Brothers of the Sonic Cloth
I’ve commented before about the enormous flood of stream premieres, new album announcements, label signings, and other metal news that has been unleashed since the beginning of the year. But yesterday may have reached new heights of ridiculousness in terms of the number of noteworthy things I saw in a single day.
In fact, yesterday brought so damned much cool stuff that I’d either have to write a half-dozen posts or do what I’m doing here instead — just funneling streams, links, artwork, and news blurbs your way with a minimum of commentary. The bands are presented in alphabetical order — all 18 of them. In most cases, you can enlarge the cover art and photos by clicking on the images in this post.
BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH
Yesterday DECIBEL premiered a song named “Lava” from the debut album by Seattle doom band Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, which I’ve been very eagerly awaiting. Listen here:
http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/lava-it-or-leave-it-brothers-of-the-sonic-cloths-lava/
DEATHTUNE
The Iranian band Deathtune revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that they have finished recording a full-length album. That is exciting news. If you want to understand why I think that, listen below. Â (thank you Phro for the tip)
Also, Deathtune are looking for a label. So, if you’re a label, Deathtune are looking for you.
FALLUJAH
Nuclear Blast announced that it has signed the San Francisco Bay Area band Fallujah. I’d say congratulations are in order.
GODLESS ANGEL
Stalwart supporter of our site Derek Neibarger announced the happy news yesterday that his Godless Angel solo project (about which we’ve written before) will be releasing its debut album, Harvester of Shadows, on February 27 through the Finnish label Inverse Records. — and that makes Godless Angel the first band from the U.S. on the Inverse label. Very cool news (cool cover art, too).
GRIMOIRE
Yesterday Invisible Oranges premiered a song named “Cahot de Cristal” by the Quebec black metal band Grimoire. It comes from an EP named L’aorasie Des spectres rêveurs, which is set for North American release on January 27. I really like the cover art, and the song. Listen here:
http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2015/01/song-stream-grimoire-cachot-de-cristal/
LEVIATHAN
The cover of the next issue of DECIBEL magazine was revealed yesterday, with Leviathan’s Wrest (Jef Whitehead) and his daughter Grail on the cover. I’ve read that it has caused some controversy (what a shock — controversy among metal fans?!?), though I haven’t bothered to find out the exact reasons. I think it’s a cool photo.
LITURGY
Yesterday Liturgy announced that their new album Ark Work will be released by Thrill Jockey on March 24, and they unveiled the cover art and began streaming an advance track named “Quetzalcoatl”. Few bands are bigger lightning rods within black metal than this one, though this new song definitely isn’t black metal. I’m putting it here mainly as a conversation piece. Try to forget what you know about Liturgy, if you know anything, and then maybe leave a comment about what you think of this, taking it as it is.
LORD DYING
Yesterday Loudwire began streaming the entirety of the new album Poisoned Altars by Portland’s Lord Dying. Listen here:
http://loudwire.com/lord-dying-poisoned-altars-exclusive-album-stream/
MASTODON and CLUTCH
Mastodon and Clutch are co-headlining a North American “Missing Link” tour with support from Graveyard and Big Business. It begins April 16 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and ends on May 24 in Columbus, Ohio. The schedule is below.
