NO CLEAN SINGING

DGR SEEN AND HEARD (PART 1): CENTINEX, RINGWORM, OCCVLT HAND, WINTERHORDE, INORGANIC, REVOCATION, GIANT OF THE MOUNTAIN

Jun 282016

(DGR takes over round-up duties today, with a selection of new songs and videos that caught his attention over the last week or two.)

The torrent of music that has hit within the past month or so has been absolutely insane. It’s the summer festival season over in Europe, so I imagine that might have a large bit to do with it, but we’ve also hit the halfway point of the year and now it feels like everyone is dumping out as much as they can in order to get into the news before the year is out.

In the past two weeks or so, I’ve been completely derailed on reviews/various other forms of procrastination in an effort to try and catch as much as possible. I was only joking about being a news trash barge in my last two round-ups, but wow, this time around I’m serious. I’m actually making an effort to split these round-ups into two parts, because between them I have about twelve different news items — song streams, album streams, music videos, lyric videos, album discoveries, and the like — to share. Strap in folks, these next two are going to get real silly.

Centinex – Generation of Flies

One of my hidden joys of being able to attend Maryland Deathfest this year was actually being able to see Centinex — who play a very simple form of death metal. It’s incredibly traditionalist and about as steak-and-potatoes as they come, but somehow the guys in Centinex have locked into how to make a damned good song out of some often overused ingredients. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BLACK PYRAMID (ANDY BERESKY)

Interviews No Responses »

Jun 282016

(Comrade Aleks has spoken with Andy Beresky of Black Pyramid, and in this post he summarizes what he learned about the past, the present, and the future of the band.)

The original lineup of that famous Massachusetts-based stoner doom band is Eric Beaudry (bass), Clay Neely (drums), and Andy Beresky (guitars, vocals). Eric managed to record the EP Black Pyramid in 2008 with the guys and then quit the band. However, one of those two songs recorded with him (“Visions of Gehenna”) was included in Black Pyramid’s self-titled debut LP in 2009 where Dave Gein took bass-guitarist duties.

This nine-track-long album pulled a lot of attention with slow, classic doom stoner chords, distorted riffs, and Andy’s raw and clean vocals. Despite the very traditional material the band wrote for this album, the feedback was warm and enthusiastic, and that’s easy to explain because the songs deliver catchiness, energy, and a sincere approach. You’ll find on the album fast tracks performed at nearly attacking speed (“No Life King”), mid-paced stoner songs (like “Twilight Grave”), a short melancholic acoustic composition (“Celephais”) ,and just tons of proper killer riffs. Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET: ALMYRKVI — “PUPIL OF THE SEARING MAELSTROM”

Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET 6 Responses »

Jun 282016

(In this post Andy Synn reviews the new EP by Iceland’s Almyrkvi, now available on Bandcamp.)

Black Metal has a long history of dealing with darkness in all its many forms… so it’s not surprising that so many of its adherents eventually turn their eyes towards the vast, vacant heavens and seek inspiration in the bleak emptiness of the void.

And so it is with Iceland’s Almyrkvi, the brainchild of Sinmara guitarist Garðar S. Jónsson, whose debut EP Pupil of the Searing Maelstrom seeks to capture the fearsome cold and endless nothngness of the celestial abyss in five impressively atmospheric and morbidly mesmerising tracks. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: IN THE WOODS… — “CULT OF SHINING STARS”

Exceptions to the Rule, Interviews 6 Responses »

Jun 282016

What a long and winding road it has been. Twenty-one years after their debut album HEart of the Ages and 17 years after their last one (Strange In Stereo), the Norwegian alchemists In the Woods… are returning with a new record named Pure, to be released in September by Debemur Morti Productions. After a wait of 17 years, remaining patient until September seems like a small thing to ask. Yet three months is still three months, and so we bring you something to sate the curiosity, at least temporarily.

And yes, we do expect more than a little curiosity, given the visionary nature of this band’s first three albums and the long stretch of years that has passed since their release. For those who may be new to the band, perhaps because you weren’t yet out of diapers when HEart of Ages made its first mark, a bit of history may be worthwhile before listening to “Cult of Shining Stars“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: PROFANATICA — “MAGIC & MUHR”

Premieres 4 Responses »

Jun 272016

New York’s Profanatica have deep roots in the underground, with a string of short releases beginning in 1990. The band dissolved in about 1992 before releasing an album, but re-formed in 2001, though the first album still wouldn’t appear until 2007. Their fourth album, The Curling Flame of Blasphemy, is now set for release on July 22 by Hells Headbangers, the music prepared by the band’s two core members, drummer/vocalist Paul Ledney and bassist/guitarist John Gelso.

