BLOG BREAK (AND A BIT OF MADNESS FROM TORPE)

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  10 Responses »
Aug 152020
 

 

Yesterday I left home for a long weekend vacation, my first vacation of the year and the first time I’ve been away from home for more than an hour since the March shutdowns. Some friends and I rented a place near the town of Roslyn in the Cascade Mountains, about 80 miles east of Seattle.

You might have seen Rosyln without knowing it, since it was the filming location for The Runner Stumbles, Northern Exposure, and The Man in the High Castle. The whole downtown part of Roslyn, such as it is, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The surrounding environment, as you can see above, is beautiful. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: WOODED MEMORY — “MY SECRET HORROR”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Aug 142020
 

 

What will become of us when we die? Merely the eventual reunion of our bodies with the earth? Or will we also leave a residue of memories in the minds of those who survive us? What kind of memories will those be? And when we take our last stumbling steps, what memories of our own will we seek out as most dear?

The video we present today, which has the aesthetic of a silent movie, seems to be a meditation on such questions (and more), seen through the eyes of a person on a solitary walk through brambled woods to their death. With little time remaining they search out a place to relive a beautiful moment.

The words and scenes in the video make for a haunting complement to the music, but it’s the spell of the music that is most arresting. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: PRIMITIVE MAN

 Interviews  1 Response »
Aug 142020
 

 

(Today is the day set by Relapse Records for the release of Primitive Man‘s new album Immersion, and it is thus a fine time to share with you this new interview by Comrade Aleks of the band’s vocalist/guitarist Ethan Lee McCarthy.)

Bad times for good guys and bad times for bad guys. It does not matter who you are when the world doesn’t stop crumbling down right beneath your feet. Extreme situations demand primitive reactions, just this basic set which kept our antediluvian ancestors alive, even as it seems we head on towards extinction with each step we’re forced to take by powers behind our backs. You can pray, you can speak your final manifest of disobedience… who knows if it counts?

In this environment the Denver-based crew of Neanderthal sludge-bringers Primitive Man come our way with their third full-length album, Immersion. We’ve searched for the source of its bitterness, ugliness, and anger together with Ethan Lee McCarthy (vocals, guitars) and here’s what we found. Continue reading »

LAST WEEK TODAY: DEATH BY STEREO / FACELESS BURIAL / IMHA TARIKAT / KRALLICE

 Album Reviews  4 Responses »
Aug 132020
 


Krallice

 

(Andy Synn wrote the following compilation of reviews.)

It seems to me that, over the years, the constant cascade of new albums has swollen into a never-ending, unrelenting, flood, to the point where it often feels like we’re almost drowning in new releases.

The only way to cope, I’ve found, is to simply accept that you’re not going to be able to cover everything. There’s just not enough hours in the day to properly preview, review, analyse, and criticise, all of it, especially if you also want to try and maintain some general standards of quality and insight (which, let’s be honest, isn’t necessarily a concern for everyone…).

That being said, a bit of catch-up coverage never goes amiss, which is why I’m dedicating today’s article to four artists who each dropped their newest record – in one case with little prior warning – last Friday. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: APHONIC THRENODY — “DROWNING”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Aug 132020
 

 

We all have metal bands whom we consider good old friends, not because we’ve ever met or even communicated with their members but because we’ve lived with their music for such a long time, without ever being disappointed by their work, and often associating it with signal events and powerful moods in our own lives. And so when we “meet” them again through a new release, the feelings are akin to a happy reunion. For this writer, Aphonic Threnody are one of those bands — even though happiness is almost always a foreign concept in their music.

I’ve been following and writing about this funeral doom/death band since 2011 when I came across their debut EP First Funeral, and have closely tracked their movements ever since. Their newest work is a full-length named The Great Hatred that becomes the third album in their discography. It’s set for release by Transcending Obscurity Records on October 16, and we’re in the fortunate position of hosting the premiere of the album’s third advance track, “Drowning“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ABYSSAL ASCENDANT — “MARTYRS OF MORDIGGIAN”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Aug 132020
 

 

“Abyssal Ascendant’s death metal is inspired by the Cthulhu mythos. Some bands who claim a similar Lovecraftian muse create music that’s turgid and murky, but Abyssal Ascendant fly like turbocharged bats, lacing the music with speedy riffs, writhing creepy melodies, and an abundance of machine-gun drumming. The vocals, as you might expect, are convincingly ravenous.”

