SEEN AND HEARD: MORS PRINCIPIUM EST, NECROWRETCH, EXIVIOUS, AND BODY COUNT

Metal does not honor your putrid rules.

Okay, I’m not talking about YOUR rules, especially if they include visiting this site like your life depends on it. I’m talking about the rules of all those other people, like the rule that says Mondays must suck. Because metal hath brought these gems to your Monday.

MORS PRINCIPIUM EST

I think this is my fourth post about the new album from Finland’s Mors Principium Est (pictured above) since I found out about it in July. Entitled …And Death Said Live, it has already been released in Japan, it’s due for release in Europe and Australia on December 14, and North Americans will be able to get it on January 15.

As you can tell, this is an album I’ve been eagerly anticipating. Over the weekend I discovered that it’s now streaming in full at the Finnish Inferno web site. At that same location, you will find a track-by-track commentary by the band’s vocalist Ville Viljanen, and that of course will give you English-only speakers the always-hilarious opportunity to let Google Translate work its magic on the Finnish language.

My personal favorite translation is this one for Ville’s comment about the song “Ascension”: “Says Andhen guy. That’s all I know the song. Probably the disc brutal song, album, or rather a pussy.”

A close second is the translation for what Ville says about “Departure”: “The album’s latest song. Just for a fictional story of the past wrong sex adventure.”

For the record, I just want to say that there is nothing pussy about this album, though listening to it is sort of like a sex adventure. We will have more to say about the music in a review. For now, go get your ears sexed up by the album stream at THIS LOCATION. Info about pre-ordering the album can be found at the band’s Facebook page or their official site.

NECROWRETCH

The debut album by the French band NecroWretch is another one I’ve been anticipating like a sex adventure. Its name is Putrid Death Sorcery, and over the weekend I saw that Century Media has set January 28 as its release date in Europe and February 5 as the release date for North America.

Also over the weekend, as you can see above, Century Media unveiled the stunning cover art for the album, created by Montenegran artist artist Milovan Novakovic.

Based on this band’s band’s last EP, Now You’re In Hell (reviewed here), I have very high hopes for this album.

EXIVIOUS

Exivious are a Dutch instrumental band whose line-up includes two former members of Cynic (guitarist Tymon Kruidenier and bass-player Robin Zielhorst), Dodecahedron guitarist and composer Michel Nienhuis, and drummer Yuma Van Eekelen (The New Dominion, ex-Pestilence). Their last release (with a somewhat different line-up) was a self-titled debut album that came out in 2009, to considerable critical acclaim.

The band are now recording a new album (Liminal), and they’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for completion of recording and other costs related to its release. As you’ll hear in the video, it’s possible the band will be able to sign a label deal before the recording is finished, in which case any leftover funds raised through the campaign will be used for touring and merch.

As you’ll see on the Exivious crowdfunding page, the requested funding is not a gift — it’s essentially a way of pre-ordering the album and related merch, though the album may not be ready for release until summer 2013.

Exivious have made a video explaining the crowdfunding campaign, and it includes snippets of music, which are the main reason I’m saying anything about this — because the music sounds great. Check it out:
 

 

BODY COUNT

Man, I SURE as fuck didn’t see this coming.  This morning I read (here) that Body Count have signed with Sumerian Records and will be working on a new album for release in 2013.

I thought Body Count were dead and gone. I mean, literally: three of the band’s original members are dead. Ice-T is still kickin’, of course, playing a cop on TV instead of singing about killing them.

I’m not sure how I feel about this band recording new music. Their 1992 debut album blew my mind — it really accomplished something that was new and different. What would they offer now? And could they really get anywhere close to the level of danger and genre-crossing creativity that debut album brought when their front man is now a wealthy middle-aged celeb who plays a cop on TV and has a missus who looks like this?

And Sumerian?!?

I don’t know. But of course I’m really curious and really interested, or I wouldn’t be writing about this. And it gives me an excuse to play these: