AN NCS SPLIT PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ABERRATION AND DIABOLIC OATH — “DIVINATIONS”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  1 Response »
Jan 042024
 

Last month we did doing something we almost never do — premiered brief excerpts from songs off a forthcoming release, just a teaser of the full thing to come. The release in question is a 7″ split called Divinations that will be released by Sentient Ruin Laboratories on January 5th.

The split includes one song each from the U.S. black/death metal bands Aberration and Diabolic Oath. It is a timely release, not only because it helps kick off 2024 in obliterating fashion but also because the spring of 2024 will bring us new full-length albums from both bands, Aberration’s Refracture and Diabolic Oath’s still secretive but completed second full-length, and so the split functions as a precursor and taste of horrific things to come.

If you heard the teaser, you’ll probably understand why we agreed to share it despite our usual reticence to premiere anything but complete songs or full releases. But if you caught that teaser premiere, you also know that we promised to stream this split in full when the time was right. And the time is right now. Continue reading »

AN NCS TEASER PREMIERE: ABERRATION AND DIABOLIC OATH

 Premieres  No Responses »
Dec 182023
 

Here, we’re doing something we almost never do — premiering brief excerpts from songs off a forthcoming release. Such things are mere teasers, even more teasing than the premiere of a complete song from an album or EP that you can’t yet hear in full.

So why did we cave in and sweep away our usual reticence to brutally tease our visitors? You’re about to find out. Continue reading »

DIABOLIC OATH: “AISCHROLATREIA”

 Album Reviews, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Sep 142022
 

(We welcome the return of NCS contributor Hope Gould and her review a new EP by the Oregonian black/death band Diabolic Oath, out now on the Sentient Ruin label.)

Something evil haunts the Pacific Northwest. Beneath the quaintness of the moss and ferns lies a sickly, insidious rot. In recent years, the PNW’s underground has siphoned the contaminated soil of its foul minerals and tirelessly cultivates some seriously evil metal – and the soil is rich. This year alone has seen evil, grimy releases from the likes of Triumvir Foul, Hissing and Grave Infestation to name a few. Portland’s Diabolic Oath were cultivated from the very same soil, festered in it, and have again proven themselves to be a most odious force with their new EP, Aischrolatreia.

Diabolic Oath emerged conspicuously from the Oregon mire with their first full-length, 2020’s Profane Death Exodus. Setting them apart was their masterful use of fretless guitar and fretless bass to craft a warped soundscape over unconventional compositions. Aischrolatreia revisits this sound but takes on an even more hostile and raw approach. Bestial devotees are likely to find themselves being sucked into the aural filth while others who have not yet heard the call may find it a jarring journey. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DIABOLIC OATH — “APOCRYPHAL MANIFESTATIONS”

 Premieres  2 Responses »
Jun 082020
 

 

How does a band who are devoted to the most ruinous amalgamations of death and black metal stand out from the underground hordes who profess the same kind of devotion? Where the sonic expression of hell on earth is the dominant aesthetic, how does one advance beyond the orthodoxy of extreme audio annihilation? Diabolic Oath has an answer — actually, many answers, as revealed on their debut album Profane Death Exodus.

This Portland, Oregon band seized the attention of Sentient Ruin Laboratories, who are poised to release the album on June 26th. The alliance of that label alone is a sign that Diabolic Oath have concocted something unusual, something that builds upon the influence of such bands as Teitanblood, Immolation, and Bestial Warlust. And as a further sign, today we present the album’s fifth track, “Apocryphal Manifestations”. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: ROTTING CHRIST, WOMBBATH, MORTUOUS, DIABOLIC OATH

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  7 Responses »
May 012018
 

 

We have a couple of premieres coming later today (what a shock), but I found myself with a little extra time on my hands before we get to those, so I thought I’d package up a few new things that I heard yesterday. The first two come from established bands who are always dependably good. The second two come from new names that should become better known once the songs below get spread around.

ROTTING CHRIST

First up is a pro-shot live video of Rotting Christ performing the title track from their 2013 album Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού. It was filmed on June 30, 2017, during the band’s headlining anniversary concert in Athens. From the looks of this (and of course the sounds), I really wish I’d been able to astrally project myself into that venue. And I think that’s all the introduction this video needs. Enjoy: Continue reading »