NO CLEAN SINGING

FIVE OF MY MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS OF 2016 (BY ANDY SYNN)

Mar 112016

(From time to time Andy Synn posts lists of things that come in five’s… and today he writes about five forthcoming albums that have peaked his interest.)

We’re only just over two months into 2016 now, and yet already we’ve seen the release of a host of stellar albums from across the metallic spectrum, including several (Wildernessking and Borknagar, to name but two) which easily ranked amongst my most eagerly anticipated releases of the year.

So now seems like as good a time as any to pick out five other albums which I’ve been waiting on with (not literally) baited breath.

Obviously this isn’t a comprehensive list. In fact I’ve specifically left out any upcoming albums I’ve already heard (Cult of Luna, for example) or which we’ve covered here at NCS recently (Mithras, Schammasch, etc), in favour of five selections a little more personal to me. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: UNIVERSE 217 — “CHANGE”

Exceptions to the Rule, Premieres 6 Responses »

Mar 112016

(KevinP introduces our premiere of the new album by Universe 217 from Greece — a well-earned exception to the “rule” in our site’s name.)

Today we have the honor and privilege to present to you the fourth full-length album from Greek doom masters, Universe217. Change is due on March 18, 2016 via Ván Records and is simply the best material of their career.

While I never subscribed to the theory that vocalist Tanya carried the band, I could understand the sentiment. She is in a class all her own, like a more dynamic and powerful metal version of Janis Joplin. But Change shows a band that is on equal ground; no longer does the music take a back seat to Tanya’s soaring, emotionally driven vocals. There’s a sonic immediacy to it, with a richer and fuller sound and with more textures — the instrumental music could easily stand on its own. Continue reading »

JONESTOWN: “AOKIGAHARA”

Album Reviews 2 Responses »

Mar 112016

(Heres Andy Synn’s review of the new album by Jonestown, a UK band from Brighton, England.)

One of my resolutions for this year, if you can call it that, was to make more time for bands who I’ve previously checked out but who, for whatever reason, never really clicked with me. As a matter of fact I’ve got a half-written column on his very subject that I really need to get finished sometime soon…

Anyway, Brighton-based nihilists Jonestown are one such band, whose previous release, The Erebus and The Terror, definitely showed a lot of potential, but just didn’t seem to have the right x-factor to make its way into my regular rotation.

It did, however, make enough of an impression on me that when the promo for the band’s full-length debut made itself known in the NCS inbox I jumped at the chance to see if the quartet had managed to fully capitalise on the promise of their debut.

And, oh boy, did they ever. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: VLK — “WITH BANNERS RAISED”

Premieres 8 Responses »

Mar 102016

In June 2015 I came across a rough mix of song by a Chicago band named Vlk that made quite an impression, despite the fact that little information was available about the band. As I wrote then, it come across as a stripped-down fusion of punk and black metal, with a raw edge and damned catchy melodies to go along with the ugly, clawing vocals and the music’s feral energy and dynamic pacing. It rocked hard but also included segments that one might even call atmospheric, and the drumming was also interesting (and definitely not “standard” black metal blasting).

It turns out that, with a slight wording change, that track became the title song to Vlk’s forthcoming debut album, Of Wolves’ Blood, which is now due for digital and cassette release on March 21 (with the tape edition coming out via Tour de Garde). Today we happily bring you the premiere of another song from the album, a track named “With Banners Raised“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: IZEGRIM — “RECLAIM MY IDENTITY”

Premieres 3 Responses »

Mar 102016

When I come across an album that’s adorned by an Eliran Kantor painting, that’s a very good sign. It tends to signify attention to detail and pride in craftsmanship, not only in the packaging but usually in the music. Of course, it’s no guarantee of metal quality, but in the case of Izegrim‘s new album The Ferryman’s End, the audio and the visual art are a fine match.