*Mastodon Closes The Evening. **Clutch Closes The Evening
Apr 16 *St. Paul, MN Myth
Apr 17 * Winnipeg, MB The Burton Cummings Theatre
Apr 18 *Saskatoon, SK O’Brian’s Events Center
Apr 19 * Edmonton, AB Expo Centre
Apr 21 * Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
Apr 23 * Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Apr 24 **Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Apr 25 *Portland, OR Roseland
Apr 26 *Seattle, WA Showbox SODO
Apr 28 *Oakland, CA Fox Theater
Apr 29 *Los Angeles, CA Palladium
Apr 30 *Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater
May 01 *Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
May 02 *Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
May 03 *Denver, CO Red Rock’s Amphitheatre
May 05 *San Antonio, TX Kapone’s Ballroom
May 06 *Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
May 08 Atlanta, GA Shaky Knees Festival
May 09 *Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre Street Stage
May 10 **Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
May 12 *Clive, IA (Des Moines) 7 Flags
May 13 *Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom Club Stage
May 15 **Bethlehem, PA Sands Event Center
May 16 **Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion
May 17 *Boston, MA House of Blues
May 19 *New York, NY Central Park Summerstage
May 20 *Niagara Falls, NY Rapids Theatre
May 21 *London, ON London Music Hall
May 24 **Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
NEGURA BUNGET
The Romanian folk/black metal band Negura Bunget premiered a new song entitled “Nametenie” yesterday. It’s off the band’s forthcoming album Tău and is being offered as a free download. Go here to listen and get the song:
http://noisey.vice.com/blog/negura-bunget-nametenie
OUTRE
Yesterday the Polish black metal band Outre premiered a song named “Chant 3. – The Fall” from their debut LP Ghost Chants. The album is due for release release in early spring via Third Eye Temple / Godz Ov War Productions / Essential Purification Records. Here’s the song:
ROYAL THUNDER
Yesterday Relapse Records announced that it will be releasing a new album by Atlanta’s Royal Thunder on April 7. The title is Crooked Doors.
SHINING (Sweden)
Season of Mist announced that it will release the ninth album by Sweden’s Shining — IX / Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends — on April 20. Fun quote from Niklas Kvarforth: “For once I am extremely pleased with how the album turned out and I believe that the fevered presence of filth and uncompromising darkness is more prominent than ever before.”
TOME OF THE UNREPLENISHED
The I, Voidhanger label announced that on March 30 it will be releasing the debut album by a Cypress black metal project named Tome of the Unreplenished, whose sole member Hermes was at one time the bass player for Necrosadist. The amazing cover is artwork by Brian Smith, which I posted a while back on the NCS FB page without realizing it would become the cover for this album. Innerstanding is the album’s name. Here’s a musical teaser:
UNEARTH
Unearth premiered a video for their single “The Swarm” via Metal Injection. It’s the first music video from their latest album Watchers of the Rule.
VASSAFOR
Debemur Morti Productions announced the signing of New Zealand’s Vassafor. To celebrate, Debemur Morti is releasing a triple CD box set named Invocations of Darkness that includes, for the first time, CD versions of previous Vassafor releases.
VENOM
Noisey premiered a new Venom song named “Grinding Teeth” from their new album From the Depths, which is being released by Spinefarm on January 27. In her write-up, Kim Kelly says it’s one of the standout tracks on an uneven album. Listen here:
50 Responses to “SEEN AND HEARD: TOO DAMNED MANY NAMES TO PUT IN THIS TITLE”
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That Liturgy track is more black metal than half the corpsepaint-clad buffoons trudging away at the same well-worn path. Absolutely beautiful, and I can’t wait for the album.
It’s really not.
Well, that’s me told! I’ll stop listening to them and bow to your clearly superior judgment. Should I run everything I listen to past your particular taste-o-meter? I’ve got Elephant Shoe by Arab Strap on, should I swap it out for something by Spooky Ghosts In Spiky Shinpads?
You seem upset. And oddly vehemently opposed to bands who play anything related to what you deem “traditional” Black Metal – or, at least, that’s how your condescending comments about “corpsepaint-clad buffoons” come across.
Note that I never said a thing about the actual quality of the song itself, or whether or not you should listen to it, I merely disputed your assertion that it’s “more Black Metal”.
It seems to have very little in common with the genre at all in fact. And that’s okay. It can be interesting and progressive and artistic while ALSO being another genre.
I’ve just never quite grasped this desperate attempt to assert that something is “so Black Metal it’s not EVEN Black Metal”… maybe it’s just not Black Metal? And… maybe it doesn’t have to be… maybe it can just be what it is?
