SEEN AND HEARD ON SATURDAY: MORBID SACRIFICE, MOTOROWL, KRASSEVILLE, TORPE, TRIUMPH OF DEATH

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Nov 252023
 

I woke up before the sun rose today because it’s harvest season and I have crops to gather.

Ha Ha, no that’s horseshit. I have no idea why I woke up before the sun on this Saturday morning, especially given the number of adult libations I consumed (as usual) on Friday night.

The only good that came of the early rising was my ability to experience the coldest morning of the year so far, at least where I live near Puget Sound. As I slurped my coffee and inhaled the first cigarettes of the day in the blackness outside, my phone reported 35°.

On further reflection, my opening line wasn’t entirely horseshit. I do have crops to gather in, musical crops… the time of reaping is ever upon us here. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A BLACK FRIDAY: VREDEHAMMER, BLOOD RED THRONE, NECROWRETCH, DVVAD, AKKAMOTH

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Nov 242023
 

Here in the U.S., where I am, it’s been a holiday week. For the rest of the world, it was just another Thursday. The holiday continues today, but even elsewhere in the world it’s not just another Friday.

For decades here, the day after Thanksgiving has marked the beginning of shopping season for the upcoming Christmas holidays, but it seems to have spread its infection elsewhere, even in the world of metal, based on the volume of e-mails I’ve received offering discounts on records and merch from locations in Europe as well as North America.

Well, why fight against the tide? Today, for one day only, we’re offering a 50% discount on the price of subscriptions to NCS, which is normally zero. Get ’em while they last.

I resisted the obvious temptation to limit today’s collection of new music to black metal, but it’s all still pretty black. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: SAVAGE LANDS, LORD DYING, DEATH SCYTHE, MÊLÉE DES AURORES, VOLTUMNA, STUVEMARK, COMPRESSION, SLIIMO, VOODUS

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Nov 182023
 

LOTS of new metal to get to today, so this sentence is all the introduction I’ll provide.

SAVAGE LANDS (Int’l)

A charity project whose goal is to help preserve the forests of Costa Rica and the creatures that live there. Founded by drummer Dirk Verbeuren and musician-turned-activist Sylvain Demercastel (a current resident of Costa Rica). First song is about howler monkeys and features appearances by guitarist Andres Kisser (Sepultura) and vocalist John Tardy (Obituary). OK, I’ll bite. Continue reading »

TITO’S WEEKLY METAL RECS

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Nov 132023
 

Our friend Tito Vespasiani from Everlasting Spew Records (and other metal endeavors) is back with another playlist of recommended heavy songs. This one includes 16 tracks, with commentary about a few of them below. The full stream is at the end, and on Spotify here.

ENGULF – BELLOWS FROM THE AETHER

Engulf is back! Hal Microutsicos’ solo project made such a great impact with its three EPs and it’s now time for a full-length. Getting influences from old school acts such as Morbid Angel, early Gorguts, Suffocation, and Hate Eternal, and adding a modern twist, this is extremely catchy. Mandatory! Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: SATYASENA, DAWN OF A DARK AGE, OBSCENE WORSHIP, HOLDLAJTORJA, THE SEPT, MYAELIN, SANGUINARY EMPEROR

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Nov 112023
 

I have a lot to recommend today. I made some of these choices and wrote some of these words earlier in the week. I have to hurry through the rest of it this morning because a wind storm is in progress outside and the branches bombarding the roof are beginning to sound like a war zone.

Cozy inside, I can tolerate that, but where I live near Puget Sound the power lines are overhead, cradled by forest limbs, and when the limbs go down (as they will, somewhere on this little grid), the power and the internet will go out too. So, I’m hurrying now….

SATYASENA (U.S.)

The first song I chose is just gloriously wild, a high-speed roller-coaster for your mind that should leave it yelping with glee.

If I were a kinder person and more capable of self-restraint, which I’m not, I’d just stop there and not spoil the fun, much of which comes from being surprised by what happens in the song. On the other hand, I doubt that any preview words can really spoil the thrills of “My Passion“, so here goes: Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: VITRIOL, SAASTA, RUDRA, PESTILENGTH, SAN LEO

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Nov 042023
 


Vitriol – photo by Peter Beste

It’s been a hell of a week for yours truly, emphasis on hell. In an average week now, the release of new metal is a deluge. This past week, another Bandcamp Friday pushed the storm-surge higher. Fittingly, as I write this, the rain is coming down outside like a fucking monsoon, a rarity here in the usually drizzly Pacific Northwest.

