Within the first, cursory spin of Noctem’s sophomore effort Oblivion, it quickly becomes plain to see why this otherwise humble Spanish act were picked up by North American heavy Metal Blade Records, for this eleven track beast is a virtual treasure trove of epic riff arrangements and legitimately BRUTAL song structures which sweep away all chaff…leaving only destructive wreckage in its wake.
Effectively combining a black/death base with a grandiose, semi-symphonic penchant of structure and an ever-so-slight creative nod to the European metalcore scene of Neaera, Caliban and Heaven Shall Burn, Noctem don’t exactly stride an original path of metal malevolence, yet undertake their cause with such vicious precision that it becomes quite easy to excuse this fact, in light of the band’s absolutely infectious energy.
Indeed, Oblivion takes hold right from the barnstorming opening salvo of “The Arrival of False Gods,” not letting up through “Universal Disorder” and beyond, successfully keeping the intensity level-which is on par with likes of Behemoth…seriously!-going right on through to the closing strains of the album’s title track. Melodic yet destructively violent, Oblivion establishes Noctem as true metal contenders with a confident and mature attack, proving that Spain harbors its own threat to Sweden, Norway and Poland when it comes to extreme metal with a rabid bite. Beware: Noctem come out swinging with this one.
It’s been one of the most anticipated videos in recent memory and now it’s finally upon us! BEHEMOTH has released their video for the track “Lucifer”, taken from their most recent effort ‘Evangelion’, and it is one of the most impressive videos I’ve seen in a long time. There’s naked girls, blood, satanism and everything you could possibly want in a truly shocking and evil video! I have to say hats off to Metal Blade, Nuclear Blast, Grupa 13, BEHEMOTH and everyone else who was involved in this production because it is absolutely incredible.
Play the video above and chyme in with your thoughts!
Despite that unoriginal album title-which translates in Latin to ‘Thus Passes Worldly Glory’-Norway’s own Saligia aren’t your average, run of the mill black metal act, but instead deliver their noise with some believable black soul…of the old school variety, naturally.
Basically the project of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Ghastly and drummer Malach Adonai, Saligia don’t offer any frills or musical thrills here on their full length debut, but instead hammer down with relentless enthusiasm and smart songwriting. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi benefits from never sounding too inundated with ideas, instead relying on quality riffage and legit, occult-sounding atmosphere to fuel its sonic hatred.
The riffs of Ghastly, while never technical, are memorable in that old school Gorgoroth and pre-death Behemoth fashion, owing a bit to Arckanum and vintage Darkthrone, as well. The hard-edged production assists the guitars even further on their quest for Satanic deliverance, while the chanting vocals almost possess a ritualistic vibe to them, creating a mantra-like vibe within the listener which ends up sounding quite successful.
Meanwhile, the drums of Adonai are a straight-forward, one-two punch of simplicity; a heads down attack which accompanies the quality riffing of Ghastly with ease. Black metal to the bone, with diabolic energy to spare, Saligia come out a winner on this debut; I can only look forward to what they do next.
NERGAL is the frontman of one of Poland’s most feared and revered bands, BEHEMOTH. He is also a judge on Poland’s version of ’The Voice’, which is basically an unheard welcoming of extreme metal in the mainstream. NERGAL is also a cancer survivor and has been in the midst of heated battles with the religious right in Poland due to his perceived anti-religious actions and music. Needless to say, NERGAL is one of the most important faces of our scene and one of the most enigmatic personalities in all of music.
That’s why it totally makes sense that he has landed on the cover of Poland’s edition of NEWSWEEK – another absolutely unheard of feat for a metal musician in the US. I want to take a second to send major appreciation to NERGAL for taking this press attention the right away and both taking his opportunities that he has earned and also making the metal community proud to have such an incredible spokesperson in the mainstream!
One of the most talked about videos of the year is the new BEHEMOTH epic “Lucifer”. Partly because of NERGAL’s return to the spotlight since winning his battle against cancer and also because of the pictures that came out a few weeks ago showing just how evil and crushing this video is going to be. Now we have an official making-of video that Metal Blade has released, giving you the opportunity to take a peak behind-the-scenes at the occult clip being made.
As is with most BEHEMOTH videos, this looks to be one of the most impressive videos that will be released this year. Stay tuned and we’ll surely be bringing the video to the blog as soon as it becomes available!
Though it is our firm belief that the charges should have never been handed down in the first place, luckily for BEHEMOTH fans, NERGAL’s case for “offending religious feelings” has been dismissed by a Polish judge. The court cited that the band tearing bibles apart on stage is “artistic expression” and is not a random outburst seeing as how the band has been tearing bibles on stage going back to at least 2005 when I saw them live for the first time. The court also cited a number of testimonies from concert goers who said that their religious beliefs were not offended.
To me, the really weird thing is that you can be charged in Poland for “offending religious feelings”… That is so fucking backwards I don’t know where to begin! Do they also still make black people ride in the back of their public transportation? Do they make women practice Sharia law?
All I can say is thank Satan that he got off ok from this… We would have had to send Reverend Al and Jesse Jackson over there to fight for him!
