SEEN AND HEARD: HENRY KANE, APOTELESMA, PASSAGES

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Oct 102017
 

 

One of the daily risks of running a blog like this one, which is a part-time yet obsessive hobby rather than a full-time business, is that almost all plans are subject to derailment. The old fucking day job and other personal obligations spring surprises, and they usually take precedence. And so, although I had planned a much bigger round-up than this one, I’ve been diverted, and am now impulsively picking just these three new songs from that much bigger group.

I’m not even going to call this “Part 1”, which would imply I might have a Part 2 tomorrow. But who knows? We’ll just see how tonight and tomorrow go…

HENRY KANE

I hope you already recognize the name Henry Kane, but in case you don’t, it’s the name that the veteran Swedish vocalist and musician Jonny Pettersson borrowed from a character in the Poltergeist film series for his solo metal project — a project that lengthens a resume which already includes participation in Wombbath, Ursinne, Just Before Dawn, Vholdghast, Syn:drom, Ashcloud, and Skineater.

Through Henry Kane, he has put a unique spin on his beloved Swedish death metal in a debut album entitled Den Förstörda Människans Rike that was released earlier this year by Transcending Obscurity Records. And now we have a new Henry Kane track to enjoy from a forthcoming split. Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE: KHANDRA — “ALL IS OF NO AVAIL”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  4 Responses »
Oct 102017
 

 

I have very little background information about Khandra. They are a new black metal band from Minsk in Belarus. Based on the photos included in this post, the line-up appears to consist of two men, although I don’t know their identities or what musical endeavors they might have pursued before forming this alliance. It is a classic case of the music having to speak for itself.

On October 11, Khandra will release their debut EP through Bandcamp. Its title suggests the emotional cast of the music — All Is Of No Avail. The names of the two songs convey the sense of a similarly gloomy mood: “Where Death Has Settled In Life” and “Presence Is No Longer Relevant“. But what of the music itself? Continue reading »

FLESHKILLER: “AWAKEN”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  2 Responses »
Oct 102017
 

 

(Here is Andy Synn’s review of the debut album by the Norwegian band Fleshkiller, which was released on September 15.)

It’s no great secret that a number of the NCS crew are fans of Extol, myself included.

So when it was announced (quietly) that the band were going back on hiatus, but that guitarist/songwriter Ole Børud would be continuing on in the same vein with his new project Fleshkiller I’ll admit that my feelings were somewhat mixed.

On the one hand the realisation that there wouldn’t be any more Extol for the foreseeable future (if ever) certainly stung but, at the same time, I was happy to know that Børud would be carrying on the band’s legacy by repurposing the riffs, melodies, and songs that had already been written into material for Awaken.

Because, and let’s be brutally honest here, his guitar work has always been probably the most defining element behind Extol’s sound, just as it is the driving force behind Fleshkiller. Continue reading »

DECREPIT CADAVER: “VÓRTICE A LO MACABRO”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Oct 102017
 

 

(Our old friend from the Dominican Republic and connoisseur of brutal death metal, Vonlughlio, brings us this concise review of the concise new third album by the Chilean band Decrepit Cadaver.)

I first heard about this Chilean BDM band thanks to Force Fed and Rotten Cemetery Records, the two labels that co- released their latest album Vórtice a lo Macabro.  The band was founded back in 2002 by Jorge “Cadaver” Reynaud and a friend who was the drummer at the time. They have released a demo, an EP, a four-way split, and three full-lengths since their inception.

After getting familiar with their discography I decided to get their new album, and I must say that it’s their best work to date. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: HIDEOUS REBIRTH — “HAUNTING CARNAL ILLUSIONS”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 092017
 

 

Album art still matters, even in an age when physical editions have been significantly supplanted by downloads, as compared to even five years ago. They create mental associations with the music that often become lasting memories, especially when the art and the music are both excellent — and go hand-in-hand in creating a particular kind of impression.

Tony Koehl’s artwork for the new album, La Fosa Comun, by the death metal band Hideous Rebirth from Riverside, California, is undeniably eye-catching, and it also suits the music quite well. But you can judge that for yourselves, because we have a song for you, a track from the album named “Haunting Carnal Illusions“. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK (TWO DAYS IN A ROW): THAW, FUNERAL HEARSE, VREDEHAMMER, WITCH TRAIL, HORNWOOD FELL

 SHADES OF BLACK  6 Responses »
Oct 092017
 

 

I did just post a SHADES OF BLACK column on its usual day (Sunday), and I really do listen to other genres of metal. But as I began collecting music for a SEEN AND HEARD post today I found that half the candidates had some connection to black metal, and therefore decided to collect most of them separately from everything else. With luck, I’ll finish writing about the others in time to post that planned SEEN AND HEARD round-up tomorrow.

By the way, when I say that all of the following tracks have “some connection to black metal”, you’ll find that it’s definitely not the same kind of connection. In short, the music here is quite varied, which is one of the reasons I combined all of it here. And the second item (Funeral Hearse) is an exclusive announcement.