Last month I raved about the album’s first advance track, “Ordained In Bile”, and I’m about to start raving again, because we’re bringing you the premiere of a second song from this staggering new album: “Magic & Muhr“. Continue reading »

TOURISM: ULCERATE, ZHRINE, AND PHOBOCOSM TO ERECT “SHRINES OF PARALYSIS” IN NORTH AMERICA

Metal News 5 Responses »

Jun 272016

I don’t do a very good job posting about new tour announcements, even when I’m really excited about them. But I’m REALLY excited about this one, and happened to have a few free minutes to help spread the word.

The name of the tour is Shrines of Paralysis, and that’s a well-chosen name because the tour is headlined by New Zealand’s Ulcerate and will also include Iceland’s Zhrine and Montreal’s Phobocosm. And that is one hell of a line-up.

Several of my NCS comrades and I had the pleasure of seeing both Zhrine and Phobocosm at this year’s edition of Maryland Deathfest, and both were among the true highlights of the festival (as discussed here and here, with photos). In addition, the most recent releases of both bands are outstanding (see our review of Phobocosm’s Bringer of Drought here and our premiere of one of the new Zhrine songs here). Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): AU CHAMP DES MORTS — “JOUR SE LÉVE”

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET 3 Responses »

Jun 272016

In April we were privileged to bring you the premiere of the title track to Le Jour Se Lève, the debut EP of a precocious French band named Au Champ Des Morts, and today we share with you a stream of the entire EP, which has now been released by Debemur Morti Productions.

ACDM was founded in 2014 by Stefan Bayle (Anorexia Nervosa) and Migreich (VULV), and this EP is a precursor to the band’s debut album, which will also be released by Debemur Morti. The EP consists of two songs, both of which quickly establish this band as one to watch closely. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ORACLES — “BODY OF INEPTITUDE”

Premieres 5 Responses »

Jun 272016

Back in February we had the pleasure of premiering a track (“Scorn”) from Miserycorde, the new album by Oracles. Today we’ve got another head-spinner from the album to share with you — “Body of Ineptitude” — and this one features an insane guest solo from none other than Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, ex-Nevermore).

If you still don’t know about Oracles, the line-up is stacked with talent. It combines the voice of Athenian-born, classically trained soprano Sanna Salou with the instrumental and vocal skills of these current and former members of Aborted, System Divide, and Abigail Williams:

Sven De Caluwé (Aborted) – vocals
Mendel Bij de Leij (Aborted) – guitar
Steve Miller (ex-System Divide, Loculus) – guitar
Andrei Aframov (ex-System Divide) – bass
Ken Bedene (Aborted, ex-Abigail Williams) – drums Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: SLOW GREEN THING

Interviews No Responses »

Jun 272016

(Our friend Comrade Aleks delivers to us on a platter this entertaining discussion with two members of the German stoner-doom-hard-rock band Slow Green Thing.)

How do you like it? Slow Green Thing! Bloody Green Thing! What could you expect from such a band?

That’s right – slow, doomy, psychedelic or stoner-alike music. Heavy riffs, trippy solos, relaxed vocals, and a little bit muddy sound were incarnated firstly in an EP named simply I (2014) and in an LP named II (2016). Slow Green Thing are able to write catchy rocking tracks, and I like this sort of doom, so it was just a question of time to get in touch with the band and ask them a few vital questions.

Singing guitarist Sven Weise answered this interview with unexpected help from Jörg Steinhauer, the drummer. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK (PART 1): KÆCK, BLACK MASS PERVERTOR, PROTEAN, NOX, MIST OF MISERY, SATANAAMAH

Metal News, SHADES OF BLACK 4 Responses »

Jun 262016

I’ve been playing catch-up on new and newly discovered music this weekend. It’s been a very good series of listening sessions, and now I’m up to my eyebrows in tracks I’d like to share. I posted one round-up earlier today, and in this one I’m focusing on new music in a blackened vein. But this post won’t exhaust all the black(ish) music that’s now burning in my head, and so my plan is to compile a second installment of Shades of Black for posting tomorrow. As usual, I’ve tried to select the songs, and to divide them between Parts 1 and 2, in a way that would provide a diverse listening experience.

KÆCK

When I reviewed Kaeck’s Stormkult last year, I identified two aspects of the music that I thought made it one of the brightest stars in the firmament of 2015 black metal releases: First, even in a genre known for its extreme intensity, Stormkult is extremely intense. For almost its entire duration, it’s a raging hurricane of sound — bombastic, terrorizing, and chillingly grim. If you want to be electrified by music, this will do it, and leave your head smoking. Continue reading »

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