AN NCS PREMIERE: VIANDE — “LES DENTS DU GOUFFRE”

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Feb 222022
 

 

For many centuries writers, painters, and musicians have exercised their imaginations in rendering visions of “the abyss” — of horrific terrors that await the extinction of life in endless chasms from which there is no escape. For some, it lies deep within the earth, opening its giant maw to swallow what now dwells in the sun. For others it is a supernatural dimension, to be revealed when hideous powers have decided the time is right. In some instances it is a frigid void, in others a realm of monstrosities, and in some cases a term for what lies within deranged minds human bent on mayhem and murder.

The French death metal band Viande have their own visions of the abyss, revealed throughout their unnerving yet electrifying debut album L’abime dévore les âmes, which can be roughly translated as “The abyss devours souls”. As you listen, your own imagination may be kindled to envision all of the different formulations described above, none of them welcoming, all of them frightening.

In the song you’re about to hear, “Les Dents Du Gouffre“, the abyss is not an empty vacuum. Things with gnashing teeth are waiting for you in the chasm. Continue reading »

AFTER LIFE: “GATES OF MADNESS”

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Feb 222022
 

 

(We present DGR‘s review of the second album by the death metal band After Life from the Basque Country of Spain, which was released on February 14th.)

It’s never easy to tell which direction the yearly handful of riff-landslide albums is going to come from. The annual tradition of finding said albums is fairly predictable at this point, and sometimes if the gods be kind then the harvest will be good and we’ll have four-to-five of them on our plates. But the areas from which they’ll come are less predictable and there’s always a chance to get blindsided.

In this case the album arrives courtesy of Spain, the group After Life, and their sophomore album Gates Of Madness. Arriving six years after their first release, Gates Of Madness moves with an extreme sense of urgency and rarely – if ever – lets up. Appearances can be deceiving because at first glance you might see the band and assume you know exactly what you’re in for, then about a minute and a half into the first song After Life completely change form into something that could see them drawing comparisons to high-speed riff monsters like Cytotoxin, Murder Made God, the sadly split-up Kronos, and weirdly enough…Meshuggah? Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: CROWN OF MADNESS — “THE MANIPULATED”

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Feb 212022
 

The origin story of British Columbia’s Crown of Madness is an interesting one, and we will eventually get to that, but we’ll begin by putting the focus where it most belongs today — on the song we’re premiering through a lyric video from this husband-and-wife duo’s debut EP, The Void.

In that song, “The Manipulated“, turbulence and discord reign supreme, from the booming and battering drumwork and jolting bass-lines to the head-bashing chords and the dissonant, maniacally skittering leads. The feverish, violent derangement in the anti-harmonious but technically proficient music is matched by the rabid ferocity of the growled and screamed vocals. But other unnerving sensations flow through the musical maelstrom as well. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: GODLESS TRUTH — “THE EYECHAIN”

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Feb 212022
 

 

There are plenty of die-hard tech-death fans out there who seem to slather praise on any band who go fast and demonstrate the level of athleticism and dexterity that’s required to discharge thousands of beats and notes in a short span of minutes. For many other people, listening to that kind of music is an endurance contest, like trudging forward through a gale-force blizzard, head down and just hoping to find shelter as soon as possible. Even for those people, and maybe especially for those people, Godless Truth‘s new album will be a welcome discovery.

We don’t mean to suggest that Godless Truth is a new discovery for everyone. After all, this Czech band have been around since the early ’90s, and their new self-titled album is the fifth full-length in a career that’s approaching the end of a third decade. But 18 years have passed since Godless Truth‘s last album, and it’s been a dozen years since their last EP, so they may indeed be a new discovery for many.

Moreover, this new album is emerging at a time when blizzard bands have saturated the tech-death scene, many of them engaged in an ever-escalating arms race for speed and volume of notes and beats. In that context, Godless Truth‘s music is especially welcome, for reasons that are well-demonstrated in the song we’re premiering today in advance of the album’s March 4 release by Transcending Obscurity Records. Continue reading »

EIGHT BELLS: “LEGACY OF RUIN”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  2 Responses »
Feb 212022
 

 

(Our friend Justin Collins  is the author of the following review of the latest album by the Oregonian band Eight Bells, which is scheduled for release on February 25th by Prophecy Productions.)

