SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: PANOPTICON, PHENDRANA, ANCST, ALLEGAEON, VAELMYST, ESTUARINE

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
Jan 062018
 

 

I had a very busy week, both on and off our site, so busy that I wasn’t able to cobble together a round-up of news and new music. However, I did try to keep abreast of what was coming out, and my list of intriguing tracks that appeared over just the last week is YUGE — so YUGE that I’m afraid I’ll have to resort to an OVERFLOWING STREAMS post on Monday, one in which I don’t do anything but just stitch together new music streams and release details without commentary.

But I decided I would do something for today as a head-start (in addition to working on a SHADES OF BLACK post for tomorrow), and here’s what I’ve done: I picked the latest recommendations from three of my NCS colleagues, and then added one of my own, which happens to be the latest new song premiere that I’ve listened to. But first, a news item…

PANOPTICON

A few days ago the administrator of Panopticon’s official Facebook page posted the artwork you see above, along with these few words: “Slip case cover for the new double album. the scars of man on the once nameless wilderness. Out in March on Bindrune Recordings in the USA and Nordvis in Europe. Art by Hanna Larsson of Sólfjall Design.” Continue reading »

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES: ANTICIPATED 2018 METAL RELEASES OF INTEREST

 Listmania, Metal News  81 Responses »
Jan 062018
 


artwork by Kali 15

 

Our LISTMANIA 2017 series isn’t over yet, though it will be soon. I have five more lists to publish for sure, and I hope a sixth one I’m eager to see will arrive soon, but we should be finished during this coming week. And I’ll also begin rolling out my list of 2017’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs next week as well.

But having said that, we’re also looking ahead to what 2018 will bring us… and of course a huge flood of additional releases is headed our way. We’ve been in the midst of a metal Renaissance for years now, and it shows no sign of ending.

I spent hours over the last two days assembling a list of 2018 releases (by band name) that I’m interested in, or that I think our readers would be interested in. I scrolled through our overstuffed e-mail in-box, visited label Facebook pages, conducted internet searches, and canvassed a few members of our own staff. And the result of that effort is a list of 112 albums, EPs, and splits. And almost all of them are expected to be released in just the first quarter of the year! Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): MHÖNOS — “LXXXVII”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  3 Responses »
Jan 052018
 

 

The sounds of Doom are as manifold and multi-faceted as a garden of night-blooming flowers, some alluringly beautiful and some poisonous, some that tower and some so seemingly incorporeal that your hand might pass through them as if through a mist. The sound of the French band Mhönos, as captured in their new album LXXXVII, is the sound of nightmare, the sound of oppression and paralysis, the sound of derangement and death in a freezing void. It is the incantation for an unsettling trance that haunts the mind for hours after its final silence.

The album is being released on CD and DLP by Dead Seed Productions and on tape by Zanjeer Zani, and today we are premiering the album through a stream from Bandcamp, where it is also now available. Continue reading »

SINISTRO: “SANGUE CÁSSIA”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  No Responses »
Jan 052018
 

 

(We present Andy Synn’s review of the new album by the Portuguese band Sinistro, released today by Season of Mist.)

 

Is it just me or… are we undergoing something of a Doom renaissance right now?

I may be somewhat late to the party in acknowledging this – explicitly at least – but it definitely seems to me that the last 6-12 months have seen a real resurgence of interest in the style, bolstered by a plethora of truly spectacular releases running the gamut from the more gothic end of the spectrum, all the way to the groaning weight of the most crushing Funeral Doom, via the brooding misery of the always-welcome Peaceville sound…. with little sign that this slow-moving tide is starting to slacken off or ebb.

But, with albums as good as Sangue Cássia still coming out, why would we want it to? Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): HELLISH GOD — “THE EVIL EMANATIONS”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  1 Response »
Jan 052018
 

 

Hellish God may be a relatively new name in the annals of death metal, but one need not be clairvoyant to predict that it’s a name which will spread like wildfire, much like their particular brand of musical brutality blazes like a hellish bonfire. Their debut album is The Evil Emanations, and it’s set for release on Monday, January 8th, by the Italian label Everlasting Spew Records — but we’re giving you a chance to hear all of it today. If you were thinking of blasting your weekend to smithereens and burning what’s left of it to the ground, you’ve come to the right place.

Hellish God’s line-up includes current and former members of such bands as Antropofagus, Imposer, and Mindful Of Pripyat, and this new album (which follows their 2016 EP, Impure Spiritual Forces) is conceptually focused on the Qlipoth — “metaphorical shells which represent evil spiritual forces in the Jewish mysticism”. The music embraces a particular kind of old-school death metal sound that’s recommended for fans of Azarath, Rebaelliun, Centurian, Krisiun, and Abhorrence. Continue reading »

LISTMANIA 2017: A YEAR-END LIST FROM GRANT SKELTON

 LISTMANIA 2017  21 Responses »
Jan 052018
 

 

(We present NCS contributor Grant Skelton’s excellent 2017 year-end list, curated to present dark releases that haven’t gotten as much attention as they deserve.)

