(written by Islander) Each of us who contributes to NCS has favorite bands (many of them!) that we try to follow over time, and we try to pay special attention to underground groups and projects who l...

(Andy Synn has five recently, and one not-so-recently, released recommendations to share with you all today) People sometimes ask me how I stay on top of all the new releases every month, and the answ...

(written by Islander) Each of us who contributes to NCS has favorite bands (many of them!) that we try to follow over time, and we try to pay special attention to underground groups and projects who l...

Recommended for fans of: Hacride, The Ocean, Benea Reach As the person who’s largely been responsible for featuring Hippotraktor here in the past, it only made sense for me to be the one to write abou...

(Andy Synn has five recently, and one not-so-recently, released recommendations to share with you all today) People sometimes ask me how I stay on top of all the new releases every month, and the answ...

(Andy Synn once more serves as our in-house ambassador for the UK Metal scene) Like I’ve said before, many times, it’s impossible for any of us here at NCS to cover all the artists/albums we really wa...

(written by Islander) As you know by now (or damned well should!), No Clean Singing is the chief sponsor of Seattle-based Northwest Terror Fest. Since the first year of the fest in 2017 we’ve been sup...

Recommended for fans of: Hacride, The Ocean, Benea Reach As the person who’s largely been responsible for featuring Hippotraktor here in the past, it only made sense for me to be the one to write abou...

(written by Islander) Today we are most happy to renew your acquaintance with the Dutch black metal band Asgrauw, a member of the Zwotte Kring circle whose music we’ve enthusiastically covered since t...

(Andy Synn delivers another justified “exception to the rule” courtesy of Denmark’s Maunah) I was today years old (well, actually, by the time you’re reading this that won’t actually be true any more,...

(Andy Synn once more serves as our in-house ambassador for the UK Metal scene) Like I’ve said before, many times, it’s impossible for any of us here at NCS to cover all the artists/albums we really wa...

(Andy Synn presents an exclusive premiere of one of the darkest, harshest albums of 2026) Success, or so they like to say, can be a double-edged sword. And the music business in particular is full of ...

(Andy Synn delivers another justified “exception to the rule” courtesy of Denmark’s Maunah) I was today years old (well, actually, by the time you’re reading this that won’t actually be true any more,...

(written by Islander) The prime curator of Personal Records continues to prove the depth and quality of his tastes by joining forces with the Belgian black metal band Bokkerijders for the release of t...

(Andy Synn takes a journey through a dying city with France’s Plèvre) This… is not the review I was supposed to be posting today. No, that review will now be coming next week, due to the fact that – j...

(written by Islander) As you know by now (or damned well should!), No Clean Singing is the chief sponsor of Seattle-based Northwest Terror Fest. Since the first year of the fest in 2017 we’ve been sup...

(written by Islander) Today we again find ourselves in the favored position of premiering a song from an album by the long-running Czech death metal band Cutterred Flesh. We have done this twice befor...

(Andy Synn takes a journey through a dying city with France’s Plèvre) This… is not the review I was supposed to be posting today. No, that review will now be coming next week, due to the fact that – j...

(written by Islander) Today we again find ourselves in the favored position of premiering a song from an album by the long-running Czech death metal band Cutterred Flesh. We have done this twice befor...

(written by Islander) Bone Eater is a New Brunswick-based death/doom/sludge unit, led as a solo outing by the multi-instrumentalist Scott Miller. Formed in 2021, it takes its name from a worm that bor...

(Andy Synn presents six short-but-sweet releases from across the Hardcore spectrum) A book I read recently (and I’m just now realising that “recently” was actually months ago) brought up the topic of ...

(written by Islander) Bone Eater is a New Brunswick-based death/doom/sludge unit, led as a solo outing by the multi-instrumentalist Scott Miller. Formed in 2021, it takes its name from a worm that bor...

(Andy Synn catches up with a long-time NCS favourite and their long-awaited new album, out now) Correct me if I’m wrong, but eight years is a pretty long time to go between albums. Hell, in the last e...

(written by Islander) Over the last five years we’ve paid close attention to the horrid ambitions of the Virginia-based death-doom band Night Hag, beginning with a feature about music from their then-...

(Andy Synn says to expect the unexpected when it comes to the new album from Krallice, out Friday) Love them or hate them (and, of a certainty, there’s plenty of folks in both camps) Krallice have lon...

