AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ANTROPOFAGUS — “METHODS OF RESURRECTION THROUGH EVISCERATION (M.O.R.T.E.)”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  4 Responses »
May 112017
 

 

Prepare yourselves for utterly relentless punishment, coupled with utterly electrifying speed and precision in the administration of the beating you are about to receive. In other words, prepare for a full stream of the new album by Italy’s Antropofagus, aptly titled Methods Of Resurrection Through Evisceration.

If you’ve heard the advance tracks that have appeared leading up to the May 12 release of this album (including the two we have premiered), then you will have a good idea of what awaits you. But that still won’t adequately prepare you for the cumulative impact of these 10 explosive songs. And “explosive” is the right word to use, because the album has been produced in a way that causes it to detonate (repeatedly) with staggering power, and with a balance and clarity that enhances its galvanizing effect without detracting from its stunning brutality. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ANTROPOFAGUS — “THE ABYSS (CHAPTER ONE)”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
May 022017
 

 

We really can’t get enough of Nekronikon’s cover art for the new Antropofagus album, M.O.R.T.E. – Methods Of Resurrection Through Evisceration. This makes the third time we’ve found a reason to brandish it on our site, the last time when we premiered the slaughtering supremacy of “Chants for Abyzou“, and now as a visual prelude to our premiere of another attack of pile-driving destruction from the album — a track named “The Abyss (Chapter One)“.

With each new song from the album, Antropofagus further prove their mastery at delivering death metal with head-hammering brutality and insidiously infectious hooks. The grooves are especially strong within “The Abyss”, and so is the cold-blooded, hate-filled savagery. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: ANTROPOFAGUS — “CHANTS FOR ABYZOU”

 Premieres  3 Responses »
Apr 052017
 

 

The cover art came first, then the music. The image created by Chilean artist Nekronikon for the new Antropofagus album is still one of the year’s biggest eye-catchers (pun intended), reason enough to explore M.O.R.T.E. – Methods Of Resurrection Through Evisceration, even if you didn’t witness the slaughtering supremacy of the band’s last album, 2012’s Architecture of Lust. We fawned over that cover before there was any music to hear, and since then DECIBEL has premiered a track named “Spawn of Chaos“. Now we get to bring you a second one, with a lyric video: “Chants for Abyzou“.

Veteran guitarist Ted O’Neill from the band Oblivion gave us a guest review for the last Antropofagus album that I’ve quoted before, and I’ll quote it again because it so effectively captures some central truths not only about the last Antropofagus album but about what we’ve heard from the new one as well: Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ANTROPOFAGUS, HERESIARCH, THY DARKENED SHADE, VALGRIND, REBIRTH OF NEFAST, VARMIA, ALFAHANNE, VESICANT

 Eye-Catchers, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Feb 142017
 

 

I was tempted to name this post “Eye-Catchers“, especially since I haven’t written a post in that series for years, but since I was already quite familiar with most of the bands whose new artwork caught my eye, they didn’t really fit the theme of that series. But the new artwork is damned appealing, and so is the promise of new music from these groups.

And that’s how this post begins — with eye-catching new artwork for four forthcoming albums. Following that, I want to recommend advance tracks from four other forthcoming releases, which themselves also include eye-catching cover art.

ANTROPOFAGUS

The first piece of attention-grabbing artwork I’ve collected here (above) was created by the Chilean artist Nekronikon for the new album by Italy’s Antropofagus. Entitled M.O.R.T.E. – Methods Of Resurrection Through Evisceration, it will be released May 12 on CD via Comatose Music and on vinyl via Everlasting Spew Records. Continue reading »

ANTROPOFAGUS: “ARCHITECTURE OF LUST”

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Nov 132012
 

(We’re pleased to present another guest review by veteran guitarist Ted O’Neill of  California’s Oblivion, whose new album we reviewed here.)

When brutal death metal is done to perfection it comes off as a beautifully orchestrated cacophony of violence, mayhem, and musicianship. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there is a certain elegance about it. Enter Italy’s Antropofagus and their 2012 release Architecture of Lust. This is not an album with much crossover appeal to those who aren’t fans of the genre.  This is the REAL stuff, pure, undistilled, untainted, and unrelenting.  Just a titanic slab of absolute bone-crushing, spine-jarring death metal.

Although they have been compared to fellow countrymen Hour of Penance, I’d more aptly compare them to Aeon. No disrespect to either of the aforementioned (I really like both of those bands), but Antropofagus bring a whole different intensity to the table.  This album gets right to the point, and it is pretty clear what you are in for with the opener, which is the title track. No one is going to get in touch with their inner child or sensitive side here . . . you’re in for a big time ass-kicking.  Architecture of Lust is a heavy, heavy offering, clocking in at just under 35 minutes, which may seem a little short but in reality is about perfect considering the density of the material.

These guys play at insane tempos, spearheaded by the precise attack of Davide “Brutal Dave” Davilla, with Jacopo on bass and “Meatgrinder” handling the incredible guitar riffing.  Vocalist Tya is the perfect fit for the chaos with his incredibly heavy mid- to low-range vocals.  The playing on this album is incredibly tight yet still organic sounding, unlike the trend to overproduce the crap out of most modern metal albums.  My only complaint with the production would be to prefer maybe a little more attention to the bass, but all in all these guys are captured in their frenetic glory. Continue reading »

VIDEOGRAPHY: WEAPON, UNFATHOMABLE RUINATION, ANTROPOFAGUS, KATALEPSY, DORDEDUH

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
Nov 022012
 

I was all set to go with this post, all set to call it “BRUTALITY!”, because that was the unifying theme of the new music videos I found from Weapon (Canada), Unfathomable Ruination (UK), Antropofagus (Italy), and Katalepsy (Russia). And then I saw a new official live video from Dordeduh (Romania) — not really brutal, but it still grabbed me. So I’m including it at the end and dropping the “BRUTALITY!” post title.

There are so many videos I want to share in this post that I’m doing my goddamned best to pare down my own verbiage. Here we go . . .

WEAPON

Weapon’s new album Embers and Revelations is out now on the Relapse label. We haven’t reviewed it yet, but it’s well worth your time — a fusing of first wave black and death metal with melodic touches that recall the Bangladeshi origins of the band’s leader, Vetis Monarch.

Yesterday Relapse premiered a lyric video for a brutal Weapon track named “Crepuscular Swamp”. Here it is: Continue reading »