AN NCS PREMIERE: KOLOSSUS — “JOURNEY”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Feb 072020
 

 

Although the solo project Kolossus has sprung from the mind of a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist (Helliminator) who is located in Italy, he has drawn his inspirations from such northern bands as Taake, Enslaved, Emperor, and Helheim, and has devoted himself to the creation of Black/Viking Metal. After a split (The invocation of Makt) with Manon was released in 2019, Kolossus has now recorded a debut album called The Line of the Border, which will be co-released on March 19th by Satanath Records (Russia) and The Ritual Productions (Netherlands).

For this debut full-length, Helliminator composed the songs and the lyrics, and performed vocals and all instruments other than the drumming, which was executed in astonishing fashion by Emanuele Prandoni (Anamnesi, Simulacro, Ancient). The album also features two guests on particular tracks, with Vicotnik (of Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende) contributing vocals on the album’s first preview track, “Norge“, and a musician named Daisy who performs solo guitar on the track we’re about to premiere — an explosive song named “Journey“. Continue reading »

RAPID FIRE RECOMMENDATIONS: KOLOSSUS, WARCHEST, KNEEL, DE LIRIUM’S ORDER

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  No Responses »
May 222019
 

 

(TheMadIsraeli re-surfaces at NCS with a group of quick recommendations of recent releases for your earholes.)

KOLOSSUS

Kolossus are a pretty neat Finnish band whose music I couldn’t peg when I first heard them but I’ve settled on calling it melodic death metal. Really good melodic death metal is rare for me these days, but this group’s combination of the playfulness of Into Eternity, Before The Dawn‘s style of morose gothic melody and atmosphere, and  their militant energy and propulsive grooves bring to mind both Byzantine and System of A Down. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD: BATUSHKA, KOLOSSUS, MORDBRAND, KALMANKANTAJA, DARK PLAGUE

 RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  9 Responses »
May 202019
 

 

Wow, 16 days since I posted the last of these new-music round-ups. And that one came 10 days after the one before it. Not a good track record, but my job has been a jealous mistress lately, or more like a starving wolverine hungry for my flesh. It’s unlikely things will improve in the near future, but for different reasons.

In two days, for the 6th year in a row, I’m flying to Baltimore with a bunch of Seattle friends to take in Maryland Deathfest. My NCS comrades Andy Synn and DGR will be there, too, and I doubt they’ll be spending their free time banging out content for NCS either. And then the week after that I’ll be spending a shitload of time helping to put on the third edition of the NCS-sponsored Northwest Terror Fest in Seattle. My day job probably won’t leave me alone over the next two weeks either.

So, it won’t surprise me if another 16 days pass between today’s round-up and the next one. Or maybe I’ll throw together a round-up that just consists of one new song. Or maybe two, if I skip showers and breakfasts. But today I have five, because I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. Continue reading »