AN NCS PREMIERE: NECROPANTHER — “THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD”

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Nov 022026
 

(written by Islander)

Let’s pause for a moment to admire the artwork created by Max Sherman for Necropanther’s new album The Book of Change.

More than a moment, actually, because it takes a more careful inspection to comprehend the detailed rendering of spiky crab-like legs and swirling tentacles, of pointed teeth and skull-like growths, of multiple eyes and sprawling coral-like creepiness. The colors are wonderful as well, including the shade of green that backstops all the alien weirdness in the forefront.

If you’re new to the musical works of Necropanther, you might wonder what the connection is (or if there is any connection) between that artwork and this Denver band’s music. Is it intended to signal something about what you’ll hear? Is it rooted in some way to the songs’ lyrical themes?

We’ll venture answers to those questions, and we’ll share comments from the band that shed further light on what they’ve gotten up to on this new album, but our main focus today is on the song we’re premiering today, whose title does seem to tie in very well to what’s on the album cover: “The Thing From Another World“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: VÉR — “A FÉREG PUSZTULÁSA”

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Nov 022026
 

(written by Islander)

Vér is the name of a quintet from Budapest, Hungary who made their public debut with a demo in September 2024. It grabbed the attention of Me Saco Un Ojo Records, which released the demo on tape early the next year. And now that same label is about one month away from releasing Vér’s debut album, A Féreg Pusztulása.

Not having heard that demo, our first impression of Vér’s music, as captured on the album, was formed by the press materials we received — such as this:

Rare in the death metal realm does a record maintain resolutely old-school influences – the squirming horror of early Cemetary, the alternating gallop & tank-tread of equally early Grave, the angular beatdown of mid-’90s Immolation, the swarming miasma of early ’90s Absu – whilst emitting an essence that it is refreshing and (re)invigorating. Such is the case with A Féreg Pusztulása.

Those same press materials also made reference to the band’s “labyrinthine mindset” in their approach to songwriting, and that rings true repeatedly over the course of the album, and definitely in the case of the album’s title song, which we’re now premiering. Continue reading »

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 »

THE SYNN REPORT (PART 200): IAPETUS

 THE SYNN REPORT  No Responses »
Nov 012026
 

Recommended for fans of: Ne Obliviscaris, Nightrage, Wintersun

Wow, 200 editions of THE SYNN REPORT… how time does fly.

Of course, strictly speaking there’s actually a few extra ones knocking about, but those were all “special editions” and don’t count towards the official total (plus 200 is a nice round number, so let’s stick with that).

For such a momentous milestone it’s only fitting to choose an equally momentous band, one whose work has impressed us with each and every release – up to and including their new album, The Mother Void, which came out last month – in the form of cosmic Melodeath maestros Iapetus, aka Jordan Navarro and Matthew Cerami.

Continue reading »

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

 Album Reviews, Premieres  2 Responses »
Oct 312026
 

(written by Islander)

We started paying attention to Haintgrove in June when this Texas-based solo black metal project released its first single, “Starless Passage“. That led us to host premieres for two more singles, “I Dream in a Tongue I Cannot Speak” in August and “Kingdoms in the Thicket” in September. And now we’re premiering the entirety of Haintgrove’s self-titled debut album, which includes those three songs and five more, on the day of its release.

Haintgrove’s inspirations and lyrical themes have been as much a part of its appeal as the music. Haintgrove has expressed the short version of that in these words: “Rooted in the history and lingering memory of enslaved Africans in the colonial South Carolina Lowcountry, this album exists to honor those who came before us, and to remember what was carried, what was taken, and what continues forward.”

Creating a further connection to the album’s historical settings and lineage, Haintgrove has created some videos which feature his film and photography of the Lowcountry, and we’ll include them as we work through the music track by track. But at the end we have an album-length stream that pulls all the songs together.

This is an extremely rare weekend premiere at our site — and on a Halloween no less! — but we hope and believe you’ll understand after hearing the album why we made this exception. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ARONIOUS — “ANTEDILUVIAN”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Oct 302026
 

(written by Islander)

Six years have passed since Halloween last occurred on a Saturday, and 11 more years will pass before it happens again, but it is indeed happening tomorrow, and on the verge of that most metal of holidays today has been a big day for new offerings of the devil’s music. We have one more offering for you before this weekday ends, a new song off a new album by Wisconsin’s Aronious in advance of the album’s release by The Artisan Era on November 13th.

