AN NCS PREMIERE: FUNERAL TEARS — “I SUFFOCATE”

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Apr 052017
 

 

This isn’t our site’s first encounter with Funeral Tears or the band’s new album Beyond the Horizon. Back in February I came across another advance track from the album called “Breathe” and was quite enthralled by it. And so it was an easy choice to bring you this premiere of another song from the album, which will be released on April 13 by Satanath Records (Russia) and Cimmerian Shade Recordings (USA). The new song is “I Suffocate“.

This is the third Funeral Tears album, but in case you haven’t encountered the band before, Funeral Tears is the solo project of Nikolay Seredov from Tomsk, Russia (who also leads the groups Стахановцы and Taiga). Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: ANTROPOFAGUS — “CHANTS FOR ABYZOU”

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Apr 052017
 

 

The cover art came first, then the music. The image created by Chilean artist Nekronikon for the new Antropofagus album is still one of the year’s biggest eye-catchers (pun intended), reason enough to explore M.O.R.T.E. – Methods Of Resurrection Through Evisceration, even if you didn’t witness the slaughtering supremacy of the band’s last album, 2012’s Architecture of Lust. We fawned over that cover before there was any music to hear, and since then DECIBEL has premiered a track named “Spawn of Chaos“. Now we get to bring you a second one, with a lyric video: “Chants for Abyzou“.

Veteran guitarist Ted O’Neill from the band Oblivion gave us a guest review for the last Antropofagus album that I’ve quoted before, and I’ll quote it again because it so effectively captures some central truths not only about the last Antropofagus album but about what we’ve heard from the new one as well: Continue reading »

NIGHTBRINGER: “TERRA DAMNATA”

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Apr 052017
 

 

(We present Andy Synn’s review of the new album by Nightbringer.)

I doubt there are many among our readers (though undoubtedly there will be some) who would disagree when I say that the Black Metal scene today is in rude health.

From those early seeds sown by a small clique of disaffected Norwegian youths the genre has grown and evolved in ways that its progenitors could never have imagined, spreading out to take root in the hearts and souls of like-minded individuals across the globe and spawning new offshoots, new interpretations and new innovations, which have stretched the boundaries of the style beyond all expectations, while still remaining true to that central tenet of “do what thou wilt”.

But for every innovator there are a thousand imitators, and I do sometimes get tired of seeing yet another bunch of earnest amateurs playing dress-up and pantomiming the actions and aesthetics of bigger, better bands, while offering little (if anything) new or inspiring of their own.

Thankfully Nightbringer are, and have always been, a cut above the rest. And every album, every song, every hellish, skin-stripping riff and vile vocal incantation, is delivered with the righteous fury and unwavering conviction of the true believer. Continue reading »

ARTIFICIAL BRAIN: “INFRARED HORIZON”

 Album Reviews  7 Responses »
Apr 052017
 

 

(Todd Manning wrote this review of the new album by Artificial Brain.)

 

It’s impossible to know (short of asking them) if New York-based Death Metal quintet Artificial Brain are familiar with such outre philosophies as Cosmic Pessimism or Object-Oriented Ontology, but they certainly seem to have concocted the perfect soundtrack to such occult topics. On their second full-length, Infrared Horizon, due out on April 21st on Profound Lore, they present us with a sound that conjures forth the far reaches of the void of outer space, and the nihilistic possibilities outlined in said philosophies. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: TREYHARSH — “THE TASTE OV CHILDHOOD”

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Apr 042017
 

 

The French band TreyHarsh released their debut album Reverse in 2013, and are now on the verge of returning with their second full-length, When the Sun Sets In the East. It’s scheduled for release by THRecords on April 7th, and today we’ve got the premiere of a song from the album named “The Taste Ov Childhood“.

TreyHarsh characterize their music as “dark sludge”, and this new song is definitely dark, with a sinister atmosphere that emanates throughout its mix of heavy, bludgeoning grooves and jolting, cutting riffs. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: HEATHEN BEAST — “IF THE ARMY CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU”

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Apr 042017
 

 

I’ve been fascinated by the Indian extreme metal band Heathen Beast for years. In addition to the excellence of their music, they’ve regularly turned the force of their fury on deplorable conditions in the vast sub-continent they call home and have regularly paired their music with hard-hitting videos. And now they’ve done it again.

The song we’re about to premiere, presented in video form, is “If the army can do it, so can you“, and it comes from the band’s new album $cam, which will be released on June 1 by Transcending Obscurity Records. This is the second song from the album to be revealed in advance of its release; “It’s only a minor inconvenience” premiered at DECIBEL two weeks ago (and is also well worth your time). Continue reading »

BENEATH THE NCS RADAR (PART 21): ÁRSTÍÐIR LÍFSINS, KASHGAR, RITUALIZATION, DEAD LIMBS

 Album Reviews  8 Responses »
Apr 042017
 

 

(Our super-hero friend Gorger returns — quickly — with the second 2017 installment in his ongoing series providing super-heroic support to our mission by reviewing releases we’ve overlooked.  To find more of his discoveries, type “Gorger” in our search bar or visit Gorger’s Metal.)

