THE SYNN REPORT (PART 101): VALDUR

 THE SYNN REPORT  5 Responses »
Oct 012018
 

(In this edition of THE SYNN REPORT for September 2018, Andy Synn reviews all the albums released so far by the Californian black/death band Valdur, as well as their new full-length scheduled for detonation on October 19th.)

Recommended for fans of: Teitanblood, Tchornobog, Incantation

By sheer coincidence the last several editions of The Synn Report have covered bands who tend towards the more melodic, the more ambient, or the more accessible end of the metallic spectrum.

Which makes it high time we delved into something a little harder, and a lot nastier, doesn’t it?

Hailing (aptly enough) from Mammoth Lakes in California, Valdur’s fluctuating line-up has often been veiled in a shroud of obfuscation, with several of the band’s members operating either unacknowledged, unnamed, or under a carefully crafted pseudonym, over the years.

But while the group’s roster may have changed, their core-line-up, and their commitment to their uncompromising and unrelenting brand of grim and gritty Black/Death Metal, has remained remarkably – even rabidly – consistent, over the course of five (soon to be six) savagely Satanic, ravenously riff-heavy, albums.

And with their newest release, Goat of Iniquity, set for release on the 19th of October, now seemed like the perfect time to go for a deep dive into the filth and fury of the band’s back-catalogue. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DUNGEÖNHAMMER — “SWORN IN BLOOD”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Oct 012018
 

 

To begin, a confession: When we premiere individual songs from forthcoming albums or EPs, we usually haven’t yet listened to the entire record — not from lack of desire, but due to lack of time. In the case of today’s premiere I made a partial exception. This new DungeönHammer song turned out to be a short one, but so damned good that I felt a strong urge to find out what else they were capable of. And so I listened to the three other tracks from their debut album that had surfaced before the one we’re bringing you today, and came away even more impressed (and also surprised). I’ll get to those, but first, let’s talk about “Sworn In Blood“.

This newest track is one of eight on DungeönHammer’s full-length debut, Infernal Moon. True to the press descriptions, it hearkens back to an earlier age, a kind of proto-black-thrash, but more rocking than thrashing, and evil as hell. It’s not really speed metal mayhem, but more the kind of primal filthiness that your head and neck will respond to, from beginning to its too-soon end. Continue reading »

AUTHOR & PUNISHER: “BEASTLAND”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Oct 012018
 

 

(This is Wil Cifer’s review of the new sixth album by Author & Punisher, which will be released by Relapse Records on October 5th.)

Not being satisfied with heavy as merely blazing fast double-bass with even faster guitar solos, I require something out of left field with a great deal of sonic intensity. Author & Punisher’s brand of sludged-out industrial fits the bill.

At first listen, what Tristan Shone does might seem like a novel concept…”Oh yeah, he’s the dude that plays with machines”. Six albums in, that novelty has to be taken out of the equation to leave the focus on the songs. He delivers in this regard, while working against the abrasive drone that tends to dominate his sound. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: KOSTAS PANAGIOTOU (PANTHEIST, TOWARDS ATLANTIS LIGHTS)

 Interviews  No Responses »
Oct 012018
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us this interview of Kostas Panagiotou of Pantheist, whose latest album was released on September 14th by Melancholic Realm Productions, and Towards Atlantis Lights, whose first album was released earlier this year by Transcending Obscurity.)

I bet every doom metal fan knows Pantheist. Started as funeral doom studio project in 2000 by Kostas Panagiotou, it has grown to the size of a full band and went through a series of stylistically metamorphoses. After seven years of secret workings since their last album, Pantheist have returned with an updated lineup and a new full-length album, Seeking Infinity. Besides that, Kostas managed to take part in the international doom project Towards Atlantis Lights, whose first album Dust Of Aeons saw the light of day in March 2018 through Transcending Obscurity Records.

In light of these events, it seemed there were several questions that we should ask Kostas, and so we did. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: GROZA, DRATNA, A FLOCK NAMED MURDER, SLEGEST, HISSING, SOLAR TEMPLE, FLUISTERAARS, TURIA

 SHADES OF BLACK  12 Responses »
Sep 302018
 

 

I struggle with these picks every week, and resolve the struggle in different ways. Sometimes, when I’ve got the time, I double-up the column so I don’t have to leave out quite as many possibilities. I don’t have that kind of time today. And to make the task harder, a lot of the music I wanted to talk about today turns out to be extra time-consuming — full releases, really long songs, many minutes that don’t lend themselves to pithy introductions.

