Andy Synn, Author at NO CLEAN SINGING

Andy Synn

EUPHROSYNE – MORUS

Mar 262025

(Andy Synn explores the depths of grief with the debut album from Greece’s Euphrosyne)

As someone who was a big fan of Euphrosyne‘s debut EP, Keres, back in 2022 – so much that it took a spot in my “Top Ten EPs of 2022” (and arguably would have climbed even higher had it been released a little earlier) – it was a given that I was going to be the one to write about their much anticipated first full-length, Morus.

Unfortunately, time and tide (and other things beginning with “t”) worked against me a little bit last week, so I wasn’t able to cover the record prior to release.

But, hopefully the band will forgive me for the delay once they read what I’m about to write.

ALLEGAEON – THE OSSUARY LENS

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Mar 252025

(Andy Synn takes a look at the new album from Allegaeon, where everything old is new again)

To misquote Oscar Wilde:

“…to lose one singer may be regarded as misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness.“

Now, of course, I’m not blaming Allegaeon or saying they’ve done anything wrong, as the departures of both vocalists – with original screamer Ezra Haynes submitting his resignation in 2015 and his replacement, Riley McShane, handing in his marching papers in 2022 – seemed to be pretty amicable, all things considered.

But it’s certainly true that their vocal issues have a tendency to come at inconvenient times, just as the band are really hitting their stride (both creatively and commercially)… which is precisely why it’s understandable that the band would choose to bring Haynes back into the fold for another ride, as his instantly-recognisable voice and distinctive delivery definitely played a big part in putting the band on the map in their early years.

Of course, as we all know, trying to rekindle any sort of relationship after time spent separated is always a risk – what if you’ve simply grown too far apart to ever reconnect? – so the biggest question which The Ossuary Lens (out next week) has to answer is… is the chemistry still there, or is this rekindled romance doomed to fizzle out?

AREIS – THE CALLING

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Mar 242025

(Andy Synn kicks off a brand new week with a review of fearsome French foursome Areis)

Last week featured an absolute bonanza of new album releases, at least some of which we’ll hopefully be able to catch you up on over the next couple of weeks.

But one name which jumped out at me – although I couldn’t at first put my finger on why – was Areis.

It didn’t take me too long, however, to remember that back in 2021 (which simultaneously feels like just yesterday and a thousand years ago) I stumbled across the band’s self-titled debut album and instantly took a liking to it, despite not knowing much about the band themselves.

And although I didn’t have a chance to give the group a full write up at the time, that’s something I’d like to correct with their second full-length, The Calling.

BEST OF BRITISH: DOWNPOUR / OFNUS / SACRED NOOSE

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Mar 202025

(Andy Synn recommends a trio of recent releases for your listening pleasure)

I originally intended to publish this piece a while ago… only I couldn’t quite lock down exactly which three albums I was going to write about.

For a while I considered including the new Abduction album, only to realise that since we share a drummer these days that probably crosses a few ethical boundaries (I don’t have many, it’s true, but I do have some).

And though I initially intended to include the new one from Wren as my third choice (I’ve written about them before after all) some crossed-wires here at NCS Central meant that one of our regular guest-writers ended up including them in one of his articles… which meant I had to go back to the drawing board again.

Thankfully, however, I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed by the three artists/albums I’ve chosen to cover – two of whom are making their official debuts here at the site – as they’re all more than deserving of your time and attention on their own merits and in different ways.

GREY AURA – ZWART VIERKANT: SLOTSTUK

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Mar 192025

(Andy Synn may not understand “art”, but he knows what he likes… and he likes Grey Aura)

They say that you can’t spell “Avant-Garde” without the letters “A”, “R”, and “T”… and it turns out they – whoever they are – were right!

Of course, Grey Aura have known that for a long time, as both of their previous albums – 2014’s double-disc debut Waerachtighe beschryvinghe van drie seylagien, ter werelt noyt soo vreemt ghehoort (which chronicled the final exploits of Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz) and 2021’s equally ambitious, but considerably more concise, Zwart Vierkant (which retold and reinterpreted the first half of a story of obsession and insanity written by the band’s own Ruben Wijlacker) – more than qualify as true expressions of avant-garde “art”.

