NO CLEAN SINGING

SEEN AND HEARD: DISRUPTION, HIDEOUS DIVINITY, KAWIR, SELBST

Feb 222024

With paying work still leaving me alone, at least for the time being, I’ve found time to compile another roundup of new songs and videos. I can’t remember the last time I was able to do this on back-to-back weekdays. I have high hopes for three in a row tomorrow, though I did see that a refrigerator-sized satellite is supposed to fall to earth soon.

Like yesterday, we’ll go in alphabetical order.

DISRUPTION (SWEDEN)

To kick things off I’ve picked something that will kick you in the teeth but get your sluggish motor running hot too. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): KERES — “HOMO HOMINI LUPUS”

Album Reviews, Premieres No Responses »

Feb 222024

As described by The Font of All Human Knowledge: “Homo homini lupus, or in its unabridged form Homo homini lupus est, is a Latin proverb meaning ‘A man is a wolf to another man,’ or more tersely ‘Man is wolf to man.’ It is used to refer to situations where a person has behaved comparably to a wolf. In this case, the wolf represents predatory, cruel, and generally inhuman qualities; in essence, the person is held to be uncivilized.”

The Italian black/death metal band Keres took that proverb as the name for their debut album which is due for release on February 23rd via Gruesome Records. It is, for them, a truth about the human condition that provokes disgust and rage. They define humanity as “the biggest plague on earth”:

“Over the centuries we killed each other for the most trivial reasons, hiding behind religion, political ideologies, false respectability and many other bullshit with the purpose of justifying what we have done and are still doing. But the truth is that our nature will always lead us to crave what we don’t have, bringing endless conflicts for this thirst of power, which will bring upon us our own demise. In the end, only ruins and dust of what we are will remain, this is our true legacy. We deserve extinction.”

Keres obviously don’t mince words. They don’t pull any punches in their music either, as you will discover for yourselves through our complete premiere stream of their new album today, on the eve of its release. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN

Interviews 1 Response »

Feb 222024

(Anyone who has followed Comrade Aleks lo these many years knows that if any metal band is inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft he will eventually talk with them. As he did with Joseph Curwen from the Chilean death metal band Unaussprechlichen Kulten, and a good conversation it was.)

Chilean death metal band Unaussprechlichen Kulten was named after the fictional occult grimoire invented by H.P Lovecraft and R. E. Howard. And, according to its name, the band have continued to channel the will of ancient malign entities through their ferocious and macabre songs since 1999.

Their six album Häxan Sabaoth was released by Iron Bonehead Productions on the 2nd of February, and we made this interview with Unaussprechlichen Kulten founder Joseph Curwen (vocals, guitars) in the lead-up to its release. And, in my opinion, we had a pretty smart, even witty conversation thanks to Joseph. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ANTICHRIST SIEGE MACHINE, BOTANIST, COUCH SLUT, DEEMTEE, MASTIFF, THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT

Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 1 Response »

Feb 212024

At one time or another almost everyone has found themselves in this situation: You’re starving but too broke or incapacitated to go out and buy food so you throw together shit from your fridge or pantry that no one in their right mind would think belong together but you’re not in your right mind because you’re starving and broke or incapacitated and you devour what you made, consequences be damned.

At the moment I’m not starving, broke, or incapacitated, but the remembered scenario above might still fit the stew of sounds I compiled today, consequences be damned. At least none of this stuff is past its “sell by” date. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): COUNTING HOURS — “THE WISHING TOMB”

Album Reviews, Premieres 4 Responses »

Feb 212024

No matter where; of comfort no man speak:
Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs;
Make dust our paper and with rainy eyes
Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth

That’s not the last time we’ll quote Shakespeare in this article, but we begin with that excerpt from Richard II for a reason, which you may understand when you hear Counting Hours‘ The Wishing Tomb, which will be released on February 23rd by Ardua Music.

These Finnish dark metal torchbearers have a way with words too. Here’s how they introduce this new album:

“The Wishing Tomb represents a cathartic journey. It’s an exploration of human frailty, dreams, and the unspoken. The tomb symbolizes both longing and release—the place where wishes crystallize and fade away. Counting Hours invites listeners to step into this cryptic space, where emotions resonate and time loses its grip.” Continue reading »

IHSAHN – IHSAHN

Album Reviews No Responses »

Feb 212024

(Ihsahn‘s self-titled album was released last week, and Andy Synn has a few thoughts about it)

Vegard Sverre Tveitan, better known as Ihsahn, is undeniably one of the most recognisable names/faces/voices in our little, parallel Metal universe.

