GONZO’S HEAVY ROUNDUP, OCTOBER 2024

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Nov 082024
 

(Denver-based NCS writer Gonzo brings us reviews of the following three albums released in October, just in time for gray days ahead.)

Call me a downer if you must, but I really hate theme parties.

Come to think of it, I don’t like “themed” anything. I once was dragged to an office party with a “The Office” theme (I shit you not) and it was one of the most excruciating hours of my life. This was the same job that occasionally held “ice cream socials” that consisted of nonverbal weirdos quietly grabbing a small cup, wordlessly putting a scoop of Breyer’s into it, and scampering back to their desks. (“Ice cream antisocial” might be the Anthrax and Weird Al collab we never knew we needed.)

That job, fortunately, was a long time ago, but my stance on themes remains. There’s a caveat now, though: after assembling this column, I realized that all three of the albums I used are all similarly dreary, doomy, and full of despair.

So, with this month’s roundup being perfect music to slit your wrists to, perhaps I’m not as averse to themes as I thought I was.

On that gloriously uplifting note, let’s get right into it.

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BLOOD INCANTATION: LIVE AT THE BOULDER THEATER, OCTOBER 4, 2024

 Concert Reviews  3 Responses »
Oct 182024
 

(Denver-based NCS writer Gonzo had the good fortune of seeing Blood Incantation perform in Denver on the day of their newest album’s release, preceded by the solo set of Steve Roach, and he’s given us the following show review. We’re also grateful to Denver photographer Jacob Juno for allowing us to use his photos from the show throughout this article.)

Hype is a helluva drug.

And perhaps no band in modern metal is aware of that statement the way Denver’s Blood Incantation are. Their 2019 opus Hidden History of the Human Race was released to a cacophony of effusive praise from every dark corner of the internet, catapulting the band into interdimensional stardom.

Fast forward to 2024. The past five years have seen Blood Incantation’s career become anything but predictable. There are probably fewer words that haven’t been used to describe Timewave Zero than those that have, and the Luminescent Bridge single was a nice surprise that left many (myself included) wanting more.

It felt like a culmination of all of this, then, to have the band play a special one-night-only headlining set at the foot of the Rocky Mountains last week. And to properly commemorate the release of Absolute Elsewhere, they even brought along the king of ambient sound himself, Steve Roach, to open the proceedings.

What followed was a night nobody in the Boulder Theater would soon forget.

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A DOUBLE DOSE OF DENVER DEATH METAL: GLACIAL TOMB, NIGHTWRAITH

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Sep 302024
 

(NCS contributor Gonzo usually helps us close the end of months with a collection of reviews, and he does so again today, but this time focusing on just two albums, both of them created by bands from Denver.)

This won’t be news to most of you, so I’ll get right to it –

The rolling thunder of the Denver metal scene cannot be denied. It’s been on a powerful sort of kick in the 2020s, and few American cities can rival the raw talent and creativity that constantly comes pouring out of it. I know this because I live here. Between the crushing ubiquity of heavy music and craft beer, this place is a veritable haven for people who wear battle jackets to bars.

And as the metal gods would have it, two new albums from two rising stars in the Denver scene have been released within a week of each other – Glacial Tomb’s Lightless Expanse and Nightwraith’s Divergence – and if you haven’t heard of either band, buckle up motherfuckers – these albums are poised to change that. Continue reading »

GONZO’S HEAVY ROUNDUP, AUGUST 2024

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Aug 282024
 

(With the month of August nearly over, our Denver-based writer Gonzo has brought us reviews of four albums released this month — by Summoning the Lich, Yanos, Generation of Vipers, and Zeal & Ardor.)

As we trudge through the final days of August into summer’s last inexorable gasp, there’s still a veritable battalion of quality new releases on the horizon. Hell, even by the time you read this, new albums from Amiensus, Anciients, Leprous, Nails, and Wintersun might even be out – all are set to hit streaming services this Friday.

Unfortunately, my upcoming travel schedule won’t be conducive to getting this Friday’s (August 30) releases included in this month’s roundup, but at least Andy Synn already offered a top-shelf review of the new Leprous last week.

All that being said, August had more than enough quality to kick up a circle pit or two. Dust yourself off and give these releases a spin. Continue reading »

GONZO’S HEAVY ROUNDUP, JULY 2024

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Aug 012024
 

(With July now in the rearview mirror, Gonzo has brought us another monthly collection of recommended albums.)

As a reasonably respectable writer who can form coherent sentences, I’d sooner die than kick off this column with some banal trope like “Summer’s heating up, and so are these new releases!”

Fuck that nonsense. But I suppose it’s worth mentioning that I’m sitting here in my air-conditioned apartment while temperatures outside flirt with triple digits, and that means staying inside and listening to music is a much more preferable option than sweating it out in that godforsaken heat.

