SEEN AND HEARD ON A SUNDAY: BAEST, SERPENT, GORMA, FORTRIU, DAWN OF SOLACE, HOLY DEATH, GEISTERFAUST, BELTEZ

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Nov 012026
 

(written by Islander)

We all know that expectations can be disappointed even when the expected person is dependable. You probably expected a roundup of new songs and videos here yesterday, especially because it was Halloween, maybe even a grab-bag of horror videos. What you got instead was the premiere of an album whose themes had nothing remotely to do with Halloween.

What you’ll get today is the roundup you were probably expecting yesterday instead of the usual SHADES OF BLACK column, which I suppose is another dashed expectation. Rest assured that this collection does include some black metal, but overall it will be more cross-genre in its scope.

As usual, the choices were difficult because there was so much to choose from. With Friday being devil’s night and Saturday being Halloween, metal bands and labels really loaded up the week with new stuff. Hope you enjoy the picks I struggled to make. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: POLDERHAAT, BONJOUR TRISTESSE, SERPENT, ÜBERCHRIIST

 SHADES OF BLACK  4 Responses »
Sep 202026
 

(written by Islander)

This collection of recommended music will be much shorter than yesterday’s. We’ve got a visitor coming to the house any minute now, and after that I’ll be heading across Puget Sound to join friends in watching our beloved Seahawks play another team named for a bird, one that wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell if an actual osprey decided to mess with it in the avian world, but this being a football game in which a star player might get butt-hurt right away, as one of ours literally did in the first series of the Hawks’ opening game, you never know.

Now that I’ve made my excuses, on we go…. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: SERPENT (JOAKIM OLSSON)

 Interviews  3 Responses »
Feb 102016
 

Serpent - band

 

(We are grateful that Comrade Aleks has brought us yet another doomy interview, this time with drummer Joakim Olsson of Sweden’s Serpent.)

Sweden is the epicenter of the modern vintage doom rock movement, and Serpent is one of its competent members. The band was formed in 2012, but already has two full-length records – Slaves of Babylon (2013) and Nekromant (2015). The last one was released on the 18th of December, 2015, by Transubstans Records, and believe me – this power trio know how to play damned rocking doom metal!

Serpent’s guitarist Adam Lundqvist knows how to create impressive riffs and solos, Joakim Olsson is precise and hard-handling with his drums, and Mattias Ottosson is an excellent vocalist with an expressive manner of singing that is ideal for this kind of music (besides that, he knows how to treat with the bass). Do you want a portion of murderously effective doom rock? Follow me, because Joakim is ready to spread the word of Serpent. Continue reading »