NO CLEAN SINGING

THE SUM OF OUR PARTS

Oct 212016

(Andy Synn wrote the following opinion piece.)

The initial title for this column was “The Law of the Average”, as its overall focus was initially supposed to be on how easy it is for bands to settle for just being average… often without even realizing it.

But, as I was writing it — and, as usual, my thoughts were racing ahead of my typing — I realized that although my musings on the curse of being merely “average” was definitely still a big part of the piece, the main focus had shifted somewhat. I was no longer writing about how it must feel to realize (or, even more frequently, not realize) that your band may not ever rise above being simply “average” in the grand scheme of things… I was writing about how and about why I think this happens. Which is a subtle but important distinction.

And, ultimately, I decided (though I don’t really know if “decided” is the right word) to zero in on one fact in particular.

The importance of influences and how they shape you, as a band, as a musician, and as a person in general. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: WOLF COUNSEL (RALF WINZER GARCIA)

Interviews No Responses »

Oct 212016

(Comrade Aleks brings us his interview of pack leader Ralf Winzer Garcia from the Swiss doom band Wolf Counsel, whose new album Ironclad was released last month)

I bet that fans of right traditional doom metal have heard about the Swiss band Wolf Counsel because of their debut Vol.1 – Wolf Counsel released just one year ago, performing confident and strong doom material in the vein of the forefathers of this genre. But as for me, I almost missed the release of Wolf Counsel’s sophomore work Ironclad, which saw the light of day in September 2016. And you know… this album is an excellent example of flawless doom metal, and after a few listenings I was motivated enough to send questions to Wolf Counsel’s leader Ralf Winzer Garcia (bass, vocals). Continue reading »

VERBERIS: “VEXAMEN”

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Oct 202016

(We welcome back New Zealand writer Craig Hayes (Six Noises), who wrote this review of the debut album by Verberis, which has recently been released by Iron Bonehead Productions.)

The roster of German record label Iron Bonehead Productions reads like a who’s who of pre-eminent cult metal bands. That’s certainly true when it comes to bands who reside in the far-flung isles of New Zealand. Indomitable underground New Zealand bands like Vassafor, Sinistrous Diabolus, Veneficium, Witchrist, Diocletian, Creeping, Prisoner of War, Solar Mass, and Heresiarch have all had storming works released under Iron Bonehead’s banner. And next on the label’s list of uncompromising releases from the southern latitudes is Vexamen: the debut full-length from blackened death metal band Verberis. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: WĘDRUJĄCY WIATR, EMPTINESS, GAEREA, MOHICANS, TRUE WIDOW, JASSA, REVEAL, ANGELA MARTYR

Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 16 Responses »

Oct 202016

Well, here we are on a Thursday and this is our first new music round-up of the week. I suppose it goes without saying that, four days into the week, I now have a very long list of songs and videos I’ve found that I like enough to recommend — but don’t have time or room to mention all of them.

I’ve made some choices that range far and wide in their musical styles, but because I have a hard time making choices, this is still a big post despite the fact that I haven’t been able to include everything. Stay with me though, because there’s a lot of good music below.

WĘDRUJĄCY WIATR

I first heard of Wędrujący Wiatr through an enthusiastic recommendation by Austin Lunn, the man behind Panopticon. When he first told me about the band, word had surfaced that a new album would be coming out this fall, but no music was yet available; Austin‘s enthusiasm was based on the band’s debut album, 2013’s Tam, gdzie miesiąc opłakuje świt, and after I listened to it, I understood his passion for the music.

Well, now we have a song from the new album, and it’s pretty magnificent. Continue reading »

40 WATT SUN: “WIDER THAN THE SKY”

Album Reviews 3 Responses »

Oct 202016

(Grant Skelton reviews the new album by the UK’s 40 Watt Sun.)

On October 14, 40 Watt Sun birthed an album that has proven difficult for me to review. Part of this is because the music on Wider Than The Sky is just about the complete opposite of what we cover here at No Clean Singing, though surely we’ve covered many bands that exclusively employ clean singing, as an exception to our “rule.”

But there are other reasons why reviewing Wider Than The Sky has been an atypical experience for me. In a recent interview with Sarah Kitteringham for Noisey (here), 40 Watt Sun’s Patrick Walker expressed his distaste with the band’s previous record label promoting them as “doom metal”. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: AENAON — “FIRE WALK WITH ME”

Premieres 8 Responses »

Oct 202016

The Greek band Aenaon have already made a name for themselves as one of the most interesting, inventive, and distinctive black metal bands on the planet, and their new album Hypnosophy will only burnish that reputation to an even brighter sheen. It well warrants the perhaps overused term “alchemical”, as Aenaon have drawn together a multitude of base elements from disparate genres and transmuted them in wizard-like fashion into music that’s rare and mesmerizing. As a further example of the intriguing delights that Hypnosophy will bring your way, we present the premiere of a lyric video for the album’s second track, “Fire Walk With Me“.

