SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY (15 BANDS, 16 SONGS)

(written by Islander)

Yesterday morning my fellow NCS slave DGR sent me the names of 11 bands whose new songs he thought would make good fodder for this Saturday roundup. That was on top of more than a dozen new songs and videos I had on my own list. What to do?

Putting two dozen new tracks into this roundup seemed excessive, if not for you then certainly for me. That’s just way too much work. I thought about just embedding all the streams, without any further info or my own priceless commentary. I even thought about asking someone who’s on Spotify (which I am not) to make a playlist of all the songs and sticking that in here, which would have been an even lazier strategem.

I figured out a solution. It’s not a great solution, just a compromise, and like all compromises it leaves the contending parties unhappy (the contending parties here being two argumentative parts of my brain).

The songs below are alphabetized by the name of the band that made them — another lazy strategem, but one that has resulted in some amusing and interesting contrasts and complements. Nostalgia had something to do with some of these picks (that will be obvious when you come to them). This collection also includes more than a few exceptions to our “rule” about vocals and some curveballs that dive outside our usual strike-zone (sometimes at the same time).

 

BLEEDING THROUGH (U.S.)

This first song and video is the fifth single released by this SoCal metalcore band over the last two years. It’s not subtle — a bludgeoner and a rager — but with some soaring singing in the chorus and some soaring soloing too. The first sign of nostalgia at work in my selections (and in DGR‘s, since I would have missed this but for him).

Song: “Dead But So Alive”
Album: (not yet announced)
Label: SharpTone Records
Release Date: Sept 17

https://bfan.link/dead-but-so-alive
https://www.facebook.com/BleedingThrough/

 

BODY COUNT (U.S.)

As DGR wrote me, Body Count covering Pink Floyd with David Gilmour as the guitarist on the cover wasn’t on his bingo card. Not on mine either, but man, what a nice surprise.

Ice-T explained why “Comfortably Numb” stuck with him way back when, even though he wasn’t familiar with Pink Floyd‘s discography. It stuck with me too (and I greedily bought every record that band put out).

Any excuse to listen to David Gilmour on guitar, and Ice-T re-worked the words to make them personal and more presently relevant (and hard-hitting). Very good. You’ll find two videos below, one a visualizer and one a live clip from Body Count‘s show in Glasgow last July.

Song: “Comfortably Numb”
Album: Merciless
Label: (none that I could find)
Release Date: Nov 22

https://bodycountmerch.net/
https://www.facebook.com/bodycountofficial/

 

THE CROWN (Sweden)

This week The Crown gave us further evidence that they decided to get out of their expected comfort zones on their new album. This one, for example, has a dark post-punk vibe to my ears, and is heavy and hooky on the ringing melodies, and there’s some singing at the end — but it’s a good neck-wrecker too.

Song: “Gone to Hell”
Album: Crown of Thorns
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: Oct 11

https://www.metalblade.com/thecrown/
https://www.facebook.com/thecrownofficial

 

DÅÅTH (U.S.)

Some of you will remember this song from when it first came out in 2007 on ‘s debut album, The Hinderers. I sure as hell do. Well, the band’s current lineup re-arranged and re-recorded it, with a lower guitar tuning, and Sean Z gets to do the vocals.

This was a helluva good song when first released, and I think this updated version is even better.

Song: “Subterfuge”
Album: (it’s just a single)
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: Sept 19

https://daathofficial.bandcamp.com/track/subterfuge-2024-2
http://facebook.com/daath

 

DARK SKY (Germany)

Eons ago I used to dance to Dead or Alive‘s original recording of this next song (don’t judge me). Metal bands of various stripes have covered it, and the latest to do so is the long-running German heavy metal band Dark Sky.

Frank Breuninger has an impressive voice (yes, this is an exception to our “rule”, though he brings some grit to the words too), and his bandmates give the song some solid punch and nice soloing too. I still find the song ridiculously catchy.

Song: “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)”
Album: (this is just a single)
Label: Metalapolis Records
Release Date: July 12

https://www.darkskyband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100021212336060

 

DEVIN TOWNSEND (Canada)

DT is embarking on a new trilogy of albums, with PowerNerd being the first, and he leads the way toward it with a dark and furious anthem that shows off his extraordinary voice in many of its changing manifestations. Fantastic lyrics too, as you’ll see. The man is a gem.

Song: “Jainism”
Album: PowerNerd
Label: InsideOut Music
Release Date: Oct 25

https://devin-townsend.lnk.to/PowerNerd
https://www.facebook.com/dvntownsend/

 

IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT (U.S.)

Imperial Triumphant‘s videos are always worth seeing, and this next one is no exception. As for the song, prepare for a head-spinning sonic cataclysm, though of course with some eccentric accents and hallucinatory diversions along the way toward total ruin.

Song: “Eye of Mars”
Album: (this is a stand-alone single)
Label: (none for this)
Release Date: Sept 19

https://imperialtriumphant.lnk.to/EyeOfMars-SingleID
https://www.facebook.com/imperialtriumphant

 

KANONENFIEBER (Germany)

This next song was the last single and video to be discharged from Kanonenfieber‘s new album Die Urkatastrophe before its release yesterday. Andy has already reviewed the album for us. He called the song as “electrifying blackened barrage” (it includes a guest appearance from Heaven Shall Burn guitarist Maik Weichert). The video (directed by Dariusz Szermanowicz) leaves no doubt that this is an anti-war album, and a very powerful one.

