AN NCS PREMIERE: AMNUTSEBA — “TABULA”

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Feb 272020
 

 

Over the course of two demos released by Caligari Records in 2017 and 2018 (and later released in a vinyl compilation by Iron Bonehead Productions), the enigmatic French band Amnutseba demonstrated a mastery in the creation of unpredictable and unnerving black metal. In reviewing them (here and here), we characterized the first demo as “dissonant, delirious, and disorienting”, “fiery and ferocious, marauding and majestic, eerie and ominous”, and the second one as “pensive and petrifying, brawling and beautiful, unearthly and apocalyptic”. And the reviews included a lot more adjectives besides those.

Amnutseba’s creations on those first demos spawned so many adjectives in this quarter not only because the music was so intricate and labyrinthine but also because it produced so many visceral responses, usually frightening but also mesmerizing, and in its bewildering permutations it was also capable of seeming revelatory.

Little wonder that so many underground-dwellers familiar with Amnutseba have been so anxious for a full-length album by this mysterious entity since falling prey to those first recordings, and now we’re about to get one: On March 27th Iron Bonehead Productions will release the first Amnutseba full-length, the name of which is Emanatism. Not surprisingly, it is wondrously otherworldly — and scary as hell. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: REEK — “CONDEMNED BY THE HANDS OF PAIN”

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Feb 272020
 

 

Probably ’til the end of times, fans of old Entombed will debate the merits or demerits of the band’s movement from Left Hand Path through Clandestine and into the “death ‘n’ roll” of Wolverine Blues. But it’s clear that the Swedish band Reek don’t mourn that transition but instead celebrate it, as you’ll discover through today’s premiere of a track from their debut album, Death is something there Between, which will be released by Testimony Records on April 24th.

A debut album it may be, but the members of Reek are accomplished veterans. Leading the way are Håkan Stuvemark (Wombbath, Pale King) and Rogga Johansson (too many bands to name), who have collaborated before in the progressive death metal band PermaDeath. Here, Stuvemark and Johansson both play guitar, and this time Stuvemark is also the vocalist. They’re joined in Reek by their PermaDeath teammate Jon Skäre (also Defiatory, Wachenfeldt) on drums and by bassist Mathias Back (Fimbultyr).

With that kind of talent assembled under the name Reek, listeners will predictably have high expectations, and those expectations will not be disappointed. Continue reading »

TURIA: “DEGEN VAN LICHT”

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Feb 272020
 

 

(This is Mike Johnson‘s review of the new album by the Dutch black metal band Turia, which was released by Eisenwald on February 14th.)

Feel the chill gnaw at the marrow of your bones, as you trudge through the frozen snow. Shards of ice feel sharper than obsidian as they tear away beneath your cloak. Each step a masochistic delight as the lure of the great grey summit beckons you forth.

It stands amongst its peers with a crown of haze masking its highest peaks. As time disappears the ascension up an unforgiving pass becomes a torrent of lunacy as the shadow of a giant looming over you blocks the sky. A sliver of hope emerges as the pass opens to reveal the sun, its soothing warmth brings a spark of euphoria before disappearing in the shadow of the natural obelisk towering above piercing the sky.

An atmosphere such as this, sonically, should be dissonant, unforgiving, and a relentless fury of pure despair. Turia, a Dutch black metal trio, portray a scene of majestic desolation weaving lush landscapes soaked in reverb into a serrated hail composed of vicious tremolo riffs. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: NORNES

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Feb 272020
 

 

(Comrade Aleks has brought us this interview of the French band Nornes, which focuses on their 2018 debut Vanity and, of course, other things… including the band’s new EP Threads, which will be released on February 28th through Sleeping Church Records.)

I try to avoid interviewing bands with only an EP and demos in their discography, with rare exceptions like it was with Marble Chariot who at least continued their pilgrimage under the Carcolh moniker… But when reverend Rodolphe of the Barabbas band advised me to take a look at Nornes from Valenciennes, I couldn’t refuse.

And indeed they remain a very cool trad-doom band with both clean and harsh vocals, despite the fact what their one and only EP Vanity was released in 2018. Where’s the new stuff. men? Here you’ll find an answer to this question, a few facts about the band, and one French joke. Don’t forget to turn on the play button and listen to their EP (you’ll find it below), I need to return to my beer. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: HADOPELAGIAL — “AMUNRE”

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Feb 262020
 

 

Hailing from Leipzig, Germany, Hadopelagial is a two-man black metal strike force (vocalist/lyricist Ghoul and C.C., who does everything else) whose members were once bandmates in Humanitas Error Est. In their new formation they’ve recorded a self-titled debut album that will be released on March 18th by Satanath Records, and today we’re presenting one of its eight tracks, a wonderfully dynamic song named “Amunre“.

