rites is a blackened death metal band, and one of the women is the person who roars in their full-length album Ecdysis.

Prosthetic Records are ready to release Ecdysis on May 3rd, so here we are to support this band with their absolutely crushing sound, a dedicated approach, and an attitude worthy of respect. Sisli (vocals) and Santtu (guitars) provided us quite an in-depth and interesting interview. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: SELVANS — “IL CAPRO INFUOCATO”

 Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres  No Responses »
May 012024
 

The Italian artist Selvans probably needs no introduction to those who regularly visit our site, but for those encountering Selvans for the first time today, we’ll share a few words from Selvans‘ label Avantgarde Music:

The singer and keyboardist Selvans, plays black/heavy metal with prog-rock influences. Lyrics and concept are inspired by Italian folk-horror tales and imagery. After two full length albums, Lupercalia (2016, Avantgarde Music) and Faunalia (2018, Avantgarde Music) in 2021 he released The Dark Italian Art EP, an artistic manifesto that sees the team-up with the horror writer Luigi Musolino.

We can also share that Selvans will be following The Dark Italian Art with a new album. Though a release date hasn’t yet been announced, we’ve all been given a preview of what it will bring through Selvans‘ recent release of a single named “Il Capro Infuocato“. To help spread the word further, today we’re presenting a lyric video for the song. Continue reading »

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