NO CLEAN SINGING

DEVIN TOWNSEND AND SEPTIC FLESH DRIVE TO WINNIPEG, AND 7 HORNS 7 EYES CONVALESCE

Jul 142011

I’ve never been in a metal band. I fantasize about it sometimes. I’d guess most fans do that at one time or another. But there’s at least one aspect of band life that I think I’d get tired of pretty fast — touring in cramped, dysfunctional vans, sleeping on people’s floors, and eating crap food while on tour. When I was younger, I didn’t think anything about living (and smelling) like an animal. But now that I’m older than dirt, it don’t sound so appetizing any more.

It’s easier to fantasize about being in a band who are successful enough to tour in style, in a big full-comfort bus with a road crew to take care of some of the heavy lifting and assorted other bullshit you’d otherwise have to do for yourself. But even bands like that don’t get to travel in style all the time. Like when the bus breaks down and 15 of you have to get in a van and drive for hours across the flat, featureless landscape of the Canadian prairie. Which is what happened to The Devin Townsend Project and Septic Flesh on the road from Saskatoon to Winnipeg not long ago.

Most hand-made tour videos that I see aren’t all that interesting. Basically, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ’em all. But Devin Townsend, being the evil creative genius that he is, put together a short video of this cramped van trip that I enjoyed. In terms of what you see, it’s still pretty much in the category of “seen one, seen ’em all”, but the editing and especially the musical soundtrack are cool. Plus, I saw these bands on their current tour (along with Obscura and Children of Bodom), and they were both so tremendous that I couldn’t resist watching this. The video is after the jump.

Also after the jump — news about a newly released 3-song single from 7 Horns 7 Eyes that we recommend highly. Continue reading »

FLOURISHING: “THE SUM OF ALL FOSSILS”

Album Reviews 7 Responses »

Jul 142011

The new album from Flourishing is not for kids, unless they’re kids who grew up fast and hard. It’s not happy music. It’s not party music. It won’t get your head bobbing very often. It’s not music that you’ll be running through the speakers in your mind days later. It won’t lift you up. It’s the sound of catastrophe, the sound of everything falling apart. It will roll over you and break you down.

It’s not music you can really use as background to anything else you’re doing either — it compels you to listen as it grinds over your frail person like some massive machine made for smashing human bones and flesh. I suppose the one thing you could do while listening is launch yourself into a mosh pit with violence on your mind, but that’s about it.

I have no good idea about how to classify this music within standard genre references. At times, it sounds like some kind of virulent black grind — a kind of Anaal Nathrakh-like misanthropic rending, except with more sludge. At times, industrial rhythms take hold in the low end, but if it’s industrial, it’s the sound of a deafening factory that’s consuming itself in an effusion of oily smoke.

At other times, it sounds like a dismembering kind of progressive metal, as in the last part of a song called “In Vivid Monochrome”. In certain stretches, it reminds me of the harrowing brand of hardcore-influenced venom delivered by Pristina (whose last album we reviewed here). At still others, it sounds like a catastrophic cascade of avant-garde experimental metal, reminiscent of Ulcerate. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

G.I.S.M.’S “DETESTation”

Album Reviews, Phro's Posts 17 Responses »

Jul 132011

(NCS guest contributor Phro delivers this . . . uh . . . unusual look-back at an unusual album. Make sure you’re not eating or drinking while reading this, unless of course you LIKE having liquids and partially chewed food explosively ejected through your nose.)

I’m gonna go ahead and start this by just linking you to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GISM). I’ll wait. It’s kinda important.

Next, watch this:

Now, let’s talk about the album DETESTation by G.I.S.M. (after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

I CAN’T PRONOUNCE THE NAME OF THIS SONG, BUT IT’S FUCKIN’ KILLIN’ ME

Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 17 Responses »

Jul 122011

Goreaphobia is a Philadelphia-based death metal band with deep roots in the death-metal underground. Not long ago, we saw the news that the band had joined up with the Dark Descent label for the release of their new album, Apocalyptic Necromancy. It’s scheduled for release on August 9, and it features the band’s new guitarist, VJS (Kult ov Azazel, Crimson Moon, Demoncy).

