AUSTIN TERROR FEST 2017: ANNOUNCING THE FULL LINE-UP

 Metal News  No Responses »
Feb 092017
 

 

A few days ago we announced the names of the first 15 bands confirmed to appear at the first annual NorthWest Terror Fest that we’re co-sponsoring in Seattle on June 15-17, 2017, and now we’re bringing you news about another festival that’s coming up even faster — the first edition of Austin Terror Fest, which will take place deep in the heart of Texas on March 16-19.

As with Northwest Terror Fest, we’re helping to present the first edition of Austin Terror Fest with Invisible Oranges and the folks behind Southwest Terror Fest. For this first installment of what will also become a continuing festival series, The Lost Well and Worshiper Cabinets are also backing the event. Here’s the (nearly) full line-up of the more than 40 bands who will perform at Austin Terror Fest 2017: Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: FELL RUIN — “SPY FICTION FOLDS IN READY STREETS”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Feb 092017
 

 

The 2015 debut EP from Michigan’s Fell Ruin, Devices, made an immediate and powerful impact on the scribes here at NCS, delivering a genre-bending amalgam that we described as “a potent combination of black metal, progressive metal, and heavy, grinding doom — ominous, perilous, and mesmerizing”, moving between “bouts of explosive, instrumentally acrobatic aggressiveness, oppressive, doom-drenched crawls, and passages of sombre, unsettling beauty.” We wished out loud for a longer release, and now we are fortunate to have one.

On March 17th, the respected I, Voidhanger Records will release Fell Ruin’s debut album, To The Concrete Drifts, and we have for you the first sign of what it holds in store — the premiere of the album’s third track, with the intriguing name “Spy Fiction Folds In Ready Streets“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ACRIMONIOUS — “QAYIN REX MORTIS”

 Premieres  10 Responses »
Feb 092017
 

 

On the 20th of March W.T.C. Productions will reveal the third album by the Greek band Acrimonious, bearing a title that’s manifested without words in the record’s striking cover art: Eleven Dragons. In 67 minutes the album encompasses 11 songs, and we have for you today the premiere of the seventh of those, “Qayin Rex Mortis“.

The roots of Acrimonious reach back in time to 2002, though by 2011 changes had occurred in the creative forces behind the name, with founding member Cain Letifer (vocals, guitar) then joined by Semjaza of Thy Darkened Shade as second guitarist and C. Docre on drums. In that configuration Acrimonious released their second album, Sunyata, which made an impact akin to a meteor strike on the mind of this listener (and many others).

It has been a long wait for this trio to stoke the flames of Satanic chaos again, but now they’ve done it, and though I wouldn’t have expected it, Eleven Dragons surpasses even the high pinnacle reached by Sunyata. Continue reading »

MAYHEM PERFORM “DE MYSTERIIS DOM SATHANAS”: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY

 Concert Reviews  3 Responses »
Feb 092017
 

 

Editor’s Introduction: For years I’ve been an admirer of the photography of L.A.-based magician Levan TK. In my humble opinion, there is no better concert photographer to be found. And so we feel fortunate indeed to present his photographs from the performance of the legendary Mayhem in southern California on February 7, 2017, along with Levan TK’s thoughts about the show. To view more of his photographic art, go HERE.

And by the way, to hear the first time De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was ever performed live in its entirety (in Norrkjöping, Sweden, on Dec. 18, 2015, at the Black Christmass Festival), it’s available on Bandcamp HERE.

******

Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas US tour hit LA — well, Santa Ana, which is part of the greater Los Angeles area to be precise. Though the band had performed the album in its entirety last year at Maryland Deathfest, as well as a few European fests and shows, they have never before attempted a full stateside tour for the pivotal album. Continue reading »

GLOSON: “GRIMEN”

 Album Reviews  6 Responses »
Feb 092017
 

 

(Here’s Andy Synn’s review of the new album by Sweden’s Gloson.)

Don’t you love it/hate it (delete as appropriate) when a band comes along, seemingly out of nowhere, with a debut album so good you struggle to grasp how they’ve actually managed it?