The tone of the song’s opening riff is as dismal and bleak as a mass grave, and the music methodically stomps and stomps as Ghoul utters his proclamations in a vicious and imperious voice. But while the oppressive qualities established by that opening movement don’t disappear, the music soon becomes a white-hot melee of turbocharged percussive obliteration, seething, swarming riffs, and unhinged vocal ferocity. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ARCADA — “LUNAR POSSESSION”

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Feb 262020
 

 

It sometimes happens that we come across an eye-opening advance song from a forthcoming record by a band we aren’t familiar with, and then unexpectedly get the chance to present another song from the album ourselves, and that’s what happened here.

Earlier this month I encountered the tremendous title track from Projections, the first full-length by the Peruvian black metal band Arcada, which adds to a discography that includes three demos and an EP. The song is a multifaceted experience, one that includes elements suggestive of unearthly grandeur and reverence but also channels moods of anguish and hysteria. A wailing and weeping sound emerges in one of the recurring melodic motifs, and there’s a mournful moodiness in the bass tones. The vocals themselves seem wildly distraught (as well as vicious), and they’re wide-ranging in their expressions, though all the expressions are scarily intense.

And now we present further proof of Arcada‘s impressive talents in a song from Projections called “Lunar Possessions“. Continue reading »

BLACK ROYAL: “FIREBRIDE”

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Feb 262020
 

 

(Andy Synn reviews the new album by Finland’s Black Royal, which was released by Suicide Records on February 14th.)

Maybe it’s just me (I don’t think it is, but you never know) but it seems like the last several years have seen quite a lot of bands, both old and new, turning back to the “old school” for inspiration.

And while there are lots of speculative, pseudo-psychological reasons for why this might be so (there’s certainly something to be said for the idea that during unsettling or uncertain times we’re more likely to cling to what’s familiar), I honestly think that the best explanation for this recent “old school” resurgence is that quite a lot of bands have simply grown dissatisfied with what more modern trends have to offer them (and, in turn, demand from them).

Of course, this isn’t necessarily anything all that new. Metal has, after all, often been quite an insular scene, with a large fixation on its own history, and practically every year sees the emergence of yet another wave of “retro” groups trying to recapture the spirit and the sound of Metal’s “golden age”… mostly without really adding anything to it.

But, of late, I’ve really taken note of how many bands have been trying to do more than just imitate the classics by taking and twisting them into fresh new shapes, repurposing clichéd ideas for new purposes, and by mixing and matching “timeless” elements in ways which would once have been unthinkable.

I’m sure we can all think of lots of current/recent examples of this (Chapel of Disease immediately spring to mind). But the one I want to bring your attention to today is the brilliant second album from Finnish riffmongers Black Royal. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: ANTICHRISTIAN (TSJUDER, BEATEN TO DEATH, GOTHMINISTER)

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Feb 262020
 

 

(Karina Noctum conducted this extensive interview with the prolific and multi-faceted drummer AntiChristian, touching upon many subjects, including the activities of three of the very different main bands he now plays in.)

AntiChristian is a Norwegian drummer known for playing in Tsjuder and Gothminister. He also plays in a less-known band called Beaten to Death that is getting increasingly more recognition both in Norway and elsewhere. This interview includes some in-depth questions about BtD since it is a pretty interesting and unique band that picked up my attention since the beginning. In addition to drum-talking, there is also some cool news when it comes to Tsjuder and Gothminister, which will most likely be topics for in-depth interviews in the future. Continue reading »

LYCHGATE: “ALSO SPRACH FUTURA”

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Feb 252020
 

 

(This is Todd Manning‘s review of the new EP by the UK-based progressive black/doom band Lychgate, which will soon be released by Debemur Morti Productions.)

It’s getting hard to ignore Lychgate, not that anyone should be trying. This UK based Extreme Metal band continue to push their awe-inspiring blend of Black Metal, Death, and Doom into more progressive and experimental realms with each release, and their latest EP is a case in point. Also sprach Futura is due out on Debemur Morti Productions on March 13th and illustrates beyond any doubt that Lychgate is one of the most exciting bands going right now. Continue reading »

PSYCHOTIC WALTZ: “THE GOD-SHAPED VOID”

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Feb 252020
 

 

(Seattle-based NCS contributor Gonzo brings us this review of the the fifth studio album by U.S. progressive metal pioneers Psychotic Waltz, and their first music in 23 years, released on February 14th by InsideOutMusic.)

Maybe it’s just me, but I love it when a criminally underrated band emerges from the ether after years of radio silence and releases some of their best work. Since that seems to be the trend lately for metal bands, reformed prog metal gurus Psychotic Waltz have decided to follow suit, surprising the world with the release of their newest album, The God-Shaped Void. Continue reading »

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