Those are among the words we wrote here five years ago after encountering music from this French band’s debut album, Chronicles of the Doomed Worlds – Part. I: Enlightenment from Beyond, which was released by Dolorem Records with album art by Daniele Lupidi. And now, at last, Abyssal Ascendant are returning to our world from the realms of The Great Old Ones with their second album.

The new record is named Chronicles of the Doomed Worlds – Part. II : Deacons of Abhorrence, and it will be released by the same Dolorem Records on October 9th, again accompanied by the striking artistic handiwork of Daniele Lupidi. From that album, it’s our ghoulish pleasure to premiere a track named “Martyrs of Mordiggian“. Continue reading »

NCS v. GIMME METAL

 Metal News  9 Responses »
Aug 132020
 

 

It’s so great to see the vast assembled throng of NCS readers out there today. We have a question for you. How many of you would like to hear the actual voices of NCS writers instead of just reading them? Go ahead, raise your hands, and don’t be bashful!

OK, we see you. Yeah, the guy in the back row with the black shirt. No, the other black shirt. We were hoping for more than one hand, but whatever. You, sir, are going to get your wish!

You’re getting your wish because on Monday, August 17th, at 12 p.m. Pacific Time, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, UTC-08:00 for everyone who counts that way, three of our writers will appear as guest DJs at GIMME METAL in a two-hour show when we will not only spin tracks of our own choosing but also actually speak to you. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: NEVALRA — “GROOM LAKE”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Aug 122020
 

 

In the southern part of Nevada, northwest of Las Vegas, lies Groom Lake, a desolate and lifeless salt flat. It’s a place that few people will see with their own eyes because it’s located within the mysterious Area 51 installation of the U.S. Air Force and used there as a runway for bombers… and other less familiar aircraft. “Groom Lake” is also the name of a song by the Missouri-based blackened death metal band Nevalra that we’re presenting today through a new video.

“Groom Lake” was originally released as the closing track on Nevalra’s 2015 EP The Black Flame, which was followed in 2019 by the band’s debut album Conjure the Storm. Since the EP was first released, Nevalra have gone on to receive considerable acclaim in the metal press and to tour and perform in more than 20 countries. Now the band and their label M-Theory Audio have decided to digitally reissue The Black Flame, accompanied by an updated treatment of the original cover artwork by noted horror artist Brett Gray. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BLACKEVIL — “LUCIFER’S SUPREMACY”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Aug 122020
 

 

The immediately recognizable handiwork of Paolo Girardi that graces the cover of Blackevil‘s new album creates august expectations for the music all by itself. But high expectations were already raised for those of us who’ve encountered this German trio’s past works — their 2016 debut EP Hail the Cult, their 2017 first album The Ceremonial Fire, or their 2018 split with Italy’s Witchunter (Witchevil Attack!).

We are happy to report that such high expectations will not be disappointed. To the contrary, as you’ll learn for yourselves through the song we’re premiering today, Blackevil have, if anything, exceeded expectations on their second album Forever Baptised in Eternal Fire, which will be released on September 25th by Dying Victims Productions. That song is the aptly titled “Lucifer’s Supremacy“. Continue reading »

PERFECITIZEN: “HUMANIPULATION”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Aug 122020
 

 

(This is Vonlughlio‘s review of the new album by the Czech band Perfecitizen, which was released on August 1st.)

It is time to write about a project that has been dear to me since I became a fan through the release of their 2011 demo. The band is Perfecitizen, formed after the demise of Alienation Mental (a band whose music I also loved).  In 2013 they released their debut album Through, a 33-minute blaster that to this day is among my favorite debuts from a brutal/grindcore band, showcasing a great level of musicianship from start to finish.

Two years later they released their sophomore effort Corten, which was a natural continuation of their first effort. The only gripe I had was how short it was, but the music was amazing and proved that the guys involved are great musicians who execute their vision with precision.  They continued to be independent, doing everything themselves (as they have continued to do) which is something I admire — and props to them for doing so (and other bands that do the same). Continue reading »

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