SIGNINGS

 Metal News  12 Responses »
May 062011
 

Earlier this week, our bro BadWolf put up a note of well-deserved congratulations to Battlecross on their signing with the formidable Metal Blade label. Yesterday, we saw news of two other signings by bands we dig mightily — Fleshgod Apocalypse and Malfeitor. We’re mightily happy about that, especially because of the accompanying confirmation that we’ll have albums from both bands in our not-so-distant future.

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE

On April 5, our favorite Italian metal band, Fleshgod Apocalypse, put up this note on their Facebook page: “We are really hard at work on a brand new album for a summer release. Ideally during Summer Slaughter Festival in North America. We are seeking a new home as well.” As of yesterday, they found their new home, with the announcement of a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. It’s worth remembering that these dudes have only produced two releases — Oracles (2009) and the Mafia EP (2010) — and yet they’ve ridden those attention-grabbing albums to considerable critical and popular acclaim, paving the way for this auspicious label signing.

And yes, yesterday’s announcement included the confirmation that  the band are currently wrapping up work on a second full-length album with an expected release date “sometime around this year’s Summer Slaughter Tour.” Which is just fuckin’ peachy. Truth be told, this band’s appearance on Summer Slaughter is what I’m most anticipating from that tour. It will be especially sweet to hear them play songs from a brand new album. Congratulazioni a Fleshgod Apocalypse!  (more after the jump . . . including tunes) Continue reading »

FINNS FOR FRIDAY: MAGENTA HARVEST AND NORTHER

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  5 Responses »
May 062011
 

This seemed like a good day to check in with some Finnish metal bands. Actually, every day is a good day for that, Finland being the most metal country on the planet, human pound for human pound. We picked two bands to feature in this post. The first one, Magenta Harvest, I’ve been meaning to write about for months. I continue to tell myself that late is better than never, which is true of many things, not including rectal cancer.

The other focus of this post is Norther. We knew their next album was coming out sometime soon, but it still managed to sneak up on us, notwithstanding our ninja-like senses. Last month, Circle Regenerated was released in Finland first and then elsewhere in Europe before April ended. I still haven’t found an official North American release date from Century Media for the CD yet, though it’s now available as an import — and the digital album has been available at Amazon MP3 and iTunes since April 19.

Unfortunately, I only got the album yesterday, so I still haven’t listened to the whole thing, but we’ll have some Norther music to finn-ish off this post anyway.  But first, let’s talk about . . . Continue reading »

CINCO DE MAYO METAL

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
May 052011
 

Before I left Texas more than a decade ago, I used to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, usually by getting wasted. Most everyone I knew back then would celebrate the day. Usually by getting wasted. Here in Seattle, it’s hard to find many people who realize what day it is or do anything to commemorate it. But I still remember. So, it’s time to get blasted – by some Mexican metal (though I do think there’s also some tequila in my future tonight).

I found three Mexican bands who will set up the blast effect quite nicely. All three happen to have recent releases: Omision, Zombiefication, and Warfield. If you’re in the mood for old-school death metal done right, then you’re going to enjoy these first two bands. The third one will give you a quality acid bath of black metal, in the vein of Watain. I really like these three bands.

OMISION

Omision is a death-metal band from Tijuana that features past and present members of Sadistic Intent and Infinitum Obscure. This band has been around since 1993, with a three-year hiatus along the way – and along the way, they self-released three demo’s before finally getting a label release of their debut album, In the Shadow of the Cross. You gotta admire that kind of persistence.

According to a press release we received, the new album “is recommended for fans of old school death in the vein of Terrorizer, Possessed and like-minded rippers.” Say no more! Let’s have some music! And so we shall. Continue reading »

ÄRA KRÂ

 Album Reviews  11 Responses »
May 052011
 

Life in your teens, your 20’s, your 30’s, maybe after that too, maybe it never ends, all these things happen:

You step forward, you fall down, you’re bruised, you get up. You face life, you shrink from it. You exult in the day, it kills you. You believe in the future, you dread it.

You look at yourself, but never see yourself as others do. You like yourself, you hate yourself. You rage, you laugh, you cry, you shout. You’re restless, you’re rootless, you’re rooted and happy where you are.

You work hard, you wonder why you do, you feel like it’s all a waste, the work makes you feel alive, it imprisons you. You focus, you can’t focus, your head spins, the world spins.