THAW

In a 2014 year-end list we posted here, one of our former contributors described this experimental Polish band’s last album Earth Ground this way:  “The use of dissonant guitar with face-cringing noise and vocal assaults layered throughout the space in this album gives a chaotic feel reminiscent of recent Deathspell Omega releases, but with more moments of space and resolution (for better or worse): contemplative and explorative.” Continue reading »

BELPHEGOR: “TOTENRITUAL”

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Oct 092017
 

 

(We present DGR’s detailed review of the new album by Belphegor, which is out now on the Nuclear Blast label.)

You could be forgiven for thinking that at this point in their career Austria’s Belphegor would’ve been perfectly okay to rest on their laurels a bit. Having long ago established themselves as one of the more popular extreme black-metal-infused death metal acts out there, currently housed over at Nuclear Blast, and building a career draped in the worlds of blasphemy and a logo bearing prominent inverted crosses, Belphegor have defined themselves as one of the go-to groups for heavy metal’s dose of Satan.

Totenritual, the group’s eleventh album in a career spanning well over twenty years could’ve had the band serve up another smattering of heavier-than-the-Earth guitars and bellowing vocals, yet the Belphegor crew seem to have found new life in their chosen font of death and draw from it for the gathering on Totenritual. Totenritual does have its fair share of minor quirks, but overall Belphegor has honed in on a very focused sound — one which they hammer home numerous times over the nine songs that make up the disc. The album again shows the relic of subtlety (which Belphegor tossed a long time ago, in case albums titled Lucifer Incestus and Bondage Goat Zombie didn’t point you in the right direction) cast off in favor of nine tracks fueled by — and introduced numerous times by — the devil. Continue reading »

A DOOMED DESCENT (PART 1): ARMY OF DAGON, CARDINALS FOLLY, DAUTHA

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Oct 092017
 

 

(Our Russian connoisseur of all things doom, Comrade Aleks, has brought us a series of reviews of 2017 releases that we haven’t yet touched upon, beginning with this first trio of assessments.)

I looked through my list of reviews for September and suddenly found for myself a few names that I almost forget to mention in the places where they should be mentioned. Shame on me…

I’d like to solve this situation as soon as possible, so a few stories of doom wait ahead. Let’s start with new records of Seattle-based Army Of Dagon, the heretics from the Finnish woods, Cardinals Folly, and the grim crew of Dautha (Sweden).

 

Army Of Dagon:  Night Of The Mystics (Self-released)

Army of Dagon from Seattle made their way to a self-titled debut without hurry: Born in 2011, they managed to record it only in 2015. This record represented a kind of traditional doom with heavy metal influences and melancholic atmosphere. Two years passed and they return with a sophomore release that successfully cultivates the general “Army Of Dagon” musical ideas. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: WITCHERY, ZIGGURAT, WORMKVLT, BETHÍOCH, IMPERCEPTUM

 SHADES OF BLACK  No Responses »
Oct 082017
 

 

I’m having to somewhat throttle my usual verbosity in this Sunday’s collection of music I chose from the black realms. Though I know it will break your heart to have slightly fewer of my linguistic contraptions to marvel at, I’m running out of time and am forced to let the music speak (mainly) for itself.

If you’re able to make your way through everything here, you’ll find a lot of stylistic twists and turns, and maybe something that will agreeably seize you by the throat.

WITCHERY

We have another new song from Witchery’s new album, I Am Legion, which will be released by Century Media on October 6. Presented with a video, “Of Blackened Wing” begins in a slow, dismal, head-moving fashion, and then Witchery cut loose with a blast of evil, blood-pumping black thrash, laced with eerie melodic accents that amplify its infernal atmosphere. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): MYSTAGOS — “HO ANTHROPOS TES ANOMIAS”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  6 Responses »
Oct 082017
 

 

All music is connected to some kind of inspiration, from the most mundane (and even deplorable) to the most sublime. Some songs are the result of nothing more than cynical calculations intended to draw ears like clickbait draws eyes. Others seem like efforts to express (and perhaps exorcise) strongly felt emotions, either positive or negative. And still others can be understood as genuine efforts to channel a spiritual experience, or to create a medium for spiritual experience by others.

Of course, even when the inspiration for music is something commonplace and uninteresting, the music itself can still be appealing. And conversely, even when the inspiration is a blinding revelation, the music can nevertheless be colorless or even unlistenable. There’s no necessary correlation between the two, because songwriting talent and performance skill count for a lot. But when spiritual inspiration and distinctive musical talent come together, the results can be remarkable, as you will soon discover.

Ho Anthropos Tes Anomias is the debut album of Mystagos, and it will be released by the U.S. label Clandestine Faith on October 12. The album becomes available for pre-order today, to coincide with the label’s launch of a new web site, and we’re launching a full stream of the album today as well. Continue reading »

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