AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): BLOODSTRIKE — “EXECUTION OF VIOLENCE”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 112017
 

 

When you listen to some albums, you get the undeniable feeling that the people in the band really — really — love what they’re doing, that they’re in the throes of a fierce enthusiasm for the kind of music they’re making. And when that kind of passion is communicated through the songwriting and the performances, it becomes highly infectious, like the raging fever of a disease. That’s the feeling I got when listening to Bloodstrike’s new album, Execution of Violence — which we’re streaming for you today in advance of its October 13 release by Redefining Darkness Records and Raw Skull Recordz.

In this band’s case, the principal subject of their explosive devotion is Swedish death metal of the old school, an homage to a pantheon that includes such names as Entombed, Grave, Unleashed, and Dismember — though there’s more than a little Bolt Thrower dedication in the music as well. “Explosive” and “infectious” really are the right words for it — or at least two of the right words. Other words include grisly, gruesome, supernatural, and macabre. Continue reading »

A DOOMED DESCENT (PART 2): MARCHAFUNEBRE, KABBALAH, ECHOLOT

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Oct 112017
 

 

(We present Part 2 of a series of reviews by our Russian connoisseur of all things doom, Comrade Aleks, and today he shares impressions of, and music from, three more 2017 releases. Go here to check out Part 1 of this series)

Today we’ll meet three faces of doom: a traditional one performed by Marchafunebre, vintage rocking by Kabbalah, and psychedelic and bluesy stylings from Echolot.

 

Marchafunebre:  Under Will (Australis Records)

Inspired by Solitude Aeturnus and late Candlemass, this Chilean band appeared seven years ago. The hour-long EP includes Marchefunebre’s first demo Hymns Of The Final Holocaust (2010) and three new tracks. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: NAZGHOR — “INFERNAL APHORISM”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  2 Responses »
Oct 112017
 

 

The Swedish black metal band Nazghor continue their relentless march forward with their sixth album in less than five years. Their latest achievement, Infernal Aphorism, will be released on Friday the 13th of October by Non Serviam Records, and as we did when their last album was released in 2016, today we present a full stream of the new one.

As has become a pattern for Nazghor, established almost from the beginning, the new album is a 10-track, hour-long affair. In the face of such prolific creativity, it’s worth asking again the logical question: How good can the music be when it flows in such a torrent, with these very substantial albums appearing in such rapid succession?

Well, I’m pleased to report that the music of this new one, just as was true of 2016’s Death’s Withered Chant, is tremendously good — quite possibly the pinnacle of their achievements so far. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: THROANE — “PLUS UNE MAIN A MORDRE”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Oct 112017
 

 

Almost one month ago we assisted in presenting the first excerpt from Plus Une Main A Mordre (“No Hand Left To Bite”), the second album by Throane, which is the musical alter ego of French photographer, illustrator, designer Dehn Sora, whose visual creations have accompanied albums by the likes of Blut Aus Nord, Ulver, Deathspell Omega, and many others. The album will be released by Debemur Morti Productions on October 20, and today it’s our pleasure to reveal the title track, which ends the album in stunning fashion.

Dehn Sora composed the music on the album and created all of the sounds, with the exception of the staggeringly powerful drumming of Gregoire Quartier of Cortez and the spectrum of voices you will hear on the song we’re premiering today, for which credit is due to Throane’s guests Colin Van Eeckhout (Amenra), Sylvain (Incivil Tragedis), and French graphic designer Valnoir. Continue reading »

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 »

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