THE SYNN REPORT (PART 91): KERALA

 THE SYNN REPORT  5 Responses »
Nov 302017
 

 

(In this 91st edition of THE SYNN REPORT, Andy Synn explores the three albums of Vancouver-based Kerala, including their brand new record, Biorealizations.)

Recommended for fans of: Neurosis, Behold the Arctopus, Krallice

 

Canadian duo Kerala describe themselves as “Progressive Sludge Metal” on their Bandcamp page, and while there’s certainly some serious proggery and churning sludgery to be found throughout their discography, this particular label could be accused of giving a slightly misleading impression of the band’s sound.

Yes, there’s a lot of gritty, gut-wrenching Neurosis-isms present in their music – most notably during their debut – and there’s also a hefty helping of Dysrhythmia-esque instrumental chaos at work too, something which steadily develops as the band grow in experience and ambition… not to mention some abrasive, Gorguts-ian overtones to be found during their heavier moments, along with an almost Meshuggah-like sense of texture and tension bleeding into their most recent album.

As you might imagine then, this makes for one extremely heady (not to mention heavy) concoction, which definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. And yet, that being said, for all their obvious complexity, the band’s songs still have a certain amount of hookiness and catchiness to them – even if it is of a highly irregular and unconventional sort. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: THE STONE — “GAVRANOVO”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Nov 292017
 

 

Serbia’s The Stone is one of the longest-running, still-active extreme metal bands in the Balkans. Originally launched in the old Yugoslavia in 1996 under the name Stone To Flesh, the band have pursued their musical inspirations for two tumultuous decades that saw the re-establishment of an independent Serbia, brutal conflict in neighboring Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo, and cycles of political upheaval within the country as well. Dating back to their days as Stone to Flesh, the band have released eight albums, and their ninth one, Teatar apsurda is now set for release on December 9th by Mizantropeon Records.

Despite their longevity, I didn’t discover The Stone until 2014, in the run-up to the release of their last album, the brilliant Nekroza, and since then I’ve also become a fan of Kozeljnik, the eponymous side project of one of The Stone’s founding and continuing members (a two-part interview of him that we published this past May — here and here — provides a fascinating history of these bands, as well as metal in the Balkans).

Perhaps needless to say, I’ve been eager for this new album, and not surprisingly, it’s fantastic. We’re very happy to give you a taste of what makes it so good through our premiere of a song named “Gavranovo“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BEASTIALITY — “RIDERS OF IMMINENT DEATH”

 Premieres  5 Responses »
Nov 292017
 

 

As you gaze upon that macabre artwork above, which so vividly renders a boiling eruption of demonic forms and other unspeakable abominations from an unsealed crypt, imagine if you will a soundtrack to such a foul and frenzied orgy. But don’t overtax your imaginations, because we have a perfect soundtrack already, one extracted from the album adorned by that hellish image.

The album has the entirely appropriate title Worshippers of Unearthly Perversions, and it is the deviant work of a band from Stockholm with the entirely appropriate name Beastiality. This is the band’s first full-length album, and it will be discharged by Invictus Productions on December 15, with the apparent aim of bringing 2017 to a premature end under a toxic pyroclastic flow of black speed metal. The excerpt we have for you is a track called “Riders of Imminent Death“. Continue reading »

BENEATH THE NCS RADAR (PART 28): MEPHORASH, SHEIDIM, VOODUS, THE WAKEDEAD GATHERING, ECFERUS, MINNERIKET, NODFYR

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  4 Responses »
Nov 292017
 

 

(Our ally Gorger from Norway returns to NCS with an even half-dozen underground gems from 2017 that we haven’t previously reviewed. To find more of his recommendations, type “Gorger” in our search bar or visit Gorger’s Metal.)

 

In an attempt at getting up to speed, I’m presenting no fewer than six releases. Short ones the lot of them. Mostly EPs, but also a split and a single. Last time around, I made the error of including a formerly presented release. To make sure I don’t do the same mistake again, I start off by doing the same mistake deliberately this time. Continue reading »

PUTREFUCK: “DROWNING IN THE ROTTED SLUDGE SWAMP”

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Nov 292017
 

 

(Vonlughlio reviews the new second album by the Mexican/Spanish due Putrefuck.)

I feel honored to do a small write- up for the new release by Putrefuck, one of my favorite bands in the gore-grind genre. I first found the band thanks to Sick Reviews and some friends like Mr. Aguilera back in 2015 with the release of their debut album Impending Necrophilia In Fresh And Pale Cadavers Arriving To The Morgue.