The band have commented on the song as follows:

“Ιnfluenced by David Lynch’s film, this title was chosen as an inspiration for a hymn about the mythical creature, Phoenix. The element of fire is represented by the maelstrom of multiple instruments that are combined to create a Promethian atmosphere. It concludes all the distinctive elements of the Aenaon sound whirling into a fiery musical vortex”.

GET TO THE POINT: MADDER MORTEM (AGNETE M. KIRKEVAAG AND BP M. KIRKEVAAG)

Interviews No Responses »

Oct 202016

Photo by Ann-Helén Moen Nannestad

(On October 28, Dark Essence Records will release Red In Tooth and Claw, the new album by Norway’s Madder Mortem, and in this new interview KevinP talks about the album with vocalist Agnete M. Kirkevaag and guitarist BP M. Kirkevaag.)

******

K: So it’s been 7 years since your last album, Eight Ways. About freakin’ time don’t ya say? (LOL)

Agnete: Absence makes the heart grow fonder? But yeah, about freaking time! The album has been ready for quite awhile now, so we’re very impatient to get it out there for people to hear.

BP: Feels great and yes, about bleep bleepin’ time! The grey cloud has finally lifted from this album’s shoulder.

K: With this new album, Red in Tooth and Claw, you finally break free of any genre classification (even though you were kinda hard to pigeon-hole before this anyways). Do you find this to be a blessing or a curse?

Agnete: A blessing, definitely! Rock is supposed to be about rebellion, isn’t it? And to me, that means disregarding or at least questioning norms in general. And certainly norms that would place restraints on your creativity. But I can see that there might be short-term marketing difficulties in it too. It’s hard to slap a sticker on the CD case saying “for fans of some other rock band”, since I think the references would be wildly different for different songs.

To be honest, I don’t really know of anyone out there doing exactly what we’re doing and I’m really proud of that. But it has never been our goal. Our music has just ended up being the way it is because it’s what we like and enjoy playing. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DEREALIZED — “ISOLATION POETRY”

Premieres 3 Responses »

Oct 192016

In music, as in other art forms, complexity is the proverbial double-edged sword. Depending on how it is wielded, it can heighten intrigue and interest, transfixing the listener in following its labyrinthine pathways, or it can result in a jumbled mess that perversely becomes monotonous. In our humble opinion, the band whose new song you’re about to hear succeeds in making the intricacy of their composition seductive, while at the same time creating a dark and disturbing aura and ultimately branding the song in your head.

The band in question is the French group Derealized — one woman (vocalist Myriam Fischer) and three men (guitarist Man Fischer, drummer Victorien Delacroix (ex-Diluvian), and bassist Mat Roger) who meld technical skill and inventive songwriting techniques in ways that are impressive, but without losing their grip on the qualities that make a song a song, and a memorable one at that. The song is “Isolation Poetry” and it’s the title track to their new album, which will be released on October 21 by Finisterian Dead End. Continue reading »

ANDY SYNN PRESENTS: REVIEWS IN HAIKUS (OATHBREAKER, ALCEST, OUR PLACE OF WORSHIP IS SILENCE)

Album Reviews, Reviews In Haikus 4 Responses »

Oct 192016

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

Well, it appears that “Reviews in Haikus” has become a regular monthly affair somehow, so I thought to myself… why not use it to quickly touch base with a triptych of albums I probably won’t get chance to review properly any time soon? Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BLACK HOLE GENERATOR — “A REQUIEM FOR TERRA”

Premieres 1 Response »

Oct 192016

Ten years ago a band named Black Hole Generator released a debut EP called Black Karma. After that long absence Black Hole Generator is returning with a debut album entitled A Requiem For Terra, which will be released next month by Dark Essence Records. Consider this about the people who have participated in it:

First, there is the creative force behind Black Hole Generator, Vulture Industries’ main man and long-time Taake and Helheim producer Bjørnar E. Nilsen. And then there is guitarist Arve Isdal (Ice Dale) of Enslaved and Audrey Horne, plus Gjermund Fredheim (Taake/Orkan) contributing lead guitars on three tracks, as well as additional guitars by Dag Terje Andersen. Also, the distinctive Romanian artist and musician Costin Chioreanu made the cover art.

By dropping those names, I suspect we have now seized your attention. And while we have it, we would like to share with you the premiere of the new album’s title track. It will seize your attention, too. Continue reading »

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