COOKING: KRALLICE, VJESHITZA, MASTODON, NIGHTINGALE, AND CARNIFEX

 Metal News  10 Responses »
Jul 102013
 

I had the misfortune of being able to spend only an hour total on the internet yesterday between about 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. That made it really difficult to keep up with happenings in the world of metal, especially when so many things happened yesterday (as I later discovered). I mean, hell, even though I did manage to dash off a post about the new Fleshgod Apocalypse song, I couldn’t even listen to it until late last night. I blame my fucking day job.

There’s no realistic way I’m going to catch up, but I’ll at least make a stab at spreading some news I found interesting about some very good bands in the process of cooking up some brand new releases.

KRALLICE AND VJESHITZA

This news item is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, U.S. black metal band Krallice are spending a week in the studio this month recording three songs for a forthcoming split release. According to one of the band’s guitarists, the awesomely talented Colin Marston (also in Gorguts and Dysrhythmia), “all three songs we are recording are shorter than usual for us and perhaps display more diversity. One of the Mick [Barr]-initiated songs is potentially our busiest, ‘progiest’ song yet, whereas his other song is our most restrained and simple piece. My song for this recording is part three of a loose series begun on Diotima—”Litany of Regrets” being part one and “Telluric Rings” being part two. It’s on the dronier, more meditative side, but features very active bass parts. We should end up with a pretty compelling small collection of songs, and then … who knows!?”

Intriguing, no? But the second part of what Colin Marston had to say is equally interesting:

Continue reading »

NEW MUSIC FROM KRALLICE AND ARCHSPIRE AND A STUNNING NEW VIDEO FROM ALARIC

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Aug 012012
 

Here’s the second part of the two-part feature we began here, spotlighting a slew of new videos and new songs from some of our favorite metal bands that surfaced over the last 24 hours.

In this Part 2: release information and a brand new song from Krallice (U.S.), a new video from Alaric (U.S.), and a new song/video from Archspire (Canada).

KRALLICE

Well, this is the third of our posts about Krallice’s forthcoming album since July 15, which is an indication of our enthusiasm for what’s coming.  And what’s coming is Years Past Matter, a collection of five songs totaling about one hour of music. The album, which is being self-released by the band in a limited edition, will begin shipping on August 25 and is now available for pre-order here. We’re told that a double LP version of the album will be released by Gilead Media soon after.

There will be a record release show on August 25 at St Vitus in Greenpoint Brooklyn, NYC, where Krallice will be performing with Ancient Wound and Sea of Bones.

And today, we are beyond stoked to stream for you one of the new songs from Years Past Matter. The title is “IIIIIIII”. It’s a whirlwind of slashing/ringing guitars, bounding basslines, and percussive pandemonium that rumbles and thunders. It’s a lightening strike, sizzling with electricity. It’s also a black dream of rushing clouds, the kind of music that’s hypnotic as well as violent. Dense, dynamic, atmospheric, compelling — this is a long song that well-justifies its length. So much happens that the song rewards repeat listening – indeed, demands it. Here it is: Continue reading »

IN THE NEWS: DAMNATION FEST, A NAPALM SAMPLER, HIGH ON FIRE, AND KRALLICE

 Metal News  No Responses »
Jul 162012
 

Here are some things I saw while having my morning coffee. Wonder what the rest of the day will bring?

DAMNATION FESTIVAL 2012

This thing is scheduled to go off in Leeds (UK) on November 3.  Festival organizers had previously announced some of the bands, but a group of new eye-catching names were revealed today — and this list still isn’t finished. But as it now stands, this festival looks amazing, and talk about diversity!  Electric Wizard, My Dying Bride, Pig Destroyer (in their first UK show in 8 years), Primordial, Bossk, Belphegor, Extreme Noise Terror, Aura Noir, Textures, Devil Sold His Soul, Gama Bomb, 40 Watt Sun, and Wodensthrone.

For you lucky fuckers who are able to be in Leeds on November 3, go here for more info.

FREE NAPALM SAMPLER

Napalm Records has compiled a free sampler of music from their stable of artists. For my tastes, it’s a mixed bag, but it includes some winners as well as some bands whose music I’ve never heard, and therefore it offers some intrigue. Also, it’s free. To see the list and find out how to get the sampler, go past the jump. Continue reading »

FRIDAY VIDEO ROUNDUP

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Aug 262011
 

This post will be atypically short on words and long on audio-visual content. I saw three brand new videos this morning that I thought were worth sharing. I’m going to arrange these in ascending order of length, from shortest to longest.

On the short end of this stick, we’ve got the new video from Toxic Holocaust for a song called “Judgment Awaits You”. It’s from their new Relapse records release, Conjure and Command. Short, brutish, punk-thrash from a PNW band who have grown on me more and more as time passes.  Thanks to BlankTV for premiering this baby.