The name of the album is The Ever Living Ones, and it follows two previous albums on the same label, Perspicacity (2020) and Irkalla (2022). This new one, which is 11 songs long, is yet another series of steps in the band’s increasingly fascinating musical evolution. The one we have for you today is “Antediluvian” — but before we get to it, you should really listen (or re-listen) to the album’s first single, “Dawn of Diathan“. Continue reading »

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

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 302026
 

(written by Islander)

Today we help introduce the world to Comploratio, or at least the miniscule fraction of the global populus who find catharsis or solace in abject funeral doom.

Comploratio is a different kind of venture for its sole creator Jon Rosenthal, whose extensive musical resume includes such bands as Bergtagen (mentioned first because they released a terrific new EP earlier this year), Starless Domain, Stellar Descent, and Boreal. Hints of doom can be found in the music of some of those other bands, and in JR’s forays into dungeon synth, but sinking completely into funeral is a big new step.

That first step (or rather three of them) is captured in Comploratio’s self-titled debut album, which will be released on Halloween (tomorrow!). Earlier this month Decibel premiered the first of the three songs on Comploratio, and today we’re bringing you all three songs in their entirety. Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: REVEL IN FLESH

 Interviews  No Responses »
Oct 302026
 

(A revised Revel In Flesh released a new album in September via War Anthem Records, and that exciting development motivated Zoltar to reach out for the following interview with Ralf Hauber.)

It may have happened behind closed doors, away from the public’s eye but effectively: after five great old-school death metal albums released over the course of seven years and bathed in pure Swedish filth, Revel In Flesh imploded, leaving on one side their founding Ralf Hauber and on the other, the rest of the band. Instead of calling it a quit, Hauber sought shelter in the darkness, focusing on his other bands Heads For the Dead and Rotpit while plotting his return to the forefront. 

Released last month and now featuring two Swedish members, including his Rotpit and Heads For The Dead comrade Jonny Pettersson of Wombbath, Berzerker Legions and Massacre fame among (many) others, Revel In Flesh’s sixth full-length Flesh For The Kult Of Death isn’t just a true return to form, it’s an actual proof that a death metal band can rise, go on a rampage, then die, only to be resurrected and launch an instant killing spree as a result. You know what they say don’t you? What doesn’t kill you…  Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: ABOVE & BELOW — “VOID_//EXE”

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Oct 292026
 

(written by Islander)

We’re about to take you off of most (but not all) of our well-beaten musical paths through a track that deploys sonic ingredients we don’t often display but which shares a certain evil kinship with some of the more deranged expressions of extreme metal we focus on.

This track, “VOID_//EXE“, is the work of Above & Below, which is the Industrial solo project of Ohio-based Bryce Seditz, who’s better known to our visitors for his roles in Plaguewielder and Horse Drawn, and we’re presenting it through a visualizer video that’s the work of Mourning Shroud (another one of Bryce’s endeavors). Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: EYES OF AGONY — “EYES OF AGONY”

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Oct 292026
 

(written by Islander)

It’s highly likely that scrolling metal lovers will freeze in place when they see the painting up above. It’s a ghastly and frightening vision, and one that suits the name of the band whose debut album it adorns: Eyes of Agony.

Yes, When They Return is a debut album, but it was created by experienced hands. Eyes of Agony was established by Danny Cinicolo, founder of such old-school Italian death metal bands as Excidium and Maleficarum, whose histories stretch back to the ‘90s and even into the mid ‘80s. After sharing some of his new songs via YouTube and receiving enthusiastic responses, he enlisted his old friend and bandmate in Maleficarum, Andrea Zanetti, whose experience has included roles in Iconoclast, Schizo, Monumentum, Sinoath, and the aforementioned Maleficarum.

With Zanetti in place as vocalist, the two of them then recruited drummer Davide Billia (whose credits include Beheaded, Hour of Penance, Antropofagus, Putridity, and Septycal Gorge, among many others), guitarist Massimo Boffa (whose resume includes Mind Control and Halley), and bassist Fabrizio Biondi (Jesus) (who was part of Mechanical God Creation).

Their work together resulted in an album of nine tracks and 36 minutes that will be released in November by Awakening Records, and today we’re premiering one of those — the song that shares the name of the band itself. Continue reading »

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