(written by Islander) Over the last five years we’ve paid close attention to the horrid ambitions of the Virginia-based death-doom band Night Hag, beginning with a feature about music from their then-...

(written by Islander) Hymns of Despair is the entirely fitting name of the debut album from Chicago-based Shrineburner. Press materials we’ve received describe the music as “earthquake-inducing”, and ...

(Andy Synn presents six short-but-sweet releases from across the Hardcore spectrum) A book I read recently (and I’m just now realising that “recently” was actually months ago) brought up the topic of ...

(written by Islander) Hymns of Despair is the entirely fitting name of the debut album from Chicago-based Shrineburner. Press materials we’ve received describe the music as “earthquake-inducing”, and ...

(Andy Synn has a darkly dynamic Danish debut to recommend today) Being a music lover – and I mean a real music lover – means being constantly caught in a tug of war between listening to what you alrea...

(Andy Synn has some heavy music to share on this heavy Monday) Last week was a busy one for new releases, that’s for sure, and I hope to be able to catch up with at least some of them as the month goe...

(written by Islander) In February of this year we helped introduce listeners to Wince and Frisson, a “dissoblack and death metal” duo consisting of Triumvir Kaleido from North Carolina and Steve Wiene...

(Andy Synn has some grim delights to share with us today, from an album set for release tomorrow) The weather here in the UK has recently taken a turn for the worse, shrouding us in a grey cloud of da...

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(Andy Synn has a darkly dynamic Danish debut to recommend today) Being a music lover – and I mean a real music lover – means being constantly caught in a tug of war between listening to what you alrea...

(Andy Synn has some heavy music to share on this heavy Monday) Last week was a busy one for new releases, that’s for sure, and I hope to be able to catch up with at least some of them as the month goe...

(Andy Synn has some grim delights to share with us today, from an album set for release tomorrow) The weather here in the UK has recently taken a turn for the worse, shrouding us in a grey cloud of da...

(Andy Synn caps off another busy month here at NCS with four more albums you may have overlooked) Like I said last week, for the most part we prefer to focus our attention on bands who we think deserv...

(written by Islander) In February of this year we helped introduce listeners to Wince and Frisson, a “dissoblack and death metal” duo consisting of Triumvir Kaleido from North Carolina and Steve Wiene...

(Andy Synn caps off another busy month here at NCS with four more albums you may have overlooked) Like I said last week, for the most part we prefer to focus our attention on bands who we think deserv...

(written by Islander) The UK band Lifeswallower brings together four experienced musicians with disparate musical backgrounds who combine a wide ranges of influence from rock and metal. Today they are...

Recommended for fans of: Sadist, Cynic, Obscura Sometimes it’s a real struggle to decide what band to focus on for the next edition of “The Synn Report”… and sometimes, like this one, it’s an easy cho...

Recommended for fans of: Sadist, Cynic, Obscura Sometimes it’s a real struggle to decide what band to focus on for the next edition of “The Synn Report”… and sometimes, like this one, it’s an easy cho...

(written by Islander) We have some history with the Kentucky band Tombstalker, starting with an article back in 2012 about metal in Kentucky (here), following that the next year (here) with a review o...

(Andy Synn has a few thoughts about the new Dreamwell, out on Friday, to share today) Change is one of the few, reliable constants in life. All of us change – sometimes drastically, sometimes subtly –...

(Andy Synn condemns you all to suffer with the new album from Private Prisons) You know us here at NCS (and if you don’t, why not?)… when it comes to writing about new music we’ll almost always favour...

(written by Islander) We have some history with the Kentucky band Tombstalker, starting with an article back in 2012 about metal in Kentucky (here), following that the next year (here) with a review o...

(written by Islander) In early 2020 we hosted the premiere of a thought-provoking debut EP by the Berlin-based band Pyre of Descent. Later that same year they released another EP (Love’s Sombre Death)...

(written by Islander) Today we help introduce listeners to the German black metal band SRPNTS, a band formed from the ashes of the group Zwielicht after their bassist Veit Benning died in 2024. Their ...

(written by Islander) Today we help introduce listeners to the German black metal band SRPNTS, a band formed from the ashes of the group Zwielicht after their bassist Veit Benning died in 2024. Their ...