AN NCS INTERVIEW: THE GREAT OLD ONES

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Dec 122024
 


Photos by ©Daphnea Doto / Solweig Wood

(We proudly present Comrade Aleks‘ excellent interview with Benjamin Guerry from the French band The Great Old Ones, whose new album is set for release in January by Season of Mist.)

As you noticed, there were almost zero interviews with Lovecraft-influenced bands in the previous two months. Hard times for those who follow the Cult, indeed! But the patient ones will be rewarded, as Season of Mist proclaimed that the fifth release of French black metal heroes The Great Old Ones, Kadath, will be released on January 24th!

Fifteen years of boiling activity, four full-length albums behind, a damn lot of live rituals served – the band has solid luggage and this entire experience was reworked and channeled through a concept album based on Lovercaft’s most psychedelic and bizarre Dream Cycle.

Benjamin Guerry (guitars, vocals) is the only founding member who stood at the dawn of The Great Old Ones and who remains its mastermind; it was sheer luck that we’ve caught him and got the interview done in the most operative way. Continue reading »

LISTMANIA 2024: BANDCAMP DAILY’S “THE BEST METAL ALBUMS OF 2024”

 LISTMANIA 2024  4 Responses »
Dec 112024
 

(written by Islander)

Reading year-end lists that someone other than you made tend to provoke mixed feelings of validation, perplexity (which sometimes verges into anger), and discovery. The opportunity for discovery is the main reason we here at NCS devote so much space to our annual LISTMANIA extravaganza, even though we know those other feelings will also be in the mix of reactions. The list we’re re-publishing from Bandcamp Daily will probably be no different in any of these respects.

Bandcamp, of course, has become a vital platform for the digital release of music of all stripes (and physical merchandise as well) since its founding in 2007. Bandcamp used to release an annual compilation of performance statistics, but I haven’t found a similar report since the one they released for 2017. However, the main Bandcamp page today reports that “Fans have paid artists $1.42 billion using Bandcamp, and $194 million in the last year.”

Those are staggering totals, and some part of those enormous sums has been the result of Bandcamp’s laudable decision to continue the monthly tradition of “Bandcamp Fridays” that they began during the height of the pandemic. The last of those for 2024 occurred last week. We won’t know for a while whether it will be continued in 2025. It better be, or else! Continue reading »

LISTMANIA 2024: STEREOGUM’S 10 BEST METAL ALBUMS OF 2024

 LISTMANIA 2024  3 Responses »
Dec 112024
 

(written by Islander)

This is a tough list to share, not because it’s a bad list but because it’s the swan song of the Black Market column, which has been running at Stereogum on a monthly basis since February 2013. As the kids used to say, I has the sads about this news. Well, but let’s back up a bit, for those who might be unfamiliar with that now-defunct institution.

Stereogum easily qualifies as one of the “big platform” web sites whose year-end lists of metal we perennially include in our LISTMANIA series. Of course, the site appeals to an audience of music fans much larger than devoted metalheads, but its staff has included a talented and tasteful (though gradually dwindling) group of metal writers who have been responsible for the site’s monthly The Black Market column.

I’ve always looked forward to Stereogum‘s annual metal list prepared by the Black Market writers. The one for 2024 came out on Monday of this week. As usual it consists of only 10 entries, with accompanying reviews of the choices by Ian Chainey, Michael Nelson, Doug Moore, Wyatt Marshall.

The list feature also includes a retrospective about the column by Ian Chainey, and an entertaining but also poignant interview of all those old-timer writers listed above.

Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: DRUON ANTIGON – “OFFER”

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Dec 112024
 

On November 29th of this year Consouling Sounds released Het Donkere Volmaakte Al, the compelling second album by the Belgian solo project Druon Antigon, a musical outlet for Lennart Janssen (who has also been one of the creative forces in Thermohaline). Here is the label’s evocative description of the album (or it might be Janssen‘s):

The new full-length Het Donkere Volmaakte Al (translating to both ‘The Dark Perfect Universe’ and ‘The Dark Perfected All’) aims to reflect that which lies beyond our own bubble of breathable air. Vast, majestic and beautiful. Uncaring, dark and inhospitable. A perfect and unchangeable system in which humanity is but an accidental stowaway. A clockwork of which the workings and origins are still largely a matter of speculation. Hic sunt dracones.

