If we let a day go by without posting something, will anyone worry that a catastrophe has befallen us? Some technological breakdown or illness or death in the ranks of those of us who toil here at NCS? Oh, probably not. Maybe just mild disappointment would befall some regular visitors, rather than severe anxiety or anguish. Maybe others would welcome a break from the daily torrent of new sounds.
But life is disconcerting enough these days without the experience of even mild additional disappointment. And so… here are a few new songs and videos, just a few.
MESHUGGAH (Sweden)
It’s hard not to mention the appearance of a new Meshuggah song and video even though everyone likely to visit our site already knows about it, especially because the video is so intriguing (and frightenig). The song’s stuttering and shivering grooves are relentless, and very catchy, and it succeeds in creating a spacey, futuristic atmosphere in keeping with Meshuggah‘s history of providing what seem line soundtracks to the rise of hideous machine intelligence.
“The Abysmal Eye” comes from the album Immutable, which will be out on April 1st.
https://meshuggah.afr.link/immutable
https://www.facebook.com/meshuggah
FORNDOM (Sweden)
One well-made and intriguing video deserves another, and so I’m following Meshuggah‘s new offering with one that accompanies Forndom‘s new single “Och med vinden ack de gunga“.
The narrative and the music contrast sharply with what Meshuggah brought us. The stringed melodies (performed with an instrument that looks at a glance like a talharpa) are beautifully sad, and Ludvig Swärd‘s voice, and that of whoever accompanies him near the end, are haunting. Where Meshuggah looks to a harrowing future, Fordom‘s hypnotic song looks to a mythical past. The lyrics (in translation) end this way:
Here the blood always flows
and dead men adorn the trees,
dangling in the wind,
when to the Æsir they all sing:
Hail Odin!
Hail Thor!
Hail Frey!
https://orcd.co/och-med-vinden-ack-de-gunga
https://www.facebook.com/Forndom
BLOODRED (Germany)
In the last round-up of new songs and videos I compiled a few days ago Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was on my mind, and I chose songs whose titles seemed fitting for what was happening. A commenter (Ron Merz, the man behind Bloodred) suggested that Bloodred‘s new song “Neon Gods” would have fit the theme as well — and yes, it definitely would have.
The animated lyric video addresses the impact of high-tech propaganda machines used by death cults as a means of subjugation, assisting in the enforcement of submission and the spawning of violence. Sound familiar?
The song is excellent, as well as timely and relevant, from the harsh, impassioned vocals to the pulse-pounding rhythms and the piercing, swirling guitars, which seem to channel despair, defiance, and grief in equal measure.
The song comes from Bloodred‘s new album Ad Astra, out on April 22nd via Massacre Records.
https://lnk.to/adastra
https://www.facebook.com/Bloodredofficial
SUFFER IN SILENCE (Italy)
Now that I’m back in the mindset of dwelling upon the tragedy that’s befalling Ukraine, that influenced my choice of this last song today. Its name is “War For War“.
In part a grim and jolting march, in part a frenzy of madness and pain, the song is packed with emotionally powerful and memorable riffs and solos, coupled with scalding, savage vocals. The mid-section is devoted to a sublime acoustic guitar harmony that draws out both the folk influences and the grief in the music — just before the song soars to new heights of harrowing grandeur and fiery chaos, and ends with the tinkling of a child’s instrument.
It comes from the fourth Suffer In Silence album, Obscurity, which will be released on March 18th by Via Nocturna.
https://bit.ly/obscurity-cd
https://bit.ly/obscurity-digital
https://www.facebook.com/sufferinsilenceofficial