AN NCS “PREMIERE”: DEATH OBVIOUS — “THE GREAT GATE THEORY”

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Nov 172025
 

(written by Islander)

The sharp-eyed among you will notice that the word “PREMIERE” in the post title is cuddled by quotation marks. That is because the song we’re presenting today was out in the world for some number of months beginning last January, when the debut album that includes it was digitally self-released by the band who made it. I heard the song and the rest of the album back then and spontaneously reviewed it because the record blew my mind.

At some point the digital stream vanished, the reason being that the astute Transcending Obscurity Records decided that the album needed a pjhysical release and a bigger audience, and the band agreed. As T.O. has written: “This release is not a rebirth but a necessary resuscitation.” And so now the once-public songs are being slowly revealed again in the run-up to T.O.’s release of the album on December 5th, including the song we’re re-revealing today.

What are we talking about? We’re talking about Death Obvious! Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: CONAN, GREY AURA, SEPULCHRAL CURSE, NITE, DEATH OBVIOUS, ABRAXAS HORN (AND MORE)

 Album Reviews, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
Jan 252025
 

(written by Islander)

In the early part of this month, as the old year moved into the new, the volume of new album announcements and new songs subsided. For people like those of us at NCS, things got kind of slow and comfortable.

Well, of course that turned out to be comparable to a “negative storm surge,” a phenomenon in which waves recede before a typhoon strikes, the water being pulled away from the coast by the storm’s low pressure system before the ocean comes rushing back when the typhoon strikes in full force.

Which is what is now happening in the music we pay attention to. Everything is in full force, and I’m drowning in new music. I know it gets repetitive and possibly mind-numbing when I share the count, but I’ve got more than 60 open tabs on my computer, each one linked to a song that came out just this past week which I was curious to check out in planning today’s column, on top of a lot more from last week.

Obviously, I didn’t listen to all of them. Obviously, I wouldn’t have liked all of them if I had. I liked the ones below that I did get to. How did I get to them within that great mass of tabs? I admit I gravitated to bands I’ve liked in the past — though I did take a few shots in the dark that also paid off. And I decided to add some music at the end without commentary (due to vanishing time).

P.S. In the early evening I’m going to an annual party in Seattle across the water from my home. I’m sure that if I make it back home, it won’t be until close to 2 am. I’m also sure I won’t make any effort to wake up before noon on Sunday, and will be woozy when I do. So, don’t expect a SHADES OF BLACK column this weekend (I won’t have enough time to pull it together before leaving home this afternoon). Continue reading »