The new album, which is Izegrim‘s fifth, is due for release on April 15 by Listenable Records, and today we bring you a new song to sample — a track called “Reclaim My Identity”. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: EXALTER — “TORTURED INNOCENTS”

Premieres 5 Responses »

Mar 102016

Thrash lives — it lives all over the world. That should come as no surprise to anyone, but when you hear kick-ass thrash erupting out of Bangladesh, it’s a good reminder for people like me on the other side of the world from that ancient land.

The band I’m taking about is Exalter, and they’ve got a new release named Obituary For the Living that’s being released by Transcending Obscurity Distribution. This EP includes three new songs plus the four tracks from the band’s debut outing Democrasodomy as a bonus. What we’ve got for you today is the premiere of one of the new songs, “Tortured Innocents”. Continue reading »

POWER OUTAGE

Uncategorized 10 Responses »

Mar 102016

This is the first post I’ve ever written on my phone. I’m doing this because we’re having a wind storm where I live that knocked out the power while I was asleep AND I can’t get my generator to start AND even if I could, there would be no internet access.

SO, I’m on a ferry boat headed for Seattle, where I presume I can find power, and more importantly, coffee. I have three premieres I need to write and I want to finish a round up, but everything is going to be delayed because someone out there displeased Thor. Shame on you, whoever you are.

In the meantime, enjoy that painting (“The Castle”) by Yaroslav Gerzhedovich (that name is a motherfucker to type on a phone).

AN NCS PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): VENEFICIUM’S SELF-TITLED DEMO TAPE

Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET 5 Responses »

Mar 092016

Even though we’re about to premiere a full stream of the debut self-titled demo by Veneficium, I don’t know who is in the band. They are reputed to be veterans of New Zealand’s metal underground, and that’s entirely believable because this demo is masterful at what it does. What it does is unleash a hellish cataclysm of abyssal black/death savagery — but with the kind of flair and dynamism that make this a bewitching terror.

The demo is produced in a way that gives it an immensely powerful and harrowing sound; you feel the bones in your skeleton vibrate down to your feet, and the earth beneath them seems to quake in massive tremors. Yet while the storm of distortion in the stringed instruments and the reverb effects in the vocals are what you would expect for this kind of sonic warfare, the production is perhaps surprisingly sharp; the murk is not so thick as to obscure all the interesting ingredients that make the music so riveting (and unsettling). Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: WORMED, GLORIOR BELLI, NAPALM DEATH

RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC 6 Responses »

Mar 092016

I had planned a very large round-up of recent music for today. It’s not finished yet, but I still have hopes. Yet as I try to catch up on sharing metal that I discovered over the last week, I continue to be overtaken by metal that has appeared within the last hour or two. Rather than try to cram these new discoveries into that planned round-up, I’m setting that aside so I can bring you this trio of items while they’re still hot off the presses.

WORMED

I’m going to assume that everyone knows Wormed has a new album named Krighsu, and that it will be essential listening here in the first quarter of 2016. And now you can get started listening to it, because a full album stream premiered today at DECIBEL. Continue reading »

HEMOTOXIN (“BIOLOGICAL ENSLAVEMENT”) AND NUCLEUS (“SENTIENT”)

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Mar 092016

(In this post Allen Griffin provides brief reviews of a pair of forthcoming albums.)

If Ripper’s fantastic new album Experiment of Existence (reviewed here) wasn’t proof enough, Unspeakable Axe is releasing two more records that show they have somehow tapped a special vein of Old School Death and Thrash Metal, all of which seem to mine Science Fictional lyrical themes. To a certain degree, naysayers may try to argue that these bands bring nothing new to the table, yet if hindsight is truly 20/20, these hybridizations of Metal’s past are certainly able to produce excellent material that stands on its own in this current musical climate.

HEMOTOXIN

First up is California-based unit Hemotoxin and their second full-length release Biological Enslavement. Much like the aforementioned Ripper, Hemotoxin draw much of their influence from the era when Thrash was transitioning into Death Metal, but also add their own highly technical spin to their material. But where Ripper look toward groups such as Kreator and Merciless, Hemotoxin seem to be a bit more rooted in Bay Area classics, but are well-indebted to early Death Metal as well. Continue reading »

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