 

Greetings friends! Regrettably, I’ve been more absent from NCS this year than I would have liked. My spouse and I have been unburdening ourselves of student loan debts, which meant more overtime, which then meant less free time for writing. We’ve a good way to go yet, but we’re much further along than we were. But, I digress. Onward to the list

I went for a bit of a different approach this year. Rather than breaking down the genres (and subsequently driving our editor-in-chief further into mental instability than he already is) I made a single list representing a variety of genres. A caveat: these albums are certainly not ALL of what I think deserves the title of “best” of this year’s releases. Below, you’ll see my criteria. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: NORTT

 Interviews  No Responses »
Jan 052018
 

 

(Comrade Aleks secured the opportunity to interview Nortt, the influential Danish black/funeral-doom band, whose new album was released near the last day of 2017 after a 10-year absence.)

 

Nortt is a semi-legendary project that first appeared in the European underground about 22 years ago. Tagged as “pure depressive black funeral doom metal”, this one-man band held its position as the genre’s pioneer ’til 2007. Nortt’s cold and nihilistic sound inspired his followers, and after a collection of well-received records (including three full-length albums) the project simply disappeared.

The news of Nortt’s fourth coming on December 29, 2017 become a kind of event for those who remember the dark and ominous records Gudsforladt, Ligfaerd, and Galdenfrist. So now, as the new full-length Endeligt (and the first one in ten years) is appearing on the famous Italian label Avantgarde Music, it’s a damn right time to ask some questions to Nortt himself! Continue reading »

LISTMANIA 2017: A YEAR-END LIST FROM AUSTIN WEBER

 LISTMANIA 2017  6 Responses »
Jan 042018
 

 

(We present Austin Weber’s list of 20 favorite releases from 2017, which include excerpts from his reviews both here and at Metal Injection.)

 

While I usually do very long year-end feature focusing almost solely on obscure music for NCS each December since 2012, our overlord Islander was in need of some holiday relief so we’re sticking to a mainly Top 20-ish format this year to ease the burden he graciously undertakes of working on all our lists for publication.

I don’t really think of my year-end favorites in a ranked-number-focused way, so the order of the ranking below is fairly irrelevant, just as a heads-up. Although a Top 20 constraint means I can only list a small fraction of my 2017 favorites, I tried to balance this list by covering a number of my top favorites from this year that didn’t get as much attention and will hopefully be new to some of you. So my goal here with a capped limit of 20 was to pick the 20 releases I felt stood out most as releases I know for sure I’ll come back to a lot after the current year ends. I also urge you to check out the hyperlinked Honorable Mentions I’ve included below the Top 20 to find more killer music worth checking out. Continue reading »

LISTMANIA 2017: A YEAR-END LIST FROM GORGER (BENEATH THE NCS RADAR)

 LISTMANIA 2017  25 Responses »
Jan 042018
 

 

(Norwegian NCS contributor Gorger, the author of the continuing “Beneath the NCS Radar” series, provides this list of favorite 2017 albums, valiantly but grudgingly attempting to comply with the editor’s request that contributor lists this year be limited to an even 20 selections.)

 

Ah. Ain’t this the loveliest time of year. Attempting to review releases that’s being tossed at you by Donkey Kong, whilst also trying to decide who’s been naughty, who’s been nice, and who to treat with Yuletide presents, plus what the fuck to get them, and at the same time making an effort at finding out who delivered the most memorable and indisputably best shit throughout the year. Yes, this intro was written before the season flushed over me like a tidal wave.

This year there’s even rules to abide by. A maximum limit of 20 releases has been set by that sadistic autocrat Islander. That’s 1.666666666 (with those 666-decimals continuing ad infinitum) release per month. Now just where the hell am I supposed to find ⅔ of an album each month?

Due to this rule, I’m not allowed to mention such acts as Venenum, Balfor, The Ominous Circle, Zornheym, Caïnan Dawn, Aosoth, et al. As a law-abiding citizen here in Naughty City State, I’ll obey with a suitable portion of lack of respect. If your favourite ain’t on the list, that right there is the main reason. I swear. (I swear a lot. I don’t know what that’s got to do with anything, though.)

Come to think of it, there’s a second reason too. I’ve missed out on a lot of nifty shit, like A Hill to Die Upon, Kreator, Svart Crown, AntropomorphiA, Sinister, Hetroertzen, Paradise Lost, Belphegor and much more. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DRUID LORD — “NIGHT GALLERY”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Jan 032018
 

 

From their inception in Orlando more than seven years ago, Druid Lord had a firm grasp on what they wanted to do. As described by guitarist Pete Slate in our recent interview of him, the vision was: “Four guys playing Doom/Death Metal. Nothing pretty or overproduced. Just nasty music taking from the influences I grew up with, like Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Cirth Ungol, Necrovore“. And as a huge fan of B-type horror movies from the ’60s and ’70s, Slate also wanted the music, lyrics, and artwork all flowing together “to make one horrid package”.

The band released their debut album Hymns For the Wicked in 2010 and followed that with a series of splits and EPs, but now their second full-length is approaching its international release date of January 19th via Hells Headbangers. Appropriately entitled Grotesque Offerings, it features hideously colorful artwork by Daniel Corcuera. A couple of grisly new tunes have surfaced already, and today it’s our ghoulish pleasure to present a third one: “Night Gallery“. Continue reading »

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