Downfall, Dødssanger (In an effort to help shine a light on metal from Vietnam, our Hanoi-based correspondent Vizzah Harri has brought us the following very erudite and very entertaining interview of Downfall, the person behind the Hanoi-based black metal band Dødssanger.) Dødssanger is Downfall, writer, multi-instru-mentalist and creator of the depressive black metal project that [...] The post LOST IN A LIMINALITY OF IM-PURE WRATH AND REFLECTION (READ: REFRACTION) — AN INTERVIEW WITH DØDSSANGER (PART 1) appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

On May 10th the Cleveland-based extreme metal band Paradox Rift will release a debut album named Ensnared. It features harrowing cover art by the famed by Mark Erskine, which captures key elements of the album’s themes. In the band’s words it depicts: “A figure or entity stuck/being torn between two dimensions; A demolecularizing body that [...] The post AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: PARADOX RIFT — “THE SKY BENEATH” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

(Andy Synn delves into the depths of the new album from Selbst, out this Friday) I remember saying, way back in 2020 when Selbst released their second album, Relatos de angustia, that I wished the band could have received even half as much attention and acclaim as their Portuguese peers in Gaerea had gotten for their breakthrough [...] The post SELBST – DESPONDENCY CHORD PROGRESSIONS appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

photo credit: Kuba Leszko (No Solace released Hauntologist‘s long-gestating debut album in early January of this year, and it has made a memorable impression on a lot of listeners, including Comrade Aleks, who follows up the album with this interview of The Fall.) How many times was Hauntologist mentioned here? And yet it’s not enough. [...] The post AN NCS INTERVIEW: HAUNTOLOGIST appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

One look at the cover art for the debut album from Tampa-based Torturers’ Lobby tells you that the music is likely to be disturbing but unconventional. It’s not easy to decipher what we’re seeing. Though skeletal remains and a vulture’s head appear to be part of the scene, the ghastly greenish hues and running veins [...] The post AN NCS PREMIERE: TORTURERS’ LOBBY — “REPTILIAN HIDE” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

As you can see, today we’re premiering a song from a new album, Nocturnal Dominion of Death, by the veteran Singaporean death-dealers Vrykolakas. It’s the second song from the album to be revealed so far. Together, those two tracks bring to mind the boxing terminology for the “one-two punch”, the devastating combination of blows that [...] The post AN NCS PREMIERE: VRYKOLAKAS — “BILATERAL VENOMOUS ASSAULT appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

(Andy Synn turns his attention today to the recently-released new album from New Jersey’s Replicant) There’s a hoary old cliche – perhaps you’ve heard it – that “good artists borrow, great artists steal”. And Replicant‘s new album is a prime example of this. On paper, at least, Replicant‘s formula is relatively simple, marrying as it does the [...] The post REPLICANT – INFINITE MORTALITY appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

Well, though I feared that partying last night might make today a wasteland for me, an incipient cold kept me away from the party. The only silver lining from missing that birthday party is that I had a clear enough head to pull together this column, which includes reviews and streams of two new albums [...] The post SHADES OF BLACK: HERESIARCH, MAREA, RITES OF REGRESS, MOISSON LIVIDE appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

Following up yesterday’s roundup of recommended new songs and videos, here’s another — five more to help get your weekend off on the wrong foot. BOLESKINE HOUSE (Italy) The name of the debut album from Boleskine House is Miserabilist Blues. The ringing guitar harmony that opens the long song I’ve chosen to begin today’s collection [...] The post SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: BOLESKINE HOUSE, CROCELL, GÖDEN, UDOLS, WEREWOLVES appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more

Another big week for new songs and videos from some very good bands. I wasn’t able to pull together a mid-week roundup, so we’ve got a lot to cover today and tomorrow. Without further ado, let’s begin. BARBARIAN SWORDS (Spain) We start today’s alphabetized collection with B, which stands of course for Barbarian, as in [...] The post SEEN AND HEARD: BARBARIAN SWORDS, DARKTHRONE, LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR, SEAR BLISS, THOU appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING ..read more