Andy Synn Archives - NO CLEAN SINGING

AN NCS PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): RORCAL – MAHRE

Sep 232026

(Andy Synn presents an exclusive premiere of one of the darkest, harshest albums of 2026)

Success, or so they like to say, can be a double-edged sword.

And the music business in particular is full of bands who have reached the heighest of heights – whether critical, commercial, artistic, or some combination of all three – only to then have to live in the shadow of their success for the rest of their careers.

For Swiss Black/Sludge/Doom coven Rorcal this sonic apotheosis came in the form of 2019’s demonically intense Muladona (based on the novel of the same name), whose visceral, soul-scarring assault on the senses deserves – in my opinion, at least – be held up right alongside the nastiest, gnarliest works of Dragged Into Sunlight, Primitive Man, and This Gift Is A Curse at their very best.

That’s not to say that the band’s previous output – from the colossal Drone-Doom of Heliogabalus to the grinding attack of Világvége to the asphyxiating, Post-Metallic atmospherics of Κρέων – were in any way lacking (indeed, the latter is, quite rightly, considered to be something of an underground gem), but Muladona raised the bar so much, creatively and conceptually, that both 2021’s Witch Coven collaboration and 2023’s more Blackened Hardcore-leaning Silence still felt somewhat eclipsed by their progidigious predecessor.

This Friday, however, will see the release of the band’s nightmarish new album, Mahre, which doesn’t so much seek to escape the shadow of Muladona as it does dive even deeper into it, pursuing a darker, more disturbing path, and today we have distinct (mis)fortune of presenting the album in its entirety via the medium of a fascinating, and disturbing, full-length video accompaniment for the record, created by the band’s frequent collaborator (and friend of the site) Eeli Helin.

MAUNAH – HJARTA

Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule No Responses »

Sep 222026

(Andy Synn delivers another justified “exception to the rule” courtesy of Denmark’s Maunah)

I was today years old (well, actually, by the time you’re reading this that won’t actually be true any more, but just go with it) when I discovered that NCS has an honest-to-god Wikipedia entry.

Which I guess means we’re finally “a big deal” and will need to start charging you all for our services.

That’s how this works, right?

Now, in all seriousness it was legitimately interesting to see what got mentioned, and what didn’t (and suggest a few updates to the text), with regards to the site, our history, and our ethos.

In particular, the original version of the page – now updated – failed to mention the fact that the term “no clean singing” is very much an in-joke these days, rather than an iron-clad dictum, especially since we make so many “exceptions to the rule” on an almost daily basis.

And one of those exceptions we’re so happy to make these days is the debut album from Danish progressive doom-dealers Maunah.

PLÈVRE – CITÉ MOUROIR

Album Reviews No Responses »

Sep 172026

(Andy Synn takes a journey through a dying city with France’s Plèvre)

This… is not the review I was supposed to be posting today.

No, that review will now be coming next week, due to the fact that – just as I was coming to the end of the writing process – I was approached by one of my contacts with an offer for an exclusive premiere for that very same album that I/we simply couldn’t refuse.

Of course, this left me with something of a dilemma… what was I going to write about for today instead?

Thankfully my ever-expanding “to do” list furnished me with numerous options, some of which I’ll hopefully still be able to get to after this (even if only as part of my regular “Things You May Have Missed” round-up at the end of the month), with the fascinatingly dark debut from French Post-Black foursome Plèvre (which comes out tomorrow) ultimately demanding my attention (and, hopefully, yours) the most.

HORIZON ABLAZE – LIVETS HØST

Album Reviews 2 Responses »

Sep 152026

(Andy Synn catches up with a long-time NCS favourite and their long-awaited new album, out now)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but eight years is a pretty long time to go between albums.

Hell, in the last eight years I’ve attended multiple weddings (including my own), been to more funerals than I’d like, gained new friends, lost some others, and travelled to more countries than I can currently name off the top of my head.

What I’m saying is that a lot can change in eight years, so the Horizon Ablaze of 2026 is, inevitably, not the same band they were in 2018… both in terms of their overall line-up (with previous bassist Ole Madsen now replaced by former live-guitarist Jan Laksesvela) and in relation to how they’ve all changed and grown as people during the near-decade long gap between releases.

But, you know what they say… the more things change, the more they stay the same.

KRALLICE – SCOUR ORDER

Album Reviews No Responses »

Sep 142026

(Andy Synn says to expect the unexpected when it comes to the new album from Krallice, out Friday)

Love them or hate them (and, of a certainty, there’s plenty of folks in both camps) Krallice have long been one of the most reliably progressive, artistically provocative, bands in Metal.