I’ve never quite grasped the hyper-defensive attitude from those who insist of capitalising the word Metal, but ho-hum.
It’s not a genre exclusively ‘about’ standing around in a spooky forest shrieking hosannas to the exalted nightspirit any more – it’s grown and evolved into something more like an identity. It’s done what punk set out to do more successfully than any other genre(man, look at Darkthrone!), and in that vein Liturgy are a bit like The Fall. I’m not sure if they’re taking the piss or not, but they’re doing whatever they want to do with a grin on their face, and I’ve got all the time in the world for that.
Black Metal, no; black metal, yep. Yes please. All that and a bag of crisps.
I once suggested to a chum that he should call a BM project Nefarious Dusk, as that was the stupidest thing I could think of at the time, and he fucking did. I think it might still be going.
Instead of reading way too much into Andy’s response, we could have a discussion about which aspects of black metal that song encompasses?
Quiet you.
Fine then. I’ll go back to listening to my Spooky Ghosts In Spiky Shinpads* CDs instead.
* aka Immortal and 1349**
** Incidentally, the last 1349 album is more blackened thrash than black metal. Fuck genres eh?
We should definitely start a band called “Spooky Ghosts in Spiky Shin Pads”
And the logo should be so spiky as to cause corneal scarring.
I’m starting a band called Buffoons of the Corpse-Painted Night. We can have minute musical differences and constantly flame each other over authenticity on the Interhole.
“Buffoons of the Corpse-Painted Night” – New tagline for the site? \m/
SOLD!
Dammit. That’s gold.
Cosigned!
This entire derailment brought joy to my blackened heart.
I will happily drum for both. Time to get my Hellhammer-esque career started.
“Should I run everything I listen to past your particular taste-o-meter?”
Yes…
hey mister, why dont you name some bands you think have gone astray, for sprcificity’s sake;
so we can at least have the same yawning troo-bm war done right.
*specificity
I knew posting that Liturgy track would get this place jumping.
I find it so hilarious that people get so upset over this band. It just makes me like them even more.
That being said, I REALLY dig the orchestral and electronic elements being incorporated on this track. If the rest of the album is like that, easy purchase for me.
Funny thing is, no-one got upset about the band… a fan of the band got upset…
Well..you can feel free to assume I was upset
You’re always upset.
There is only one Black Metal band in this list and it is the one fronted by an angry goblin from Newcastle
Uuuughhaaaaaaa!! Black metal gods rock `n’ roll!
😀
The Grimoire song is fucking awesome. Will get to the rest to the shit later too but this was the first thing that grabbed my attention 🙂
Btw, is this some kind of record? I’ve never seen 18 different bands being mentioned in a ‘seen and heard’ article!
*the rest OF the shit”
of course
It’s so much of a record that it will probably stand forever.
I think one of mine from October-ish got into double digits, since I was too damn lazy to split it up, but this one definitely has a sizeable lead over it. Though now, I might try and make a 20-item one at some point just for the record.
1. That Grimoire track is great. Summoning is a great touch point, but Grimoire actually lays into a blast at some point and the catharsis is palpable in those moments.
2. Liturgy. I really didnt enjoy the last one. The controversy not withstanding (and I use that tern loosely – lets face it, people just dont like the guy) the album just left me cold. And not like “in my kingdom cold”, for that would have been a good experience. This song is most assuredly not metal. It sounds like the Aussie band Total Control. And maybe thats a good thing for this band. Maybe we should all collectively divorce the term metal from the band and all will be okay. The song, though not as good as the aforementioned Total Control, is something I could see myself listening to. Its not too bad.
3. Outre. Nice!!! Totally reminds me of Sinmara, but since Sinmara is one of my favorite metal bands at the moment I suppose I can have a few more of this style before Ive had my fill. (Im looking at you Misthryming)
4. Tome of the Unreplenished. I, Voidhanger has really impressed me of late, and this is yet another thing to add to their pile of great stuff. A true judgement of greatness will have to wait, but I am eager to hear more based on the teaser.
