AN NCS PREMIERE: SEPULCHRAL CURSE — “CHURCH OF LOSS”

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Jun 082020
 

 

Four years ago we premiered a song from At the Onset of Extinction, the eye-opening second EP of the inventive Finnish death metal band Sepulchral Curse (which includes members of Solothus and Yawning Void). We must not have screwed that up too badly because we’ve been invited again to host a Sepulchral Curse song premiere, this time from their debut album Only Ashes Remain, which is set for a July 31 release by Transcending Obscurity Records.

This is an album we’ve been eagerly awaiting, given the striking impression created by that previous EP, which was the band’s second release. If you’ve had your eyes and ears open, you’ve already discovered some of the fascinations in this band’s unusual amalgamation of stylistic ingredients, through track premieres at Decibel and T.O.‘s YouTube channel. And the one we’re presenting today, “Church of Loss“, is no less viscerally electrifying, mentally engrossing, and emotionally powerful. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DIABOLIC OATH — “APOCRYPHAL MANIFESTATIONS”

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Jun 082020
 

 

How does a band who are devoted to the most ruinous amalgamations of death and black metal stand out from the underground hordes who profess the same kind of devotion? Where the sonic expression of hell on earth is the dominant aesthetic, how does one advance beyond the orthodoxy of extreme audio annihilation? Diabolic Oath has an answer — actually, many answers, as revealed on their debut album Profane Death Exodus.

This Portland, Oregon band seized the attention of Sentient Ruin Laboratories, who are poised to release the album on June 26th. The alliance of that label alone is a sign that Diabolic Oath have concocted something unusual, something that builds upon the influence of such bands as Teitanblood, Immolation, and Bestial Warlust. And as a further sign, today we present the album’s fifth track, “Apocryphal Manifestations”. Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS (PART 3): BLACK CROWN INITIATE, DESCEND, PYRRHON, SKELETON, THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE, TORTURE TOMB, VOLTURYON

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  4 Responses »
Jun 082020
 

 

If you’re seeing this before seeing the first two Parts of the round-up, I hope you’ll check out Part 1 and Part 2. After a lot of singing in Part 2, we’re moving back into music that’s more in line with the site’s name.

BLACK CROWN INITIATE (U.S.)

The kaleidoscopic opening track in this collection moves from mystical and mesmerizing sounds into the embrace of humming low tones and head-hooking beats (and singing), and from there into a grim, ravaging, bullet-spitting attack, augmented by doses of vocal ferocity (as well as flaring melody and soaring song). Skittering, darting, and delirious fretwork and blaring chords propel the song to fiery heights, and the singing becomes spine-tingling. A welcome return from these talented dudes…. Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS (PART 2): OCEANS OF SLUMBER, ABYSMAL DAWN, DAWN OF SOLACE, EXECUTIONER’S MASK, KAIRON; IRSE!, WARDRUNA

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Jun 072020
 

 

I’m not as prone as some writers around here to make exceptions to our rule about singing (I’m looking at you Mr. Synn), but I fell prone before all the singing voices in this selection of songs, and the music that accompanies them. But don’t worry… in the next installment of this post I’m sure I’ll revert to the usual nastiness.

OCEANS OF SLUMBER (U.S.)

I guess most people know by now that Cammie Gilbert has a stunning voice. If you don’t know, you’ll find out through this first song and video. You’ll also find out she has some very talented people behind her, including drummer Dobber Beverly, who plays in a lot more extreme bands than this one and delivers a beautifully nuanced performance. Continue reading »

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

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
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

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  3 Responses »
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

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  2 Responses »
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”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  2 Responses »
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 »

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