(Andy Synn says that the new album from MEM//BRANE is one hell of a way to kick off 2025)
Let’s keep the momentum of the new year going with a new band… or, at least, a band who are new to me… shall we?
Jan 092025
Jan 082025
(written by Islander)
Welcome to Part 5 of this evolving list of infectious metal songs from last year. I’m not sure there’s any kind of organizing principle that explains why I put the following three songs together in this latest installment. They felt right together even though they sound very different, but I don’t know why.
Anyway, I think you will enjoy them. To check out the preceding four Parts and to understand what this list is about, go here.
THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT
With tongues in cheeks but also sticking straight out, we’ve explained our difficulty in being entirely objective about The Monolith Deathcult. As Andy wrote in his review of their latest album, “We’ve been friends, we’ve been enemies… and then there was that unfortunate incident where we all swapped brains… but our love for the band’s music has never waned.”
Or as I wrote upon hearing that album’s title track last February: “With our long history slavishly lapping at the feet of The Monolith Deathcult, you didn’t really think we’d overlook the fact that they have a new album coming out or that they’ve released its title track, did you? Perish the thought!” Continue reading »
Jan 082025
(written by Islander)
Můra is a Prague-based Blackened Death/Doom Metal band originally formed in 2020. In the following year they released their debut EP, Doom Invocations and Narcotic Rituals. Later this month two respected labels (Doomentia and Caligari) will jointly release Můra‘s second EP, Needle Cathedral, and today we proudly premiere its title song. Continue reading »
Jan 082025
(In the following article our contributor Didrik Mešiček provides not only a review of Ex Deo‘s new EP, which will be out on Friday of this week via Reigning Phoenix Music, but also a history lesson.)
There’s no band that bridges the gap between ancient history and metal quite as much as Ex Deo. I think it’s not a very contentious opinion to say that the side project of Kataklysm’s frontman Maurizio Iacono has musically surpassed the main band, even though the reach of Ex Deo‘s audience is much smaller. Ex Deo will be releasing a new EP called Year of the Four Emperors, which continues the story from their last album, on January 10th. Let’s hope 2025 goes a bit better than the year 69 CE went in the Roman Empire.
So because this is a release very tightly linked with history and because I’m a history nerd, we’re going to be doing something slightly different and that means including a lot of history into what’s meant to be an article about an EP. Who’d have thought you can come to NCS to learn about things other than music, eh? Continue reading »
Jan 072025
(written by Islander)
In naming their records and their songs the Mexican black metal band Fumes have shown a talent for combining words in distinctive ways that also point the way toward the character of the music: Their 2022 debut EP was named Stellar Murders Upwards. The title of their forthcoming debut album is Skeletal Wings Unleashed. And that album’s first single was “Stellar Ascension Infernal.”
Today we present a second single from the album. The name of this one — “Kamazotz” — will be less understandable for many fans, but it also turns out to be suggestive of meanings behind the music and its sensations as well. Continue reading »
Jan 072025
(written by Islander)
Welcome to Part 4 of this evolving list of infectious metal songs from last year. Today, as you can see, I’ve turned in a black metal direction and also included four picks today instead of three. To check out the preceding three Parts and to understand what this list is about, go here.
GAEREA
Even though Gaerea‘s career had already reached impressive heights before last year, it’s fair to say that this Portuguese band’s 2024 album Coma was a breakout hit, not only garnering widespread critical acclaim and tremendous support from listeners but marking an evident new chapter in the band’s musical evolution. Continue reading »
Jan 072025
(Andy Synn officially kicks off a new year here at NCS in colourful style)
The big question at the start of every new year is… where do we start?
Should I tell you what I think about the new one from The Great Old Ones? Or This Gift Is A Curse? Maybe Imperial Triumphant?
All big names, in their own way, and ones which I’m sure we’ll get to cover at some point in the near future (I’m definitely going to be writing something about the latter two myself) but our modus operandi here has always been to favour the unsung artists first and foremost.
And so, I thought, why not kick things off with something a little bit more provocative – though, I’d imagine, much of that will depend on how restrictive your view of the term “Black Metal” is – from a brand new artist attempting to put their own artsy, avant-garde spin on a genre more famous for its monochromatic malevolence.
Jan 062025
(Last November Hammerheart Records released the fantastic tenth album by the ever-intriguing French band Monolithe, and that led our Comrade Aleks into an interview with the band’s new vocalist/guitarist Quentin Verdier — a very good one that you’ll find below.)
The Parisian long-running doom band Monolithe continues its mission to explore the boundaries of the genre and this time they’ve turned to the theme of futuristic noir. They have already recorded a series of albums loosely based on the work of Stanley Kubrick, the Soviet cosmic program, and their own fantasies. Now they approach the cultural and philosophical legacy of Blade Runner and The Matrix.
Monolithe’s lineup went through some changes shortly before the album’s recording, but the founding members Sylvain Begot (guitars, keyboards, programming) and Benoit Blin (guitar) are still at the helm. Their tenth full-length Black Hole District consists of ten tracks: five instrumentals exactly one minute each interspersed with five ten-minute long compositions. Continue reading »
Jan 062025
(written by Islander)
On behalf of all of us here, we wish you a Happy Monday. Actually, that’s mainly wishful thinking. Some of my colleagues may hope your Monday is as miserable as theirs is. But either way, we hope to make you happier with the following Part 3 of the ongoing Most Infectious Song list. (To see the other Parts and to understand what this list is about, go here.)
HIGH ON FIRE
I was immediately floored ten months ago by the video directed by Lars Kristoffer Hormander for High On Fire‘s “Burning Down.” Back then I couldn’t find any details about how he made it, and I haven’t looked for details since then, but it’s still just fucking stunning to watch it. Continue reading »
Jan 062025
The old adage is true: Misery does love company, especially when the company is as powerfully talented as the UK post-black metal band who call themselves Vintras. But even listeners who are happily basking in brightness will be gripped by how well Vintras shatter all rose-colored glasses.
The band’s debut album Timescarred will be co-released in late March by Void Wanderer Productions and War Productions. They have presented an eloquent statement about the grim perspectives that inspired the music: Continue reading »