And….sigh. Yes, these new releases are pretty goddamn spicy, so feel free to form any heat-related tropes at your own discretion. Just listen to these albums first.

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GORGONCHRIST – AND JUSTICE FOR BALLS

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Jul 252024
 

(Our Denver-based writer Gonzo prepared the following review. And with that, we’ll get out of the way and let him explain what’s going on here.)

Before I get too far into this, a few answers to questions you likely already have:

No, the UK’s Gorgonchrist is not a goregrind or pornogrind band.

No, this album isn’t a Metallica cover album.

Yes, those are disembodied human testicles on the cover art.

I think that should cover it for now. But brace yourselves, because this review is probably gonna get fucking weird.

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NORTHWEST TERROR FEST 2024: A REPORT ON DAY THREE

 Concert Reviews  6 Responses »
Jun 052024
 

(We’ve been very fortunate to have two wonderful talents reporting on the 2024 edition of NCS-sponsored Northwest Terror Fest — writer Gonzo and photographer John Malley. Together they have made it possible for those who weren’t there to get a sense of the experience, and to remind those of us who were there how great it was. Here’s their report on the fest’s third and final day. Find the Day One report here and the Day Two report here.

Before I get too far into recapping the final day of this glorious weekend, a quick disclaimer:

Every year, it seems I can delve a little deeper into what powers this festival. On Saturday, I found myself going farther behind the curtain of NWTF than ever before. And why not?

I’ve been crawling around these pages for five years now, so the time felt right. What that meant for actual coverage of the band’s performances, though, was anyone’s guess at this point. I was rapidly ascending to another state of existence in which my body was being powered sheerly by caffeine, craft beer, pizza, and weed, so any attempt to cover the rest of this festival coherently was a complete fucking dice roll by now.

With all that being said, if there’s anything I can promise to deliver beneath the fold, it’s quality goddamn entertainment.

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NORTHWEST TERROR FEST 2024: A REPORT ON DAY TWO

 Concert Reviews  1 Response »
Jun 042024
 

(We are very fortunate to have two wonderful talents reporting on the 2024 edition of NCS-sponsored Northwest Terror Fest — writer Gonzo and photographer John Malley. Together they have made it possible for those who weren’t there to get a sense of the experience, and to remind those of us who were there how great it was. Here’s their report on the fest’s second day. Find the Day One report here. We’ll bring you Day Three tomorrow.)

As I got out of bed on Friday morning, still riding whatever high Amenra left me with the night before, a random intrusive thought barged into my brain without warning:

“Is insanity a prerequisite for going to festivals?”

Perhaps. In any case, my immediate reply to my own thought was, “No, but it probably helps.”

I feel like this is usually where I’d follow up by reassuring you all that yes, I did in fact pass my last psych evaluation and no, I am definitely not an unhinged jetlagged sleep-deprived writer about to binge on eight straight hours of music and stimulants for the second night in a row.

But if I did that, I’d be telling at least one lie. (I’m not saying which part.)

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NORTHWEST TERROR FEST 2024: A REPORT ON DAY ONE

 Concert Reviews  3 Responses »
Jun 032024
 

(We are very fortunate to have two wonderful talents reporting on the 2024 edition of NCS-sponsored Northwest Terror Fest — writer Gonzo and photographer John Malley. Together they have made it possible for those who weren’t there to get a sense of the experience, and to remind those of us who were there how great it was. Here’s their report on the first day. Reports on the next two days will follow in the two days ahead.)

Few cities in the US have a relationship with music quite like Seattle does.

Beneath the city’s foreboding skies, seemingly every decade since the early 1900s carries the weight of some musical movement it spawned, and the net it casts is as wide as it is diverse.

Musicians of all backgrounds and ethnicities, playing every type of music imaginable – from jazz and folk to alternative rock and death metal – have left an enduring, tireless mark on the Emerald City, and in so many instances, the ripples that start there would be felt throughout the rest of the world.

Beyond just the music, though, the city has historically been a sanctuary for artists so often met with resentment, rejection, and outright hostility everywhere else. Cities like Seattle are where creative people come to galvanize their thoughts into action while waving a middle finger at the status quo.

When you consider all this, it only makes sense that Seattle is still proudly carrying on this legacy. And to me, no music festival is more emblematic of all this than Northwest Terror Fest.

I’m sure as hell not one to observe many traditions – at least, not in the “widely accepted by the people” sense – but the yearly tradition of coming to this festival and word-vomiting my experience into the void is one I’m more than glad to uphold.

Buckle up, my friends – it’s about to get fucking weird. Continue reading »

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