AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS — “IN THE GLOW OF THE VATICAN FIRE”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres  1 Response »
Jun 262025
 

(written by Islander)

The lyrics of most extreme metal songs are often an after-thought, both for the bands and for fans and “critics”. They’re often written after the musical core of the songs has solidified rather than intertwined with it from inception; they’re usually difficult to hear, since vocals usually function as simply another instrument that adds fuel to the emotional fires; and if we’re being honest, the words are quite often uninspiring and forgettable.

The extensive lyrics of In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire, the forthcoming tenth album from the Connecticut-based “avant-sludge metal” outfit When the Deadbolt Breaks, are a startling departure from those norms. This writer had them in hand and decided to read all of them before listening to anything from the album. They left me shaken. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: NO SHELTER — “ROTTEN”

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Jun 262025
 

(written by Islander)

We’re told that the German band No Shelter came into existence in May 2017 as the union of members who had played in many other bands. Since then they’ve discharged a couple of EPs,  a couple of splits, and a couple of albums (Rest In Death and Erasing Life). From the beginning they’ve brought together elements of hardcore punk, crust, and Swedish death metal in varying degrees of combination, spawning references among writers to a collision between such bands as Trap Them and Entombed.

This summer No Shelter will have a third album for us. Entitled Remission/Resolve and encompassing 12 songs (including a “Wolverine Blues” cover), it’s set for a July 25 release by This Charming Man Records. What we’ve got for you today is a song off the album pointedly named “Rotten“. Continue reading »

BARREN ALTAR – BOUND BY IMPERMANENCE

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Jun 262025
 

(Andy Synn hopes that his love for the new album from Barren Altar is in no way impermanent)

For those of you who still think my review slate recently – Cryptopsy, Deadguy, Heaven Shall Burn, etc – has been a little too “big time”, here’s something undeniably uglier and more underground courtesy of Black/Doom death-worshippers Barren Altar.

Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2025 — MAY 31-JUNE 1, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: DAY 2

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Jun 252025
 

(This is Part 2 of Daniel Barkasi‘s extensive report on the 2025 edition of the UK’s Fortress Festival, covering the second day of the two-day event, again accompanied by his own photos. To check out his report on Day One, go here.)

Sunday, Day 2

As it turns out, running stage to stage for 11 hours taking in as many bands as possible may sap the energy reserves a little. Who knew? This was always going to be a whirlwind of an excursion, so we were mentally prepared for the madness. My body, however, said no – at least to getting out of bed early enough to grab breakfast at the hotel. Alas, we made due with some protein bars and various other food items I had picked up from a Sainsbury’s, as time was of the essence to get down to the Spa for the second day of insanity. Today would prove just as wild as the first. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: GOLGATA — “SORG”

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Jun 252025
 

(written by Islander)

In August Satanath Records (Georgia) and WP And RO Productions (Netherlands) will co-release Själabod, the powerful fourth full-length by the Swedish black metal band Golgata. Here is part of how they introduce the new record:

The album Själabod is about new beginnings and closure…. The music is inspired by the history and nature that surrounded the part of Sweden where the duo originates. The music is raw and intense but at the same time melodic and atmospheric. The lyrics are darkly poetic and narrative. With music and lyrics combined, Golgata explores the past to describe their view of modern day.

As a vivid sign of what the new album brings, today we’re premiering a song named “Sorg“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: HAXPROCESS — “SEPULCHRAL VOID”

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Jun 252025
 

(written by Islander)

“Haxprocess are playing incredibly heavy death metal music – leaden, thick and dark, and are somehow attempting to go progressive wielding that sound. It’s like Morbid Angel covering The Chasm songs under the influence of Blood Incantation.”

That’s part of how Transcending Obscurity Records pitches Beyond What Eyes Can See, the forthcoming second album by the Floridian quartet Haxprocess. They also mention that the album includes only four songs that average 10 minutes per track — epic in length, and allegedly epic in impact.