To help spread the word about the album, today we’re premiering a gripping video for a stunning song off the album named “Offer“. Continue reading »

2024 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE GREAT

 LISTMANIA 2024  10 Responses »
Dec 112024
 

(Andy Synn continues his ongoing round-up of the year with his selections for the top tier albums)

We’re halfway through the week now and it’s time to take a look at the albums I thought represented the creme-de-la-creme of the year.

Before we get into it, however, it’s worth stating that if you don’t see an album listed here, or on yesterday’s “Good” list, then the most likely explanation for its absence is… that I simply didn’t get around to hearing it (or, alternatively, I didn’t have time to listen to it enough to form a proper opinion).

Case in point, I bounced off the new Inter Arma pretty hard when it was released, and never found time to go back to it, so you won’t be seeing that here (some people seem to love it, while others hate it, which is pretty par for the course with the band, actually), and I still haven’t heard a single note of the new Fleshgod Apocalypse (so I’m going to be relying on DGR to let me know more about that in his list).

Similarly, while I’m still enjoying immersing myself in the Hardcore scene all over again (musically, at least) I have to say that – while I don’t begrudge the band their ongoing success – for some reason everything by Knocked Loose just goes in one ear and out the other with me, and never seems to stick around long enough to keep my attention, and when it comes to Nails… well, they’ve just never really done it for me (and get more than enough press elsewhere anyway, so I doubt they’ll be harmed by their omission).

I am, however, particularly mad at myself that I never found (or made) the time to properly dive into the new one from Thy Catafalque, and I just realised that The Foreshadowing have a new one out as well… and I’ve completely overlooked it.

When it comes to what did make the final cut, however, I think you’ll find a lot to love here, from phenomenal first albums from brand new bands to riveting new releases from a variety of exceptional artists from across the Death/Black/Doom spectrum… and beyond (with members of the 20 Buck Spin and Transcending Obscurity rosters putting in a particularly good showing, both here and in the “Good” list, this year).

Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DRAIN DEATH — “SACRIFICE MASTE”

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Dec 102024
 

(written by Islander)

With chills and thrills galore, we welcome to our pages the Indonesian band Drain Death. A duo formed in the Yogyakarta region in early 2022, and with a three-song demo released that same year, they bring a mixture of old school death metal and crust punk, indirectly influenced by Nihilist, Nirvana 2002, and Autopsy, as well as Bombandfall, Anti Cimex, and Bastard Priest.

Early next year (a precise release date hasn’t yet been set), Drain Death will have their debut album Merciless Of Doom released in different formats by a quartet of international labels, and to help spread the word we’re today premiering a chilling and also electrifying album track named “Sacrifice Maste.” Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: URFEIND — “WEAVING THE ABYSS”

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Dec 102024
 

(written by Islander)

On January 10th of the impending new year Nine to Zero Productions will release Dauþalaikaz, the third album by the German black metal entity Urfeind. It includes re-recorded versions of the four songs present on the band’s 2021 EP Wraiþaz, preceded by five other new songs.

Through previous releases Urfeind has established its thematic connections to dark Germanic heathenism, misanthropy, and Anti-Cosmic Philosophy, interests that also seem to be reflected in the band’s very name, bearing in mind that “Ur-” is a German and Nordic prefix (or combining form) that refers to a primeval and primal stage of a phenomenon, the earliest stage, and in this case it’s combined with the German word “feind” — meaning “enemy”.

