AN NCS PREMIERE: RITUAL DEATH — “VERMIN”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Nov 112022
 

The Norwegian band Ritual Death hit our radar screen (and shattered it) in the spring of this year when the Russian label Living Temple Records released tape and digital editions of two EPs by them that had originally been released by Terratur Possessions in 2016 and 2018. A little investigation at that time revealed why those EPs were so hair-raising — the band’s line-up shares members with Behexen, Dark Sonority, Mare, and Fides Inversa, among many others.

After hearing those two EPs we expressed a hungry wish for more from this band, and hopefully soon, and the wish has been granted: Ritual Death‘s self-titled debut album is now set for release on December 5th by Shadow Records. One song from the album (“Lunae”) has already been divulged, and today we’re sharing a second one — named “Vermin“. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: SKYTHALA, GORYCZ, KAMRA, RITUAL DEATH, ALLES WIRD IN FLAMMEN STEHEN

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK  1 Response »
Nov 062022
 

 

If you live someplace that observes Daylight Savings Time did you remember to move your clocks back one hour last night? I did not remember. But when I opened my eyes at 6:30 a.m. today I somehow did remember that it was really only 5:30 a.m., and I fell back asleep.

That might not have been a smart move, because I didn’t wake again for a couple of hours. Rather than use the time-change to get a head-start on this column, I’m left scrambling to get it done before too much of the day disappears. Words, therefore, are sometimes in relatively short supply, though the music is abundant.

P.S. For those of us in the US this might be the last time we have to remember to “fall back”. In March of this year the US Senate unanimously passed a bill that would make Daylight Savings Time permanent beginning in 2023. But the bill hasn’t been voted on by the House of Representatives, and time is running out for that to happen in the current session. Who knows? Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: RITUAL DEATH, HELL MILITIA, CIRKELN, MOSAIC, CHARCA

 SHADES OF BLACK  No Responses »
Feb 132022
 

 

What I’ve chosen for this week’s black metal column provides a good variety of music for heathen tastes (or at least I think it does). It includes reissues of some older EPs, a trio of recently revealed tracks from forthcoming albums, and one full-length that came out about 10 days ago.

RITUAL DEATH (Norway)

I remember hearing about this band, most likely through Karina Noctum‘s interview of T. Ciekals, though the focus of that interview was his band Djevel. But I didn’t follow up to see what Ritual Death was all about until noticing that the Russian label Living Temple Records had released tape and digital editions of two Ritual Death EPs on February 11th of this year. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: DJEVEL

 Interviews  2 Responses »
Jan 312020
 

 

(This is Karina Noctum‘s interview of T. Ciekals, the principal creative force behind Djevel and NettleCarrier. The focus of the discussion is Djevel, whose most recent album was released last October by Aftermath Records, but the conversation includes news about both bands, as well as a third one, Ritual Death.)

On the occasion of Djevel’s release concert for their latest album called Ormer Til Armer, Maane Til Hode in Oslo, I got to talk to its mastermind T. Ciekals about the particulars behind his musical creations. I think pretty few bands now evoke the Black Metal ambience of the old days in a convincing and natural way like Djevel do. This is one of the reasons I had to include Ormer Til Armer, Maane Til Hode in my year-end list. In this interview there is also some good news not only of Djevel, but of NettleCarrier as well, which is another one of T. Ciekals‘ creations that I consider to be excellent and absolutely recommend to all of you who thirst for dark music. Continue reading »