AN NCS PREMIERE: PURE — “LE JOUR OÙ JE SUIS MORT”

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Apr 162017
 

 

Earlier this month I wrote (here) about the two songs that were then available for streaming from J’aurais Dû, the new fourth album by the Swiss black metal project Pure, which will be released on May 13 by Symbol of Domination (Belarus) and Obscure Abhorrence(Germany). And now we bring you the opportunity to experience a third track in addition to those two: “Le jour où je suis mort” (the day I died).

Pure is a solo project founded by Bornyhake, from such bands as Borgne, Enoid, Deathrow, and Darvaza, and also a former member of Kawir. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: SLÆGT, CRUST, DEAD HEAD, THE RUINS OF BEVERAST, UNYIELDING LOVE, MASACHIST

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Apr 152017
 

 

One good thing about Good Friday was that my workplace had a holiday and so I stayed home, and therefore spent some time Friday night working my ears through a list of new metal I made this week instead of getting hammered with my co-workers, which is what usually happens on Fridays after work. As an additional bonus, I felt clear-headed this morning and ready for more listening (though with my head, “clear” is a relative term).

In an effort to keep this Saturday playlist from becoming too bloated, I decided not to write about some things that I figured most of our visitors have probably already discovered. But just in case you missed them, you can use these links to find the full stream of Nightbringer‘s new album at CVLT Nation (which we reviewed here), the first single from Suffocation‘s new album, a new Oranssi Pazuzu EP (Kevät/Värimyrsky), and a new song from the next Impetuous Ritual album.

SLÆGT

As explained in this review, I really, really liked Slægt‘s debut EP, Beautiful and Damned, and I chose one of its electrifying tracks for our list of 2015’s Most Infectious Songs. With an expanded line-up, Slægt have recorded their first album, I Smell Blood, which is slated for release on May 5 by Ván Records. Its name is Domus Mysterium. Continue reading »

DARK DISCOVERIES FROM HAMMER OF DAMNATION: ARTHANUS, AGNIDEVA, EVIL

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Apr 142017
 

 

This is a holy day for billions of people, a day of fasting and penitence. Here, it’s just another day of discovery. Well, perhaps not just another day, perhaps a day where feelings of resistance, and worship of a different kind, feel more demanding. Anyway, collected here are some new discoveries.

I’m confident that all dedicated fans of metal have favorite labels, whose tastes have proven to connect with our own. My personal list of favorite labels is a long one, due to the wide-ranging nature of my own tastes. But after all this time, I made a new discovery yesterday that struck a chord, a label and distro from Sao Paulo, Brazil, named Hammer of Damnation, whose roots go back more than 20 years under the original name Pure Evil Productions. I don’t know why it took so long for me to make this discovery.

As revealed by its Bandcamp page (here), this label has a very long list of releases associated with its name, but I can tell already that its owner’s tastes intersect strongly with some of my own — and I hope yours as well.

And so the following four songs are from bands whose music will be released by Hammer of Damnation in the near future, or were released quite recently. The sounds are not all the same by any means, but it’s all very, very good stuff. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ULVEGR — “TITAHION: KAOS MANIFEST”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  3 Responses »
Apr 142017
 

 

The new album by the Ukrainian heathen black metal band Ulvegr is multifaceted, but in all its dimensions it comes across as a deeply personal work, crafted and presented with utter conviction and unrelenting intensity, even in its least incendiary passages. The name of the album is Titahion: Kaos Manifest, and today we present its North American premiere in advance of its April 17th release through Ashen Dominion.

This is Ulvegr‘s fourth album since 2011, created by the band’s two steadfast members Helg (songwriting, vocals, guitar, bass) and Odalv (drums), with significant guest contributions by Astargh (lead and rhythm guitars and vocals), Hyozt (keys and samples), and Zhoth (vocals and voices on three tracks, and lyrics on two). For those new to Ulvegr, both Helg and Odalv are members of Kzohh, Ygg, and Runes of Dianceht, and Helg is also a member of Khors while Odalv also contributes his talents to Twilightfall and Elderblood. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DRAGUNOV — “KOSMONAVT”

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Apr 142017
 

 

After a two-year absence on our site, the Parisian Soviet post-metal combine Dragunov return to us with a new release. Two years ago we were lauding their debut EP 637, and this time we have a song from their first full-length record, Korolev, which will be released on April 17th. The name of the track is “Kosmonavt“.

