NO CLEAN SINGING

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

Nov 122021

(Last month was so busy that Andy Synn is still trying to catch up on all the things he, and we, missed)

Look, I told you last week that I was probably going to have to do two editions of “Things You May Have Missed” in order to catch up with the many, many artists and albums which were overlooked in October… so here we are.

Truthfully though, I could really do with doing at least one more edition after this was, such was the plethora of rifftastic riches which last month gave us, but if I want to stay on top of what’s being released this month then I really can’t spend any more time looking backwards.

Thankfully the four albums I’ve chosen to feature here are more than worth me sacrificing a bit more of my previous time in order to ensure they get (some of) the attention they deserve, so let’s not waste a moment more, shall we?

AN NCS PREMIERE: VELDRAVETH — “ON THE PRECIPICE OF ENLIGHTMENT”

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Nov 122021

The Venezuelan black/death band Veldraveth have now reached their twentieth year of existence, and they commemorate the landmark with a new album, their fourth, which bears the name Martyrdom. It bears the hallmarks of experience and the spirit of ambition, generating visceral assaulting power but also elaborately creating a range of atmospheres that chill the skin and entrance the mind.

Martyrdom has been set for co-release by GrimmDistribution with More Hate Productions and Kuyen Producciones on November 29th. They recommend it for fans of Aosoth, Sinmara, Svartidauði, Mgła, Uada, Weapon, Antaeus, Cherontas, Abigor, Nightbringer, and The Ruins of Beverast.

Those are good references for what Veldraveth have achieved on Martyrdom, but an even better clue is the song we’re premiering today — “On The Precipice Of Enlightment“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BLACK WHISPERS — “WEIGHING FADE AWAY”

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Nov 112021

Dusk is the third full-length of the Costa Rican depressive black metal band Black Whispers, which began as a solo project in 2013 and is now a full band that has made live performances.

The album represents an evolution in style. While it could still be considered a work of DSBM, it reflects avant-garde and experimental ingredients within a framework of raw black metal, and the results are captivating — as you will discover for yourselves through our premiere of a new album track named “Weighing Fade Away” in advance of the record’s November 28 release. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: POWER BEAST — “AMONG THE CARCASSES”

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Nov 102021

On November 26th the Leprotic Limb label will present a tape release of a dinosaur-themed split by two Pacific Northwest bands — Carnotaurus and Power Beast. The title of the split is Turonian Terror, named for the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch and for the monstrous creatures that roamed the earth in that period — such terrors as Raptors, Ankylosaurs, Pachycephalosaurs, and the sub-aquatic giant, Kronosaurus.

Carnotaurus, self-identified as a Mesozoic Death Metal band, has already premiered one of its own tracks from the split, and today we premiere one by Power Beast. Its name is “Among the Carcasses“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OFERMOD — “INAX YA LIL”

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Nov 102021

The formidable Swedish black/death band Ofermod has wasted no time returning with a new album, just a year after 2020’s Pentagrammaton (which was itself a double album). The new one is entitled Mysterium Iniquitatis, and it’s set for release on December 3rd by Shadow Records (with distribution by Regain). It sees the original lineup joined together once again – Belfagor on guitar and vocalist Nebiros (Malign, Mephorash) – with session bass by Magnus “Devo” Andersson (ex-Marduk) and session drums by Calle Larsson.

The first “single” from the record was the title track, which also begins the album. It made a tremendous impression, and today we present another one of the new album tracks that also relentlessly seizes attention. This one is named “Inax Ya Lil“. Continue reading »

MROH – XII

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Nov 102021

(Andy Synn continues his year-long love affair with the Russian Metal scene with this review of the recently-released second album from Mroh)

If there’s one thing that XII, the second album from Russian trio Mroh, can tell us it’s that it definitely is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Because, at twelve tracks and a whopping seventy-three(!) minutes in length it is most definitely far too long for its own good.

That being said, it also demonstrates that Mroh are pretty damn good at this whole “Atmospheric” Black Metal thing, and well worth getting to grips with if you have any appreciation for the more “blackened” arts… even if chances are you’re going to find the whole record a bit too much to sit through all in one go.