In the middle of this line-up is a new live video from Arch Enemy for the song “Bloodstained Cross”. The song is from their 2011 Century Media release, Khaos Legions. Yes, I confess: I have always had a crush on Angela Gossow. Does that make me weak? The video intersperses cuts of live shows from all over, with the audio from the album track. It was premiered by Revolver earlier today at this location.

The last and longest piece of vid is an August 24 live performance by Krallice of the song “Telluric Rings” from the band’s 2011 Profound Lore album Diotima, which our bro BadWolf eloquently reviewed for us here. If after all of our harping about Krallice here at NCS you still haven’t taken the plunge, now’s a good time to get wet. One of the best American black metal albums of the year, in my halfwitted opinion. The vocals are sort of drowned out on this vid, but otherwise the audio quality is decent, and the video is pro-shot.

So, that’s it for the words. All three videos are lined up for you after the jump. Enjoy the rest of your fucking day. Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET: KRALLICE COVERS ORPHAN

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  3 Responses »
Jul 242011
 

Orphan was a two-person sludge-punk band from Brooklyn consisting of drummer Speck Brown and bassist Brendan Majewski. Last year they released an album called Decapitated Lovers, and early this year a split with Dope Body to which they contributed four songs. In January, Majewski took his own life at the age of 37 (you can find an obituary here). In April, a group of New York bands played a show at Brooklyn’s Union Pool in honor of Majewski’s life that included covers of Orphan’s music (reviewed by Brooklyn Vegan here). One of those bands was Krallice.

In our humble opinion, Krallice’s 2011 release Diotima has been one of the brightest musical spots of this half-done year. You can read NCS contributor BadWolf’s eloquent thoughts about the album via this link. Suffice to say that Krallice is in the vanguard of U.S. bands who are re-imagining black metal, melding a high level of instrumental skill with innovative songwriting to produce some truly striking music.

Now, Krallice have followed Diotima by releasing a three-song EP — Orphan of Sickness — consisting entirely of Orphan covers, and they’ve made it available for free download. There are actually two download versions available. One consists of mp3’s and a second includes the same songs in the CD-quality AIFF-C format (though you’ll have to sacrifice 150 MB of disk space if you want that version).

The EP’s title was well-chosen, because the songs have an air of rampaging sickness — a flashfire viral contagion that cuts you down like a scythe through mature wheat. I’m totally decapitated by the instrumental vehemence of these three songs. (more after the jump, including a stream of the music . . .) Continue reading »

KRALLICE’S “DIOTIMA”: A CRITIQUE

 Album Reviews  17 Responses »
Apr 112011
 

(Regular NCS contributor BadWolf continues to explore an alternative to traditional album reviews in this, his latest “critique”. The subject is the new offering from New York’s Krallice, scheduled for release by Profound Lore on April 26.)

Krallice’s Diotima record reminds me most of the scene in David Fincher’s Fight Club where the narrator and Tyler Durden are speeding in a car along a bridge and release the steering wheel. Speed increases, their trajectory veers, and tension increases because the logical conclusion is not foregone, but seems pretty inevitable. The anxiety, the dark sound in that scene comes from a desire to see the characters crash and by proxy for the audience to feel the impact of a death, or near-death, experience. Sartre was obsessed with looking off the edges of cliffs because he felt (and believed all people felt) a sublime desire to jump.

Krallice in 2011 feels like that razor’s edge between stillness and leaping when the band fires on all cylinders. There is a constant sense of swerving momentum which is in the most focus. The feeling is not unique to Krallice—Iron Maiden’s Aces High is about harnessing the freefall effect, and at their best Metallica and Gojira can evoke the same reaction. Diotima is the first record I’ve heard to emphasize it to this degree.  (more after the jump . . .) Continue reading »

KRALLICE: “THE CLEARING”

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Apr 032011
 

Since this is an unheard-of third post on a Sunday, it will be short. But it will be very sweet.

Krallice is a powerfully good black-metal band from New York consisting of Colin Marston (who is involved in many other projects, including Behold . . . The Arctopus, Dysrhythmia, and Gorguts), Mick Barr (Orthrelm), Lev Weinstein, and Nick McMaster. Their third album, Diotima, is scheduled for release by the reliable Profound Lore label on April 26. Wholly apart from the music, the album cover (above) is one of the most eye-catching we’ve seen this year.

Among many cool things about Profound Lore, they make MP3s from their artists available for free download at their site.  Within the last few days, they’ve done that for one of the tracks from Diotima. The song is called “The Clearing”. It’s a long one (12+ minutes), but it’s stunning. It’s unrelenting in its ferocity, and just loaded with riveting hooks and instrumental wizardry — an overwhelming listening experience. Stream (or download) it below, or download it from Profound Lore here. We’ll have a full album review in the near future.

Krallice: The Clearing

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