OVERFLOWING STREAMS (PART 1): AKVAN, OF WOLVES, MR. BUNGLE, NUG, CORPUS CHRISTII, DARKMOON WARRIOR

 

I’m way behind in putting together compilations of new music and videos that I want to recommend. Yesterday, after hours of listening, I assembled more than two dozen of them that I discovered just over the last week. I had the fantasy of presenting all of them in alphabetical order in this Overflowing Streams format (short on words and visual art but long on music).

This morning I realized that would be a herculean task, and I’m no Hercules. So I abandoned the alphabetical idea and have arranged the collection with different ideas in mind and divided the post into Parts — because I’m not sure how far I’ll get. There should be at least one or two more installments today.

By the way, I decided to do this instead of the usual SHADES OF BLACK post today, though I’ve made sure to include new black metal in the collection, beginning with…

AKVAN (Iran)

The Persian tar (a type of four-stringed lute) is the star of this first song, along with the mesmerizing, melancholy melody that it voices. It provides the beating heart of the song even after the music rises into a tumultuous storm of thundering drums, scathing riffs, and scorching vocals. Fascinating, fierce, otherworldly, and glorious, the song is a tremendous thrill to hear.

“آپرانیک / Apranik” is a single released by this Iranian one-person band on June 5th. It is dedicated to the women of Iran and named for a woman who commanded the army of Yazdegerd III against the Arab Islaamic invasion of 651 AD.

BANDCAMP:
https://akvan.bandcamp.com/

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Akvan/279679398867753

 

 

 

 

 

OF WOLVES (U.S.)

I decided to insert a small block of songs in the middle of this post that seem tailor-made for what’s happening throughout the U.S. (and across the world), beginning with a song and video from Chicago’s Of Wolves. You might think that both were created within the last 10 days, but instead it just happens that the times have caught up with the music and the imagery in a powerful way.

Anchored by a highly infectious, Fugazi-inspired riff,  driven by a vibrant bass line and gut-punching drums, and voiced in screams of righteous rage, the song is explosive and ferocious, capable of leaving you feeling black and blue, with a cracked skull, and blood heated to a boil. Feel free to scream along in your head: “They keep on feeding us shit / We keep on eating it“.

“Mens Rea (Izaguf)“, which premiered at Decibel, is the opening track on this band’s new album Balance, which will be released on July 4th by Trepanation Recordings. Of Wolves guitarist/vocalist Steve Sherwood told Decibel this about the video (which is a hell of  thing to see):

“The video is a mixed media montage in the vein of the treatments received in the movie A Clockwork Orange and the concept of brainwashing in general. It was created to resemble flyers we made in the 80s and 90s punk scenes where you cut, tore and pasted different things layered together to create your message. Except this was done using various video clips, art, and photos to give a digital rendering of our current world and state.”

And there’s more info about the song and the album at Decibel.

PRE-ORDER:
https://ofwolves.bandcamp.com

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/OF-WOLVES/8914531284

 

 

 

 

 

 

MR. BUNGLE (U.S.)

Speaking of explosive, ferocious music, here’s the other part of that small block of music I decided to put in the middle of this post for what I think should be obvious reasons.

The song, a cover of The Exploited’s politically-charged anthem, is Mr. Bungle‘s first recorded music since 1999. 100% of the proceeds from the track will go to MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund through July 4th. This version of Mr. Bungle is: Trevor Dunn, Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, Scott Ian, Dave Lombardo. They do the song justice. Feel free to yell along to this one too.

And wouldn’t it be nice if Mr. Bungle don’t stop here, but got to work on a new album?

BANDCAMP:
https://mrbungle.bandcamp.com/

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/ou818/

 

 

 

 

 

NUG (Ukraine)

This next track is a heavy, bone-smashing beast, a rhythmically punishing and physically compulsive piece, but one infiltrated with chiming and slowly slithering guitars that glimmer with supernatural light. The vocal variety works very well too, especially the harrowing intensity of the howls. You had better get your neck muscles loose… actually, all your muscles. But be prepared to become spellbound too.

The song is “Beast / Звір“, and it comes from this Ukraine-based post-metal / progressive metal band’s debut album Alter Ego, set for release on August 14th by Willowtip Records.

PRE-ORDER:
http://bit.ly/alter-willowtip
http://bit.ly/alter-bandcamp

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/nugband

 

 

 

 

 

 

CORPUS CHRISTII / DARKMOON WARRIOR (Portugal / Germany)

To close this first installment of the compilation I’ve picked a new split release by two formidable and long-running black metal bands. Entitled Through centuries of black blood, it was released by Heidens Hart Records on June 3rd (7″ vinyl and digitally).

Corpus Christii‘s track opens with a vocal sample and a head-moving instrumental piece crafted by Puissance, after which it surges in riveting fashion, becoming a conflagration of grand and glorious riffing and marauding percussion. The song blazes and soars; the vocals savagely snarl and wail in extravagantly tormented fashion; the drumming will drop jaws; and the music is so emotionally powerful and penetrating that staying away from it for very long is a huge challenge.

Darkmoon Warrior‘s two comparatively briefer tracks provide a great complement to Corpus Christii‘s opener. “Doomsday Invocation” barely reaches a minute and a half, but it’s long enough to get your blood rushing in a torrent, thanks to an intensely magnetic riff, relentlessly hammering drums, and vocals that come for your throat with fangs bared. “Destroy the Planet” is longer, and it also channels burning rage and unchained violence with irresistible cyclonic power and charismatic allure. Take some big gulps of air before you dive into it.

(Thanks to Milos for linking me to this.)

BANDCAMP:
https://heidenshart.bandcamp.com/album/through-centuries-of-black-blood

CORPUS CHRISTII:
https://www.facebook.com/corpuschristii/

DARKMOON WARRIOR:
https://www.facebook.com/DarkmoonWarrior/