It also features that awesomely eye-catching piece of cover art above, created by Linsey Wasiuta.

Today, Decibel premiered a track from the album called “Xurroth Rreeth N’ves Helm”. I nearly swallowed my tongue trying to pronounce that. I found it easier to use the English translation that appears in parentheses next to that title — “City of Rot and Decay”. And don’t ask me from what language the title words are drawn, because I have no fucking clue.

What I do know is that the song is an absolutely monstrous delight. Goreaphobia guitarist Alex Bouk describes it thusly: “This is one of those songs that just came very easy. To me it has a Venom meets Iron Maiden-type feel to it. This is more of a straight heavy metal track. It sounds like nothing else on the record.”

Well, I sorta hope he’s wrong, because the song is a killer — gore-drenched vocals paired up with a slaughterhouse full of riffs, a filthy guitar solo, and a hard-rockin’ beat. I’m definitely now stoked to hear the rest of this album. Go bang your head at Decibel and let us know what you think, won’t you?

OAK PANTHEON UPDATE

Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 19 Responses »

Jul 122011

On June 30, we posted a little feature on three very promising bands who had come our way. The music was quite different, but what the three bands had in common was less than 100 Facebook “likes”. One of those bands was a three-piece group from Minneapolis called Oak Pantheon. At the time, our friends at Death Metal Baboon had premiered a wonderful track from the band’s then-forthcoming EP, The Void.

Well, as of today, Oak Pantheon have released The Void EP as a “name your price” download on their Bandcamp page (here is the link). I’ve been streaming these five tracks while attempting to do paying work today, and I’m having trouble keeping my mind on my job — because the music is hugely distracting and tremendously appealing. As a gross generalization, it’s folk-influenced black metal with memorable acoustic and electric melodies, infectious rhythms, and a scarifying dose of Nordic vocals. Sweeping beauty and the beast, indeed.

I’m particularly carried away by the predominantly instrumental track called “Architect of the Void Pt I” — carried away and hooked like a fish. If you’d like to check out that song and the rest of the EP while you continue browsing around here, we’ve embedded a player after the jump. I’m already sold — and downloading the EP now.

By the way, Oak Pantheon are up from 74 to 96 Facebook likes since our last post. Go help put them over the century mark, won’t you? (And thanks to reader/musician Ray Heberer for reminding us that today was release day for this EP.) Continue reading »

EARTH CRISIS: “NEUTRALIZE THE THREAT”

Album Reviews 29 Responses »

Jul 122011

(NCS writer Andy Synn reviews the new album by venerable metallic hardcore act Earth Crisis.)

A confession – though my tastes these days run more towards black metal and melodic death metal, when I originally “found” the alternative scene it was through hardcore. Introduced by an older, wiser friend via a series of bootlegged tapes of various hardcore acts (Snapcase, Earth Crisis, Sick Of it All, Vision of Disorder, etc), it was music with a primal grasp of aggression that was totally different from anything else I’d heard. I was familiar with rock and metal, there were bands I really liked in both genres, but the passion of hardcore really hit me hard. I was hooked. And although following my induction into hardcore I got deeper into much heavier styles of metal, ending up discovering the speedy melodic attack of melodic death metal and the oblique darkness of black metal, I still retain a love for the sound and am anxiously awaiting the next V.O.D. record in particular.

