NO CLEAN SINGING

AN NCS PREMIERE: FERMENTO — “THE STENCH SPREADING TO YOUR PROGENY”

Jul 042025

(written by Islander)

If we had had our head screwed on straight and allowed a few minutes of calm thought instead of chasing after passing cars, we would have sent Fermento a few interview questions to accompany preparation for this premiere. Or at least one question: “What in the world caused you to make such a significant shift in sound on your new album?”

That question is the elephant in the room. Fermento made some big marks in the pages of Spanish (and even global) metal history, as perhaps the first death metal band in Spain when they formed in 1991, and as among the brick-layers over the next decade-plus in the building of the hostile edifice known as brutal death metal, with their 1997 debut album Symbols of Decrepitude, Symbols of Supremacy as a keystone.

Signs of restlessness became evident in their 2004 sophomore album Insignia, which followed the band’s move from Madrid to Ourense in Galicia and was far away from straight-forward brutal death metal, and in 2009’s Recipe for Cremation. But for as much evolution and experimentation as those albums revealed, they were still rooted in traditions of death metal.

Something clearly happened in the roughly 14 years that have elapsed since that third album and the new one, Acts of Blood, because, by the band’s own admission, it represents “a bold evolution in their musical direction.” Continue reading »

UPON STONE: “END TIME LIGHTNING”

Jul 042025

(Here we have DGR‘s review of a new EP by California’s Upon Stone, which saw release in June of this year via Century Media.)

Southern California’s Upon Stone continue to remain an interesting proposition in the world of melodeath. A newer upstart project in a world in which melodeath is starting to see acts of varying throwback styles – it seems right now we have groups specializing in particular ‘eras’ of the genre as a whole – Upon Stone could’ve easily gone the route of being a complete influence-worship act.

Considering that the band’s first full-length arrived early last year by way of Century Media after a single EP in 2021, you could’ve imagined the Upon Stone crew arriving with a gloss and sheen that might’ve blinded people from space. Instead, the band hewed pretty close to the late ’90s, early ’00s melodeath roots and combined it with a lot of gravel and grit that would’ve otherwise been associated with more thrash and trad-metal leaning counter parts. The result was a surprisingly fiery if not equally straight-shooting full-length in Dead Mother Moon and one whose bloody-knuckled scrappiness at least could not be denied.

Upon Stone still had some gas left in the tank though, as late June saw the arrival of a new three-song EP from the band entitled End Time Lightning. Armed with two new songs and a cover of the Manowar song “Outlaw”, it would seem as if Upon Stone felt they needed to resume right where they left off last time, just with a little bit more focus on the double-bass roll because you don’t get to entitle your new EP End Time Lightning without at least one of the songs sounding as if you were riding into a world-ending battle. Continue reading »

BEST OF POLISH: DEVILPRIEST / STELLAR BLIGHT / THANATOREAN

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Jul 042025

Welcome to another edition of “The Best of British” where I… wait, what’s that?

Yes, it looks like today’s article has officially been hijacked by the Polish, who have come to offer us a bevy of blackened delights courtesy of a mix of established artists and brand-new bands (who, as it turns out, are also made up of some familiar names and faces).

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): I PROÉLEFSI — SELF-TITLED

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET No Responses »

Jul 032025

(written by Islander)

The Scream!

Despite the fact that black metal has warped in ways that never would have been foreseen by its young first-wave and second-wave progenitors, certain tropes still tend to define the genre in the minds of many bands and listeners. One of those is the screaming — the harsh, high-pitched, rasp-edged vocal volatility that has contributed to both the raw aggression and the supernatural aura of the genre.

What happens when there are no screams? And not just no screams, but reputedly no vocals of any kind, not even the kind of deathly gutturals and possessed wails (among many other vociferous manifestations) that have found their way into the genre?

Well, the answers vary among the small range of black metal projects, usually one-person formations, whose music is entirely instrumental. In the case of the Chilean project I Proélefsi, what happens is a range of experiences that include both atmospheric and avant-garde elements, drawing inspiration from, the likes of Emperor, Setherial, Abigor, and Limbonic Art, as well as Dark Ambient music.

You’ll discover the initial results of I Proélefsi‘s creative visions (near wordless but not entirely so) in the band’s self-titled demo that we’re about to premiere. But before getting to the music, we’d like to share what the band’s solo creator M. has to say about it: Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: OPHIOLATRY — “REVENGE”

Premieres No Responses »

Jul 032025

(written by Islander)Originally emerging from the depths of Brazil’s extreme metal underground in 1998, Ophiolatry have earned increasing amounts of global attention over time, especially since their return with a renewed lineup in 2021 after a 13-year hiatus, and most especially because of the multi-faceted power of their newest album Serpent’s Verdict, released last month by WormHole Death Records, which has garnered a widespread positive response.

Even the album’s inspirations stand out. As described on behalf of the label: “The album delves into themes of spiritual revenge, indigenous resistance, and the clash between ancient traditions and imposed beliefs. Inspired by real events in the Amazon, mythology and existential suffering, the lyrics paint vivid scenes of war, punishment and transcendence through pain. Each song tells a story, whether it be warriors resurrected for revenge, the wrath of serpent gods, or the fall of oppressive ideologies. The words are raw, intense and unrelenting, reflecting the chaotic brutality of the music itself.”

