AN NCS PREMIERE: KOLOSSUS — “JOURNEY”

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Feb 072020
 

 

Although the solo project Kolossus has sprung from the mind of a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist (Helliminator) who is located in Italy, he has drawn his inspirations from such northern bands as Taake, Enslaved, Emperor, and Helheim, and has devoted himself to the creation of Black/Viking Metal. After a split (The invocation of Makt) with Manon was released in 2019, Kolossus has now recorded a debut album called The Line of the Border, which will be co-released on March 19th by Satanath Records (Russia) and The Ritual Productions (Netherlands).

For this debut full-length, Helliminator composed the songs and the lyrics, and performed vocals and all instruments other than the drumming, which was executed in astonishing fashion by Emanuele Prandoni (Anamnesi, Simulacro, Ancient). The album also features two guests on particular tracks, with Vicotnik (of Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende) contributing vocals on the album’s first preview track, “Norge“, and a musician named Daisy who performs solo guitar on the track we’re about to premiere — an explosive song named “Journey“. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: KONVENT

 Interviews  2 Responses »
Feb 072020
 

 

(Our Russian friend Comrade Aleks caught up with a rising star within the Napalm Records roster, and co-produced this engaging interview with Heidi Withington Brink, bassist of the Danish band Konvent, whose debut album was released by Napalm Records late last month.)

The modern death-doom scene is overcrowded with a host of bands – both old and new. Sometimes it’s hard to find something different, but you’ll remember Konvent for sure.

Formed in Copenhagen back in 2015, this all-ladies band provides thick, powerful stuff with inhuman growling vocals and a low vibe. They aren’t that brutal, like Derketa for example, but they’re remarkably heavy and depressive.

Konvent’s debut full-length Puritan Masochism was released by Napalm Records on January 24th, and with the help of Mona Miluski we’ve caught the band right in the middle of their tour. Heidi Withington Brink (bass) provided comprehensive answers to all our questions despite the stirring life of spreading death and doom over Europe. Continue reading »

STONED GOD: “INCORPOREAL”

 Album Reviews  6 Responses »
Feb 072020
 

 

(This is Andy Synn‘s review of the just-released second album by the German band Stoned God.)

There’s a hoary old cliché (with, let’s be honest, some solid basis in fact) that the older you get the less open you are to new sounds and new bands.

Thankfully this hasn’t happened to me yet (and hopefully never will), but I must admit that the more music I’m exposed to the more I seem to be tightening up my standards (although some people still seem to think I like everything equally… which is definitely not the case).

What this means, of course, is that while I still have no issue celebrating and supporting albums which I think are worth listening to, even if they don’t necessarily hit the heights of true greatness, it generally takes something really special to excite me to the point where I start ranting and raving at anyone who’ll listen about how they have to listen to this band/album right now!!!

It doesn’t even need to be something that reinvents the wheel or changes the game – it can just be something that twists or tweaks, or otherwise iterates on, an existing formula in a fresh, exciting way – as long as it gets the neurons firing in that special way, that’s all that matters.

So, with all that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to Prog-Death powerhouse Stoned God. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: AARA — “ARKANUM”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Feb 062020
 

 

The best music doesn’t all succeed in the same way. Some of it induces contemplation, setting your mind free to rediscover long-lost memories or to imagine what you might become. Some of it produces a physical reflex so compulsive that it’s irresistible (and you don’t want to resist). Sometimes it provokes such a powerful emotional response that it banishes whatever you were feeling before and transports you, without volition, into intense new feelings that last beyond the minutes of the music.

The song you’re about to hear by the Swiss black metal band AARA succeeds in all of those ways.

That song, “Arkanum“, opens their new album En Ergô Einai, which will be released by Debemur Morti Productions on the 3rd of April, and it’s also the first glimpse of the music that the public will have. As early glimpses go, this one is a stunner, and it happens to include an introduction created by Vindsval of Blut aus Nord. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): SONS OF A WANTED MAN — “KENOMA”

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Feb 062020
 

 

Within the genre of metal (writ large), the musical hybridization of sub-genres is more common than it used to be. Even the inclusion of musical ingredients from beyond metal altogether is no longer rare. In fact, we might be somewhere near a zenith of cross-breeding and experimentation within our beloved genre.

As we all know, this doesn’t always work out well. Sometimes it produces music that seems bolted together without much regard for the ultimate effect, or lacking any apparent reason. Like the sight of Frankenstein’s monster, we can still see the livid sutures, and would rather turn away with a shudder than embrace it.

But when genre-splicing does work, when the disparate ingredients are harnessed together according to a well-thought-out design in order to create a richness of emotional impacts that would be difficult to achieve in a different way, given the particular interests of the musicians, the results can be unusually powerful and engrossing. The new album, Kenoma, by the Belgian band Sons Of A Wanted Man, is a prime example of that kind of success. With great pleasure, we present a full stream of it today, on the eve of its release by Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: VAMPYROMORPHA

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Feb 062020
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us this tremendously entertaining interview (which delves into both horror films and The Kybalion as well as the music, with Michael “Jimmy” Imhof from the German band Vampyromorpha.)

