OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XVIII: THE HALFWAY POINT

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Jul 142025
 

(Below you will find Daniel Barkasi’s monthly collection of NCS album reviews, this time recommending six records released in June 2025.)

It’s the middle of the year, and boy are my… everything tired. Time always seems to move fast, because it does. We don’t need reminders of the all too limited amount of it, but sadly they happen regularly. Since our last installment, a major news story that affected me as a Liverpool FC supporter – but more so as a human – was the death of brothers Diogo Jota and André Silva in a driving accident, traveling from Porto to Liverpool for the start of training for Diogo.

The most heartbreaking part, other than him only being 28, was that he had gotten married a week prior, with three very young children. Furthermore, he came across as a lovely fellow that didn’t fall into the egotism that many professional athletes fall into. A humble guy who loved his life, and showed it all the time. LFC classily will pay out the remainder of his contract to his now widow, and will fully fund his children’s education. They also retired his #20 kit number – all-around class from a classy club. RIP Diogo and André – YNWA. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2025 — MAY 31-JUNE 1, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: DAY 2

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Jun 252025
 

(This is Part 2 of Daniel Barkasi‘s extensive report on the 2025 edition of the UK’s Fortress Festival, covering the second day of the two-day event, again accompanied by his own photos. To check out his report on Day One, go here.)

Sunday, Day 2

As it turns out, running stage to stage for 11 hours taking in as many bands as possible may sap the energy reserves a little. Who knew? This was always going to be a whirlwind of an excursion, so we were mentally prepared for the madness. My body, however, said no – at least to getting out of bed early enough to grab breakfast at the hotel. Alas, we made due with some protein bars and various other food items I had picked up from a Sainsbury’s, as time was of the essence to get down to the Spa for the second day of insanity. Today would prove just as wild as the first. Continue reading »

FORTRESS FESTIVAL 2025 — MAY 31-JUNE 1, SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: DAY 1

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Jun 242025
 

(We proudly present the first part of Daniel Barkasi’s extensive two-part report on the latest edition of Fortress Festival in the UK, lavishly accompanied by his own many photos. We plan to post his report on the second day of the event tomorrow.)

When deciding to travel to a foreign land, many preparations need to occur. Especially when it’s a country that you’ve never been to before. It’s true that these ears have traveled much distance for live music – we’ve been to Germany many times for Wacken (x3), Summer Breeze (x2), Party.San and Trveheim, for example – but somehow in all our travels, the UK had never been one of them.

From afar, I’ve admired several UK based metal festivals that have been boasting insane lineups that would simply never occur in North America. Cosmic Void, Damnation Festival, ArcTanGent, Incineration Festival are all ones on the list to hit up – but the mighty Fortress Festival was the one that screamed the loudest. Partially due to the mind-boggling lineup, but also the unique location, a seaside resort town known for its beach, views, history, and massive fortress (hence the name of the fest).

What better locale for two days of furious black metal, sans an old stave church in Norway? Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XV: LES GRANDES ÉQUIPES

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Apr 162025
 

(With the merry month of March now in our rearview mirror, here we present Daniel Barkasi‘s lavish reviews of six noteworthy albums released during those 31 days.)

We’re going to start talking a bit about football, as I have in some of my previous entries. Not the American kind, but the one that’s actually played with feet. Much like music, it’s one of those things that’s always a constant in my life, bringing many highs and lows, with the deep passion and incredible history of so many clubs keeping me invested. Football in many ways can be a microcosm of the greater world that it’s so ingrained within. Didier Drogba and his Côte d’Ivoire teammates famously inspiring a halt to a civil war is an example of the unification that can happen due to this sporting endeavor. With the World Cup coming to the US next year, one can hope for it to be some kind of catalyst of togetherness as well.