Of course, while their avant-garde ambitions and experimental excursions haven’t always paid off – don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely a fan, but I’m also willing to admit that their discography isn’t perfect, although that’s probably to be expected from a group continually trying to challenge themselves and take chances with their sound – it’s to their credit that every release, from Dimensional Bleedthrough toYgg Huur to Crystalline Exhaustion, has presented a slightly different face (or, at least, a subtly different facet) of the band.

And, in that sense, Scour Order is no different.

SHORT BUT SWEET: CONTENTION / FROM BELOW / GOD’S HATE / INITIATE / JUDICIARY / VILE MIND

SHORT BUT SWEET No Responses »

Sep 102026

(Andy Synn presents six short-but-sweet releases from across the Hardcore spectrum)

A book I read recently (and I’m just now realising that “recently” was actually months ago) brought up the topic of “overflow”, particularly as it pertains to the impact – or impacts, plural – of simply having too much information.

And while the original focus of the discussion was more about how an excess of scientific data, leading to a glut of scientific publications, can potentially devalue the resultant perception of the work, the theme also transfers over nicely to the topic of reviews (and, particularly, review scores).

Put it this way, with more and more music being released (and, importantly, made more widely accessible) each year, and more and more reviews of said music being written in response, it’s inevitable that there’s going to be more albums receving higher scores, which will in turn give the audience the impression that reviewers are being too generous and that scores are being devalued… even if the normal distribution remains the same.

It’s a problem, even if it’s not one people think about very often, and one reason I’m glad we don’t do ranked scores here at NCS, as our role is more to curate the vast array of new releases each month and help them find their audience, not put them against one another in competition.

KŌYA – PENDULA

Album Reviews No Responses »

Sep 082026

(Andy Synn has a darkly dynamic Danish debut to recommend today)

Being a music lover – and I mean a real music lover – means being constantly caught in a tug of war between listening to what you already love and/or finding new stuff to add to your collection.

Because, as much as I enjoy spending time with old favourites, re-discovering and re-evaluating albums that perhaps I didn’t appreciate at the time, it’s just as important to keep looking forwards, to stay engaged with new records and new releases, to stop myself from becoming cynical and jaded and stuck in my ways.

Which is why, year after year, I’m always so excited to encounter new bands (or, at least, bands who are new to me) helping keep the flame alive in their own way.

And one of those bands is up-and-coming Danish Sludge-core crew Kōya, who’ve just finished a busy festival season and celebrated by releasing their debut album, Pendula.

NOTT – AS ALL IS UNDONE

Album Reviews No Responses »

Sep 072026

(Andy Synn has some heavy music to share on this heavy Monday)

Last week was a busy one for new releases, that’s for sure, and I hope to be able to catch up with at least some of them as the month goes on.

The one that really stood out to me, however… or, at least, the one I was most looking forward to… was the brand new slab of soul-crushing sonic weight from Seattle-based back-breakers Nott (aka Tyler Campbell and Julia Geaman), as their last album, 2023’s Hiraeth, was undoubtedly one of the heaviest albums of the year, as well as being one of my favourite releases on a purely personal level.

And, wouldn’t you know it, they’re still just as inhumanly heavy – if not even more so – as ever.

EXITIUM SUI – UNRAVELLING

Album Reviews No Responses »

Sep 032026

(Andy Synn has some grim delights to share with us today, from an album set for release tomorrow)

The weather here in the UK has recently taken a turn for the worse, shrouding us in a grey cloud of damp and humidity that somehow manages to combine Meditteranean swelter with Scandinavian chill at the same time.

What this signals, of course, is that our glorious (read: parched) days of Summer are now over, and we’re staring right down the barrel of another wet and wild Autumn/Winter.

And what better way to prepare for this than with the latest sepulchral slab of oppressive blackened Doom from the one and only Exitium Sui (AKA Chris Gebauer).

THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

Album Reviews 1 Response »

Sep 022026

(Andy Synn caps off another busy month here at NCS with four more albums you may have overlooked)

Like I said last week, for the most part we prefer to focus our attention on bands who we think deserve more exposure or who simply aren’t as big as we think they should be, rather than expending our time and energy on artists who have been thoroughly covered elsewhere.

For example, I’m probably not going to be crafting a full Mastodon review this time (it’s a good album… occasionally a very good album, but occasionally held back by a few dud moments and an excessive length) or writing about the new Sigh (which, so far at least, I’m really not a fan of), as both those bands have already received more than enough coverage, so a few extra words from us – positive or negative – is unlikely to have much of an impact.

The four artists I’ve chosen to feature today, however, have never been written about here at NoCleanSinging before, which should make for some fun discoveries for all of us.

Older Entries