EYE-CATCHERS: HELCARAXË AND MANIC SCUM

 Eye-Catchers, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  11 Responses »
Jun 132012
 

As you know, I’m a sucker for cool album art. Long ago, I started an experiment, testing the hypothesis that if the album art is cool, the music will probably be cool, too. There’s absolutely no reason why the two should necessarily go together, but it just seemed that way to me. So, I started a series of NCS posts where I picked music to check out based solely on the album art. You can see the previous installments through the EYE-CATCHERS category link on the right side of this page.

I haven’t done one of these posts in ages, but decided to revive the series today with new music from two bands: Helcaraxë and Manic Scum.

HELCARAXË

I knew nothing about this New Jersey band until seeing the stupendous painted album art (above) for their forthcoming album (their third), Red Dragon. The artist is Alan Lathwell, who it turns out also did the awesome cover for the latest album from The Horde (check that HERE).

I didn’t find any definitive word about a release date, but I did find that Helcaraxë have recently uploaded their entire discography to Bandcamp, including a song-stream for four tracks off of Red Dragon — one of which (“Skin Changer”) features guest vocals by Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity. So I listened to those four songs, and they support the EYE-CATCHERS hypothesis: This is a genuine bonanza. Continue reading »

FUCK YOUR EARS (RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER’S “GHOSTMAKER”)

 Album Reviews, Phro's Posts  4 Responses »
Jun 132012
 

 (I manipulated Phro into reviewing the new album by Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, because I can. Ghostmaker will be released by Candlelight Records on June 19.)

Islander sent me Rumplestiltskin Grinder’s new album Ghostmaker for review. As with most things our Glorious Leader does, no one really knows why he wanted me of all people to review it. But I did. I thought I’d share the experience with you. It went something like this…

*******

The night is dark like the eyes of a blind corpse. The cold air dangles its long fingers from the sky and runs them listlessly through your hair and over your skin. The sound of a dog whimpering and choking on something fatty in the distance is the only noise in your ears aside from your throbbing heart and timid footsteps.

In your right hand is a bucket of goat cocks, pig testicles, horse vaginas, and frog eyes. In your left hand is a small shovel. And in your hip pocket is a Swiss army knife, because your father told you to always be prepared. You forgot your flashlight, though, because, let’s face it, no one’s memory improves much after a few dozen shots of Jack Daniels. Fortunately, the moon is full, and its obese, pimply face, glistening like a glitter-covered Santa Clause climbing a few flights of stairs, sheds enough light for you to see.

You’ve been walking for a few minutes, having parked your car at the edge of the cemetery, but soon you see what you’ve come for. The headstone is simple and uninspiring, and the name is illegible in this light, but, let’s be honest, it matters little who lies beneath.

You set the bucket down, careful not to spill any of its contents, and begin digging a small hole. After a few minutes, a hole no bigger than your head lies gaping in the fresh soil. From your front pocket you pull out a portable music player, set it on the head stone, and press play. Continue reading »

“THAT’S METAL!” – BUT IT’S NOT MUSIC (NO. 55)

 That's Metal -- But It's Not Music  36 Responses »
Jun 132012
 

Greetings brethren and sistren, ’tis time for another edition of THAT’S METAL!, a rare mid-week edition, in fact. For the uninitiated, these are posts in which we collect videos, photos, and news reports that cause us to think, “Shit, that’s metal!”, even though it’s not music. Here we go . . .

ITEM ONE

I know this is a matter of taste, but in my opinion, everything tastes better with bacon on it. Such a sentiment will be offensive to vegetarians, animal rights advocates, nutritionists, gourmands, and people of advanced intellect everywhere. Even though I am not a person of advanced intellect, I am also conflicted in my feelings about bacon for many of the same reasons that cause offense to all those people. However, it just tastes too fuckin’ good for me to alter my own behavior or personal taste!

And by sheer happenstance, I came across several bacon-related items in the past couple of days, which I interpreted as a cosmic message to baconize NCS in this THAT’S METAL! installment. The first item is above (via Presurfer). You can buy it for $2,999.99 from the Everything Should Taste Like Bacon web site, run by Seattle-based J&D Foods, the same company that gave you baconlube (bacon flavored personal lubricant). It’s advertised as follows:

“Is there a better way to show your love of bacon forever than to be buried wrapped in it? We don’t think so. This genuine bacon casket is made of 18 Gauge Gasketed Steel with Premium Bacon Exterior/Interior, and includes a Memorial and Record Tube, Adjustable Bed and Mattress and Stationary and Swingbar handles. It also includes a bacon air freshener for when you get that buried-underground, not-so-fresh feeling.”

Yup. That’s a fine lookin’ ride. But wait, there’s more! Continue reading »

WRETCHED: “SON OF PERDITION”

 Album Reviews  4 Responses »
Jun 132012
 


(DemiGodRaven is in review mode, with his second assessment in as many days. Today’s subject is the latest release by North Carolina’s Wretched.)

