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”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
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 »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: INERT — “TRADING DEATH”

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Apr 032017
 

 

Last June we had the pleasure of premiering Obliteration of the Self, an extremely impressive debut EP by an insurgent death metal duo originally from Spain and now in Sweden who call themselves Inert. Although the EP was originally self-released, Germany’s Neckbreaker Records knew a good thing when they heard it and are now releasing a vinyl edition of the EP, and will also be releasing the band’s debut album either late this year or early in 2018.

The vinyl reissue of Obliteration of the Self is now set to happen on April 14th. In addition to capturing the sounds in multi-colored physical format (remastered for this release), the vinyl edition will also include a bonus track specially written for this release. The name of the new track is “Trading Death“, and today we’re bringing you a lyric video for the song, created by “The Core Inside”. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: KINGNOMAD

 Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews  No Responses »
Apr 032017
 

 

(Comrade Aleks brings us this interview of one of the founders of the Swedish band Kingnomad, whose new album Mapping the Inner Void was released by Ripple Music earlier this year.)

 

Take Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, add a cleaner and heavier sound to their vintage doom rock, then enforce it with Sabbathian tritone and Dead Meadow’s psychedelic vibe, and it’s not difficult to imagine how Swedish occultists Kingnomad sound on their new record Mapping the Inner Void.

They don’t reinvent the wheel, but they do their work heartily, masterfully, and with sinister passion. Ripple Music did the good job lending a hand to Kingnomad to help with the release of the album. The time for unholy doom rock in all its crimson glory has come!

This interview with Johnny is the result of science and a spiritualism alliance as he gave me his answers through the virtual séance in truly unimaginable ways. Continue reading »

ROYAL THUNDER: “WICK”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  5 Responses »
Apr 032017
 

 

(Wil Cifer reviews the new album by Royal Thunder.)

This Georgia band have never actually been metaI. They have toured with metal bands, some of their members have been in metal bands, and they certainly came pretty close on Crooked Doors. I really loved Crooked Doors. I wore it out. This means the bar is held pretty high here.

Going into the album there was uncertainty when hit with the slow droning riff that accompanies the more circular chant of the first song. They don’t come out swinging like they did on the previous album. I went back and gave this song another listen after hearing the entire album, and it made a little more sense, but didn’t really grab me. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: WORMWITCH, FIN, PURE, KOLLAPSE, MOTHER MOON, FUNERAL BAPTISM

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Apr 022017
 

 

I didn’t damage myself too badly last night, only moderately, and so I was able to prepare this selection of music that I thought was worth recommending. I’m beginning with songs from forthcoming albums by four bands and concluding with two recent EPs.

Much of the music in this collection isn’t strictly black metal, but has enough kinship to the genre that I can justify including it. Hope you find some things to like.

WORMWITCH

In another one of these SHADES OF BLACK posts last month I reported that Prosthetic Records would be releasing the debut album Strike Mortal Soil by Vancouver, BC’s Wormwitch on May 12. At that point I didn’t have any music to share with you, but now I do. Continue reading »

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