SEEN AND HEARD: IATT, GENTIHAA, SENZAR, NAFRAT

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Feb 142022
 

I suppose that after the gigantic swarms of new music I compiled in this past weekend’s two posts I should have let you catch your breath, but I had a hole to fill in our schedule before an album premiere coming later today. So I quickly grabbed some of the newest songs and videos I discovered, most of which I heard and saw for the first time this morning, accompanied by some immediate reactions.

IATT (U.S.)

“Seven Wandering Stars ” is a stylistic kaleidoscope that’s being spun almost faster than would allow you to keep up, shifting in flashes from black metal to prog and jazz fusion. In keeping with the rapidly changing variations, the vocals include both razor-edged shrieking and morose singing (by guest Jake Superchi of Uada). There seems to be a violin in the mix too, performed by Ben Karas (Thank You Scientist, Windfaerer). Continue reading »

OUR LIST OF 2018’S MOST INFECTIOUS EXTREME METAL SONGS (PART 30): SOUL DISSOLUTION, FREDAG DEN 13:E, VARGRAV

 MOST INFECTIOUS SONGS-2018  No Responses »
Feb 202019
 

 

This is another one of those days when I’m leaning into black metal for the latest additions to this list, with a pair of songs that present different shades of black, very different formulations of music that incorporates black metal traditions, but all of them big head-movers in the moment and quite memorable in the aftermath. And in between them I’ve placed some Motörcharged scandicrust that’s equally head-moving and highly addictive.

I should mention that we’re drawing very close to the end of this series. Last year’s series ended with Part 20, and here we’re already up to Part 30. So as to give myself time this coming weekend to agonize over the final picks, I’m not going to stop this week — but at some point next week (probably early in the week), we’ll bring this 2018 list to an end. To check out everything that has preceded today’s installment, you’ll find them behind this link.

SOUL DISSOLUTION

I can’t think of a better word than “magnificent” for “Far Above the Boiling Sea of Life“. That’s the word that leaped to mind when I first heard it in advance of premiering the track in February of last year, and it’s the word that I’m left with every time I hear it — which has been often. Continue reading »

QUICK HITS: SENZAR AND ONTOGENY

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  2 Responses »
Jul 202018
 

 

I really wanted to end this week with a big fat juicy round-up, overstuffed with new songs and videos that I’ve latched onto over the past week but couldn’t cram into other round-ups over the last two days. Alas, I’ve run out of time. But rather than just scuttle morosely out of sight, head down and small tears dribbling down my cheeks, I thought I’d at least give you a couple of quick hits.

SENZAR

Today the Irish band Senzar, which rose from the ashes of Coldwar and embraced a name reportedly based upon the works of different philosophers, including Ernst Cassirer and Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky, released their first EP, which has their name on it but has no title, through Hostile Media.

After seeing a press release I had made a note a few days ago to check out a new video the band had released, but it wasn’t until receiving encouragement from starkweather’s Rennie today that I did so, and then moved from there to the EP as a whole. Continue reading »