SEEN AND HEARD: VIALS OF WRATH, LETHAL CREATION, ABYSSAL ASCENDANT

 

On days like today, when we have unexpectedly flooded our site with posts, I worry that we may be overloading our readers with new music — even though we’re actually not writing about everything we’d like to write about. Chalk it up to a genuine enthusiasm for what we’re hearing. With that said, here’s some more new music!

The first item in this collection is introduced by occasional NCS contributor Grant Skelton… and for the second time today we’re featuring wonderful cover art by Sam Nelson (Stigma).

VIALS OF WRATH

Special thanks to DC Mills for sending me this song — Grant Skelton.

Back in January, I mentioned (here) that Vials of Wrath’s upcoming album Days Without Names was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. At that time, the band teased less than 1 minute of a song called “Burning Autumn Leaves (Under A Harvest Moon).” Today, I am happy to report that VoW have released a new song from Days Without Names.

The song is titled, “A Cleansing Prayer,” and you can stream an unmastered demo version of it below. Days Without Names will be available late summer/early fall.

“A Cleansing Prayer” features R. Michael Cook, of A Hill To Die Upon, on drums. The solitude and isolation of nature emerge in the song’s movements. While these themes in and of themselves are not new to this particular genre, Vials’ mastermind Dempsey “DC” Mills has a different metaphysical outlook than is usually seen in nature-inspired metal. Whereas many bands focus on the deity of nature itself, Vials of Wrath shift the perspective to a Creator separate and distinct from a creation, one whose handiwork is reflected in the aesthetics of the wilderness and the beauty therein.

Stream “A Cleansing Prayer” on Soundcloud:

 

 

Vials of Wrath on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/VialsOfWrath

 

 

 

 

LETHAL CREATION

This next item isn’t new, though it’s new to me. It came our way via a recent message from the band — Mexico’s Lethal Creation. It’s a music video that appeared last August for a song called “Oídos Sordos” off the band’s forthcoming debut album, Tierras Muertas.

A pedal button gets the click, a rapid-fire riff launches, and then this song absolutely detonates. It’s such a physically convulsive start that I was riveted for the rest of it — and it’s electrifying all the way through. The drummer is nuts, the vocalist is a raging wild man, and the rest of the band hammer those grooves like nail-gunners, while spinning a cosmic melody over the top of all the jackhammering demolition work.

Oh yeah, it has bass drops. I do love me some bass drops.

The video was directed by Arak Bernal, and it does a great job (as do the band members) of capturing the explosive energy of this song. And it turns out that Sr. Bernal also made a video for another Lethal Creation song from the new album — “Cultivo de Ira” — that debuted in March. That song also kicks ass, and I’m including it below as well (this time, the film is based on a live performance).

The band’s album is expected within the next two weeks.

https://www.facebook.com/LethalCreation
https://www.facebook.com/ReconstructRecords

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABYSSAL ASCENDENT

To wrap up this little round-up, we have a song named “I, Progeny of the Lurker” by Abyssal Ascendant. It will appear on their debut album Chronicles of the Doomed Worlds – Part. I: Enlightenment from Beyond, which is scheduled for release on June 29 by Dolorem Records. The cover art — which first attracted me to the song, and which I think is very cool — was created by Italian artist Daniele Lupidi.

Abyssal Ascendant’s death metal is inspired by the Cthulhu mythos. Some bands who claim a similar Lovecraftian muse create music that’s turgid and murky, but Abyssal Ascendant fly like turbocharged bats, lacing the music with speedy riffs, writhing, creepy melodies and an abundance of machine-gun drumming. The vocals, as you might expect, are convincingly ravenous.

The new album is available for pre-order on Bandcamp (linked below), and that Bandcamp page includes not only “I, Progeny of the Lurker” but also a second song called “The Nameless Shape”, which is also definitely worth hearing. I’m embedding the Bandcamp stream for both songs below.

https://doloremrecords.bandcamp.com/album/chronicles-of-the-doomed-worlds-part-i-enlightenment-from-beyond-album
https://www.facebook.com/abyssal.ascendant.band
http://www.doloremrecords.com