In the very first sentence on your average Beneath the NCS radar post, Islander tends to present me as some kind of super-villain who “embarrasses” everyone by holding up whatever gem they’ve “failed” to mention. Although I dream of becoming a super-villain when I’ll never grow up, this might leave you with a somewhat distorted impression. Allow me to clarify.

There’s about a dozen metal albums being released every single day. Counting all kinds of releases, we’re talking 45-50 a day altogether. And that’s just the “tip of the iceberg” that’s being listed on Encyclopaedia Metallum, whose strict policy prevents more alternative forms from gaining an entrance. (I’m all about true metal, and so I agree, but that’s simply a matter of taste because I’m so bloody trve). If we were to look into all kinds of unconventional styles that might appeal to metalheads, whether it’s atmospheric dungeon synth, soaring acoustic tree-hugger hard rock, or DIY slam-punk hardcore grind-screamo, the list of daily musical launches would grow insuperably massive.

No single human would be up for the task of absorbing all this. Just presenting it would mean receiving newsletters from thousands of bands and labels. Just imagine opening your mailbox only to see that you’ve got 263 new mails. For the past hour. Obviously, there’s going to be tons of shit that floats underneath the radar for any one of us, and my inadequate radar often fails at noticing passing jewels too. I also often find myself detecting a gem and grasping for it, but failing to grab a firm grip, I helplessly end up observing it float off into the mist.

I might, in an infallible matter, present you with those hidden gems that the wretchedly flawed NCS-crew fail miserably to cover, but unfortunately, I’m not the super villain/prophet (delete as appropriate) you all visualize. I just do what DGR, Andy Synn, Austin Weber, TheMadIsraeli, Comrade Aleks, KevinP, Wil Cifer, or anyone else writing anything for this putrid site does; giving Islander a hand by chipping in with some precious metallic picks for the perpetually unquenchable masses. Only difference is they present relevant artists and releases, often in advance, whilst I’m always late to the party like some late bloomer. I’m just another enthusiastic metalhead, whose antennas are no more superhuman than anyone else’s. I’m sorry to disappoint you and to rip this revered illusion of yours to shreds.

What? You already knew all this? Oh… Good. I guess… Continue reading »

EXTREME VETTING OF EXTREME METAL: ARE U.S. TOURS BY FOREIGN BANDS ABOUT TO BECOME JUST A FOND MEMORY?

 Metal News  14 Responses »
Apr 042017
 

 

Every year U.S. metal fans are disappointed when one of their favorite bands from foreign lands cancels a U.S. tour because they couldn’t get a visa in time, or couldn’t get one at all. New “extreme vetting” rules under consideration by the Trump Administration could make that situation vastly worse. In fact, it’s hard to imagine how many extreme metal bands could survive “extreme vetting”, if reports of the new procedures are correct.

This morning’s edition of The Wall Street Journal reports that, “Foreigners who want to visit the U.S., even for a short trip, could be forced to disclose contacts on their mobile phones, social-media passwords and financial records, and to answer probing questions about their ideology, according to Trump administration officials conducting a review of vetting procedures.” These procedures wouldn’t be limited to immigrants trying to get into the U.S. permanently or for extended stays:

“The administration also wants to subject more visa applicants to intense security reviews and have embassies spend more time interviewing each applicant. The changes could apply to people from all over the world, including allies like France and Germany.” Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: MARY TODD — “THE ARCHITECT”

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Apr 032017
 

 

(Austin Weber introduces our premiere of a track from the debut album of Brooklyn’s Mary Todd.)

The time has come to grind away all the doldrums a Monday tends to bring. Brooklyn-based grindcore trio Mary Todd have a supercharged displacement of energy and venom to unleash on “The Architect” for you today, and it’s the first song to be released from their forthcoming debut album, Bone Stock.

Back in 2015 I covered their EP, Shoot To Kill, on my year-end list here at NCS, and really loved what that release had to offer. Overall, Mary Todd have developed a sound that unites math-grind, tech-grind, and death-grind, integrating each style’s lethality, heft, and other elements into one schizophrenic host, jumping from form to form spastically. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: HOLLOW LEG — “RAVEN”

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Apr 032017
 

 

Don’t skip to the 2:55 mark on this video. I mean, I’ll grant you, it’s damned tempting, at least if you want to bang your head ’til it comes off while the music hammers it until your skull risks splitting open like an overripe melon. But don’t do it… if you do, you’ll miss out on some highly addictive earthquaking and steamrolling leading up to that sweet moment.

The video you’re about to see is molded around a titanic head-mover named “Raven“, which is one of the two songs on Hollow Leg’s most recent EP, Murder, which was released by Argonauta Records on March 3 of this year. Continue reading »

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