And while he initially earned his infamy as part of a little band called Emperor (maybe you’ve heard of them?) he has now spent almost twenty years pursuing a solo career under the Ihsahn moniker, meaning that there’s a good chance that at least some of his fanbase probably knows him more for that than for his seminal role in the early days of Black Metal.

As a vehicle for his proggier predilections, his collective catalogue under the Ihsahn banner has run the gamut from modern classics to experimental oddities, and everything in between, but there’s certainly an argument to be made that – as a self-titled summation of his career so far – on his eighth album, the eponymous Ihsahn, we’re truly seeing Ihsahn being the most Ihsahn he can be.

Which leaves just two question which need answering – what exactly is it about Ihsahn which makes the album so special, and how many more times am I going to write the word “Ihsahn” over the course of this review?

AN NCS INTERVIEW: FUNGOID STREAM

Interviews No Responses »

Feb 212024

(The Argentinian funeral doom band Fungoid Stream has four albums to their name dating back to 2004, but not much news in the last 4+ years, so Comrade Aleks decided to reach out and see what’s happening. The following conversation with vocalist Simon O. was the result.)

We interview bands when something important happens in their careers: a release of a new album, a reunion, or a big tour. But sometimes just nothing happens! No reports from the studio, nothing about reissues of the back-catalogue or anniversary shows. And that too is a good reason to try to get in contact, to see if they’re still alive there in their underground.

Lovecraftian funeral doom duo Fungoid Stream are based in Buenos Aires. Joseph C. (all instruments) and Simon O. (vocals) released four albums since the band’s origin in 2003: Celaenus Fragments (2004), Oceanus (2010), Prehuman Shapes (2014), and The Winds Among the Stars (2019).

As you see, it’s too early to worry, because the pause after the most up-to-date release isn’t critical yet. But I worry anyway, that’s why we organized this interview with Simon O., Fungoid Stream’s vocalist, and it’s a right time for you to check the band if you haven’t met it before. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OPIUM DEATH — “THE CONDEMNED”

Premieres No Responses »

Feb 202024

On April 19th the Chicago-based extreme metal band Opium Death will release a debut album named Genocidal Nemesis. It’s an angry album, focused on hubris and its role in the downfall of humankind. The album’s cover art itself draws on this theme. As the band’s bassist/vocalist Donald Nadzieja explains:

For the significance of the album artwork, to us, it represents hubristic suicide, self-end caused by something you were foolishly convinced was a good thing. Obvious heroin reference but the guy on the needle was addicted to money and power. It is a common theme that happens throughout the album and we thought this represented that very well.

As you’ll see, this theme surfaces in the second single from the new album that we’re premiering today. Its name is “The Condemned“. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: LARES — “10 HYGIEA”

Premieres No Responses »

Feb 202024

“Music Appreciation” is the name of a short horror movie by Lucas Milhomen that hasn’t been released yet. During the covid lockdown the Berlin-based metal band Lares were asked to collaborate on the movie by creating their own version of the main soundtrack theme written by the composer Eylül Biçe, and to perform it in the movie.

The name of the song that Lares made is “10 Hygiea“, and we’re presenting it today through a surreal video shot and edited by Paolo Lombardi that makes use of live footage from Lares‘ recent concert at Reset Club in Berlin.

The song is a stand-alone single, but it also serves as a wake-up call for people who have been waiting for a new record by this distinctive German group — and a new record will indeed arrive this coming spring (we have some details about that after the presentation of “10 Hygiea”. Continue reading »

FARSOT – LIFE PROMISED DEATH

Album Reviews 2 Responses »

Feb 202024

(Life Promised Death is out now on Lupus Lounge)

Farsot‘s 2017 album, Fail·Lure, is – in my humble opinion, at least – one of the best Black Metal records of the last ten, if not twenty, years.

Which means, of course, that Life Promised Death has a lot to live up to, especially with almost seven years of built up expectations to contend with on top of that.

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