AN NCS PREMIERE: FELL OMEN — “DUNGEON METAL PUNKS BESIEGING DIGITAL CASTLES”

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Dec 302024
 

(written by Islander)

There are so many aspects of the Fell Omen song and video we’re about to premiere that are just… bonkers. But I hasten to add, they are bonkers in very good and highly entertaining ways. Let me count the ways:

There is the name of the song: “Dungeon Metal Punks Besieging Digital Castles“. There is the fact that Fell Omen‘s Greek mastermind Spider of Pnyx performs the song in a suit of medieval armor. There is this armored warrior’s use of a hurdy-gurdy to open the song, and the fact that it’s not even the most “out there” aspect of the music. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: METAPHOBIC — “SPECTRAL CIRCLE”

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Dec 302024
 

(written by Islander)

In this strange in-between period of days separating one holiday and another, between the final gasps of the Old Year and the first whimpers of the New One, we still have a few premieres to share with you. This one, in particular, will make it even easier to lose track of what day it is… and whatever else your confused minds might have been pondering.

The Atlanta death metal band Metaphobic weren’t playing games when they named their debut album Deranged Excruciations. They were being brutally forthright about the nature of the music they made, as you shall learn for yourselves when you listen to this first advance track from the album — “Spectral Circle” — a couple months before the album release by Everlasting Spew. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: MONASTERY DEAD — “REVELATION”

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Dec 272024
 

(Written by Islander)

In March of this nearly-ended year we premiered a full stream of Ego Sum Dolor, the fourth album to emerge, after four years of work, from the Saint Petersburg death metal band Monastery Dead. It was co-released by Satanath Records (Georgia) and Australis Records (Chile). And today we have a couple of reminders of what a strong album it was (and is), including our premiere of a thrilling full-band playthrough video of Monastery Dead performing the album track “Revelation.”

But the first reminder, if you’ll indulge me, is to repeat a few things we wrote in a review accompanying that album stream last March:

If your Latin is rusty, the album’s title translate to “I am pain”, or perhaps “I am in pain”. Consistent with that title, the concept of the album is described as follows:

This is a story about a man doomed to experience all the suffering and torment destined for him in his life, here and now. He bears the burden of merciless retribution, which, like stigmata, he acquired by birthright, experiences pain and inflicts pain, is obsessed with destruction and destroys himself. His own wounds and those of his victims will never heal and will bleed forever.

Or to put it more succinctly: “The basis of the concept of the release is the idea that the real hell is our current existence on Earth.” Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: NIHIL KAOS — “ETERNAL GENESIS”

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Dec 272024
 

(written by Islander)
Nihil Kaos is a Turkish band whose members have been scattered among three countries — Finland and the Netherlands in addition to Türkiye. But despite their geographic dispersal they have maintained a musical vision that’s startling to witness. Whatever they may do in their personal lives in such different places, when they join together as artists they have devoted themselves to a vision of black metal that is jaw-dropping in its explosive depictions of chaos and terror, but also reaches heights of magnificence and depths of haunting tragedy.

More than 9 years have passed since their last album Noxkult. In that time they’ve participated in a 2018 split with Djevelkult and Kyy, and in 2021 they released a stunning long single named “Triumphant Silence of Void” (reviewed here) in tribute to the band’s former vocalist Iconoclast, who died earlier that year.

At last, Nihil Kaos have finished a new album named Mystagogue, which includes the performances of new vocalist Tleps (Acherad, Kyy) in addition to those of its other steadfast members. It will be released in the first quarter of 2025 by Mara Productions. It is described as “a harrowing journey into the chaos where the band was born and where we all shall return”: “The power of that chaos, the tragedy of it, the beauty and even the terror of it. From omega and back to omega.”

What we have for you today is the premiere of “Eternal Genesis,” the album’s closing track and the first song publicly revealed from Mystagogue. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: CROWN OF MADNESS — “ASHES OF MINE”

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Dec 262024
 

(written by Islander)

In our previous writings about the first two recordings from British Columbia’s Crown of Madness (both of them EPs), we’ve highlighted the band’s talent for crafting death metal that’s both dissonant and melodic, both technically impressive and intriguing in its prog-minded permutations, both intensely harrowing and atmospherically chilling, yet cohesive despite how many different influences and inspirations they weave together.