It’s been a little while since we’ve been graced with an Eight Bells release. As is probably the case with many people, I’ve lost all sense of time because of the pandemic, but it’s been 6 years since they released Landless. Granted, life sometimes gets in the way. Injuries, lineup changes, and the need to make a living get in the way of artists who make music off the beaten path, but luckily Melynda Jackson, the constant of this group, has soldiered on to create Legacy of Ruin with two new band members, Matt Solis (Cormorant) on bass and vocals, and Brian Burke (Cave Dweller) on drums. Continue reading »

DARK TRANQUILLITY / KATAKLYSM / NAILED TO OBSCURITY: LIVE IN DENVER, FEB. 10, 2022

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Feb 212022
 

 

(Our Denver-based contributor Gonzo had the good fortune of seeing live performances by Dark Tranquillity, Kataklysm, and Nailed To Obscurity about 10 days ago, and he sent us the following report along with some of his photos.)

I’m sure this is the case with pretty much everyone who’s going to read this, but I’m pretty fucking sick of talking about the pandemic, what “normal” looks like, how long it’s been since we saw X band at X venue, and everything in between.

But in the case of the tour that rolled through The O Theater in Denver last Thursday night, I’d be remiss not to frame it against the backdrop of the aforementioned frustrations. Three incredible metal bands – Dark Tranquility, Kataklysm, and Nailed to Obscurity – are touring the US right now and none of them are native to this country. I don’t know when the last time that happened, so that alone is worth celebrating.

It certainly didn’t hurt that all three bands put on shows that made it seem like they – as well as tours featuring international acts in general – were never gone. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: KAMPFAR, SVRM, BÂ’A, SVARTSOT, THE SUN’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE NIGHT, SAQRARUNA, INTUS MORTEM, BEELZEJUD, ARCHVILE KING

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Feb 202022
 

 

My day job has left me alone this weekend so I decided to make hay while the sun shines. Yesterday’s round-up included the music of eight bands and this one includes the music of nine.

There is indeed quite a lot of music in this week’s black(ish) metal column, but even I haven’t heard all of it. The releases I haven’t heard in their entirety are included in Part 2 below, where I’ve revived the strategy I used in the old Miscellany columns (and if those don’t ring a bell I’ll explain when we get there).

PART ONE

KAMPFAR (Norway)

I’m beginning with “Lausdans Under Stjernene“, a new single released by Indie Recordings on February 16th by a band who are approaching their 30th anniversary but show no signs of slowing down or playing it safe. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: RALE, SUPPRESSION, CREDIC, BLACK FUCKING CANCER, LAMENT CITYSCAPE, INTIMIDATION DISPLAY, BELLGRAVE, PRIESTS OF PROMETHEUS

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Feb 192022
 


Rale

Man, what a week. I couldn’t wait for it to end. One day after another when I got slammed by my fucking day job, a nasty reminder that NCS is a “hobby” for me (and everyone else here). It lives only when the rest of daily life permits it to live.

It didn’t take long before I had to abandon any close review of our in-box or other sources I turn to for new metal. I made no lists of new songs and videos to check out for a possible round-up, and I haven’t tried to catch up this morning. But I wanted to pick at least a few new songs to share at the site today, and wound up picking eight. I’ll tell you how I did that at the end of this post.

RALE (U.S.)

I decided to begin with “Grave Emperor“, a new single by this North Carolina death metal band, whose 2020 demo and 2021 EP Psychic Devastation I showered with praise when they came out. In the case of that EP I wrote: “These songs are so eccentric and intricately plotted that I’m tempted to call them ‘avant-garde’, but ‘progressive death metal’ is also certainly suitable (and you might be tempted to stick ‘blackened’ in there as well). Whatever label you might want to attach, it’s an exciting new work from a band that just get more and more worthy of very close attention.” Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: DEATH ON FIRE — “THE DYING LIGHT”

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Feb 182022
 

 

Following up on their excellent 2021 EP Six Foot Box (for which we happily hosted a premiere), the Indiana-based metal band Death On Fire are today releasing a new two-track vinyl single as a prelude to their forthcoming album Burial Hymns.

Both songs provide a vivid reminder of Death On Fire‘s viscerally potent but intriguing musical amalgams, which often include stylistic traits from death metal, thrash, the blues, hard rock, and more. What we have for you now, presented through a lyric video, is a premiere of the title track from the new release, “The Dying Light“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SILVERN — “LORN”

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Feb 182022
 

 

The second pandemic year 2021 gave birth to a plethora of new metal bands. Was the birth rate higher than in the first plague year? Or the last “normal” year of 2019? Someone with time on their hands might study Metal Archives to get a sense of the answer. Of course not all the 2021 newborns were attractive, but the Ukrainian black metal project Silvern definitely is — the first steps are extremely promising.

Silvern has been at work on a debut album, and on February 22nd it will release the first single, a song named “Lorn” that we’re premiering today. It has intriguing lyrical themes. Silvern explains: Continue reading »

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