Days like this I’m reminded that the main value of what we do here is “curation” (to use a pretentious term), i.e., the sifting and sorting of music and the selection of what we find appealing and think might be worth the time of people like you. If the writing itself proves to be entertaining, that’s a bonus. Mainly, we just do that to entertain ourselves. Hopefully, the curation alone will carry the day today — my own words are limited to begin with and kind of tail off into tiny dribbles the further you get into this.

GROZA

My friend eiterorm found Groza’s new album on Friday, said it was obviously inspired by Mgła, and expressed completely certainty that I would like it, judging from our common tastes in metal. “So make sure this one gets top priority. ;-]”, he wrote. So I did, and my friend was right — this is really good. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: AGONY KINGS — “FUTUREBURN”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Sep 282018
 

 

Ten years in the making, the self-titled debut album of NYC’s Agony Kings hit the streets in October of last year, delivering 13 tracks of high-octane crossover-thrash, which has been recommended for fans of Suicidal Tendencies, Anthrax, D.R.I, Dropdead, Cro Mags, and Napalm Death.

One look at the men in the band, and you can tell this wasn’t their first rodeo. For this band of brothers — vocalist Mike Stack (False Gods), drummer Bobby Grander, guitarist Jim Shearman, and bassist Matt Sazooki — Agony Kings was an outgrowth of their previous band, What Doesn’t Kill Me, and the album, as they say, has been “a perfect reflection of the trials and tribulations that have driven us for this last decade”. And for listeners, it’s a high-voltage kick in the ass. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SJUKDOM — “NAERVER”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Sep 282018
 

 

Let’s get to the point right up-front: The Sjukdom track we’re about to present is downright terrifying, so much so that you may find yourself holding your breath, and gasping by the end. It’s that relentlessly and nightmarishly vicious.

The name of the track is “Naerver“, and it’s one of seven that will be included on this Norwegian band’s forthcoming second album, Stridshymner Og Dodssalmer, which is due for release by Osmose Productions on October 26th. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SOUL DISSOLUTION — “FADING DARKNESS”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Sep 282018
 

 

The song you’re about to hear is a wonderful surprise, in more ways than one. Before you get into the music, the outer trappings of the record might begin to form certain expectations — which ultimately become up-ended by the time the song ends.

You gaze at the cover of this EP, a photograph taken in May (by the band’s guitarist, bassist, and backing vocalist) on a misty morning in the Vosges region, France. You consider that the name of this Belgian band is Soul Dissolution, that the name of the song itself refers to darkness, and that the EP which includes it (set for release on October 18th) is named nowhere. And from all that, you might surmise that thoroughly gloomy and melancholy sounds are about to come your way. And at first, the music seems consistent with those expectations. At first. Continue reading »

ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE: “PALM READER”

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Sep 282018
 

 

(Andy Synn brings us this review of the crushing new EP by California’s Armed For Apocalypse on the day of its release.)

While I’m still slaving away on this month’s edition of The Synn Report (it’s a big one, and I think you’ll all be very pleased with how it turns out) I’ve realised that, in all likelihood, I’m probably not going to get it done in time for posting today.

It will probably make an appearance early next week, however, so don’t worry.

As a result of this realisation I decided to take a quick look around the ol’ interweb and see what else I might be able to write about in the meantime, so as to tide you all over until Monday.

And, wouldn’t you know it, but the long-awaited comeback EP from Californian Sludgecore quarter Armed For Apocalypse drops today! Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: LONESHORE — “EFFIGY”

 Premieres  4 Responses »
Sep 272018
 

 

Loneshore began their musical journey together in 2014, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Drawing influence from such bands as Katatonia, Opeth, and Alcest, they have meticulously crafted a debut album named From Presence To Silence that will be released by BadMoodMan Music and Solitude Productions tomorrow (September 28th), and on the eve of that debut for which the band have worked so hard, we present a live performance video for an album track called “Effigy“.

The song is a long one (about 10 minutes), but completely engrossing, in part because it’s so multi-faceted, drawing together elements that range from doom to death metal to post-rock and prog, and in part because it’s so dynamic — and so alive with passion (which also comes through quite clearly as you watch the band members perform the song in the video). Continue reading »

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