SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: HAIL SPIRIT NOIR, WOLFHEART, EXECUTIONER’S MASK, LIGHTLORN, HELLSODOMY

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jun 082024
 

Welcome to another Saturday roundup of new music and videos. Confronted again with the daunting task of choosing from among a vast array of new releases to check out, I defaulted this time to bands I already like, and that decision didn’t steer me wrong.

The music mainly consists of variants of death and black metal, but with some interesting twists along the way.

HAIL SPIRIT NOIR (Greece)

Whenever I think of Hail Spirit Noir I usually think of their 2012 debut album Pneuma, not because it’s their best one but because it was so different from everything else I was listening to at that time, and because so many of those songs got so quickly and firmly stuck in my head (I listened to it a lot).

Since then, they’ve followed their wandering muse in different and usually unpredictable directions. They now have a new album on the way, four years after Eden In Reverse and almost three years after Mannequins, and of course the upper-most question is: What have they gotten up to this time? Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS: MANTAR, KONTINUUM, EXECUTIONER’S MASK, OBLIVION THRONE, THE SECOND FOVEA, VEGAS, LIVIDUS, ATOLL, NIGHTBEARER, FABIAN FILIKS

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Apr 092022
 


Mantar – pic by Matthis van der meulen

 

I was a hamster last week, racing along the treadmill at my day job, with the only apparent signs of progress being motion and the cage filling up with shit. Oh lordie, while I was spinning that wheel the NCS in-box and other message accounts filled up with a lot of shit too — the good shit!

Based on my pawing through it this morning, I found a lot to share, as you’re about to discover in a very wide-ranging musical excursion. But since I’ve now got to go scrub my paws with lye you won’t find my frothy words or cover art in as much abundance as usual.

MANTAR (Germany)

Let’s begin with a new song and video from one of our favorite bands. I have a long list of people (none whom I personally know) that I’d like to hang low so the rats can get ’em because they make life more miserable by their existence. I’d like to beat and scorch them with this song before they take the drop, though they won’t deserve the song’s great chorus. Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS (PART 2): OCEANS OF SLUMBER, ABYSMAL DAWN, DAWN OF SOLACE, EXECUTIONER’S MASK, KAIRON; IRSE!, WARDRUNA

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Jun 072020
 

 

I’m not as prone as some writers around here to make exceptions to our rule about singing (I’m looking at you Mr. Synn), but I fell prone before all the singing voices in this selection of songs, and the music that accompanies them. But don’t worry… in the next installment of this post I’m sure I’ll revert to the usual nastiness.

OCEANS OF SLUMBER (U.S.)

I guess most people know by now that Cammie Gilbert has a stunning voice. If you don’t know, you’ll find out through this first song and video. You’ll also find out she has some very talented people behind her, including drummer Dobber Beverly, who plays in a lot more extreme bands than this one and delivers a beautifully nuanced performance. Continue reading »

OVERFLOWING STREAMS: QUESTION, DECOHERENCE, SKELETON, UTZALU, DÖDSVARG, HOSTIA, HAUTAJAISYÖ, EXECUTIONER’S MASK, MONUMENTAL, BERSÆK, MELT, BAUME

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  5 Responses »
May 132020
 

 

As you can see, it’s time for another gigantic round-up. I took extra time and included artwork for this installment. I’m also very happy with the variety of what I chose, which I’ll forewarn you includes a batch of songs at the end which include singing.

QUESTION (Mexico)

Two tracks off the new album by this death metal band from Santiago De Querétaro, Mexico, are now streaming. They provide vivid reminders of just how good Question are, providing ravaging vocals, unpredictable rhythmic shifts, and equally surprising fretwork that moves the music in eerie and freakish directions while also generating an atmosphere of unearthly menace and unhinged mania. Continue reading »