There’s something to be said for the old grind of, “Third time’s a charm,” when it comes to Wretched.

They’re a band that have been consistently good, but for some reason just never quite clicked with me. Exodus Of Autonomy was an excellent disc that stood in the bridge between metalcore and melodeath, leaning heavily as hell on the melodeath side, and the follow-up, Beyond The Gate, took the group even further into territory that probably made them unrecognizable to the breakdown crowd. Personally, I thought Beyond The Gate retained a lot of Wretched signature style, including their tendency to write some very interesting instrumentals in order to break up the flow of the album.

Two years removed from that album, we find ourselves again with Wretched knocking at our door, this time with a disc that honestly surprised the hell out of me, and finally, finally, got me to say more than, “Yeah, Wretched are a pretty good band.” Son Of Perdition is a huge album with as many swings and frantic movements as Wretched could pack into their run time. It’s dynamic as all hell and morphs the band into a much darker beast than they were beforehand. Continue reading »

FEAR FACTORY: “THE INDUSTRIALIST”

 Album Reviews  11 Responses »
Jun 122012
 

(Here we have a review by TheMadIsraeli of the ninth studio album by Fear Factory.)

Time for some of that brutal-ass machine-tight cold-as-titanium machine-gun palm-mute and double-bass assault SON.

Mechanize was the shit.  The Industrialist is the love child of the band’s seminal albums Demanufacture and Obsolete.  This album could’ve been released in the 90’s and dominated just as much as the rest of their work did.  It dominates even now, in this saturated market of clean vocals all over the place and weak-sauce composition that is critically lauded somehow as “progressive” and all that cockamamie horse shit because the bands can do basic syncopation and play riffs on eight string guitars while only using two of them.

Fear Factory have never really sprinkled their music with this bullshit.  They are honest about what they do, and what they do is kickass brutal industrial-tinged metal that is dedicated to being simply crushing above being technical, progressive, or similar buzz words in the popular parlance.  They’ve generally been practicing the same sound their whole career (although it’s obvious that for some fucking reason, as stupidly simplistic as his riffs are, there is something about the way Dino Cazares writes as opposed to Christian Wolbers that just hits right), and it hasn’t ever really gotten stale for me.

This is classic Fear Factory at its best.  Machine-gun riffs, excessive double-bass assaults with technical wizardry up top, and well-incorporated electronic and symphonic flourishes.  Mix this with Burton C. Bell’s legendary battle cries combined with his baritone, almost inhuman clean voice, and it’s just a thoroughly absorbing experience overall. Continue reading »

HOUR OF PENANCE: “SEDITION”

 Album Reviews  6 Responses »
Jun 122012
 


(DemiGodRaven turns in this review of the latest release by the Italian death metal stallions in Hour of Penance.)

The fact that it has taken as long as it has for this review to be written is a sign that someone at NCS should get the shit beat out of them. I will gracefully bow out of this equation since I feel I am already doing my part by penning this, so I highly recommend Andy . . . mostly for kicking out a Whitechapel review as I was 1/4 of the way through one of my own and saying everything I was going to say.

It has been a solid couple of months since Sedition saw release, and I have spent the entire time getting my face beaten in by this disc. Hour Of Penance are one of the highlights amongst the Italian death metal scene at the moment, only recently really vaulting themselves into the spotlight, just as brethren and kin Fleshgod Apocalypse have really begun to capture people’s attentions. To say that the bands share some similarities isn’t a statement meant to imply that Hour Of Penance are derivative, it’s just a statement of fact. The bands have been intertwined throughout their histories, as one was launched from the other.

Whilst Fleshgod have taken a more orchestral route filled with blastbeats and ridiculously over-the-top operatic vocals, Hour Of Penance have followed the much darker, more brutal route in their music. Whilst one band have chosen to overwhelm the listener with sheer bombast, Hour Of Penance apparently decided that with Sedition they were going to bludgeon everyone. If Agony was 2011’s death metal kick in the ass for the mainstream, then goddamnit, Sedition should be 2012’s. Continue reading »

INTERLUDE

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jun 122012
 

This is a day for album reviews at NCS. We started with Andy’s SYNN REPORT on V.A.S.T., and a couple more are on the way. But I thought I’d mix things up a bit by posting two videos before the next review appears. These are not new, but they made this grey Seattle day brighter for me, and I thought they might brighten your day, too, unless you’ve already been staring at the sun, in which case I guess you probably can’t read this. You could get a friend to play the videos and just listen while you get used to your new burned-out retinas.

ASG

Until yesterday I had never heard of this band. I found them through a Facebook link from XII Boar. The link took me to a video for a song called “Horeswhipper”. With a name like that, I had this powerful psychic intuition that I would like it, because in general I like metal that makes me feel like I’m being horsewhipped. And no, I’m not into BDSM, or maybe I am and just don’t realize it.

