Manes - Teeth, Toes And Other Trinkets (2013 NN Promo)

"Teeth, Toes And Other Trinkets is not a new album from Manes, but rather it is a collection of some of their scrapped material and B-sides that show the band still at their respective prime. ”Blanket Of Ashes” was just what I needed, with its return to all things avant-garde and melodic, carrying with it a sorrowful clean approach that more than made up for all the band’s previous work. A live version of “Ende” comes next, sounding a bit fuzzy while still reminding me just how good this song was when it first appeared. “Ease Yourself Back Into Consciousness” seems also a good fit for this album, as it displays tingling electronics with their unmistakable approach to vocal theatrics. It’s a very deep piece, something that carries a heavy weight of emotion behind it. All of the Satanic stuff that followed was like a taking a jackhammer to this beauty, personally. A remix of “The Cure-All” is included, but it’s not as good as the original. “One More Room” sees the band a bit more commercial, definitely injected with pop and radio ready; it’s easy to see why they chopped this one off. But it’s still a good track, nevertheless. “Nobody Wants The Truth” features turntable antics, yet is still quite reserved in its icy magnificence. “Tzolv” is an electronic piece that was likely scrapped, but there was nothing really wrong with it. As a matter of fact, it’s really quite good as it sets up for a frosty atmosphere and makes me think of the northern lights.."

Read More Here: http://newnoisemagazine.com/album-review-manes-teeth-toes-trinkets/

Wolves In The Throne Room - BBC Session 2011 Anno Domini (NN Promo 2013)

"I hate to say it, but this album really isn’t all that necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a Wolves fan since their debut and have considered the bulk of their work to be respectable black metal of the highest order. However, this is a very short cash grab that sees the band performing just two tracks from their latest album, Celestial Lineage. Recorded in 2011, I have no idea why they didn’t just open this one up as a freebie. How these guys managed to swim across the sea and land on English soil is well beyond me, and how the BBC let them come in to play their raucous form of black metal in a commercial setting also confounds me. But it was done and it is just as you might expect, with “Prayer Of Transformation” being the mostly atmospheric thing that was on the album (to be honest, there’s not much difference in the album recording and the live setting, aside from a large chunk of fuzz) and “Thuja Magus Imperium” being also the mostly atmospheric thing that was on the album. While there are certain black metal injections, I feel that the band abuse these atmospheres just a bit too much and are torn between a traditional black metal act and an atmospheric black metal act..." 

Read More Here: http://newnoisemagazine.com/album-review-wolves-throne-room-bbc-session-2011-anno-domini/

Celldweller - Blackstar Act One: Purified (2013 NN Promo & Book)

"Klayton’s one of the best there is when it comes to industrial soundscapes, even if his music isn’t quite as aggressive or scathing as many other acts in the scene. He’s molded his own path which seems to mix house, techno, trance and even dubstep together with elements of hard rock. Celldweller has never ventured into the realms of heavy metal, and I don’t expect them to – there’s more than enough great material on previous effort Wish Upon A Blackstar to capture fans with their very accessible touch to electronic rock that should ensnare those who wouldn’t be able to get into it otherwise. The record was undoubtedly catchy, making this atmosphere-laden piece a definite untapped area for the artist. Oddly enough, this is the soundtrack to a book that is included along with the album. I’ve overviewed it, but have not even had the time to skim its quaint seventy-five page length. (I’ll also add that I prefer paperback or hardcover copies when it comes to books, as it’s much easier on the eyes.) So you’ll not be getting a book review from me. At least, not this time..."

Read More Here: http://newnoisemagazine.com/album-review-celldweller-blackstar-act-one-purified/

Disfiguring The Goddess - Deprive (2013 NN Promo)

"Cameron Argon has put together the perfect mix of deathcore and brutal death metal that I’ve heard yet, as he puts some real muscle into an aggression that certainly stands out far beyond most of the deathcore bands that I’ve heard. The fact that this is such a marriage of brutal death metal and real death metal, in addition to the fact that Cameron unleashes a real sense of vocal gravel (as in no stomach punch grunts or gang-vocals or wannabe cookie monster stuff) really makes this album appeal to me. The drums do a great job of blasting through these tracks as the slight electronic atmosphere helps to illustrate the piece perfectly. What’s that? You didn’t know that there were electronics on this album? Well, yes – this is the man who also fronts Big Chocolate after all (one of the best names for an electronic act I’ve ever heard, still waiting for a side project called Small Vanilla), so you’d be right to expect the electronic influence. But don’t fret, because this thing is nothing if not uncompromisingly heavy. Sure, it’s got slight bits of experimentation, yet it will still manage to give you that sense of brainless brutality that you wanted to hear in the first place..."

Read More Here: http://newnoisemagazine.com/album-review-disfiguring-goddess-deprive/

Rhapsody Of Fire - Dark Wings Of Steel (2013 NN Promo)

"Originally just called Rhapsody, the band is well-known for their grandiose take on symphonic power metal that is at most times theatrical. Also, keep in mind that this is the very first Rhapsody (Of Fire) album that I’ve ever heard. I just never sought to get that involved in these guys, and was always busier with more extreme sub-genres. Definitely some orchestral muscle went into this one, even though I’ll admit that the riffs seem a bit buried in the synths. I can also barely hear the Alex Holzwarth’s drums, something that I absolute despise on any metal album. This unfortunate incident kills the intro to “Rising From Tragic Flames,” which started the album out on a bad note. Alex eventually started pounding the kit later on in the track however, which is when we got the first taste of vocals from a frontman who is more than capable in Fabio Lione. His vocal prowess makes for several great moments on the disc, even making the lighter ballads on the album come off quite well. One example of this would be the lighter, but still triumphant “My Sacrifice,” which deserves the eight minutes that it occupies on the disc..."

Read More Here: http://newnoisemagazine.com/album-review-rhapsody-fire-dark-wings-steel/

Interview With Cursed 13 Now On New Noise!

The world is right now a place of heavy turmoil, and of course those of the mainstream religions look to a prophecy of the end of the world. Yet, (and please correct me if I’m wrong) the Nordic beliefs follow that the end will come in Ragnarok, during what appears to be an ice age. Do you see this sort of thing happening very soon?

There shall be three winters without an end before Ragnarök. I really hope it will and I hope that I will be here to witness it. We have wars, we have overpopulation, we have environmental issues, we have comets threating from space. The odds are getting better every day, still, none of this is new and the planet has prevailed before but I am a dreamer…

I do have another interesting question about your beliefs, but this one might anger you a bit as it did me. Here in the United States, we have of course had a movie about the comic book character Thor, as you well know. An actor played the part of “Loki” which had some sort of effect on American pagans, women in particular. Apparently, some of them have gone so far as to purchase likenesses and images of the actor dressed as “Loki” and are adhering in ritual to this image. What is your opinion on this? Are they being misled?

(Laughs hysterically) What the fuck!? Seriously? Well, ”monkey see, monkey do” I suppose. What people should remember is that those films are based upon characters in comic books. The comic book characters are based upon someone’s interpretation of Scandinavian mythology, made to fit the comic book style. I suppose that this is quite obvious, but who knows? I might enlighten some kid somewhere. I would recommend everyone interested in films about the Scandinavian past to check out the films by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson instead.

Read More Here: http://newnoisemagazine.com/interview-cursed-13-album-scandanavian-lore/

Happy Hellidays From The Grim Tower!

And I'm still waiting for a frost-bitten cover of "Jingle Bells" guys. Maybe it'll be on the 2014 album?