You fall in love, because that’s what our kind does. You go crazy with the feeling, it strikes you down. It completes you, it sacrifices you. It’s reciprocated, or it’s not. Either way, you’re helpless.

You try to control your life, and the ones you love, and the ones you detest, because that’s what our kind does. You seek order, security, safety, or you seek anarchy and chaos because you believe that will come, eventually, whatever you do. You believe you can change your future, you surrender to whatever will come.

You’re stronger than you think, you misjudge your strengths. You admire strength in others, you misjudge where strength lies that’s worth admiring. You resent authority, you try to impose your will on others. You’re generous, you’re selfish, you learn from mistakes, you repeat them over and over. You need friends, you give your friendship to the wrong people, you’re befriended by people you may not deserve. You trust when you shouldn’t, you’re suspicous at the wrong times. You’re fearless, you’re fearsome, you’re fearful. Continue reading »

DEVIN TOWNSEND CONSTRUCTS A SUPER-GROUP ON “DECONSTRUCTION”

 Metal News  8 Responses »
May 042011
 

Devin Townsend will be releasing two albums on June 21 via InsideOut Music, Ghost and Deconstruction. According to DT, Deconstruction will be “brutal in a lot of parts, but pretty glorious in others. It rides the fence of negativity but ultimately ends supremely positive.” As for Ghost, he says it “is the mellowest (by far) and prettiest record I’ve done so far” with a “very wonderful vibe.” So, guess which one we’re more interested in hearing?

Our interest in Deconstruction was piqued today by seeing additional details about the album (which we’re late noticing), and in particular about the guest musicians who participated in recording the songs. Let’s start with the skins: There will be two different drummers — Ryan Van Poederooyen (Terror Syndrome, The Devin Townsend Band) for the “crushing stuff,” and Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Scarve, Aborted) for the “inhuman stuff.”

But that’s just for starters. Check out this list of additional guest musicians who will appear on the album:

* Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH, BLOODBATH)
* Ihsahn (EMPEROR)
* Tommy Rogers (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME)
* Joe Duplantier (GOJIRA)
* Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN)
* Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER, REVAMP)
* Oderus Urungus (GWAR)
* Paul Masvidal (CYNIC)
* Fredrik Thordendal (MESHUGGAH)
* Paul Kuhr (NOVEMBER’S DOOM)

That’s a pretty fucking good advertisement for Deconstruction, don’t you think? After the jump, you can see the track list and which songs feature which of these guests. Continue reading »

PRIMORDIAL’S “REDEMPTION AT THE PURITAN’S HAND”: A CRITIQUE

 Album Reviews  12 Responses »
May 042011
 

(NCS writer BadWolf provides a critique of the new album by Primordial, released April 26 by Metal Blade)

Primordial’s 2011 powerhouse album Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand is the black metal record I would give to my friends who listen to Fleet Foxes, and not merely because this is ‘folk metal.’ Rather, as they have before, Primordial transcends folk metal.

That term is insufficient. It has come to describe bands that shoehorn ethnic instruments and elements into what is, in the end, basically power metal repackaged. I find the practice self-deprecating and highly commercial, resulting in music with more in common with a Nightwish record than any strong sense of cultural identity. That is not Primordial. This record has nothing in common with the work of, say, Eluvite, Tyr, or Turisas, who make themselves into a travelling circus side show.

Primordial have no need of specialized instruments—no Viper violins, just guitar, bass, drums, and voice. The elements that feel meaningful and authentic are transmitted well enough in the tribalism of the drums and the melodies of the guitar. The unique sounds of Celtic folk have been alloyed completely with black metal guitars; there is no separation.  (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

TOXIC HOLOCAUST LEAVES YOU NOWHERE TO RUN

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  15 Responses »
May 032011
 

By and large, the so-called “re-thrash” movement has left us cold here at NCS. To be brutally honest, we’re not that much into most of the old gods of thrash who are still cranking out albums and touring (though we can still get it up for Exodus and Death Angel), and that may explain why the many bands in the last few years who’ve just re-tread the style without bringing something new to the old chassis aren’t that interesting to us.

But — there are exceptions, one of which is Toxic Holocaust. Maybe it’s our regional prejudice (Toxic Holocaust is from the Pacific Northwest), maybe it’s because we’ve had some fun at one of their smokin’ live shows in Seattle, or maybe it’s because their stripped-down, punkish approach to thrash appeals to our affinity for the raw and raucous — whatever the reason, Toxic Holocaust has been growing on us.