Because that’s exactly what Swedish Post-Sludgebringers Gloson have done. Continue reading »

LANTERN: “II: MORPHOSIS”

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Feb 092017
 

 

(TheMadIsraeli reviews the new album by the Finnish band Lantern.)

I’ve been eagerly anticipating a new Lantern record since I heard and reviewed their undeniably powerful debut full-length Below. That thrash/death/black combo, which personified a synthesis of early Napalm Death, Celtic Frost, and Emperor, still holds absolutely true and finds itself achieving new progressive ambition on the band’s sophomore opus II: Morphosis.

This is also a new chapter in the project’s lifespan, upgrading from an enthusiastic duo to a full-fledged five-piece, although I still suspect guitarist/composer Cruciatus and vocalist Necrophilos call the majority of the shots, if not all of them. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: FERNDAL, MYSTAGOS, HYPNOS, MORAST, ERDVE, MISERY, EDEN WEINT IM GRAB

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  10 Responses »
Feb 082017
 

 

Those of you impeccably tasteful metal aficionados who follow my Shades of Black posts know that I was too incapacitated to get one done for last Sunday. So I’m doing one now, although none of the songs collected here was included in what I planned to write about for last Sunday. I discovered all of these since then. I do still plan to complete the write-up I had originally conceived, perhaps later this week or at least for this coming Sunday.

FERNDAL

Yesterday, I was reminded about a German label named Einheit Produktionen by seeing their release schedule for the spring. I would have discovered these plans sooner if I’d been paying closer attention to our daily e-mail flood.

In April, Einheit will be discharging the self-titled debut album of a German black metal band named Ferndal, whose influences are described by Einheit as “reaching from Darkthrone to Windir, from Beethoven to Arvo Pärt and from baroque grace to romantic melancholy, within a veil of pure black metal aggression”. Is it any wonder I paused in my scurrying to have a listen to the first teaser of music? Continue reading »

ANDY SYNN PRESENTS: REVIEWS IN HAIKUS (BENIGHTED, HADAL MAW, AVERSION’S CROWN)

 Album Reviews, Reviews In Haikus  1 Response »
Feb 082017
 

 

(We present another edition of Andy Synn’s three-line reviews.)

Well, well, well… it looks like I’ve not done one of these since November.

Which I suppose isn’t too surprising, since most of December was dedicated to rounding up the previous twelve months in list form, as well as desperately scrambling to cover as many albums as possible before the end of the year, and most of last month was similarly focussed on catching up on some of the 2016 albums which we/you might have missed.

Thankfully I’m almost done looking backwards (yeah right) and am starting to switch my attention more and more towards new and upcoming albums from this, the year of our lord 2017.

So, in that spirit, here’s three albums of Death/Grind/Core goodness for you all to (hopefully) enjoy. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: NIDINGR — “THE HIGH HEAT LICKS AGAINST HEAVEN”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Feb 082017
 

 

Tomorrow is Season of Mist’s official North American release date for the new album by Nidingr — The High Heat Licks Against Heaven — and today we’re sharing a full stream of the new work.

This is the group’s fourth album and again finds guitarist/composer Teloch (Mayhem, The Konsortium, ex-1349, ex-Gorgoroth) and vocalist Cpt. Estrella Grasa in harness together, along with drummer Øyvind Myrvoll and bassist SIR. Continue reading »

A NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: NECROWRETCH — “SATANIC SLAVERY”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Feb 082017
 

 

There is lot to appreciate about the artwork (by Nekronikon) on the cover of the new album by the French black/death band Necrowretch. The teeth, which seem to sprout from every orifice, including orifices that shouldn’t exist. The multitude of horns. The hooked wings. The tentacles, both thick and thin. The torrent of blood being vomited into a chalice. And the eyeballs… the eyeballs. The only thing better (or worse) would be if this ghastly montage came to life and began to move.

Well, guess what! If that is your wish, it has been granted. And if that is not your wish, it has been granted anyway!

We present the premiere of a video for the title track to Satanic Slavery, the new album by Necrowretch. It brings the blood-chilling cover art for the album to life. But of course, the true (and evil) delight comes from the music. Continue reading »

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