You probably know that vampyromorpha isn’t only a bizarre kind of octopus, but also a power-heavy doomed duet from Würzburg, Bavaria.

Formed in 2014 by Fabian Schwarz (guitars, bass, drums) from a good number of bands including Runamok, Terrible Old Man, The New Black, and more, accompanied by Michael “Jimmy” Imhof (vocals, Hammond organ) of Lex Rhino, Naked Star, and more, Vampyromorpha released their debut Six Fiendish Tales Of Doom And Horror… in 2015. This strikingly refreshing combination of heavy powerful riffs delivered in mid and fast tempo, killer tunes, and old school macabre charms alongside expressive vocals telling real and fictional stories from the dark side of human lives is criminally catchy and truly remarkable.

Four years after, these gentlemen return with a second full-length work, Herzog, and that’s the thing we’re talking about with Jimmy tonight… That and horror movies. Lots and lots of horror movies. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SKJULT — “THE SIGHT”

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Feb 052020
 

 

Almost exactly two years ago we premiered a blood-freezing track from Progenies Ov Light, the second album by the Cuban black metal band Skjult, through which its lone member Conspirator channeled dark and devilish creative impulses. Now we have the good fortune of premiering a song from the band’s forthcoming third full-length, Lucifer Hominum Salvator, which is coming out on March 17th via Satanth Records.

While still driven by devotion to Luciferian anticosmic themes, Skjult has followed a path of musical progression, which was evident in the movement from the first album to the second, and is evident again through this third record, which Satanath correctly sums up as more melodic, less raw, impressively dynamic, and propelled more deeply into the depths of hell. The music raises memories of early Watain, Necrophobic, Valkyrja, and early Dark Funeral, and we have a prime example of these sensations in this new track, “The Sight“. Continue reading »

BLACKENED DEATHSTRAVAGANZA: GOD DETHRONED / HORRESQUE / SVART CROWN

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Feb 052020
 


God Dethroned

 

(In this post Andy Synn combines reviews of three forthcoming or just-released albums by God Dethroned (Netherlands), Horresque (Germany), and Svart Crown (France).)

Genre terms are funny things, aren’t they?

While I often find them very useful as a form of rough-and-ready heuristic shortcut, one which helps me, and my readers, quickly get into the right mindset and formulate our expectations accordingly, their misuse (or outright abuse) can be even more confusing than just saying nothing at all.

It’s even worse when we get down to the fine grain of things, as these terms and definitions become even more nebulous, and it gets harder and harder to tell precisely where Death Metal becomes Blackened Death Metal becomes Melodic Blackened Death Metal becomes Progressive Melodic Blackened Death Metal… and so on, and so forth.

The three albums you’re about to read about all fall somewhere in/along this spectrum (whereabouts exactly is sure to prompt some lively debate), and while all have their flaws (which I’ve not been shy about highlighting) I’m pretty sure many, if not most, of our audience will find something to appreciate from their myriad metallic delights. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: INNO — “PALE DEAD SKY”

 Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres  3 Responses »
Feb 052020
 

 

Undoubtedly, when metal fans first learn about the line-up of the Roman band INNO they will be attracted by the names of other bands on the members’ resumes — such names as Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour of Penance, Coffin Birth, and Novembre. In addition to kindling interest, those other names will likely spawn certain expectations about INNO’s sound. And what fans will then discover upon exploring the music is that INNO’s veteran members have chosen to pursue different interests in this project, and have turned their music in different directions.

Led by the commanding voice of Elisabetta Marchetti (ex-Stormlord, ex-Riti Occulti), INNO characterize their music as “dark metal” — an amalgam that includes ingredients of doom, gothic, and progressive metal — and they make comparative references to the likes of Katatonia, The Gathering, Amorphis, and Porcupine Tree. Their debut album is named The Rain Under, and it’s set for worldwide release by Time To Kill Records on February 20th.

What we have for you today is the exclusive premiere of a music video for the album’s third track, “Pale Dead Sky“. Continue reading »

KVELERTAK: “SPLID”

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Feb 052020
 

 

(This is Wil Cifer‘s review of the new album by the Norwegian band Kvelertak. The album will be released by Rise Records on February 14th.)

The third album from these Norwegian punks is not only more refined, it is also their first with new vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen. The youthful attitude in his snarl gives more weight to the punk slant of this album.

When punk is referred to here, think more of a ’90s European direction like Refused. Punk is also only one side of the equation, as they also offer a large dose of rock ‘n’ roll with guitar harmonies that have a warm Thin Lizzy-like tone. Not that any of these elements are coming out of left field. They have all been hinted at on the previous albums, but have now been brought further into center stage. Continue reading »

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