In light of how eye-opening and often jaw-dropping those EPs were, it’s not a great surprise that this husband-and-wife duo of Sunshine Schneider (Guitar, Bass, Vocals) and Connor Gordon (drums) caught the attention of a label such as Transcending Obscurity Records, which will release their debut album Memories Fragmented on February 28th.

And it’s not a great surprise that in light of our previous enthusiastic experiences with the music of this band, we jumped at the chance to host the premiere of an emotionally mutilating song from the new album, and its name is “Ashes of Mine.” Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OBSCUREVIOLENCE — “REFUTING THE FLESH”

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Dec 232024
 

The people behind Obscureviolence, two of whom are also members of the death metal band Horror God, lit upon a very good name for their new entity, given the obscure and violent nature of the music they’ve made for their debut album Refuting the Flesh, which will be released by Transcending Obscurity Records on February 7th.

Two songs from the album have previously surfaced, and today we’re presenting a third one, which is the record’s macabre title track. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: NECROMANIAC — “CALLING FORTH THE SHADE”

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Dec 232024
 

(written by Islander)

Just in time to fiendishly defile Christmas, today we’re premiering the second advance track from the debut album of Necromaniac, which bears the title Sciomancy, Malediction & Rites Abominable. Invictus Productions will handle the album’s release for Europe while The Ajna Offensive will offer it in North America.

Some of you have previously encountered Necromaniac through their 2015 debut demo (Morbid Metal), their 2018 EP (Subterranean Death Rising), and/or their second demo last year. For newcomers, the band is London-based but formed by Swedish, Spanish, Greek, and Polish musicians.

On the new album, they’re also joined by some notable guest performers: A.A. Nemtheanga of Primordial, Negative Plane’s Nameless Void, and one A Corpse Without a Soul, “whose signature throat should not be unknown to astute underground dwellers.” Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: MANIFESTUM DARKNESS — “HOSSANA IN THE ABYSS”

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Dec 202024
 

(written by Islander)

For the first time we introduce our visitors to the soul-slaughtering Mexican death metal band Manifestum Darkness. Founded in 2016 in the city of León, Guanajuato, they released a first demo named Initiation at the end of 2018, which was later re-released on cassette tape by the Dark Recollections label. And now they’re primed for the release of their debut album Desecration Rotten Corpse in February of the New Year via the Death in Pieces Records label.

Manifestum Darkness have dedicated their album “to blasphemy, dark and rotten sound towards the abysses.” As a sign of what this means, today we’re premiering a foul and ferocious song from the album named “Hossana In the Abyss.” Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: NONRESTRAINT — “BROKEN SMILE”

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Dec 202024
 

(written by Islander)

“Broken Smile“, the name of the Danish band Nonrestraint‘s new single, has a dual meaning, at least as I interpret it. Lyrically, it refers to its narrator emotionally and mentally falling apart — “dead inside,” hating “everything inside,” dwelling in “thoughts of malice.” He says, “All I’m left with is a broken smile.”

But then there’s the other meaning: The song itself will knock your teeth out, leaving you with a different kind of broken smile. Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): HORSE BUTCHER — “HORSE BUTCHER”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Dec 192024
 

(written by Islander)

It’s not enough that a particularly dismal and disgusting year on Earth will soon gasp its last rotten and rattling breath — Horse Butcher have arisen to murder it with one of the most vicious and mind-mauling releases of the last 12 months. It’s as if they decided this bastard year didn’t deserve to live even another two weeks.

Given how often our putrid glorious site throws emotionally and aurally assaulting sounds at visitors, it may seem like an exaggeration to say that about Horse Butcher‘s self-titled EP. Trust me, it’s no exaggeration.

Sentient Ruin Laboratories, which will release the EP on December 20th, also isn’t exaggerating when they call the record “a disfigured onslaught of gore-fucked bestial deathgrind worshipping directly at the altar of Carcass, Archgoat, Disgorge, Impetigo and Pissgrave” — “six tracks and twenty minutes of neanderthalian carnage and slaughterhouse madness.”

But you’ll see this for yourselves right quick because today we’re hosting the EP’s premiere. Continue reading »

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