AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND REVIEW): DREADNOUGHT — “A WAKE IN SACRED WAVES”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  3 Responses »
Oct 052017
 

 

Adjectives and phrases like “multifaceted”, “intricate”, and “richly textured” leap to mind in reflecting upon the wonders of Dreadnought’s new album, A Wake In Sacred Waves, but they seem inadequate. The music is exuberantly and inventively kaleidoscopic, filled to overflowing with juxtapositions of sound and emotional resonance. In its elaborate and intelligently plotted variations, and in its ability to draw the listener deeply into its changing moods, it has few genuine rivals this year.

Trying to scale its dizzying heights and descend into its labyrinthine depths through mere words proves to be a daunting challenge. Fortunately for me (and for you), we have a full stream of the album for you today, just before its October 6 release. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): WHEELFALL — “THE ATROCITY REPORTS”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 052017
 

 

To greater and lesser degrees, every track on the French band Wheelfall’s new album gets your head in a hammer lock and seizes control of your involuntary muscle reflexes. Remaining motionless as you listen is not an option. To greater and lesser degrees, every track is also unerringly bleak and disturbing. It’s the kind of black-hearted music that seems simultaneously to be clawing in a blood frenzy to get at your throat while also clubbing you senseless with a cold, machine-like determination and precision.

In reflecting on the album experience, “violent”, “hallucinatory”, “insane”, and “oppressive” are among the words that spring to mind. “Massively heavy” and “compelling” are other words that seem appropriate. The warmth of human kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and love — all of that has been brutally banished from Wheelfall’s musical realm, but man, what they’re doing here is electrifying. The Atrocity Reports keeps you on the edge of your seat, all nerves firing. Sometimes it feels like the world is coming apart, or at least your own sanity, but the allure is nonetheless (and perhaps perversely) irresistible. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BARROWLANDS — “EMPTY HANDS GRASPING”

 Premieres  4 Responses »
Oct 052017
 

 

This Portland black metal band’s debut album Thane made an immediate favorable impression when I first began listening to it in 2014. As I described here, only two songs in, and I paused to buy it on Bandcamp. And thus it was a pleasant surprise when I learned that Barrowlands have completed work on a new album, Tynidr, which will be released on October 20 by Vendetta Records.

Guitarist Jay Caruso tells us about the album’s title and how it connects to the music: “Tyndir, a norse word for fallowed ground, speaks of the tension between nature and man and the realization that nature will ultimately reclaim all that man claims sacred.” Continue reading »

GWAR: “THE BLOOD OF GODS”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Oct 052017
 

 

(This is Wil Cifer’s review of the new album by GWAR, whch will be released by Metal Blade Records on October 20.)

Their blood-drenched, cum-soaked live shows overshadowed the fact these guys had some good songs and made pretty killer albums up to, say, This Toilet Earth. They also used to be one of my favorite bands in high school, so the nostalgia runs deep. It also makes me proceed with caution knowing that they are carrying on without their lead singer Oderus Unrungus, whose human form Dave Brockie passed away in 2014. His voice fluctuated from a gruff punk-like bellow that could have come off of a Fear record to more of a growl or a croon.

I became more willing to give them a new shot when I learned that Blothar, the new singer, is the old Beefcake the Mighty taking on a new mantel. So they promoted from within. I can deal with this better than if it was some new guy they just brought in. The new sound has to grow on me even though he handled the vocals on the song “Nice Place to Park“. So his voice is not totally alien. It holds a Blackie Lawless-like edge. The songs on the new album typically carry a more straight-ahead metal feel in the vein of mid-’80s thrash, with songs like “Viking Death Machine” touching on their punk roots. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ASEITAS, GHOLD, LUSTRE, NEKRASOV, DSKNT, HVILE I KAOS

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Oct 042017
 

 

For various reasons I fell a couple of days behind in scouring the web and our in-box for new music that might be worth hearing. Last night I made an effort to catch up on what I’d missed the last two days. I created a list of links to the song streams that I found, which I thought would be worth checking out. There were more than 30 streams on my list by the time I stopped looking. That’s on top of the dozens that I haven’t yet heard from other recent lists.

This isn’t an uncommon experience. It’s for this very reason that posts like this one are tagged “Random Fucking Music” — because there’s just no methodical or thorough way to keep abreast of everything. And there’s an unavoidable element of randomness in deciding what to check out.

Last night I made my way through about 10 of the tracks on the list, and picked the ones you see here to recommend. That selection, however, isn’t random. I picked these streams because I thought they were very good, and to provide a bit of variety. (I’ve also included one news item near the middle.)

