Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Recent August Metal Releases

There have been a ton of great releases put out in the last couple weeks and we here at NW MetalHead Productions want you all to bear witness to all the glory the metal underground has to offer. Everything from sludge to death to black that has come out and destroyed the aural senses of the darkest souls that inhabit their parent’s basements is represented here. And this is just a small taste of what has been birthed from the shadowy depths of our little scene.

First up is Signo Rojo, a sludge band out of Sweden that just released Promo Album 2011. This band emits murky filth that can make the listener need a cold shower to wash away the grime. The strained, gravelly vocals pitted against the slow moving, paint a beautifully harsh scene that can’t help but pull the listener in. come forth and enjoy the heavy.



Next we got the newest release from Polish legends Vader. They are never a band that strays too far from the proven path yet they never get boring. Welcome to the Morbid Reich is the latest in a long line of death/thrash albums that this European group has been unleashing upon the masses since 1983. The album doesn’t stand out too much form previous releases such as Litany or Necropolis, but that is not a bad thing because those albums are absolutely incredible. This is another album to add to the ever expanding collection.



Another band from across the sea is Italian tech-death beasts Fleshgod Apocalypse who released their second full length Agony which has been lauded by just about every single critic in the underground world. There are countless tech-death bands these days that are fast and technical just for the sake of extremity but FA do something a little different, they actually write songs!! They are able to combine the fantastically brutal roars of death metal with beautiful clean singing and even majestic piano playing. This, along with guitar wizardry that doesn’t bore the listener with endless meandering, makes FA a huge up and comer in the death metal scene.



And to close out this little round-up of August releases is a very underground black metal band from Australia, Erebus Enthroned. Their first full length album Night’s Black Angel was released with little to no fanfare but has caught the ear of many in the underground. Their brand of black metal isn’t raw but also isn’t as polished as many newcomers to the scene are but tread that line between and create a filthy batch of music that Dimmu Borgir wishes they could concoct these days. It is a solid start to their career and this writer sees limitless potential.


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

New Wolves in the Throne Room

Cascadian black metalists Wolves in the Throne Room have released a new song via NPR for the world to hear. The new album entitled Celestial Lineage is set to be released September 13 via Southern Lord Records. WITTR is a band that has a decidedly Northwestern sound and feel. When one listens to WITTR they feel as though they have been lying in the rain drenched woods on the Olympic Penninsula while various forms of wild life stalks around their campsite. This track in particular is a little different from what most poeple think about when WITTR is mentioned but it still carries the same weight as their rawer tracks. Hear the track "Woodland Cathedral" and make you own feelings knowon the forum! http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2011/08/09/139148014/wolves-in-the-throne-room-a-room-filling-processional

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Internet Good, But People Better For Metal

In this day and age, the internet is the main source for finding new music. With the click of a mouse button and a stroke of a key, just about any band that has ever existed is at our fingertips. MySpace was one of the first sites for bands to create profiles and it was a vital cog towards getting their music out to a broader audience. YouTube was and still is a great site for reaching the masses. Bands can put their music videos or live performances on it and fans can upload their favorite songs for all to enjoy as well. We here at NWMetalHead Productions have our own channel where we have put up a few choice songs as well, check us out at http://www.youtube.com/user/NWMetalHead. Without teh interwebz I would not have found bands like Celeste (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQrU6-nhUy4), Dred (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvO-jzjhTvQ), or Mass Extinction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GezYvMREgo).  While the internet has definitely been a beneficial tool for people, including this writer, one definitely misses the personal interaction of discussing metal bands with friends as well as complete strangers. At shows people are always willing to talk about bands they have seen, local bands no one has ever heard of, or their own bands. Something I have definitely noticed over the years is that metalheads are always excited about telling others about new bands. It is a sense of pride that we all have when we are able to show other metal maniacs the bands we love. In addition, simply attending show will sometimes show you new bands that you were never aware of before. I discovered 2 bands the last couple times Amon Amarth came through. Ensiferum and Holy Grail are two amazing bands that I had never listened to before but am now in love with based off their live performances. So even though the internet is an amazing tool to find and discuss music (this site being an excellent example \m/) be sure to not simply be one of those internet elitists that rag on anyone who doesn’t know about some Norwegian black metal band that only released one demo in 1989 but is “the greatest band evar!” Go to shows, create a community, and share the metal we all love!