Drugs of Faith Archives - NO CLEAN SINGING

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: DRUGS OF FAITH — “MICROCHIP”

Feb 062025

(written by Islander)

Allow me to repeat what I wrote about “Gas Mask,” the first single off Drugs of Faith‘s new album Asymmetrical (not that you have a choice): “It skitters and slashes, bounces and brawls, vents the words in a red-eyed fury, and eventually takes off from its punk launching pad into an eruption of grindcore mayhem.”

In other words, after a nearly 6-year hiatus following their last EP and nearly 14 years beyond their last studio album, Drugs of Faith have gotten up off the mat and come out swinging — hard. They have the same lineup that produced that EP (Decay) — guitarist/vocalist Richard Johnson (Enemy Soil, Agoraphobic Nosebleed), bassist Ivan Khilko (Immanent Voiceless), and drummer Ethan Griffiths (Embra) — and their chemistry still produces a volatile concoction of sounds.

Here’s a preview of the album offered on behalf of the labels that will release it on February 21st (Selfmadegod Records and Malokul): Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS: CHAOS!

Jan 112025

(written by Islander)

Normally I use the “Seen and Heard” title for Saturday roundups of recommended new songs and videos. When the number of picks swells to gargantuan proportions I use “Overflowing Streams,” because the number of streams in the column is overflowing. Get it?

I’ve got a baker’s dozen of bands in today’s collection, too many names to try to cram into the post title. I used the exclamatory word “Chaos!” in place of all the names because I got on a roll with the kind of high-energy, high-intensity, sometimes batshit-crazy, music I was hearing. With just a couple of exceptions, I filtered out everything that wasn’t Chaos!, leaving them for another day.

Stylistically, the Chaos! comes in different packages. Though the opening segment is pretty heavy on tech-death, I arranged the choices so they begin to change. You’ll see. You’ll also see that there’s no black metal in this collection (or at least nothing I’d call black metal or its variants), but I’ve got tomorrow to focus on that. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: DRUGS OF FAITH / CLOUD RAT (SONGS FROM A SPLIT)

Premieres 2 Responses »

Nov 172015

Let’s cut to the chase: Poland’s Selfmadegod Records is releasing a 7″ vinyl split by Drugs of Faith and Cloud Rat, and today we’re streaming the premiere of one song from the split by each band. If you know anything about these bands, I’m guessing you’re already scrolling down to hit the play buttons, and I wouldn’t blame you one bit for that. If perchance you’re unfamiliar with the bands, or you’re curious about how many adjectives I can string together to describe these songs, read on.

DRUGS OF FAITH

Both of the bands on this split are distinctive, they go their own way, and they’re very, very good. Drugs of Faith are based in Northern Virginia and have been kicking around since circa 2002. Their current line-up consists of vocalist/guitarist Richard Johnson (Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Enemy Soil), bassist Taryn Wilkinson, and drummer Ethan Griffiths. They’ve produced a variety of short releases since their founding, as well as a debut album in 2011 (the phenomenal Corroded). Their most recent releases were the 2013 EP Architectural Failures (here) and a cover of “Paralyzed” by Godflesh for the Fathers Of Our Flesh tribute album (here). Continue reading »