ASEITAS

If you’re not already sitting down you probably should before you listen to this first song, because it has the kind of pulverizing punch and drive that can make one wobbly in the knees. Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): SEER — VOL. 5

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Oct 042017
 

 

Only three months ago Vancouver-based Seer released their first album, Vol. III & IV: Cult of the Void, from which we premiered two of its tracks. And thus it will undoubtedly come as a surprise to their fans that today, with no advance fanfare, they are releasing a further chapter in their evolving musical narrative, a new EP named Vol. 5. To help spread the word, we present a complete stream of the EP in this post. To introduce the music, we begin with this statement provided on behalf of the band:

“Despite releasing a full length record just this past July, Vol. 5 is the most accurate depiction of Seer as they exist today. The EP showcases Seer’s extreme metal influences more prominently than any other release in their discography. Recorded on the largely undeveloped Gabriola Island by Jordan Koop (Ahna, Wolf Party) and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Inquisition, Power Trip), the process has been the most organic and proved most fruitful of any of Seer’s recording sessions.

“Track 2 and 3 comprise the bulk of the EP, with track 1 and 4 acting as intro and outro respectively. Track 2 is an apocalyptic funeral dirge featuring more twists, turns, and layers than one might expect from sprawling, “big riff” songs of this nature. Track 3 is a more straight forward rock and roll tune with heavy emphasis on occult-rock guitar leads and astute interplay between harsh and clean vocals.” Continue reading »

TERATISM: THE SECOND DEATH DRAWS NEAR

 Metal News  2 Responses »
Oct 042017
 

 

I’m going to begin this revelation of news by quoting from something that Krieg’s Neill Jameson wrote about Teratism here at our site in April of this year:

“So many new bands are getting smoke blown up their ass because they use a dark occult look, mostly achieved with witch hats and an outfit that sort of looks like the KKK but that’s ok because they sing in Sanskrit. You’d think a band like Teratism, who have been around for quite some time, would be at the top of the heap of popularity but that would mean you’d also believe that most people prefer substance over style.

“Teratism are a uniquely dark band, thinking-man’s black metal, who create an encapsulating atmosphere live but one where the visuals, while obviously important, are only a method of adding to the experience.

“Fans of Inquisition and Nightbringer should take note. Hopefully there will be a release of a full-length that has been in the works for a while.”

Well, take a wild guess about the news from Teratism that I’m about to share with you, and everyone else.

This is it: We are authorized to report that Teratism is nearing completion of its fifth studio full-length offering, The Second Death. As you can see, we have obtained the striking cover art, and we have learned these additional details from the band: Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): CRACKHOUSE — “BE NO ONE, BE NOTHING”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  3 Responses »
Oct 042017
 

 

When you see a band name like Crackhouse and an album title like Be No One, Be Nothing, you don’t expect uplifting music. And in fact, this French trio traffic in the bleak reverberations of sludge and doom, amalgamated with body-moving riffs that provide a link to stoner metal. But such genre references, while useful, don’t fully prepare you for what Crackhouse have accomplished on this, their debut album. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the stunning intensity and wholly devouring experience that the music presents when I first listened to it.

On the surface, Be No One, Be Nothing can be intimidating. The idea of an album that’s more than 50 minutes long but is divided among only three songs that range in length from more than 11 minutes to more than 22 would cause many people to take a very deep breath. It might deter some people from giving the album an opportunity to join their rotations. I hope that doesn’t happen, because the record really is remarkable — and you’ll have a chance to discover that for yourselves through our premiere of a full stream today before its October 6 release by Argonauta Records. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ANTIVERSUM — “COSMOS COMEDENTI”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 032017
 

 

Two and a half years ago we premiered Total Vacuum, the debut demo by the Swiss band Antiversum shortly before its release by Invictus Productions. As we wrote then: “Whether crawling through a frigid pit of doom or spooling up to a blasting maelstrom, Total Vacuum has the capacity to engulf your mind — and bite down on it hard. It’s a potent, atmospheric offering of alien black/death that’s cold, hostile, and thoroughly gripping.”

The demo was so strong in so many ways that we have been eager for a further Antiversum release, and now the wish has been granted. On October 20th Invictus will release the band’s first full album, Cosmos Comedenti, and we have the pleasure of presenting the album’s title track. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: GNAW — “RAT”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 032017
 

 

After the dissolution of Khanate, Alan Dubin went on to form Brooklyn-based GNAW, whose line-up includes Brian Beatrice, Carter Thornton (Enos Slaughter), Eric Neuser, Jun Mizumachi (Ike Yard), and now Dana Schechter (Insect Ark, ex-Angels Of Light) on lap steel guitar. With two albums behind them — This Face (2009) and Horrible Chamber (2013) — GNAW’s third full-length Cutting Pieces is now poised for release by Translation Loss on October 27th.

“Poised” is actually not the right word. It would be more accurate to say that the album is coiled back on its haunches, like some giant demon rat, twitching and about to lunge at our heads. “Rat“, in fact, happens to be the name of the album’s opening track, and the song that will be lunging at you at the end of this post. Continue reading »

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