AN NCS PREMIERE: SADAEL — “ERASURE”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Dec 152025
 

(written by Islander)

More than 20 years ago Sadael began life in Yerevan, Armenia as the death/doom metal brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Vahe Soghomonyan. Since then Sadael has amassed an extensive discography that includes 20 albums and many shorter releases.

Vahe now lives in Austria, but the changes in Sadael’s life include more than the geographic shift. For Sadael’s newest album, Paralytic Thrall, he recruited experienced U.S. vocalist Andrew Gossard (Nekrofade, Putrefaction), changed the logo, and created a conceptual underpinning for the album as well as alterations in musical style.

The new album is now set for release on December 28th by a trio of labels, and they preview the album this way: Continue reading »

ARALLU: “DMOON FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Dec 152025
 

(We welcome Israeli metal writer Rafi Yovell to NCS, and for his inaugural review he brings us the following discussion of a new album by the Middle Eastern Black Metal band Arallu which was released by Arallu and Satanath Records on October 31st of this year and comes recommended for fans of Melechesh, Al-Namrood, and Behemoth.)

20 years ago, Israeli black/folk metal band Arallu released Demon from the Ancient World, which many fans consider to be among the group’s finest work yet. Since then, most of their earlier albums got remasters, so it seemed making one for Demon from the Ancient World was only a matter of time. But instead, this Halloween, we got hit with a full-blown re-recording under the title DMoon from the Ancient World.

That begs the question, however: how does it compare to the original? Is it a worthy remake, or just another failed experiment?

You know the drill by now. Stick around and find out! Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: PRISON OF MIRRORS, ERZ, MOTLJUS, LEBENSSUCHT

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Dec 142025
 

(written by Islander)

When you live with another person during “cold and flu season” there’s always the risk that one of you will get sick and then sicken the other a few days later. However, my wife and I gradually began getting sick at the same time last week and yesterday we both simultaneously had full-blown colds.

We’ve tried to figure out who we were both around outside the house when we got infected earlier this week (we’d hate to murder the wrong person). It was probably when we went to our local sports bar for drinks and dinner, but we know lots of regulars there plus the waitstaff, and we don’t remember anyone sounding sick so it’s tough to pin down the culprit. I suppose we could resort to the maxim attributed to Arnaud Amaury during the Battle of Béziers in 1209, but we’re both atheists so the faith-based solution doesn’t seem right. Oh well, guilty people often escape retribution. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: NO/MÁS, NOICE AHOLIC, VREID, TANIN’IVER, DE L’ABÎME NAÎT L’AUBE, SINDRE NEDLAND

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Dec 132025
 

(written by Islander)

I’m kicking off this week’s roundup of new songs and videos with a preview of what’s coming at NCS between now and year-end, mainly for newcomers to our site since the old-timers know what the drill will be.

First, we still have a few year-end lists from “big platform” sites and zines that we’ll share. I have two of those in hand now, which I’ve written about for posting on Monday. I suspect next week will bring at least one more, and then we’ll be done with that aspect of LISTMANIA.

Second, having just completed a week’s worth of Andy Synn’s year-end lists, on Monday I’ll also start posting lists from other NCS writers and special guests. I have X of those in hand at this point, and more will roll in. My plan is to spread those out a bit, with the goal of completing the posting of them by the first week in January.

Third, beginning in January I’ll again roll out the one list I’m responsible for, my choices (with lots of assistance from our readers and other writers) of the year’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs. On that note, if you want to make nominations for those awards, you can still do that by leaving a Comment on this post. Continue reading »

2025 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE PERSONAL TOP TEN

 LISTMANIA 2025  8 Responses »
Dec 122025
 

(Andy Synn finishes off “List Week” with a bunch of his personal favourites)

Here we are again folks, at the end of the road (for now, at least… I’ll probably still sneak in a few more reviews, including another “Best of British” and a “Things You May Have Missed”, before the end of the year).

And, as always, I’m finishing off “List Week” with my “Personal Top Ten”, i.e. the ten albums that have hit me the hardest, or stayed with me the longest, or otherwise just spent the most time on my regular playlist during 2025.

They aren’t necessarily the biggest names (several of them, in fact, are brand new bands making their first steps onto the wider stage this year), or even the “best” albums (some of them didn’t even make the cut for my “Great” list), but they’re definitely the ones (including some which came as a surprise to me) which had the biggest impact on my listening habits in 2025.

Of course there are lots of other artists/albums I wish I could have included here – honourable mentions go out to the likes of Tombs, Monolith, Crossed, Abigail Williams, and Terzij de Horde, all of whom were very much in the running for a place in my “Personal Top Ten” (the latter coming close to making the “Critical Top Ten” too) – but it should still give you some good insight into how my tastes have developed/regressed/mutated over the course of the year!

Continue reading »

THE AMERICAN OBSERVANCE TOUR MMXXV: PRIMITIVE MAN, OTAY:ONII, TODAY IS THE DAY, AND GUILTLESS (ANAHEIM, CA)

 Concert Reviews  No Responses »
Dec 122025
 

(Last week our friend Ben Manzella attended the Anaheim stop of the American Observance MMXXV tour with Primitive Man, otay:onii, Today is the Day, and Guiltless, and he sent us the following written report accompanied by his own excellent photos of the experience.)