The project formed in 2013, and the two masterminds behind this sickening idea are Mr. Davila aka Shitter (vocals, guitars) and Mr. Adrian Emocaust (drums). You could say it’s an international group since one member resides in Mexico and the other in Spain. Their love for gore-grind, facilitated by the internet, got these two into Putrefuck. Continue reading »

THE INFERNAL SEA: “AGENTS OF SATAN”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Nov 292017
 

 

(The Infernal Sea have recently released a new EP, and here we have DGR’s review of its two gruesome tracks.)

The beginning weeks of November brought quite a few interesting things, and among them was the release of a 7″ vinyl known as Agents Of Satan by UK black metal act The Infernal Sea. The two-song EP sees the band descending further into the ghoulish black metal realm, as they’ve continually refined both their sound and their image, evolving from an already fairly mean and white-knuckle rush of black metal written by a group of angry dudes in hoodies armed with plague doctor masks to a fully robed, smoke enveloped getup, with the group giving in fully to the ‘infernal’ side of their name.

It does also prove, however, that the band are big fans of having fans put some effort into scoring their new music, and thanks to the glory of Satan, we have managed to do so… if Satan were the website Cult Never Dies and their stream of the disc. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: WINGS OF DAHAK — “UNHOLY WINGS”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Nov 282017
 

 

On September 30th, Via Nocturna released the debut album by the Texas black/doom band Wings of Dahak. In the run-up to the release I wrote twice about individual songs from the album, which together displayed the diversity of the music created by this talented trio — guitarist/vocalist Dave Tillery (Embalmed, Gruesome Fate), lead guitarist Cody Daniels (Giant of the Mountain), and drummer Matt Thompson (King Diamond). Now it’s my pleasure to present the premiere of a new music video for the album’s strikingly powerful title track.

The album is conceptually based on the horrifying tale of Azhi-Dahaka, an unstoppable three-headed dragon “created by the Spirit of Destruction”, who brings ruin to the earth. As the band further explain: Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: TAARNA, CONVULSING, SIBERIAN HELL SOUNDS

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Nov 282017
 

 

This is a rare kind of round-up, relative to what I usually pull together. Most obviously, there are only three bands featured in this one. And the other difference, which is related to the first one, is that while I’m including only one song by each band, each of these songs is more than 20 minutes long.

Wait! Don’t leave! I promise you won’t become bored — though your emotional well-being will be assaulted and your sanity may be severely tested. Yes, 20 minutes is a long time to arrest your constantly flitting and dithering mind and apply a little focus. It will be worth the effort.

TAARNA

Actually, Taarna’s track, “Sanguine Ash“, is almost 30 minutes long. Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET: MASTIC SCUM — “DEFY”

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Nov 282017
 

 

(DGR turned in this review of the new release by the Austrian death merchants in Mastic Scum.)

It has been four years since the release of the full-length disc CTRL by the Austrian death metal (and self-described grind-influenced) machine Mastic Scum. The album, which saw the band moving further into the realm of chunk-filled groove and saw-blade-sharp death metal riffs, was reviewed on NCS way after its release, though we had covered it in the lead-up.

Mastic Scum’s discography has a pattern of large gaps between full-,lengths, usually supplemented by a collection of splits and EPs, and in their case even a live DVD entitled Rage. However, the end of October brought us the release of the group’s new EP, Defy, providing a brief transmission of sound from the otherwise shadow-cloaked world through which Mastic Scum move. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: DRUID LORD (PETE SLATE)

 Interviews  No Responses »
Nov 282017
 

 

(We are very happy to greet Comrade Aleks, who returns to NCS with an interview of guitarist Pete Slate of the doom/death band Druid Lord, whose new album Grotesque Offerings will be released by Hells Headbangers on January 18, 2018.)

 

Druid Lord from Orlando, Florida have nothing in common with elves, Celtic myths, or forest fairies. Their blood-soaked death/doom metal took form in their LP Hymns For The Wicked seven years ago when two ex-members of Acheron and Equinox – Pete Slate (guitars) and Tony Blakk (vocals, bass) – gathered their energy with Ben Ross (guitars) and Steve Splillers (ex-Equinox drummer).

Three years after Hymns For The Wicked, Druid Lord continued their ominous work recording split-albums and two EPs. But their latest effort Baron Blood saw the light of day in 2013, so I was wondering if we would ever hear new stories of horror and blood from Druid Lord. Here’s a fresh interview with Pete Slate, who’ll tell us not only about a new forthcoming full-length, Grotesque Offering, but also about his obsession with horror movies and about the band’s inner machinery. Continue reading »

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