NO CLEAN SINGING

OVERFLOWING STREAMS (PART 1): AKVAN, OF WOLVES, MR. BUNGLE, NUG, CORPUS CHRISTII, DARKMOON WARRIOR

Jun 072020

I’m way behind in putting together compilations of new music and videos that I want to recommend. Yesterday, after hours of listening, I assembled more than two dozen of them that I discovered just over the last week. I had the fantasy of presenting all of them in alphabetical order in this Overflowing Streams format (short on words and visual art but long on music).

This morning I realized that would be a herculean task, and I’m no Hercules. So I abandoned the alphabetical idea and have arranged the collection with different ideas in mind and divided the post into Parts — because I’m not sure how far I’ll get. There should be at least one or two more installments today.

By the way, I decided to do this instead of the usual SHADES OF BLACK post today, though I’ve made sure to include new black metal in the collection, beginning with…

AKVAN (Iran)

The Persian tar (a type of four-stringed lute) is the star of this first song, along with the mesmerizing, melancholy melody that it voices. It provides the beating heart of the song even after the music rises into a tumultuous storm of thundering drums, scathing riffs, and scorching vocals. Fascinating, fierce, otherworldly, and glorious, the song is a tremendous thrill to hear. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: THEY LEAPT FROM BURNING WINDOWS — “CEO DLÚTH”

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Jun 072020

Over the course of four long winters the Alaskan black metal duo They Leapt From Burning Windows recorded the six tracks that are now set for release on June 26th in a new demo (the band’s second one). Though the northern hemisphere is now opening into summer, these songs descend into cold winds and grey days, into an ice-bound dimension where bitterness and despondency reign. Yet in capturing those dark emotions fueled by dark seasons, the music becomes incredibly vibrant and spectacularly intense — as you’re about to discover.

Of these six new tracks, which together consume half an hour of running time, “Ceo Dlúth” (which seems to be Irish for “dense fog”) is the longest by a significant margin. But even though it comes in at more than 10 minutes in length, it is so electrifying — so breathtaking — that the time flies by. When it ends, you may be left wishing it had been longer. Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET (PART 2): TRUUS, BRZASK, LEECHES, OMNIVOID

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Jun 062020

This concludes a post I began here two days ago devoted mainly to new EPs I’ve been enjoying lately. This one is devoted to shades of black metal, and includes four debut releases.

TRUUS

I’ll begin with Dawn of Perdition, a stunning four-track assault by the band Truus from Bloomington, Indiana.

There’s a raw, scorching abrasion in the riffs, matched by the incendiary madness of the vocals, and a powerful low-end thrust coupled with dynamic, skull-busting drumwork. Opener “Fourth Seal” incorporates sensations of imperious power and wild writhing and wailing derangement, while the moaning and braying chords and flickering leads of the title track create an atmosphere that’s more ominous. Both tracks are tremendously intense, and manage to spawn visions of terrifying grandeur as well as spine-tingling violence. Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET: COSMOVORE / INSTIGATE / LIVING GATE

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Jun 052020

Peter Paul Rubens: “The Fall of the Damned”

(Andy Synn helps us end our week-day posts (though more will be coming this weekend) with the following trio of reviews.)

I really feel like I’ve let you all down this week. I had originally intended to write a bunch of different articles this week, but somehow – primarily due to having to focus on work and band stuff instead – time has slipped through my fingers.

Still, better late than never, right? So here’s a quick write-up of a trio of killer EPs I’ve been jamming lately. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ABOVE AURORA — “THE SHRINE OF DETERIORATION”

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Jun 052020

Founded in Poznań, Poland in 2015 and now living in Reykjavik, Iceland, the black metal band Above Aurora began walking a desolate path through bleak musical terrain in their 2016 debut album (aptly named Onward Desolation), and then took another step deeper into emotional darkness with their 2018 EP, Path To Ruin (also aptly named). And now they are ready for the release of their second album, The Shrine of Deterioration.

