SEEN AND HEARD: MIASMAL, COBALT, BLUT AUS NORD / P.H.O.B.O.S., HIGH SPIRITS, AND SINMARA

Here are five items I found yesterday that I thought were worth sharing. The first and last items will tear you a new one. In between those you’ll find some tantalizing news and a song that’s an exception to our “rule” but will rock you all night long.

MIASMAL

Miasmal are a Gothenburg death metal band who share members with Agrimonia and Martyrdöd and whose self-titled debut album came out in 2011. Their second album, Cursed Redeemer, is scheduled for a May 13 U.S. release by Century Media (April 28 in the EU). Last month we featured a song from the album named “Until the Last”. Yesterday Noisey/Vice premiered a second track, “Call of the Revenant”. In a word, it’s stupendous (and, as noted, it will tear you a new one).

Seriously, there’s something about this song. On the one hand, it sounds utterly familiar — voracious vocal howling, heavy-drilling down-tuned riff grisliness, death/crust grinding and crawling, punk-inflected Swedeath rhythms. On the other hand, it not only captures this old-school radiance terrifically well, it sounds… vibrant and new. The rapacious, marauding energy is explosive and it begs to be played over and over again.

This is an exclusive premiere, which means I can’t embed the song here, but this is the link where you can and should hear it:

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/miasmal-call-of-the-revenant-stream

Miasmal’s FB page is at this location. Go give ’em a lick. I mean a like.

 

 

COBALT

On March 18 I reported the dismal news that Phil McSorley had left Cobalt, bringing an end to his musical partnership with Erik Wunder and effectively ending the band. McSorley’s statement explaining his decision ended this way: “If Erik continues to create under the name Cobalt I support his decision. He was always a genius anyway.”

Yesterday, thanks to a tip from my comrade Andy Synn, I saw the following new statement on Cobalt’s Facebook page:

“In the end, all one ever experiences is one’s self.

Erik and I have had a rocky last few years due to extreme personal experience. I cant discredit him for his profound personal development, considering that I have been elusive due to my nature as well.

We have spoken and a new Cobalt album will be recorded, and will be massive and overshadow everthing we, and many others, have ever done.”

I have a feeling this will not be a joyous album, but for me and other Cobalt slaves, that’s the word for this news — joyous.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/COBALT/109020659128531

 

 

 

BLUT AUS NORD + P.H.O.B.O.S. = TRIUNITY

Andy Synn also brought this next news item to my attention. It consists of an announcement by Debemur Morti Records that perked me right up: On June 20 (June 24 in North America) the label will be releasing a split by Blut Aus Nord and P.H.O.B.O.S. entitled Triunity. It will come on digipack CD, on 12″ gatefold vinyl, and as a digital download. The track list is as follows:

BLUT AUS NORD

1. De Librio Arbitrio
2. Hùbris
3. Némeïnn

P.H.O.B.O.S.

4. Glowing Phosphoros
5. Transfixed At Golgotha
6. Ahrimanic Impulse Victory

I found the cover art fascinating. It’s one of two paintings created for the release by Polish artist Katarzyna Urbanek (https://www.facebook.com/lunarisart). I’m really anxious to hear this music. More info is available here:

http://www.debemur-morti.com/en/content/266-blut-aus-nord-phobos-triunity

While I’m on this subject, I’ll mention that recently, Vindsval also posted this list of work in progress on the BAN Facebook page:

BLUT AUS NORD : Memoria Vetusta “Saturnian Poetry”
(with BaN’s new drummer – Thorns)

EKSTASIS : Split w/KRALLICE

THE EYE : New album

Yes, good.

 

 

 

HIGH SPIRITS

Chris Black is back, not in his Dawnbringer or Superchrist trappings at the moment, but instead busting out the High Spirits.

Yes, a new High Spirits album is on the horizon, coming our way on May 14 via Hells Headbangers, whose “stable” of artists normally resembles a school of piranhas being treated to a fresh cow carcass. High Spirits may not gnaw your limbs, but the song that debuted yesterday from You Are Here will sure get them moving.

There’s a rough and raw quality in the rhythm guitar, undeniable hooks in the piercing leads and soloing, and a been-around the block quality in the vocals. I don’t know what bullshit passes for rock ‘n’ roll on the radio these days, but they can keep it. I’ll take this: “Reminding You of Me”.

The album is up for pre-order on Bandcamp, where you can check out another track.

http://highspiritsmetal.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-here
https://www.facebook.com/highenergyrock
https://www.facebook.com/hellsheadbangers

(via the AV Club)

 

 

 

 

SINMARA

What you are looking at above is another work by the very talented New Zealand artist Alexander L Brown, one of three large illustrations and sixteen minor pieces he created for Aphotic Womb, the debut album by an Icelandic band named Sinmara. (formerly known as Chao). The album will be released by Terratur Possessions in May.

Having been attracted by the cover art, I explored a bit further and learned that Sinmara includes members of Wormlust, Svartidauði, and Rebirth of Nefast, and that one of the new songs — “Verminous” — is available on SoundCloud.

The track’s title on SoundCloud says “edited”, but the track length is the same as what I saw on the album’s track list, and it sounds like a complete song — and it’s very good. The squalling dissonance of the riffs, the extremely creative drum rhythms, the extraterrestrial atmosphere of the melody, the sheer vehemence of the acid-spray vocals — all of that combines to create a song that’s both utterly unnerving and utterly riveting. This album just vaulted up high on the radar screen.

In other news, Sinmara will play its first concert outside Iceland at the Beyond the Gates Festival in Bergen, Norway, on August 29. Here’s the music:

www.facebook.com/sinmaraofficial