I think most of us can acknowledge the challenges confronting metal bands who choose (as Dragunov have) to do their work without a vocalist, and in this case the band’s line-up is even more spare since it consists of only two men — a guitarist (Seb) and a drummer (Tristan). Yet these two have developed a vision for their music that works extremely well despite their lean and mean configuration, one that combines a dark and distinctive atmosphere with the kind of punch that has a near-physical effect on the head. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: FREIHEIT — “ТЕХНОКРАТИЯ” (TECHNOCRACY)

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Apr 142017
 

 

Although Freiheit have taken the German word for “freedom” as their name (and you can understand why when you hear their music), they come from Arkhangelsk in far northwestern Russia on the shores of the cold White Sea. Their fascinating debut album “Безумие. Ненависть. Смерть” (which means “Madness. Hatred. Death” in English) will be released by GrimmDistribution on May 5th. Two songs have been released for listening so far, and today we bring you a third one: “Технократия” (Technocracy).

Consistent with their name, rather than stick closely to specific genre conventions Freiheit have created a kaleidoscopic sound in this new song, with different stylistic influences in motion, creating vibrant sensations as the pieces change and fall into place. Continue reading »

IDES OF GEMINI: “WOMEN”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  No Responses »
Apr 142017
 

 

(We present Wil Cifer’s review of the new album by Ides of Gemini.)

The changes on Ides of Gemini’s newest offering Women seem tailored to suit my own personal tastes, as it is a perfect blend of goth rock and metal. By goth rock I mean Siouxsie and the Banshees, 45 Grave, etc., and not the type of Hot Topic cheese that came out of Finland in the early ’00s.

Sera Timms has put down the bass to find her voice. This adds a dimension that is more colorful and energetic. While the Siouxsie influence is there. it is not just limited to that; she has a reasonable sense of who she is. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: NEPHILIM’S HOWL — “HATE REVELATIONS”

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Apr 132017
 

 

A seething, vicious darkness cloaks this song “Hate Revelations” like a poisonous miasma, while the music also spawns imaginings of a brooding, malignant presence looming over you, as if a spectral giant has risen from the bowels of the earth to cast its long shadow once again. But while the atmospheric elements of the song send the imagination spiraling into a dark and demented descent, it’s also massively head-moving, and powerfully addictive.

“Hate Revelations” is the work of a Finnish trio who have taken the name Nephilim’s Howl, and whose music could be characterized as a heavy hybrid of black metal and doom (though in truth, it’s not easy to pick a genre label). It comes from their debut album Through The Marrow Of Human Suffering, which the always interesting I, Voidhanger Records will be releasing on May 19th. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: LO-RUHAMAH, AILS, PLOUGHSHARE, NECROT, ASHES FOR THE MUTE, IGORRR

 Album Reviews, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  8 Responses »
Apr 132017
 

 

This collection of new music is perhaps more eclectic and quirky than usual. Certainly, some of the tracks collected here are difficult to categorize, and in some cases almost impossible to describe. As a playlist, I found it appealing in part because it threw me off-balance. As usual, I also tried to include under-the-radar names, as well as (somewhat) better known ones, though I doubt any of these names have reached beyond the crevices of the underground.

LO-RUHAMAH

This makes the third time I’ve emblazoned our site with that wonderful piece of artwork by Elijah Gwhedhú Tamu at the top of this post, but the first time I’ve been able to share any music from the album it adorns. I’ve been eager to find out what kind of music would be wrapped within this imagery, and now I know that it’s as interesting and as attention-grabbing as the visual art. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OPUS DIABOLI — “GLORY IN STEEL”

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Apr 132017
 

 

One thing leads to another. Last month we came across a track named “Luciferian Black Light” from Black Light of Destruction, the new album by a black metal band originally from Uruguay named Opus Diaboli, and praised it in one of our collections of new black metal. And now we bring you another new song, “Glory In Steel“, in advance of the album’s May 10 release by Satanath Records and The Ritual Productions.

We’re told that Opus Diaboli was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2005 as the brainchild of guitarist L.W. Alexander. Although a full band participated in the early recordings, Opus Diaboli has now become LWA’s solo project. The songs on Black Light of Destruction were written across the 12-year history of the project. Continue reading »

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