OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XXVI: RIP BO LUEDERS AND JAMES LOLLAR

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
Apr 072026
 

(Our friend Daniel Barkasi returns with another monthly collection of reviews for recommended releases, and this time draws his lot from what the month of March brought us.)

I had a bit of a different angle planned for the beginning of this edition until April 2nd, but we’re going to take an unwelcome detour.

News that day came out informing us that we lost two important artists – James Lollar, known as the darksynth legend Gost, and Harms Way guitarist Bo Lueders. Both had an indelible impact in their respective genres, and their losses are a devastating shock to the friends and family of these two fine folks, but of course also to those who followed and embraced their creative endeavors. Harms Way’s crushing, vibrant approach to hardcore is a go-to for me, and Lueders came across as an excellent guy who touched the lives of many through his music, his podcast, and his all-around good nature.

Due to my personal experiences, I want to focus on Gost/James Lollar for a moment – an artist who holds an esteemed place for myself and many others due to his extremely innovative and genre-molding music, which in tandem with Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, Dance with the Dead, Mega Drive, and Dan Terminus, invented and perfected the darksynth sound. His dense, incredibly aggressive and monolithic productions are ones for the ages. A discography that has been in regular rotation since hearing Behemoth in 2015. My wife and I were lucky enough to cover a live show of his in December of 2023 – the only time either of us got to view his work live, and what an indelible experience it was. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: WITCH RIPPER, CNOC AN TURSA, DIABOLUS MECUM SEMPERTERNE, UNMOTHER, GROWTH, MIRE, SLÔDDER, SUNDOWNER, MALUM

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  3 Responses »
Jan 242026
 

(written by Islander)

A quick note before embarking on the new songs and videos I’ve collected for today: Tomorrow there will probably be no SHADES OF BLACK column. I’ll be over the water in Seattle tonight for a big annual party. Between getting ready, getting there, partying, and getting back, I won’t have much time for NCS and I don’t expect I’ll have a clear head whenever I wake up tomorrow.

And then tomorrow will also serve up a couple of NFL playoff games I want to see, especially the second one.

As for what I’ve picked for today’s roundup, out of a really mammoth week of new releases, I’ve leaned further into shades of black metal than usual because of the likely absence of the Sunday column, and for the same reason I’ve made this collection bigger than usual. I’ve also probably leaned pretty hard into music that seems in line with my perception that the world is going to hell even faster than I thought it would, with way too many people beginning the year still thinking thoughts like these. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: GOAT AGGRESSOR (MALUM)

 Interviews  No Responses »
Apr 232021
 


photo by Ville Ruusunen

 

(Karina Noctum has brought us the following interview of Goat Aggressor, a veteran drummer and member of the Finnish black metal band Malum, whose fourth album, Devil’s Creation, was just released by Purity Through Fire.)

In this interview with Finnish drummer Goat Aggressor we talked about his most recent release with the band Malum. The band offer a melodious harmonic sound with well-structured songs. Devil’s Creation is another gem for all those who like the Scandinavian underground. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): MALUM — “LEGION”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  2 Responses »
May 282019
 

 

Devil-worshipping black metal has taken a multitude of shapes, but the word that comes to mind most frequently in listening to the new album by Malum is “glorious”. Unmistakably, the music within Legion carries the hallmark fire and ferocity of Finnish black metal, but the songs reach mythic heights, becoming magical anthems of praise and exaltation that electrify the senses. Yet Malum have a gift for creating the kind of dynamic changes that hold listeners in place for the full run, and so they also use their beautifully crafted melodies and ever-changing momentum to carry the mood into dark places where peril and tragedy dwell.

Malum have been a prolific force since their founding in 2013, with a multitude of EPs and splits to their name, in addition to three albums, of which Legion is the newest — and most signal achievement yet. It will be released on May 31st by Purity Through Fire, and we have the great pleasure of presenting a full stream of all its extravagant tracks today. Continue reading »