As my beloved Liverpool FC (hopefully) move towards a second Premier League crown – three points in the bag at a tense affair against Steve Harris’ boyhood club West Ham United at time of writing – this is the time of the season where the stakes are so incredibly high. The Champions League is entering its final stages, and the intrigue is palpable as clubs rise and fall. To the uninitiated, this is the biggest club competition in the world, where the top European sides face off in a long and winding competition. Continue reading »

TÓMARÚM: “BEYOND OBSIDIAN EUPHORIA”

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Apr 022025
 

(We present Daniel Barkasi‘s review of a new album by Tómarúm, which will be released on April 4th via Prosthetic Records.)

When it comes to the more progressive side of music, no matter the amalgamation, the albums that take one on a journey are the ones that tend to stick in yours truly’s brain. Case in point: Atlanta’s Tómarúm burst onto the scene in 2022 with a mammoth slab of progressive black metal via Ash in Realms of Stone Icons that seemingly came out of nowhere. Sure, their 2020 EP Wounds Ever Expanding showed plenty of promise, but we didn’t predict a debut full-length so mature, potent, and expertly crafted.

Since then, guitarists/vocalists Kyle Walburn and Brandon Iacovella started a fascinating death/doom project in Lunar Chamber, and have been getting Tómarúm out there on the road with regularity. We managed to catch them once, and it was a memorable, hair-raising experience of intensity and technical precision.

Inevitably, the time for album number two has arrived, and with that brings the usual contemplation – can they build off of their massive debut and knock it out of the park again, or will growing pains become evident? A task especially difficult for a band who displayed such nuance and veteran-level songwriting prowess on Ash in Realms of Stone Icons. Additionally, the band officially became a five-piece within the last few years, and as a result, we have what is the band’s first written material in that formation outside of just Walburn and Iacovella, who previously were the sole craftsmen of Tómarúm. Continue reading »

SHOW REVIEW: SWALLOW THE SUN, HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY, GHOST BATH, SNAKES OF RUSSIA – FEB. 28, 2025, ORLANDO FL

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Mar 212025
 

(Daniel Barkasi provided us the following wonderful report on the February 28 Orlando stop of Swallow the Sun‘s recently completed U.S. tour with Harakiri for the Sky, Ghost Bath, and Snakes of Russia, accompanied by the wonderful photos of Brittany Barkasi @Turn off the Thunder.)

Personally, Swallow the Sun is a band that has meant quite a bit over the years, both to myself and many friends – memories that will never fade. A good friend even made merch in the form of necklaces and keychains for this very tour, which are super high quality and wholly unique. For yours truly, ever since having my blackened heart soothed by The Morning Never Came in 2003, these Finns have been a constant in the listening rotation.

I first caught them live in September of 2007 (17-½ years ago – time is damn cruel) on what now has to be described as a dream tour, with Katatonia headlining, and Insomnium, Scar Symmetry, and Swallow the Sun supporting. Hard to imagine that tour was real, but for me and a bunch of others in the old Peabody’s (miss that place) in Cleveland, it was quite an affirming event. Since then, we’ve managed to see them a bunch of times, and when the opportunity arises, it’s one that we can’t turn down.

Adding to the allure of the melodic death/doom legends were Harakiri for the Sky, the post-black stalwarts who have eluded me for quite some time. Add to that the pummeling sounds of Ghost Bath and the dark electronics of Snakes of Russia, and we had a varied collection of fantastic acts to take in.

So off to Orlando we trekked to a usual landing spot in central Florida – the incredible Conduit – for a memorable evening of heart-wrenching musicality. Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XIV: DARK CHASMS OF BLACK METAL AND STUPIDITY

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Mar 182025
 

(Once again, we welcome Daniel Barkasi and his latest monthly roundup of recommended albums. These were released in February.)

We’re back! Yup, the ole’ brain hasn’t completely capitulated upon itself yet, but the year is young! The country is a fucking laughing stock, but the punchline is to the level of a petulant toddler throwing their toys about. If you didn’t know what a tariff is, you probably do now. Check out this feature from Last Week Tonight from six years ago. I’m no economist, but broad tariffs are stupid, and it’s not hard to figure out. Even worse, trade wars are even stupider. We pay the cost increases, nobody else. But screw Canada, eh? I never thought that Canadian Bacon would become some sort of reality. David Dunning and Justin Kruger were really onto something, am I right?

