A DGR REVIEW ARCHIVE (PART 4): DEVILS REEF, VAELMYST, DISKORD

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Nov 182021
 

 

(We reach the end of DGR‘s nearly week-long collection of reviews, in which he attempted to clear out the backlog of writing about favored releases before year-end Listmania descends.)

Devils Reef – A Whisper From The Cosmos

Even though the plague-times we live in currently mean that we have a whole army of musicians who effectively haven’t been able to do anything but be trapped at home, I still find myself very intrigued by the quick turnaround on certain releases. The Frederick, Maryland based crew of Devils Reef released their album Chosen By The Sea in January of this year and then early October saw the group return with five more songs in the form of an EP, A Whisper From The Cosmos – from one terrifying unexplored depth to another, it seems, just in the opposite direction.

There’s definitely some interesting stuff happening on A Whisper From The Cosmos. It seems that in the span of time between the two releases this year Devils Reef have really leaned into their influences and drew from a well that could see them being compared to Revocation and Alkaloid almost immediately. Makes sense then, that if you have a peek at some of the recommended releases by the band on their Bandcamp page, you’ll spot both Alkaloid’s Liquid Anatomy and The Outer Ones by Revocation among others. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DISKORD — “DIRIGISTE RADIO HIT”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Jul 092021
 

 

Transcending Obscurity Records has already revealed enough music from the mind-boggling new album by the Norwegian death metal band Diskord that perhaps most fans of adventurous metallic extremity are already well aware of what a wild and exhilarating trip it is. Yet perhaps we’ll still catch a few new ears today with our premiere of another astonishing track off the record — the name of which is Degenerations — in advance of its August 3rd release.

Diskord’s intricate and unpredictable music is capable of rapidly twisting and turning your mind so that it resembles a Rubik’s Cube prior to the beginnings of the puzzle’s solution. Everything within your head may feel lined up in the right order when you begin, but then Diskord spins it in reverse, creating a jumble of brilliant colors. In the case of the song we’re presenting today, “Dirigiste Radio Hit“, the music creates overarching moods of madness and ferocity, but how it does this is a source of considerable fascination and continuous thrills. Continue reading »

DISKORD: “OSCILLATIONS”

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Jul 282014
 

(In this post Austin Weber reviews the new album by Norway’s Diskord.)

For those not yet in the know, Diskord are a long-running death metal act from Oslo, Norway. Their last album, 2012’s Dystopics, caught my eye by way of a tip off from the then-editor of Invisible Oranges, Doug Moore. Ever since my initial exposure to it,  I have been hopelessly hooked on these guys and their unique and zany brand of death metal.

Diskord are firmly rooted in old school death metal, but the delivery comes across in a more modern way — revolving around a spastic, stop-start, blast-and-lurch approach. Although the production follows a natural and grimy old school death metal aesthetic, the music itself doesn’t squarely fit into the box of new old school death metal, at least when compared to the purely primitive manner with which other bands are delivering it. This is something else entirely, and to my ears, far more interesting. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DISKORD — “LETHARGIC REGRESSION”

 Premieres  8 Responses »
Jun 162014
 

(Austin Weber wrote the following introduction to our premiere of a new song by Norway’s Diskord.)

To metalheads, Norway is synonymous with black metal and all things grim and frostbitten. What metalheads don’t usually associate with Norway is death metal. So in that respect, the Oslo, Norway trio Diskord are a bit of an oddity, geographically speaking — and even more so when you consider that their brand of death metal calls to mind a largely American and old-school-influenced approach.

Hot on the heels of their 2012 disasterpiece, Dystopics, comes an appropriately titled new EP from the group: Oscillations. We at No Clean Singing are excited to bring you the first unholy taste of this upcoming effort with the premiere of “Lethargic Regression”.

“Lethargic Regression” is a schizophrenic entity, one that bounces uncomfortably between disorienting dissonant waves and split-second tempo shifts. The maddening assault hits like a calculated blend of Demilich on a bender with Atheist, Gorguts, and Immolation in tow, all the while frequently pulling you down toward the grave with Autopsy-esque lurches and pestilential pit-stops. Continue reading »

REMNANTS OF 2012 THAT I HEARD IN 2013: HIVESMASHER, PERHAPS, DISKORD, II II II

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule, Free Shit  7 Responses »
Feb 052013
 

(Welcome back Louisville-based music writer Austin Weber with some thoughts about a diverse array of artists and albums from 2012 that he missed in his year-end list for NCS. Might be some new discoveries in here for you, too.)

Last year there were a few bands who released absolutely stunning albums that even I forgot about….until now.

Hivesmasher– Gutter Choir

Pig Destroyer’s Book Burner was rightly hyped as grind album of the year, and while I loved the hell out of it, Hivesmasher does something very different for me. Theirs is a grimey, nastier kind of grind, similar to the utterly hopeless filth Crowpath used to conjure up.

This is on a whole other level, better written and better played than most who reside within the hyper-focus on speed and punk atittude to cover up weak songwriting and poor instrumental capability. The tropes that now consume the genre have led me to try and find those groups who are trying to elevate grindcore instead of just being a barrage of (albeit awesome) sound.

Hivesmasher knocked me on my ass from the first track, which made abundantly clear how good these guys are. Continue reading »