Anyway, I think maybe one reason I liked it so much is because I had been listening to Borracho, and I think their music re-aligned my neurons into a configuration that increased receptivity to this song. Or it could have been because the song is such a titanic riff-fest, with such attention-riveting dynamics and acidified by punk-like vocal snarls and balls-out attitude. Headbanger heaven. Continue reading »

THE SYNN REPORT, PART 23: V.A.S.T.

 Exceptions to the Rule, THE SYNN REPORT  4 Responses »
Jun 122012
 

(In this latest edition of THE SYNN REPORT, Andy Synn reviews the discography of V.A.S.T., with musical accompaniment, of course.)

Recommended for fans of: Nine Inch Nails, Solstafir, Anathema

In a recent conversation with Islander I mentioned some reservations I’ve been having about the format of The Synn Report. Over time they’ve grown a bit lengthy – originally they focussed on key tracks from key albums, but they’ve slowly drifted more toward the track-by-track format I initially reserved just for my album reviews. Now, while each edition of The Synn Report is definitely intended for those of you who have the necessary drive and attention span to sit through something pretty extensive, I feel like they’ve gone a bit too far away from their original intent, which was to simply select the best tracks from each release and use them to promote each album, impartiality be damned.

So today’s edition sees me trying to move back toward the initial intent of The Synn Report, and to do so I’m bringing you the industrial tinged world-music stadium rock Americana of V.A.S.T.

Primarily the brainchild of wunderkind Jon Crosby, V.A.S.T. (Visual Audio Sensory Theatre) have gone through many different physical and musical incarnations over the years. With the key influences being Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, U2, and The Beatles, the group have released a number of records, in a number of styles, over the years, though I’m going to be focussing on the five “core” releases.

So if you’re looking for something with a lot more rock than metal, and don’t mind a host of clean vocal melodies, as well as a shovel-load of musical ambition and progressive intent, this could be the band for you. Continue reading »

AN UPDATE: KARTIKEYA AND ARSAFES

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Jun 122012
 

I’m thinking about having the words “Kartikeya Pimp” tattooed on my forehead. I’d have to convince my wife that Kartikeya is the name of a Russian metal band instead of a middle school cheerleader with a budding crack habit, but other than that it should be clear sailing, don’t you think?

I’m just trying to be honest, because we do write about this band a lot at NCS, and for good reason. They put the BAD in badass and the ASS in ass-kicking. Their latest release is the Durga Puja EP, which emerged last fall. It included two rewritten songs from the band’s debut album, two outstanding covers, and one new original song — the EP’s title track.

Yesterday, TheMadIsraeli tipped me to the fact that the band’s main man Arsafes had uploaded a video of himself performing a guitar playthrough of “Durga Puja”. It’s a reminder of how great that song is, and it’s just fun to watch Arsafes extract such beastly rhythms in the flesh.

The video is after the jump. It will tide us over until June 22, when Kartikeya has promised delivery of their next single (“Vayu”), which we presume (though we’re not sure) will appear on their next album, Samudra, and which will include guest appearances by NCS favorite Keith Merrow and Serbian vocalist Aleksandra Radosavljevic.

While I’m on the subject of Kartikeya, I want to mention that the band has now made all of their releases available for streaming and download on Bandcamp, which you can find via this link.

And while I’m on the subject of Arsafes, I also want to provide an update about one of his other bands — Above the Earth, which last week released their first single, “Trapeze”. Continue reading »

BALANCE: BORRACHO, PALLBEARER, AND YES SIR! MISTER MACHINE

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  6 Responses »
Jun 112012
 

I spent so much goddamned time this past weekend researching and writing today’s ridiculously long post about Facebook that I fell even further behind in doing what I like to do best: finding new metal to feature on this site. So, unfortunately, I don’t have much ready for the site today in the way of music. But I’m not totally empty-handed. I have the following collection of musical goodies, which should provide some balance to the site today.

BORRACHO

Borracho are a band based in Washington, DC, who recently made us aware of a new music video they’ve created for a song called “Concentric Circles”, which is the first single from their June 2011 debut album, Splitting Sky. The video was self-produced by the band, directed by their friend Dicky Southcott, and edited by Kevin Bradley. It’s a combination of the band performing the song live, interspersed with film clips of “destruction, atrocity and mayhem” — the band’s words, but quite accurate.

And on top of that, the band have suggested a drinking game of “Boom!” to be played while watching the vid: Every time you see an explosion, chug a beer. Having seen the video, I’d suggest you get a shitload of beer and be prepared to drink fast.

But frankly, you can have a shitload of fun with this video even without a shitload of beer, because the song is irresistible. It’s a high-energy, heavy-assed, rifftastic blast of stoner/doom that will brighten your day and give you a natural buzz. But wait . . . there’s more! Continue reading »

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