So it should come as little surprise that Slotstuk (as I’ll be referring to it) – which picks up, thematically speaking, where its predecessor left off, unravelling the tale of “a 20th-century Modernist painter whose attempt to dismantle physical reality through abstraction leads him to the brink of madness” – continues to push the boundaries, further blurring the lines between not just the various different genres which comprise the band’s creative palette… but also the lines between sanity and insanity as well.

EMBRIUM – TIMEKEEPER

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Mar 172025

(Andy Synn dedicates some of his precious time to the recently-released debut album from Embrium)

While we’re not averse to covering some of the “bigger” names – relatively speaking – in Metal now and then (we’ve recently written about new releases from the likes of Whitechapel and Septic Flesh, for example, and will be saying a few things about the new Allegaeon pretty soon) our primary focus is, and has always been, on covering artists and albums who don’t receive as much attention and exposure as they probably deserve.

Case in point, today we’re taking a look (and a listen) at the debut album from San Francisco-based Blackgaze crew Embrium, a band so underground they don’t even have an entry on the Encyclopaedia Metallum yet!

IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT – GOLDSTAR

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Mar 132025

(Andy Synn welcomes another decadent dose of weirdness from Imperial Triumphant)

There comes a time in every band’s career… well, not every band’s career, let’s be honest… when they have to decide what to do with their success.

Do they allow it to change them, and their sound, in an attempt to chase the always alluring, ever-elusive dragon of fame and fortune (more the former than the latter, these days)?

Or do they stick to their guns, refuse to bow to outside pressure, and maintain their integrity, in the hope that success will continue to find them regardless?

Well, I’m sorry to say that with the upcoming release of their sixth album, Goldstar – which is neither a direct-to-video sequel to 2022’s Spirit of Ecstasy, nor a throwback to 2015’s breakthrough Abyssal Gods, but a special, third thing – it seems that Imperial Triumphant have decided that it’s finally time to cash in on their growing celebrity/notoriety and produce something with more artistic accessibility and marketable mass appeal.

That’s right everyone, Imperial Triumphant have finally “sold out”.

FROGG – ECLIPSE

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Mar 122025

(Andy Synn puts the debut album from New York weirdniks Frogg under the microscope)

Metal, as we all know, is a serious business for serious people.

And what could be more serious than a colossal cosmic amphibian attempting to devour the moon?

Honestly, it kind of puts all our common, everyday concerns into perspective, doesn’t it?

K L P S – K L P S

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Mar 102025

(What sort of difference does a name make? Andy Synn sets out to find out!)

Hands up… how many of you have heard of Danish existential extremists Kollapse?

Well, this is not that band.

How about Swedish Post-Metal noisemongers Kollaps\e?

Well, it turns out that the latter group, in an effort to differentiate themselves further from their fellow Nordic neighbours just across the water (who, in fairness, did have the name first), recently re-branded themselves as K L P S (still pronounced the same way) and decided that the best way to celebrate his new era was with a brand-new, self-titled album.

All of which begs the question, does a ~~rose~~ band by any other name still ~~smell~~ sound as sweet?

SOM – LET THE LIGHT IN

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Mar 062025

(Andy Synn does his best to let the light in… let’s see what it reveals, shall we?)

I think it was pretty much the day I started writing here that I began chipping away at the whole “no clean singing” thing here at NCS.

Granted, it was always more of a tongue-in-cheek statement, rather than a strict edict, as the site had been featuring bands with various forms of clean singing, off and on, well before I got here.

But I’ve definitely been responsible for bringing a fair number of bands – bands with nary a hint of harsh vocals in their sound – to the site that probably wouldn’t have been covered here otherwise.

And since I was the one to first bring Doom-Pop/Dream-Gaze quartet SOM to the site’s attention – first with my review of their debut album, The Fall, followed by my write-up of their stunning second album, The Shape of Everything (which also made it into my Critical Top Ten of 2022) – it only seems fitting that I continue to make a mockery of everything we stand for by sharing my thoughts on their upcoming third album, Let The Light In (out next week on Pelagic Records).

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