Collected in this round-up are a few new videos and songs I came across over the last 24 hours that I thought were worth your time. This is the first of a two-part “Seen and Heard”. More recommended new things will appear later today.
STAM1NA
I’m a big fan of Finland’s Stam1na, but despite the fact that I really do enjoy their music, I always finding myself writing about them because of their videos (previous posts collected here). And I write about their videos because they’re so damned funny. And here I am again, writing about yet another Stam1na video — but not for the usual reasons.
This one premiered yesterday (credit to TheMadIsraeli for tipping me to it) and it’s for a song named “Panzerfaust” from their new album SLK (due for release on Feb 7). Man, did I get a surprise. First, the song hits like a blowtorch opened all the way up — a jolting piece of jabbing, hammering, thrashing mayhem with a swirling finger-tapped guitar melody and a stomping martial finish. When choral voices and militaristic chants aren’t being heard, Antti Hyyrynen’s vehement voice is raking like sharpened claws.
The black-and-white video is as well-done as all the other Stam1na filmography I’ve seen, but it’s not humorous, not even a little. (SLK can be pre-ordered here.)
https://www.facebook.com/Stam1naOfficial
NOCTEM
Noctem are from Valencia, Spain. Their 2011 album Oblivion was a favorite of this site (Andy Synn reviewed it here and named it to one of his lists of 2011’s top albums). Like Stam1na, Noctem also now have a new album on the way. The title is Exilium and it’s scheduled for release in North America on March 3; the eye-catching cover art you see above was created by Edmundo Saiz.
About one week ago Noctem began streaming an advance track from the album named “Eidolon”, and I finally caught up with it last night. It explodes with percussive ferocity, bestial roars, and winding riffs. Equal parts thunderous death metal and ripping melodic black metal, the music has an air of monstrous grandeur counterbalanced by a dark, swirling guitar melody — and it includes a brief, surprising acoustic interlude. Absolutely riveting stuff. Bring on that album!
Noctem have also released a worm-ridden teaser video for Exilium, and I’m including that below as well.
www.noctemofficial.com/home/
www.facebook.com/noctemofficial
BLACK MASK
Black Mask must get tired of Groundhog Day questions. You see, they hail from the borough of Punxsutawney, PA, which is ground zero for the event. Perhaps this explains why their mix of hardcore and metal is so unabashedly destructive.
The band came together in the spring of 2012 and their self-titled debut 7″ was released by Get This Right Records, and that was followed by a full-length album. Now they have a new six-song 7″ inch due for release by the same label on February 4 entitled Lost Below.
Recently they began streaming one of the new songs — “Tormented” — and I was drawn to it by the new EP’s cover art (above). “Tormented” rumbles like a massive, corroded tank, screeching and belching smoke, fueled by thick fuzz-heavy riffs and raw, raucous vox. And if you’re not banging your head mercilessly by the end, I’ll be surprised. My one complaint is that the song is too short. Check it out below, and to pre-order Lost Below, go here.
http://getthisrightrecords.bandcamp.com/album/lost-below
https://www.facebook.com/blackmaskpa
xx
10 Responses to “SEEN AND HEARD: STAM1NA, NOCTEM, BLACK MASK”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Nice to see stam1na cited again. The last two albums haven’t really lasted on me, but at least this track got my hopes & expectations up.
Loving that new Noctem song. I feel like I had heard of them in passing on their last album cycle, but this would be my first proper introduction to them.
Stam1na sounds really cool, and the ground-symbol on the upcoming album is enough to trigger the interest of someone into electronics.
Which previous records can be recomanded to a newbie in the landscape of Stam1na?
I enjoyed the previous Noctem records, even if they weren’t extremely original, but Exilium is probably going to take Noctem to a new level. Kinda Behemothy. Looking foreward to it.
The video-teaser for Exilium reminded me a bit of Aenaon’s teaser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2xcsMG-3iM
Makes you kind of hungry, doesn’t it? (By the way, Aenaons new record Extance is a great album that mixes elements from Shining – Halmstad, In Lingua Mortua and Diablo Swing Orchestra with ingrediens from jazz, prog and burlesque. Or something).
Did you say DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA!!!! I will check this out immediately. DSO’s new one (I’ve quite forgotten its name) was one of my favorites of 2012.
Well, a moderate touch of DSO/Mr. Bungle. As long as you like all the other elements. I for sure love it. I had to strugle a bit with this song, thoug, but it’s growing indeed, and it shows the spectrum of madness herein: https://soundcloud.com/aenaon/funeral-blues
Personally, I prefer the earlier production. Check out the albums ‘Uudet kymmenen käskyä’ and ‘Raja’.
Noctem wrote a seriously awesome song!
the Noctem track is so very, very, very awesome
Stam1na track is nice, but it is completely overshadowed by the top-notch material from Noctem. The Black Mask song is a bit too short to draw any conclusions from.
A nice way to start the day.
Adding the new Noctem to my buy list, the band has released two solid full-lengths with the previous albums and I am sure the new one will not disappoint.