AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): FINAL DOSE — “UNDER THE ETERNAL SHADOW”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 082025
 

(written by Islander)

Like other genres of extreme metal, a good case can be made that black metal in its earliest stages evolved from punk rock. But black metal continued to evolve in ways that essentially left punk behind. Some bands did not completely cut the tie, but many did, and so the fundamental tropes of subversive “second wave” black metal as they took shape in the early ’90s, and which persist to this day, bear little resemblance to where things started.

Yet in more recent times, maybe most notably over the last decade I’d say, we’ve seen a new emergence of punk influence in black metal, not really a rolling back of the clock to the earliest days but a hybridization of punk, hardcore, or crust and second wave Scandinavian black metal.

Many bands have embraced that hybrid form, and Final Dose from the UK are one of them, and one of the best. But they have also evolved, bringing other stylistic ingredients into their mix besides those two main ones in order to better express the emotional torrents that fuel their work.

The results are vividly on display in their viscerally powerful new album Under The Eternal Shadow, which we’re premiering and reviewing today in advance of its release on April 11th by Wolves of Hades. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SAMIARUS — “CRUSHED BY INFERIOR”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 072025
 

(written by Islander)

Samiarus took shape in the SF Bay Area among current and past members of Abnutivum, Meth Sores, Flesh Dungeon, Doomsday, Slaughteruin, Abstracter, and Mentor. The name they chose was intended as a reference to “the Arabic name of the leader of the Watchers in apocryphal abrahamic scriptures, a rebel angel who shared knowledge with men and birthed the Nephilim, becoming a danger to divine power and law and turning into the absolute usurper.”

First impressions of their black/death terrors arose from their Demonstration demo, released in January of this year, which included one original song, a cover of Absu‘s “Descent to Acheron”, and a recording of a live rehearsal. It brought to mind full-blown war zones, episodes of unhinged violence and splintering sanity, but infiltrated by ingredients not wholly dependent on antecedents like Blasphemy and Archgoat.

Now we have a Samiarus EP looming ahead of us, a 23-minute onslaught named Reign Destroyer that will be released by Sentient Ruin on April 25th. What we have for you today is the premiere of one of its 7 tracks, “Crushed By Inferior“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: PYROMANCER — “VOLCANIC RAPTURE”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Apr 072025
 

(written by Islander)

The name Pyromancer rang bells around here when news of their forthcoming debut album broke, but they were distant bells, even though their resonance was ruinous. Looking back, we had a burst of posts in 2015 about Pyromancer‘s debut demo and then Kaptain Carbon‘s review of their performance at the spring 2016 Blood of the Wolf Fest in their hometown of Lexington, Kentucky.

Almost a decade has passed since then, an almost incomprehensible amount of time given the rushing pace of changes in almost every aspect of life over those years. Pyromancer did finally re-surface last year with a pair of songs on a split with Detroit’s Perversion released by Godz Ov War, and now comes the debut album, aptly named Absolute Dominion By Fire, set for release next month by Adirondack Black Mass.

The same two terrorizing dominators are still in charge — Master of Graveyard Torment (drums, vocals) and Conqueror Horus (guitars, vocals) — and as you’ll learn from the album track we’re premiering today, they haven’t backed off or backed down from igniting black/death conflagrations – bizarre black/death conflagrations. Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): VERHEERER — “URGEWALT”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 032025
 

(written by Islander)

The title of Verheerer‘s new album (their third) is Urgewalt. Like many German words, it probably doesn’t have a precise English translation, but based on our own searches it could be rendered as “elemental force” — “a sense of raw, untamed, and powerful force, often associated with nature or something fundamental.”

In the context of the album, that force is the absolute will of humanity to destroy, to the point of self-destruction. The album’s even more specific context is the horror of World War I, as described in this press preview of the record (which will be released on April 4th by Vendetta Records):

The new album was composed and written with this basic idea in mind and with the First World War, which revealed a new level of cruelty and dehumanization and at the same time shaped our world like no other conflict to this day, the canvas was also found on which Verheerer paint their very own pictures. Of the loss of humanity in an industrial machine of destruction, of seduction and the mechanisms of power that make the incomprehensible possible in the first place.

And thus the album’s cover art (by Misanthropic-Art) is a fitting one — the remains of creatures who irresistibly fought and died, horns locked together and unable to escape. It’s a representation of the truth “that every supposed victory in this bloody game must be paid for all the more dearly.” Continue reading »

AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): CHAINS — “SUBJUGATE THE UNKNOWN TO THE YOKE OF REASON”

 Album Reviews, Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 022025
 

(written by Islander)

The Brazilian musician A. Enrique (aka Henry or H.) has fired his varied musical creations into the world through a number of cannons — among them, Astral Lore, Woe Bearer, Gateways, and Cavern, and if you click those links you’ll see that we’ve written about most of them. And now he adds one more to the battery.