Great full bodied post! Built like a brick shithouse!
We specialize in shithouse construction.
If we hadn’t already gotten another subheader candidate from this post, I would’ve nominated this.
The Liturgy song kinda sounds like 8-bit black metal. I actually like it more than their earlier stuff I’ve heard.
Liturgy…still not black metal, still not worth my time
Venom…I heard “Long Hair Punks” before this and it didnt exactly wind my clock, this is a better song, but Im hoping to hear a full album stream before i make a decision
Vassafor has also apparently gone into the studio this year to start work on their second album..looking forward to that
I love Vassafor! Did that split with Temple Nightside ever release?
Not yet…as of right now the test press has been approved by both bands so we’re just waiting on Iron Bonehead now
Great news! I feel like its always good to add a few weeks onto Iron Boneheads dates.
The Vassafor news was definitely the high point of this trio of items. And I think I like the Liturgy song more than anything they’ve released before. I realize that’s an ambiguous statement.
Youre not the only one, Ive seen several people express some variation of that same sentiment since the track went up yesterday
I thought the first two Liturgy albums were plenty intense. Saw them live and the drummer’s hands were moving so fast they were literally a blur. Saw them again with a drum machine and thought it worked pretty well with the style of jackhammer riff they favor. The new song seems like a cool advance, and while I’d agree that it’s got a few black metal elements, it’s certainly not going to meet anyone’s preconceived idea of what black metal should be. Which I think is valuable, even if it perhaps stirs up more shit than is warranted. Hunter-Hendrix really pissed people off with his “transcendental black metal” essay a few years back, and while I found some of it worthwhile, other parts were groan-worthy. He’s obviously a talented young guy trying to figure shit out, and had the nerve to do so on paper. Nimrods will always respond negatively to that. Brainy introspection ain’t exactly kvlt–unless you’re eating those brains.
I really think of HHH had not gone down the rails to Pretension City, Liturgy’s music would have been more appealing. Yes, the music is what the music is, regardless of what people in the band say or do, but that’s the kind of strict logic that doesn’t work with 99% of human beings. Anyway, I was never a big fan of the music that I’ve heard before, but this is so off-course that I think it can be considered in a way that’s completely divorced from all that has come before… and I’m continuing to listen to the song.
Surprised to not see more comments on the new Negura Bunget track, definitely one of my most anticipated early releases.
How is it that a band that goes through so many seemingly key, unrecoverable lineup changes continues with such consistency? Does it keep ideas fresh and egos in check? Does it keep members hungry?
Regardless, the snip of the premiered track sounds great and I am *still* eagerly awaiting more.
Couldn’t agree more. But that “split” among band members seemed to be so controversial, with so many people “choosing sides”, that I think maybe the music kind of got lost in the minds of lots of fans. I do think this is a big deal.
whoohoo! thanks! 🙂
the new Venom sounds pretty cool, i’ve been looking forward to this album! and Deathtune sounds awesome, too 🙂
last week the Satyricon fb page posted a photo of Sigurd Wongraven jamming with Scott Ian; i hated that photo, and in my mind i immagined a despicable collaboration, it sounded like this Liturgy song here..
never heard of Liturgy, but this sounds so wrong, this is the thing that should not be.
Well I think congratulations are in order for Godless Angel. Sweet!
thank you very much! 🙂
Digging BotSC, Grimoire, Outre, and Venom tunes.
Good for Fallujah getting to NB – now to hope for a well-mixed album, while knowing that if all else fails the new Royal Thunder will be stupendous.
And, finally, naturally, Mastodon have evaded me for the bagillionth time, in skipping Chicago. But of course.
I’m a bit late to the party, but Outre is absolutely brilliant. Thanks a bunch for that tip.
You are most welcome.