And so it is that we’re actually looking forward to the next release by the band — Conjure and Command, which Relapse Records will begin distributing on July 19. Man, July 19 is a long way off, isn’t it? But the teasers are starting, and the first one is a song from the new album which went up for streaming a few hours ago. It’s called “Nowhere To Run” and it got my head to moving up and down and side to side. There’s nothing fancy going on, but if you like thrash straight-ahead, unvarnished, sneering, and slightly evil, you probably ought to stay with us past the jump and check out that song.

Isn’t that a cool album cover? Continue reading »

BATTLECROSS SIGNED

 Metal News  8 Responses »
May 032011
 

(Our bro BadWolf offers a word of congratulations . . .)

It feels good to know that even in these dark days good things happen to people who deserve it, and great hard-working bands do get signed to big labels. Today is a day we can celebrate something good happening to an underground band we support.

When I last checked in with Battlecross (here), Detroit’s finest tech-thrashers, they were sounding global but bogged down in local. They’d just completed a lead singer swap after self-releasing a debut album with no backing. They were re-recording said album with said new vocalist, but had nobody to support them or release the debut V2.0.

What a difference a few months and some good press makes:  On May 2nd Battlecross announced that they have signed a contract with Metal Blade Records. (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

HATE ETERNAL: “PHOENIX AMONGST THE ASHES”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  9 Responses »
May 032011
 

If you’re a fan of extreme metal and haven’t yet heard that a new album from Hate Eternal is about to be released, then most likely you’ve been living in a cave. The album is called Phoenix Amongst the Ashes and it will debut May 10 on Metal Blade Records. It features a new bassist named J.J. Hrubovcak, along with the phenomenal guitars of Erik Rutan and the drumming of Jade Simonetto.

The album was recorded at Rutan’s own Mana Recording Studios in Florida with mastering handled by Alan Douches of West West Side. The interesting cover art was created by Paul Romano, who is responsible for other Hate Eternal album covers (plus album art for Mastodon, The Acacia Strain, Godflesh, Earth Crisis, and others).

Two songs from this album have previously debuted on other metal sites, but I’ve been so busy answering e-mails from people in faraway lands offering me millions of dollars in inheritances that I didn’t make time to hear them. Silly me. Late yesterday, Metalunderground.com exclusively premiered a third song — the title track. This time, I listened. “Jaw-dropping” is an overused adjective, but that was the effect the song had on me. Literally, the shit dropped my jaw. It’s an irresistible tidal wave of superheated death metal, and you should hear it.

To do that, you can visit Metalundergound here; that site has more info about the album. Or, you can go past the jump on this post and hear the song on the player we’ve embedded.  By the way, Metal Sucks will be hosting an exclusive full-album stream of Phoenix Amongst the Ashes from Friday, May 6, to Monday, May 9. I know one thing I’ll be doing this weekend. Continue reading »

CLEAN SINGING: 40 WATT SUN AND ARKAN

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  9 Responses »
May 032011
 

This site is called NO CLEAN SINGING for a reason. It’s not just a gimmick. We really do prefer our metal with harsh vocals. In part, that’s because the music of bands who feature unclean vocals tends to be extreme in other ways we like, too. But we’re not completely dogmatic about the “no clean singing” thing — we do like some metal that mixes clean and unclean vocals (see Andy Synn’s review of Scar Symmetry’s latest album yesterday, for example), and on even more rare occasions, we enjoy metal that includes nothing but clean singing. We call that kind of music “Exceptions to the Rule”.

Today, we want to write briefly about two recent albums that fall into that category of exceptions — the debut album from UK doom lords 40 Watt Sun and the unusual (and amazing) second album from a French band called Arkan. We’ll get back to our usual, nasty fare in our next post.

40 WATT SUN

We don’t claim to be experts in the genre of traditional doom metal. We try to provide variety in the music we cover at NCS, but doom is a category that we just don’t listen to very much, and as a result we’re fairly ignorant on the subject. In fact, we’re so ignorant that we knew nothing about this band and listened to a promo copy of their new album without any idea of what the music would sound like. If we’d known more about it in advance, we probably would have skipped over it. Ignorance can sometimes be a good thing, because we’re damned glad we discovered this band’s debut, The Inside Room. (more after the jump, including tracks to hear . . .) Continue reading »

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