On top of that I decided to get the latest covid vaccine and the latest flu shot on the same day early in the week. When you have as much gray hair as I do and have spent the majority of your life smoking, getting both of those shots was strongly recommended. In hindsight, getting them both at the same time was a dumbass move.

Sore arms for a few days, of course, and all my energy also evaporated for a few days too, as it did with every previous covid jab. But this time my head and lungs got congested like someone had flooded them with concrete slurry and my nose ran like a leaky faucet. That has slowly improved, but I’m still congested and damned tired of that.

The combination of a big flood-tide of new music and a misery-clogged head isn’t a great combination for this usual Saturday column. Although I’m still happy with today’s picks, there should have been more. At least you can’t hear me hacking and snorting, so that’s one blessing. More blessings to follow…. Continue reading »

TITO’S WEEKLY METAL RECS

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Nov 022023
 

Our friend Tito Vespasiani from Everlasting Spew Records (and other metal endeavors) is back with another weekly playlist of recommended heavy songs. This second one, like the first one last week, includes 20 tracks, with commentary about a few of them below. The full stream is at the end, and on Spotify here.

Defleshed – Grind Over Matter

Defleshed is BACK!

“Who?” Some fans out there could say. Oh come on, DEFLESHED! Under the Blade! One of the best thrashy death bands ever, grindy at times (like in this album) and one of the most aggressive and crushing bands as always. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: AUTOPSY, THE BREATHING PROCESS, BRODER, CATTLE DECAPITATION, CRUST, HEILUNG, JOB FOR A COWBOY, KALANDRA, OPHANIM, PLAGUE OF THE FALLEN, VASTUM, VEMOD

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Oct 282023
 


Autopsy – photo by Nancy Reifert

Prepare for… a lot of sentences that begin “Prepare for….”

It’s a little way for me to say very little about what you’ll hear but without me feeling like I’ve done nothing to induce listening or to thank the bands.

The shorthand is necessary because the past week produced so damn much music I’d like to recommend, and because I got lots of suggestions from other people, including my compadres Andy Synn and DGR. Their picks and mine, which produced a mix of bigger bands and more obscure bands, are arranged here in alphabetical order by band name.

Prepare for… lots of twists and turns…. Continue reading »

TITO’S WEEKLY METAL RECS

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Oct 252023
 

(Today we launch the first of what we hope will be many playlists from our Italian friend Tito Vespasiani, who introduces himself below. This first one is 20 tracks long, with specific commentary in this post about a select few and an embedded stream of everything at the end.)

Hello everyone!

I’m Tito Vespasiani, your friendly neighbourhood death metal aficionado. I do A&R for Everlasting Spew Records, manage a few bands (it all started with Hideous Divinity back in 2012), book shows internationally and in Rome through my agency Death Over Rome, and most of all I love making playlists for people and sharing music with everyone all over the world.

Here’s the first edition of my weekly recommendation playlists. It will be on Spotify (here) as it’s the platform I find most comfortable but I’ll also include other links for those not using it. I’m providing a quick introduction to some of the tracks, but not all, ’cause I don’t wanna bore you to death.

But if you’re down to chat about metal, hit me up on Facebook or on instagram: @tito.vsp Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: KANONENFIEBER, INFERI, SÂVER, HARMAGEDON, BLEMISH, HERZOG, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT

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Oct 212023
 

It’s that time of year again, when my wife and I argue about whether to get tooth-rotting treats for potential visitors on Halloween night. Her argument: We haven’t seen a trick-or-treater at our house in 20 years. My argument: But it could happen, and wouldn’t we be embarrassed having to offer something like licking peanut butter from a spoon?

Rather than let the arguments drag on I used to buy tooth-rotters on the sly and hide them, just in case. But she’d always find them and then I’d catch hell for being a moron. I guess I’ll just keep the spoon and peanut butter handy. Maybe two spoons so I can eat some first to prove it’s not poisoned.

Well, enough about familial contention. Here’s some contentious music for your Saturday. Continue reading »

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