The above photo is a still from the recent shoot of BEHEMOTH’s new video “Lucifer”. It looks as if this will be the sickest video yet from the blackened death metal masters and is the first true piece of work we’ve seen from the band since frontman Nergal (Adam Darski) fought through his battle with Leukemia last year. Now, the band is hard at work on returning to “full speed” since Nergal’s recovery. They are revamping their live show, they have completed work on one brand new song and now they have finished shooting a new video for “Lucifer”, which comes from their most recent opus ‘Evangelion’.
Check out the incredible photos from the video after the jump and chime in below on how stoked you are for the return of BEHEMOTH…. I, for one, have been looking forward to this day for a long time!
Coming out of straight out of Brooklyn, New York (where every band seems to be from these days) is a recent entry into the scene in ALEKHINE’S GUN. Not mere newbies, most of the band are veterans from other groups in the crowded, but deep NYC metal and hardcore scene. Put together like a mix of chemicals in a mad scientists’ laboratory, the sound of the band is uncompromising, brutal and seriously pissed the hell off. Having now conquered the five boroughs through their explosive live gigs, they are looking to break out beyond their hometown with their new EP, Meditations in Wrath.
Starting off with the dissonant first notes of “Gutwrench” the band serves notice that they are not your typical skinny jeans wearing, weepy hair-don’t having prospects that a lot of Brooklyn bands seem to be right now. A torrent of machine -gun riffs and marching double-kick drums give way to pure sonic mayhem. Their sound can be best described as an amalgam of blackened death metal (think BEHEMOTH), Thrash and a few nods to New York Hardcore. All of this is topped off by the sick growls of front-woman supreme Jessica Pimentel (EVERYBODY GETS HURT/NEW FAITH/STEP 2 FAR). No shrinking violet, Pimentel’s vocal prowess is impressive as she runs the gamut of styles of guttural bellows to anguished high range screams. She compares favorably to ANGELA GOSSOW of ARCH ENEMY fame. Guitarists Jeff Martinez (DESOLATE) rains down waves riffs on the listener. Instead of just mashing a bunch of random parts together, the songs sound really well thought out with purposeful, dramatic changes. “Vengeance (Palden Lhamo)” sounds like the grandchild of SLAYER and early SEPULTURA, with its fast riffs and beats. The song is killer and shifts back and forth between death metal chord progressions and a mid-tempo grooves. Drummer Angel Cotte (EYES OF THE SUN/IMMORTAL FLESH) is just over the top with his blastbeats and kick work. Bassist Dan Martinez (KING HELL) is solid. If the band has a hit track, it is “Bardo”. Starting with a slight old-school punk beat, that quickly gives way to more pummeling thrash. The title track comes last and it is another face melter. Just total musical annihilation, especially the mid-song mosh part (not an actual breakdown) that is one part PANTERA and two parts total evil. I will be following their career with great interest and looking out for a full length in the future.
Hate Eternal-Phoenix Amongst the Ashes (Metal Blade)
While props must be given to Hate Eternal mainman-and ex-Morbid Angel/Ripping Corpse guitarist-Erik Rutan for persevering through injury, death and all around bad luck, this doesn’t mean that his band’s return to the scene should necessarily be welcomed blindly.
To be fair and impartial, it near impossible to decry Phoenix Amongst the Ashes as anything other than impressively done for the style. It just comes down to whether or not this sort of very American neo-metal is your personal cup o’ tea.
Of course, judging by the raging response of metal’s blastbeat-hungry youth to extremity like this, it becomes increasingly likely that this album will be achieving more than its fair share of success upon release. Would I listen to this in my spare time? Hell no. This is the exact opposite of what I consider to be defined as ‘death metal,’ my tastes leaning definitively towards the Stockholm sound and early, primitive American death acts.
Still, only a fool or a hack could write of Phoenix Amongst the Ashes as a poorly conceived or performed record. It’s simply a modern death metal record for modern death metal times; an album for Nile sweathogs or Behemoth fans who can’t stomach that band’s earlier, corpse painted efforts, and whose tastes lean firmly towards Pro Tooled, studio enhanced muscle exercises. There is little to no old school feeling to be found within Hate Eternal’s grooves-or lack thereof-instead replaced with a hyperactive sense of accomplishment which, despite its best intentions, seems to lose the plot of what death metal should really mean, at the end of the day.
Rating: A (if you dig Extreme Metal) D+ (if you like Death Metal)
In rather sad news, it appears that BEHEMOTH frontman NERGAL is back int he hospital due to complications relating to his recent bone marrow transplant. In this report from Polish press outlets, it states that NERGAL is suffering from a ‘serious infection’, which is why he has been living in complete seclusion since his operation – basically, when your immune system is weakened to this point due to serious surgery, you have to stay away from everyone and everything to keep from getting an infection.
Since I’m no doctor, I hope that this is something that is run-of-the-mill and easily treatable. I certainly hope that this doesn’t mean bad news for NERGAL’s bone marrow transplant and I speak for everyone here at Metal Army when I wish him a speedy recovery and good health!
Horns up for one of the best metal heads in the world!