The newest project is named Chains, in which H. is the lyricist and performs all instruments, joined by vocalist Thomas Prunet (also a participant in Astral Lore and Woe Bearer). As for why H. created a new project when he already had so many others, it’s because the music differs from that of his other endeavors. As he explains, “It’s a mix Sludge/Post-Black Metal, heavily influenced mainly by Andavald and Amenra, but turned out to sound quite different…”

Chains has recorded a debut album entitled Subjugate the Unknown to the Yoke of Reason that will be released by Primitive Archive on April 4th, but we’re giving you the chance to hear it today. Of course we have some thoughts to share with you about what you’ll hear, but to begin we have some insights about the album’s themes from H.: Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: NAMEBEARER — “BLACK VEIN, ATOM DRUM”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 012025
 

(written by Islander)

Is it a coincidence, or something like the alignment of stars in a constellation? Over the last month I’ve repeatedly been struck by impressive new music from bands located in the great state of Maine, and then enthusiastically spilled words about each of them. Bands like Obsidian Tongue, Blood Chariot, Stone Crown, and now Namebearer.

By some measures that’s surprising: Maine is in the bottom 10 of our States in population, and its location is remote from most of the country, which creates challenges for bands to get outside of New England if they want to expose themselves through touring. On the other hand, there seems to be something about the State’s rocky coast, its rivers, forests, and mountains — and its distinctive history and culture — that proves to be conducive to the creation of distinctive forms of metal, and especially black metal.

And because the community of such bands isn’t large and sprawling, it seems to lead to inspirational connections among them. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: SUPREME VOID — “DISSOLUTION OF POWER”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 012025
 

(written by Islander)

The Polish metal band Supreme Void is a new outfit, but with a lineup that includes previous membership in such groups as Sphere, Bloodsoaked, Mesmerized, and Cancerfaust. What brought this trio together was a desire to make death metal that delivers an intense sensory experience, one that’s “striking, relentless, and deeply disturbing.” To do that, they drew inspiration from Ulcerate and Gorguts, and the results are revealed in their debut album Towards Oblivion, which will be released on April 25th by the French label Dolorem Records.

To help spread the word about this full-length debut, today we’re premiering the song “Dissolution of Power“. But before we get to that, we want to comment about the first song released from the album, “Remnants of Hope“. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: OUTERGODS — “COSMIC ABOMINATION”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Mar 312025
 

(written by Islander)

The cover art of Outergods‘ forthcoming second album is abominable, a skeletal devil-winged regent that clearly won’t die despite its lack of flesh. The album’s title, Dethroned & Devoured, is equally cursed. But the name of the album track we’re presenting today through a video promises something even more abhorrent — “Cosmic Abomination“.

The new album, which follows this UK band’s 2023 full-length debut A Kingdom Built upon the Wreckage of Heaven, is now set for release by Apocalyptic Witchcraft on June 13th. As the label represents, it offers “an unrelenting blend of blackened death metal, grindcore, and extreme intensity” and “promises to deliver the same raw intensity and unbridled chaos that fans have come to expect from the band.” Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: TIL THE END — “THE SUMERIAN”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Mar 312025
 

(written by Islander)

Earlier this month the international melodic death metal band Til the End released their debut EP, Dark Kings, preceded by a full streaming premiere at Decibel that included these words of introduction:

Across its runtime, the band flexes their songwriting chops with razor-sharp melodies, relentless energy, and a deep-rooted understanding of what makes melodic death metal truly hit. Fans of Slaughter of the Soul-era At the Gates, early In Flames, and modern Arch Enemy will feel right at home in TIL THE END’s sonic assault.

“With Dark Kings, the band distills the essence of classic melodic death metal into a modern, high-impact form—balancing soaring hooks with high-speed aggression and intricate riff work. This is just the beginning for TIL THE END, but if this EP is any indication, they’re a new force worth watching.”

To help spread the word further about this very impressive debut EP, we have two things to share with you today. The first is a stunning music video for a song from the EP named “The Sumerian“, and the second is a track-by-track commentary about all the EP’s songs by the members of the band — vocalist Antony Hämäläinen (Nightrage, Armageddon), guitar virtuoso Kostas Sotos (Mystic Prophecy, Crystal Tears), drummer Márton Veress (Orgy, Armageddon), and bassist/rhythm guitarist Nic Svensson (Slaves For Scores). Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: TUMULARIO — “BASTARDO HUMANIDAD”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Mar 282025
 

(written by Islander)

The Colombian band Tumulario have already formidably hacked their own path through the dense, dark, and ever-expanding jungle of underground metal with a first tape release (2016’s Renace El Crudo Metal) and a pair of albums (Maligno & Esencial in 2021, and Vociferaciones in 2023). Now they continue forging onward with a third album named Vestigios that’s set for release on May 5th by Satanath Records (Georgia), Vestigio Records (Colombia), and The End Of Time Records (Ireland).

If you’re not familiar with the previous works of Tumulario, this pitch by the labels should prove to be very enticing (it certainly was for us):

Forged in the fires of the Colombian underground, this full-length bears six unholy tracks that echo the obscure tones of ancient traditions. Each note entails a sacrilege while every riff is a chant that reverberate through the darkened halls of time, a dense path through the most organic metal essence — savage yet sublime, drenched in the thick blood of old-school reverences like Root, Beherit, Ancient Rites plus the blasphemous heritage of everlasting South American influences such as Sarcófago, Dirges and Mystifier.

The song from the new album we’re premiering today — “Bastarda humanidad” — is also damned enticing. Continue reading »

 Older Entries