Well, to say the least, expectations have been raised. How well does the reality conform to them? Discerning listeners already have half the answer, because T.O. has already streamed the album’s opening two songs — “Where Even Stars Die” and “The Confines of the Flesh“. Now you’ll get three-quarters of the answer because we’re about to premiere the album’s closing track, “Sepulchral Void“. Continue reading »

NOISE TRAIL IMMERSION – TUTTA LA MORTE IN UN SOLO PUNTO

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Jun 252025
 

(Andy Synn encourages those of you who want a little more chaos in their lives to check out the new album from Noise Trail Immersion, set for release this Friday on I, Voidhanger Records)

I feel like I’ve been covering quite a few big – or, at least, well-known (in Metal circles at least) – bands recently, so perhaps it’s about time to switch my/our attention to a group who are a little less (in)famous?

That doesn’t mean that Noise Trail Immersion don’t already have a reputation to uphold with Tutta La Morte In Un Solo Punto, their upcoming fifth album – in fact, we’ve probably played a small role in helping raise their profile over the years – but for the wider community, including some of our readers I’m sure, this could well be their first time encountering the Italian quintet.

And what will they encounter? Nine tracks of swarming, swirling, switch-blade sharp Dissonant Black Math Metal whose main purpose seems to be to repeatedly punish and perforate your eardrums over the course of forty-three furious minutes.

Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): THE BLEAK PICTURE — “SHADES OF LIFE”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  1 Response »
Jun 242025
 

(written by Islander)

“There are times when sorrow seems to me to be the only truth. Other things may be illusions of the eye or the appetite, made to blind the one and cloy the other, but out of sorrow have the worlds been built, and at the birth of a child or a star there is pain.”
– Oscar Wilde, “De Profundis”

Those words feature prominently in The Bleak Picture‘s previews of their second album Shades of Life, which will be released by Ardua Music on June 27th. The music will remind you of them, but the music will also inspire other moods and other visions.

The album is a formulation of melodic death-doom metal that is at once earthy and astral, immensely heavy and gossamer light, stricken by sorrow but elevated by expansive visions of splendor, a powerfully immersive, emotionally moving, and often spine-shaking experience from beginning to end. And we are very fortunate to premiere its full stream today. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2025 — MAY 31-JUNE 1, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: DAY 1

 Concert Reviews  No Responses »
Jun 242025
 

(We proudly present the first part of Daniel Barkasi’s extensive two-part report on the latest edition of Fortress Festival in the UK, lavishly accompanied by his own many photos. We plan to post his report on the second day of the event tomorrow.)

When deciding to travel to a foreign land, many preparations need to occur. Especially when it’s a country that you’ve never been to before. It’s true that these ears have traveled much distance for live music – we’ve been to Germany many times for Wacken (x3), Summer Breeze (x2), Party.San and Trveheim, for example – but somehow in all our travels, the UK had never been one of them.

From afar, I’ve admired several UK based metal festivals that have been boasting insane lineups that would simply never occur in North America. Cosmic Void, Damnation Festival, ArcTanGent, Incineration Festival are all ones on the list to hit up – but the mighty Fortress Festival was the one that screamed the loudest. Partially due to the mind-boggling lineup, but also the unique location, a seaside resort town known for its beach, views, history, and massive fortress (hence the name of the fest).

What better locale for two days of furious black metal, sans an old stave church in Norway? Continue reading »

HOLLOW LEG: “DUST AND ECHOES”

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Jun 242025
 

(Wil Cifer reviews Florida-based Hollow Leg‘s new compilation album Dust and Echoes (combining two 2024 EPs), which was released on June 13th by Third House Communications.)

The fact that guitarist Brent Lynch is the only member of Hollow Leg who was not from Bloodlet might lead you to think, this band is a continuation of the forerunners of dark hardcore’s legacy. That is not the case.

It’s respectable for the band to mark this as a new chapter rather than use the name of their previous project for the sake of recognition. This is truth in advertising as this band is much more metal, and in my best guesstimation, and the fact they are fellow Floridians, I can assume things changed as they started smoking a ton of weed which caused the shift in musical direction. The biggest change is that Scott’s vocals are still gruff, but come closer to a scowl-tinted croon than the hardcore roar that marked what he did in the late ’90s. Continue reading »

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