But this is about Earth Crisis, once a relentless hardcore force of straight-edge aggression, who after several years in the wilderness returned to the fray with 2009’s To The Death, kicking and screaming with renewed energy and vitality which carried them all the way to the front of the hardcore pack once more. Now Neutralize The Threat doesn’t make many massive changes from the formula that brought Earth Crisis back to prominence, but it does serve to further cement their position as an unstoppable and fundamental force in heavy music. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM – THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

Metal News 8 Responses »

Jul 112011

We received a press release earlier today. It made me sit up straight. It elevated my pulse. It may have elevated other parts of my body, but that’s between me and, uh, the other parts of my body. In a nutshell, we now know the release date and name of the next album from Wolves in the Throne Room, plus information about guest appearances on the album and advance news about the band’s touring plans. I’m just gonna lay it on you as I got it:

“After devoting late Winter season to writing and recording, Wolves in the Throne Room are in the final stages of completing their fourth full-length opus of epic, earthen Black Metal ceremony.

“For over six months the Weaver brothers, Aaron and Nathan, have been immersed in the painstaking writing and recording process of their newest album, and this week the process is nearly complete; at press time the album is in its final mixing stages. The Wolves in the Throne Room clan clan have confirmed the title of this forthcoming astral black metal document as Celestial Lineage.

“The transmutation reaches a new level with the completion of the album. In contrast to the bleakly hypnotic architecture of Black Cascade, the lifespan of Celestial Lineage breathes more expansive and visionary life into the duo’s work. The Wolves in the Throne Room trademark long-form approach to arrangement remains intact, but there is a stronger thread of Popul Vuh-inspired underworld synthscapes and star-lit pulse woven with the intertwining guitar figures.

(more after the jump . . .)

Continue reading »

THIS IS COOL TOO

Metal News 23 Responses »

Jul 112011

Well, well, well. No sooner had I finished posting that clip of Opeth’s live performance at Sonisphere-UK than I saw this news — that the new album from Disma (Towards the Megalith) is now streaming in full at . . .

Take a guess where it’s streaming. I’ll wait.

I bet you didn’t guess NPR. But, amazingly, that’s where it’s streaming. Do you know about Disma? It’s Craig Pillard from Incantation, plus members of New Jersey’s awesome Funebrarum, Methadrone live bassist Randi Stokes and former live Incantation guitarist Bill Venner.

The album will be released on July 19. I’ve taken one spin through my promo copy so far. I think it may well be the heaviest record I’ve yet heard in 2011. Go check out the album stream HERE, unless you’re feeling . . . fragile.

THIS IS COOL

RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 8 Responses »

Jul 112011

This.

Opeth performing one of my favorite Opeth songs, “The Grand Conjuration”, live at the U.K. installment of the Sonisphere festival, which was held July 8-10, 2011 at Knebworth House. Professionally filmed, multiple camera-perspectives (including a great shot of Martin Axenrot’s concentrated face viewed through a hole in a cymbal), awesome sound, smoke.

This is one of the reasons we recognize Exceptions to the Rule of no clean singing.

Equally superb clips of Opeth performing “Face of Melinda”, “The Lotus Eater”, “Master’s Apprentices”, and “Hex Omega” can be viewed here.

Opeth’s new album, Heritage, will be out September 20 on Roadrunner Records.

SMILES

IQ Subtraction 10 Responses »

Jul 112011

I have to begin a week-long stretch of travel for my fucking day job beginning today, with longer work hours ahead than I usually endure. That probably means fewer and shorter posts from me over the next 10 days or so, though I do have a couple of reviews already finished.

Fortunately, I also have a number of worthy posts already in hand from both our regular contributors and, unexpectedly, from some guests, and I’ve got those lined up for the days ahead. We treated you to one of the guest posts yesterday — Surgical Brute’s feature on 5 don’t-miss bands lined up for this year’s RITES OF DARKNESS festival in Texas. More goodies are on the way . . .

My one contribution for today is this hodgepodge of things that made me smile when I saw them. Maybe they’ll make you smile, too. If they don’t, it means you’re either in a cranky mood or you’re not as retarded as I am. Those are the only possible explanations.

So, after the jump, we have video evidence of what video games are doing to the well-fed youth of America, and what Norwegian trolls do on tour, plus a news report about a well-rounded patron of the musical arts. Continue reading »

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