AN NCS PREMIERE: BENOTHING — “ABSURD MALIGNANCY WITHIN (SAPIENS APOPTOSIS)”

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Nov 082021

Today we are helping to introduce the debut EP Temporal Bliss Surrealms by the Finnish death metal band Benothing, which is set for release on November 26th by Everlasting Spew Records. It is a truly eye-opening four-song collection, in part because it has an authentically savage and sinister old-school flavor, but even more so because of how unpredictably kaleidoscopic the music is.

As you’ll discover from the EP track we’re premiering today — “Absurd Malignancy Within (Sapiens Apoptosis)” — Benothing are formidable in their ability to discharge a barbaric barrage of sound with feral hostility, but aren’t content to do only that.

The music also changes rapidly, all the performers are adept at adding surprising permutations, and all the electrifying and elaborate dynamism makes the song (like the EP as a whole) really stand out. As the EP title suggests, it becomes surreal as well as evil. Continue reading »

ANDY SYNN REVIEWS DAMNATION FESTIVAL 2021

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Nov 082021

(Andy Synn was fortunate enough to attend this year’s edition of Damnation Festival and now reports back with his experiences of all the bands he saw over the course of the day, along with video evidence)

Well, here it is, the very last Damnation Festival at Leeds University, as the event has become so popular now (as evinced by how quickly so many stages reach capacity these days) that the organisers are moving it (back) to Manchester where they’ve found a bigger and (hopefully) better venue for future editions of the fest.

And while this gives 2021 a real “end of an era” feel, it’s obvious that the Damnation team really wanted to see out their time in Leeds with a major bang, delivering – despite some well-documented, and sadly unavoidable, pandemic-based issues – one of the most stacked line-ups they’ve ever had.

Now, one thing I really tried to do this time around was to see (and document) as many sets by bands I hadn’t seen before, and while, in practice, this didn’t always work out – sometimes due to circumstances entirely beyond my control, sometimes just because I really wanted to see certain bands in particular – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by who I actually did manage to catch over the course of the day.

So, without further ado…

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Nov 072021

Normally this would be the time for a new SHADES OF BLACK collection, but instead I’m alerting you to the likelihood of a 10-day diminution of NCS content beginning today, because today I’m leaving for Iceland and won’t be back home for 10 days. The main purpose of the trip will be to attend Ascension Festival MMXXI, and to get reacquainted with the country’s many other attractions (this will be my third trip overall).

I don’t know if I will make posts about the festival. I’m going to try to just enjoy it, but I don’t think I’ve attended any metal music event in the last decade when I haven’t inserted some words and photos about the experiences at NCS. We’ll see.

I did agree to continue writing premieres during the weekdays while I’m gone, but not as many as usual. I also have a big backlog of interviews sitting in draft, and I’ll probably do what I usually do to get those ready for publication (or at least some of them). I think one or two of my NCS comrades will make a few posts while I’m gone as well. Still, if you’re a frequent visitor you’ll probably notice a change. (more after the jump) Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS: REDEMPTOR, TORII, ARCHITECTS OF AEON, MÜTTERLEIN, SACRIFICIUM CARMEN, KAPALA, MORGUILIATH, DEAD WAR, HUSQWARNAH, FIELDS OF MILDEW

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Nov 062021

Given the usual massive flood of new music this past week, I was hell-bent on getting at least one round-up completed before the weekend — but I failed. I had this lined up for Friday, with all the picks made, but ran out of time before I could finish it.

About these picks: When I made the selection on Friday morning it didn’t turn out at all like I thought it would. I had been building a mental list during the week just based on the band names I added to my monstrous list, most of them at least fairly well-known, but not one of those names is included here.

What happened was that as I started listening, this group just fell into place before I ever got to the names that had affixed themselves to my mental plan. These fell into place because they are all intense assaults on the senses and the emotions, albeit in different ways, until you reach the final track, which helped me partially recover from all the music that preceded it — but that last song still haunts me. Continue reading »

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