While I needed to check the dictionary to confirm, patience and endurance are considered synonyms of one another. With a tendency to seek out music that focuses on darker themes or subject matter and is played at a loud volume, I sometimes describe my favorite music to seek out as endurance music.

Primitive Man is a band I’d immediately categorize as endurance music, and unlike a variety of things in life, the endurance is rewarded, in my opinion. Their latest full-length record, Observance, brings to mind a quote that has been a favorite of mine since high school, when I learned about it through the Machine Head record, The Blackening. The original quote by Jean Puget de la Serre is, “The mirror which flatters not.” I’d say the last thing in the world that is needed right now is flattery, and I welcome all musical reminders of that. Continue reading »

2025 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE CRITICAL TOP TEN

 LISTMANIA 2025  6 Responses »
Dec 112025
 

(Andy Synn presents another detailed selection of 10 albums representing the absolute best of 2025)

In the words of the late, great Lieutenant Jean Rasczak… “this is for all you new people.”

Now the “Critical Top Ten” is not, and I need to stress not, a traditional “Top Ten”, in that it’s not ranked, nor is it actually intended to be the 10 “best” albums of the year (since, if we’re being realistic, that’s pretty much impossible to quantify, considering all the different factors that go into making all these different styles and sub-genres of Metal).

What it’s supposed to do, however, is provide a selection of 10 of the best releases of the year, drawn from my “Great” list (so if it wasn’t there then it’s not going to be here either… something which I try to clarify every year, even though I still get people complaining that [x] band isn’t mentioned despite the fact that, as I’ve stressed several times, if it wasn’t featured in my massive round-up over the last couple of days that means I didn’t get round to hearing it), that are designed to represent the impressive quality and creative variety of the scene over the last twelve months.

Again, it’s not comprehensive… obviously… and while I try to be as objective as possible in my selections (these aren’t my “favourite” albums of the year, those are coming tomorrow) I’m sure there’ll be lots of disagreements with my choices (in fact, looking at some of the comments we’ve already received, some of you are going to be very pleased, and a few of you are going to be very upset, but all of you should at least appreciate some of the surprises I have in store this year).

But I’ve found the best way to think about this article is as a sort of “time capsule” of the year… sure, there’s not room for everything, but when future generations look back on 2025 this should serve as an excellent snapshot of the year in Metal, across as many styles and sub-genres as I was able to squeeze into just 10 albums!

Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: EYELESSIGHT — “VUOTA SOLITUDINE”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Dec 112025
 

(written by Islander)

The Eyelessight duo from Pescara, Italy present themselves as manifestations of the name they chose — blindfolded and bloodied, as if their sight had been destroyed by violent events, and their visions must now come from some other means of perception.

The pair have lived together in music since the project’s inception in 2011. The following years brought forth a demo, a live album, a collaborative release with Imber Luminis, and two albums — Mantra per sopravvivere inutilmente (2014) and Athazagorafobia (2018).

Originally released on CD, Athazagorafobia is now receiving vinyl treatment by Talheim Records Germany. The vinyl reissue will occur on December 17th, and it will include two bonus tracks, one of which we’re now premiering with a visualizer video. The song’s name is “Vuota Solitudine“. Continue reading »

CLEARING THE SLATE PART III: THEMES FALL APART

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Dec 112025
 

(This is the third Part of what projects to be four record-review collections by DGR — collections of multiple reviews that are shorter by his standards than what you usually see from him — all of them intended to clear his slate in preparation for his year-end lists to come.)

Just four albums after the shovelfuls of music you’ve been flinging at us already? What sort of madness is this?

At one point I swear I had a theme going for this particular grouping of albums. I cannot for the life of me remember what that theme was. I think at one point it was just me archiving September releases but that fell apart quick. The other was an attempt to cover bands that’ve been long-running but have somehow not found much footing here at the olde’ NCS cliff wall, but that too kind of hit a snag.

Finally, the ever-constant moving cogs of the metal machine assured that releases would shift back and forth and my review archive would soon resemble a crayon box after an attack by a toddler. An interesting swatch of color all splattered around places you don’t necessarily want them to be. Thus, as Part three of four, my inevitable “organization can get fucked” mindset finally kicks in. Ballast must be launched, otherwise this review boat is going down. Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): UPON THE ALTAR — “PROFANATION’S VAPOR”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  2 Responses »
Dec 102025
 

(written by Islander)

In thinking about the music from Upon the Altar’s side of a 2022 split with DeathEpoch, we wrote that it left “no doubt that Upon the Altar’s mission is to devour all light.” The music was often toxic, suffocating, granite-heavy, vicious, and vocally horrifying. They allowed very little wholesome light to shine in their second album, Descendants of Evil, which followed that split. What did shine through was the band’s talent for creating hateful musical horror — a complex of vile, malicious, oppressive, desolate, and violently furious experiences.

Those of us who’ve enthusiastically fallen beneath the previous malign assaults of this Polish band will be thrilled to learn that on December 12th Godz Ov War Productions will release a new Upon the Altar EP, a six-track manifestation of pitch-black ruin named Profanation’s Vapor — and even more thrilled to hear it today through our full streaming premiere. Continue reading »

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