Song: “Waffenbrüder”
Album: Die Urkatastrophe
Label: Century Media
Release Date: Sept 20

https://kanonenfieber.lnk.to/DieUrkatastrophe
https://www.facebook.com/Kanonenfieber/

 

LEVER OF ARCHIMEDES (U.S.)

Erstwhile NCS writer Austin Weber reviewed this DC band’s debut EP for us way back in 2015. They released a single in 2018, but otherwise haven’t been heard from until the week before last, when they released another single. I’m not sure how DGR found out about it, but he did.

The song proves that Lever of Archimedes haven’t forgotten how to mount startling assaults of brute-force barbarity and freaked-out, mind-boggling complexity — bombastically capped with symphonic strings and rippling piano keys. Take deep breaths before you hit play….

Song: “Copacetic Dream”
Album: (not announced yet)
Label: (none)
Release Date: Sept 13

https://leverofarchimedes.bandcamp.com/track/copacetic-dream
https://www.facebook.com/LeverOfArchimedes/

 

PANZERFAUST (Canada)

In late November Panzerfaust will wrap up their Suns of Perdition quadrilogy with an album titled To Shadow Zion.

Its first single, below, is a turbulent and terrorizing war charge, with frenetically dancing orchestral strings and chime-like ringing accenting the blazing and battering violence and desperation in the music and the monstrosity of the vocals. It’s another song in today’s collection where deep breaths would be a good idea before playing. Among other things, the drumming is especially jaw-dropping.

Song: “When Even The Ground is Hostile”
Album: The Suns of Perdition: Chapter IV – To Shadow Zion
Label: Eisenwald
Release Date: Nov 22

https://panzerfaust.bandcamp.com/album/the-suns-of-perdition-chapter-iv-to-shadow-zion
http://www.facebook.com/panzerfaust.bm.official

 

PLOUGHSHARE (Australia)

Decibel hosted the premiere of this next one two days ago, calling it “nine minutes of avant black/death metal depravity” and “a discordant, complex and vicious-sounding blaster”. ‘Nuff said.

Song: “The Fall of All Creatures”
Album: Second Wound
Label: I, Voidhanger Records; Brilliant Emperor
Release Date: Nov 8

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/second-wound
https://brilliantemperor.bandcamp.com/album/second-wound
https://www.facebook.com/INDOMITABLEPLOUGHSHARE/

 

SWALLOW THE SUN (Finland)

I did say that alphabetizing the selections in today’s roundup would lead to some interesting contrasts, and Swallow the Sun‘s “MelancHoly” definitely contrasts with the insanity that fueled the immediately preceding item.

There are contrasts in the song, too, both musically and vocally, as you’ll discover. But with this band, that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Song: “MelancHoly”
Album: Shining
Label: Century Media
Release Date: Oct 18

https://swallowthesun.lnk.to/Shining
https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun

 

SYBREED (Switzerland)

DÅÅTH isn’t the only band in today’s roundup that decided to unearth an old song. Sybreed‘s “System Debaser” is even older than the one DÅÅTH re-did. It was originally written in 2003 during the production of the Slave Design album, but didn’t make the cut. Now it will be included on a re-mastered reissue of that album, along with a re-recorded version of “Bioactive“.

Metal Injection hosted the premiere two days ago, packaged with a trippy lyric video.

Definitely a throwback to another time, built with industrial-strength grooves and futuristic electronics (and more singing, of course, to go along with the screaming), but it’s far from stale.

Song: “System Debaser”
Album: Slave Design (reissue)
Label: (this is self-released)
Release Date: Oct 4

https://sybreed.net/store
https://www.facebook.com/sybreed

 

ULVER (Norway)

Here’s another curveball, a surprise two-song EP named Locusts. Ulver made this statement about it:

“Last month, right before Tore‘s passing, we finished two pieces which you can hear now, on digital platforms, for our yet unnamed new album. We have to carry on howling, as said, no matter how wrong it feels. Our church is music. We will conclude with two more pieces and a pre-order for the physical release (LP/CD) via House of Mythology sometime this fall. Everything falls. Count your blessings. Ulver xx”

The passing they mention was the death of the band’s dear friend and bandmate Tore Ylvisaker on his 54th birthday, August 16, 2024. It’s hard not to think about that in listening to these two songs, which have wistful and melancholy aspects as well as pulse-ticking ones.

EP: Locusts
Label: (self-released)
Release Date: Sept 20

https://ulver.bandcamp.com/album/locusts
https://www.facebook.com/ulverofficial/

 

WORM SHEPHERD (U.S.)

The slow, mournful strings and angelic choral voices that open the final song in today’s jumbo collection provide a decent segue from those Ulver songs, but where they’re leading is something you might guess from the name of the song.

Where they lead is onto pavement being fractured by humongous pile-driver blows and then obliterated by the blasting of automatic weaponry, and of course incinerated by searing cascades that fly across the heavens above and by the burning fury that fuels the gargantuan growls and maddened screams. It’s an experience both thuggish and cinematic, both black-hearted and anguished.

Song: “He Who Breathes Fire”
Album: Hunger
Label: Unique Leader
Release Date: Nov 15

https://orcd.co/wormshepherdhunger
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hunger
https://www.facebook.com/WormShepherdBand/