Musically, the album stands out from the pack too, and as a reminder of that we’re premiering a video for the song “Revenge“. Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XVII: SORE FEET AND MORE METAL

Metal News No Responses »

Jul 032025

(Still recovering from recent festival experiences but still carrying on, Daniel Barkasi brings us reviews of six strongly recommended albums released in May 2025.)

Yeah, I know, this column is late – very late. My review(s) and photos (Day 1 and Day 2) of Fortress Festival took my full attention since returning, and coupled with a lot of day job and farm stuff, because we basically have a farm at this point, have gone hand-in-hand with catching up on May releases. I need to actually absorb an album and fully grasp the nitty gritty details to come to a fair conclusion, so this also wasn’t going to be rushed. I go full bore into everything, or else I’m not going to do it. Most who routinely immerse themselves into this sort of music aren’t the casual types, and I don’t think I’ve been casual about a whole lot in my existence.

Therefore, here we are, and my feet are screaming; thanks, plantar fasciitis and metal festivals. We’d do it all again, of course. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: KEN SORCERON (ABIGAIL WILLIAMS)

Interviews 2 Responses »

Jul 022025

(On July 18th Agonia Records will release a new album by Abigail Williams, and today we have Wil Cifer‘s interview of the band’s mainman Ken Sorceron.)

Q: “A Void Within Existence” marks the 6th album for Abigail Williams. What lessons have you learned since the first album that helped shape this one?

A: The biggest lesson is to stop trying to please anyone but yourself. Early on, I was always half aware of how a record would be received, but now I don’t care. That kind of freedom opened the door to something more honest and more extreme. Over time, I’ve learned to fully trust my instinct. I don’t second-guess the darkness, the stillness, or the chaos. If something feels real, I follow it—even if it leads somewhere uncomfortable. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ANCIENT TORMENT — “UNDER THE GUISE OF VIRTUE”

Premieres 1 Response »

Jul 022025

(written by Islander)

Nearly a decade after their inception, the Rhode Island based black metal band Ancient Torment will at last release their debut album after a handful of shorter records that have emerged beginning in 2019. Entitled Follow the Echo of Curses, it will be discharged by the Eternal Death label on August 1st.

Although this is a first album, it’s not the work of novices: The band’s lineup includes members of such bands as Witch King, I, Destroyer, and Cruciamentum, and former members of Black Sorcery (among other bands). And it doesn’t sound like a novice work either.

The music is often vast and emotionally devastating in its dynamic renditions of fury, torment, and desolation, the kind of experiences that swallow up listeners and hold them captive to the band’s intentions. Not for naught does Eternal Death describe the album as “an immersive, introspective journey through the shadows of abysmal suffering and mysteries of death’s embrace.”

To help blaze the path toward the record’s release, today we’re premiering one of its six expansive songs, “Under the Guise of Virtue“. Continue reading »

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

Album Reviews 4 Responses »

Jul 022025

(Andy Synn has four more recommendations from June which you may or may not have overlooked)

As usual, I’d like to take some time during the intro to this edition of “Things You May Have Missed” to apologise to all the bands who I couldn’t find space for this month, especially Imipolex and Mugshot (who were this close to making the cut), Putridity, Marasme, and Varhara (although the latter three have all been lined up for future editions of The Synn Report, which assuages my guilt somewhat).

Still, I’m hopeful that the four artists/albums that I did choose to cover will more than satisfy your hunger for new music, so I hereby present a mix of Prog, Thrash, Hardcore, Black Metal, and Crust that should satiate at least some of your cravings (for a while, anyway).

CHESTCRUSH: “ΨΥΧΟΒΓΑΛΤΗΣ”

Album Reviews No Responses »

Jul 022025

(DGR has conceived lots of ways of expressing just how crushing and destructive the new album from the multi-national group CHESTCRUSH really is, and they’re all laid out before you below.)

It is not uncommon for a metal band to ruminate on the concept of hate when the spectre of subject matter for an album arises. Hate is metal’s territory; it is logical for the musical drive of the extreme to tilt in such an extreme emotion’s direction. The force of hate as a concept is that it grabs hold of a human being like nothing else, refusing to let go. Whole personalities can be mutated by it, and if you’ve ever worried that our species hadn’t basically signed its own death warrant from the beginning, bear in mind just how well hate can grab hold of people.

The joyous moments of life are ephemeral and drift through memory; they are life as it should be, but the darker moments hover above us for eternities. Grudges can be held for lifetimes and generations. Hate can fester and turn into a cancerous ball that kills its host, snuffing out any potential for good being done in the world in favor of endless bleakness.

While many bands use hate and misanthropy as inspiration, few among the thousands that grace us with their presence each day have truly captured the oppressive weight that such an emotion can place upon a person. The utter disdain for anything in existence can often lead a group astray into carnival sideshow territory just as easily as it can serve as the spark for an auditory conflagration. Continue reading »

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