Well, to be clear, those are our own speculations about the significance of the band’s name, but they’re supported by the experience of the album track we’re premiering today. “Weaving the Abyss” is indeed primeval (and deeply chilling) in its atmosphere. It may also seem primitive in its construction — but only at first, because the music subtly but ingeniously and powerfully evolves, and it seamlessly morphs the mood as it does. Continue reading »

2024 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE GOOD

 LISTMANIA 2024  14 Responses »
Dec 102024
 

(Today we have Andy Synn‘s mammoth second article rounding up the year that was 2024)

Ok, so this is where “List Week” really gets going.

Before we get stuck in, however, a quick explanation for those of you who are new to the site at this time of year.

The following article is not a normal “Best Of…” list, nor is it intended to be treated like one – instead, think of it as a resource which rounds up all the albums I’ve heard this year (well, almost all of them, there’s a few that got cut simply because I didn’t feel strongly enough about them to include them at all) which didn’t make it onto my “Great” list (which will be published tomorrow).

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check them out, however, as there’s a lot of good stuff here (including some of my personal favourites), and the list itself runs the gamut from “it’s pretty good, you might like this” to “this is really fucking good, bordering on great, and needs to be heard”.

It’s not, of course, in any way definitive, because:

  • I’ll obviously have forgotten to include some things
  • there’s a few big names I just didn’t have time to get around to
  • some of what isn’t here will appear on tomorrow’s “Great” list
  • some bands we purposefully don’t feature/cover (for a variety of reasons)

And, obviously, there’s going to be more albums than I can count that I won’t even have been aware of… but it’s still a pretty big collection of records and releases, split up by style and sub-genre, which I hope you’ll find useful as a way of catching up on stuff you might have missed.

Feel free to drop any questions about anything you’re interested in via the comments… and, yes, I’ve provided links for every single album featured here.

Continue reading »

AN NCS INTERVIEW: BECERUS

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Dec 092024
 

(On December 20th Everlasting Spew will release the second album by the Italian death metal band Becerus, and in anticipation of that event our contributor Zoltar conducted the following highly entertaining interview with Becerus guitarist Giorgio Trombino.)

Granted, death metal can be smart. But you can add as many lengthy lyrics and concepts about quantum physics or ancient philosophy as you want, and at the end of the day, nothing beats good ol’ in-your-face and fuck-good-taste death freakin’ metal, innit?

To those willing to go back to the stone age, Becerus would be more than happy to provide the soundtrack to your journey while banging two stones together. Three years ago, their debut Homo Homini Brutus proved to be one of those guilty pleasures for anybody looking for that kind of US thrash-infused early ’90s inspired death metal à la Broken Hope, full of palm-muting riffs and sudden blasts which don’t even pretend to be looking for an excuse to practice what they preach.

Although ‘preach’ might not be the most fitting word here as their first album bore a massive ‘no fucking lyrics’ stamped all over its inside booklet, with Balatonizer vocalist Mario Musumeci using his larynx as an actual instrument to convey strange, menacing sounds instead of delivering a so-called message.

Unsurprisingly, due on December 20th in the ever-reliable Everlasting Spew imprint, their new album Troglodyte – whose title song premiered on NCS last October – is as ruthless and savage, yet not short of rhythmic left turns and groove either. Proof that those Sicilians may not be as caveman-like as they want you to believe, even if guitarist Giorgio Trombino, former Haemophagus and Morbo and now steering both Assumption and Bottomless, enjoys covering his tracks and fucking around… Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: LYSERGIC — “OF RAGE AND POWER”

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Dec 092024
 

Lysergic is a relatively new band, but its members aren’t newcomers. It’s the long-gestating brainchild of Portuguese guitarist João Corceiro, whose experience includes bands like W.A.K.O., Okkultist, Allamedah, and more. In Lysergic he’s joined by other talented and experienced performers whose names we’ll give you below.

The band’s debut album is named Black and Blue, and it’s set for release on January 27, 2025. We’re told that it “was written, recorded and mixed entirely alone by João Corceiro silently over the last decade, and can be considered an autobiography in the form of music and poetry.”

One song from the album, which shares the name of the band, was released with an excellent video a couple of months ago, and today we’re happy to premiere another excellent video for another compelling album track, this one called “Of Rage and Power.” Continue reading »

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