While we try to survive the insanity, my beloved Liverpool Football Club have sorrowfully exited the exalted Champions League in the cruelest of fashions – the dreaded penalty shootout. Even worse – it was against PSG, a team whose ownership group is exceedingly morally bankrupt, to put it kindly. They also lost the Carabao Cup as I’m writing this, to another face of sportswashing in Newcastle. However, the Premier League title is a realistic possibility, which would be an incredible achievement, in the first year of who has thus far been a brilliant new manager after the departure of an absolute club legend in Jürgen Klopp – now starring in a Trivago ad. Life is weird. Continue reading »

CRYPTOSIS: “CELESTIAL DEATH”

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Mar 042025
 

(On March 7th Century Media will release a new album by the Dutch progressive thrash band Cryptosis, and today we present Daniel Barkasi‘s review of the album.)

Thrash and I have held a contentious relationship as of late. True as it is that thrash was my first foray into the heavier side of the metal spectrum many, many eons ago, memorable albums have been difficult to find in these last few years. Without bands like Enforced, what the hell would I do for my fix?

Well, let us not forget Cryptosis – a band that blasted out a semi-debut (formerly known as Distillator, so the group wasn’t brand new) in 2021 that dished a fresh view of Voivod-adjacent progressive thrash that left many heads a-spinning. The name change was indeed appropriate, and said first full-length Bionic Swarm made a steadfast impression. Buffering with an equally scrumptious EP The Silent Call in 2023, the time has arrived by the eagerly anticipated album number two, Celestial Death. Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XIII: CHAOS AND FINDING THE LIGHT

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Feb 182025
 

(Daniel Barkasi is back, with another monthly selection of new albums and reviews, this time focusing on what January provided.)

It’s been a bit! My last musings at NCS was my overly indulgent 25 For 24! year-end debacle, and since the turn of the new year, unless you’ve been living in a cave (you have my envy if you have – any room for two people and a shitload of animals?), the world has further descended into the toilet. I could write a thesis on all of the wild things that have happened since the turn of the calendar, and most are no doubt aware of these happenings.

Admittedly, I’m a well-established pessimist. I like to say that I’m a realist, but that often leans toward looking at the dire side of things rather than the hopeful. I see chaos, injustice, greed, and sheer stupidity, but struggle to see any light trying to crack through the toxic dump of slime that often gets spewed upon us at the speed and power of a high-pressure hose.

Like we’ve spoken about previously, what we do here is a wonderful distraction from the nightmare that society can be (and often is). I also like getting a little personal in this space. Maybe it’s selfishly therapeutic; a hope that maybe my own struggles can help someone, humanize my monthly musings – who knows? Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES VOL. XII: THE SEASON OF THE LIST

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Dec 132024
 

(Daniel Barkasi is back with us again, this time providing reviews of eight recommended albums of varying style that were released in November 2024.)

No, we’re not talking about Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and we certainly won’t be seeing any odd witch masks with a piece of Stonehenge in them. That movie is rough, but also strangely entertaining. It was better than almost all of the subsequent Halloween sequels that came after, though that isn’t saying much, is it? Now that infernal Silver Shamrock song is stuck in my head. Go ahead and click on that link. Now it’s in your head, too.

Halloween has long since passed, and now also Thanksgiving being in the rearview – and a huge thank you to our awesome KevinP for having the wife and myself over. Seeing him and his awesome family on Thanksgiving has become a tradition for us, and one we’re incredibly thankful for. Certainly hope there were some good times with good people, whether you celebrate the holiday or not.

The sheer volume of releases the last few years has been staggering, with 2024 being no exception. Sometimes it’s an overwhelming circumstance, however, as we don’t want to miss much, so there are plenty of long listening sessions. It’s impossible to not miss releases, and once we get into next year, there will always be some that we can hardly believe evaded our ears by perusing the many lists out there. Especially the many lists that’ll be present on this fine site – Andy Synn is on a roll, and he always unearths plenty of gems. Continue reading »

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