No one familiar with the band’s trance-inducing strategies and minimalist (though quite powerful) modes of expression, or the chilling hopelessness of their moods, should expect any radical revision of their style, which has already been powerfully established. And indeed, The Shrine of Deterioration is also well-named. Yet the album is not simply the same dire-wolf that stalked our darkest moods in the preceding releases. Above Aurora continue to walk their path, but they have become even more sure-footed as guides to the cold, lightless places within us all — as you will discover through our full stream of the album in advance of its June 6 release by Pagan Records. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SVEDERNA — “TEMPELHÄRD”

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Jun 052020

Two years ago we had the pleasure of premiering a full stream of Svedjeland, the second album by the Swedish black metal band Svederna. That was this writer’s introduction to the music, and it made a striking first impression, thanks to the remarkable vibrancy and passion that flowed through every song, and the high level of skill displayed in both the arrangements and the performances.

It was thus thrilling news in these quarters to learn that Svederna would be releasing a new album this year. Entitled Härd (which translates to “Hearth” in English), it’s coming out on August 28th through Carnal Records. And today it’s our great pleasure to premiere the album’s first single, “Tempelhärd“. Continue reading »

GUT: “DISCIPLES OF SMUT”

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Jun 042020

(Vonlughlio prepared the following review of the new album by the German band GUT, which was released by Splatter Zombie Records on May 15th.)

I have to say that I love comeback stories, just as many others around the globe do, and when the comeback is unexpected it’s even better. Of course, the most important aspect of story is still always the music.

The subject of today’s comeback tale is the German death/gore/grind band GUT, who have been around since the early ’90s. For me their 1995 album Odour of Torture is a pure delight for fans in the genre, and so underrated in my opinion. After that came some splits and EPs the same year — and then came silence. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): LJOSAZABOJSTWA — “GŁORYJA ŚMIERCI”

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Jun 042020

We’ve been following the progress of Ljosazabojstwa (from Minsk, Belarus) since the beginning, reviewing their debut 2016 debut demo (here), reviewing and premiering their 2017 debut EP Sychodžańnie (here), and reviewing their second EP, 2019’s Lszb (here). It is thus a welcome occasion for us to now premiere and review the band’s debut album, Głoryja Śmierci, which will be released by Godz Ov War Productions on June 8th.

While we’re incapable of pronouncing Ljosazabojstwa‘s name, we understand that in English it means “murder of fate”. We’re also incapable of pronouncing the Belarusian titles of the five substantial tracks encompassed by the new album, whose lyrics are also in the band’s native tongue, but the music speaks for itself, sometimes in a language we can all understand and sometimes in the esoteric incantations of black magic. Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET (PART 1): HERESIARCH, ANTEDILUVIAN, VEGAS, LIKTAL

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Jun 042020

I’m way behind in compiling round-ups of new music and video streams, but nevertheless I thought I’d use this time to recommend a collection of recently released EPs, and to offer a few words about a forthcoming split. All but one of the EPs are debut releases; the one that’s not is actually a preview of a forthcoming album. The split comes from two well-known bands (at least in the underground) whom we’ve written about extensively in the past. Sadly, I don’t have any music streams from the split that I can share with you at this point, which makes its inclusion here a rarity.

As you can see, I divided this collection into two parts, with the second half coming later today.

HERESIARCH / ANTEDILUVIAN

The split I just mentioned is entitled Defleshing the Serpent Infinity. It will be released by Iron Bonehead Productions on July 31st. New Zealand’s Heresiarch contributes three tracks to the split, and Canada’s Antediluvian joins in with two. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SERENE DARK — “TRANCE OF DISINTEGRATION”

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Jun 032020

After 12 years operating under the name Endemise, the Ottawa band Serene Dark had undergone so many line-up changes and alterations of musical direction that the time seemed right for a new name. They chose their new moniker, as guitarist Dale Sauve has explained, to reflect the band’s current musical approach — it “can be soothing and melodic at times, and dark and heavy at other times, so Serene Dark was a perfect fit.”

The band have also shed some light on the concept behind their new album Enantiodromia, which will now be released on July 17th (a virus-related postponement from its original street date): Continue reading »

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