SEEN AND HEARD: EYEHATEGOD, KHONSU, SOCKWEB, METSATÖLL

So many excellent new songs have begun streaming in recent days that I’ve shoehorned two of these round-ups into our schedule today, and I’m still not covering everything I want you to hear. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you’re bored with the state of metal in 2014, you’re not really listening.

EYEHATEGOD

Fourteen years after Confederacy of Ruined Lives, New Orleans’ Eyehategod will finally be releasing a new, self-titled full-length album on May 27 in North America (May 26 in Europe) in North America via Housecore Records. It was mixed by the ubiquitous Sanford Parker and includes some of the final recordings from late Eyehategod drummer Joey LaCaze.

Today the band premiered a squalling track from the album entitled “Agitation! Propaganda!” which can be streamed below. It will get your blood pumping with a meaty punked-out fist in the face and then kick you tumbling down into a sludgy pit of tar. 

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialEyeHateGod

 

 

 

KHONSU

Khonsu is the Norwegian band started by multi-instrumentalist S. Grønbech. As previously reported, Khonsu will be releasing a new full-length album this fall, but before then a new EP entitled Traveller will be released for download on March 22. Starting on March 1, Khonsu has been releasing songs from the EP for streaming, one on each Saturday leading to the release date. We previously featured a video for a new track named “Visions of Nehaya” — which you really ought to see and hear if you haven’t — and this past weekend we got “Traveller” and “Ix”.

These two tracks first appeared on the Reclaim EP by Keep of Kalessin in 2003. S. Grønbech composed “Traveller” (an intro piece of music), while “Ix” was composed by him and his brother Arnt “Obsidian C.”  Grønbech. Obsidian C. provides the acetylene guitar solo on the new version of “Ix” that you’re about to hear.

Khonsu has provided two song streams, one that combines “Traveller” and “Ix” and one that omits the intro. I’m including the combined version below. The introduction unfolds like the flowering of a cosmic nebula, which then explodes in the pneumatic blasting, shimmering synths, and feral howls and massed proclamations of “Ix”. Utterly galvanizing stuff.

https://www.facebook.com/soundsofkhonsu
http://www.youtube.com/user/SoundsofKhonsu

 

 

 

SOCKWEB

As you know if you’ve been hanging around this site since the fall, Sockweb is an unusual grind duo consisting of father Adam Young and his now-eight-year-old daughter Joanie. Their debut album Werewolf is now due for release by Monolithic Records on March 25, and today brought us the premiere of an official video for a new song named “Spoon”.

As before, Joanie wrote the lyrics and supplied the utterly hair-raising vocals, with her dad doing most of the instrumental work. Usually, he also contributes additional vox in his alter ego as “Wolfie”, but on this track Wolfie’s vocals are provided by Flux Conspiracy’s Joe Torchia, and the song also includes a guest solo by Goodthink’s Jonathan Chun. (Other guest spots on the album include Agoraphobic Nosebleed frontwoman Kat Katz and Auric/Spiralmountain guirarist Erik Ebsen, who contributed to the previously released title track “Werewolf” — here — and the whole thing was mastered by Pig Destroyer’s Scott Hull.)

This project may have initially drawn attention based on the novelty of the act, but we’re well past that now. “Spoon” is a legitimately ass-blasting, head-ripping piece of assault and battery.

Album pre-orders are now live at Monolithic Records’ Bandcamp here.

https://www.facebook.com/Sockweb

 

 

 

METSATÖLL

Estonia’s Metsatöll (ancient Estonian for “wolf”) have a new album named Karjajuht scheduled for North American release on May 27 via Spinefarm Records. It’s available for pre-order on Amazon. I played the first advance track from the album for you here, and today Bloody Disgusting debuted a video for another song, “Külmking”.

Now, you should know that if the video got its first splash at Bloody Disgusting, it will probably include gore, and so it does. Also, nekkid women being run to ground and carved up (the wild creatures having their way with the domesticated ones). Also, Metsatöll up on a raised platform surrounded by big balls of fire hammering out a racing romp of folk metal fun. Watch and listen:

https://www.facebook.com/Metsatoll

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