Category Archives: Festival Reviews

Quebec Deathfest – Live At Various Venues

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The first ever Quebec Deathfest took place last month, from the folks that brought you Maryland Deathfest, Netherlands Deathfest, and more. Taking place across several venues in the metal capital of Canada, Quebec, the fest had many of the highlights of other festivals (multiple stages, vendors, lots of beer) that make this a worthy inclusion of your annual concert calendar. Bands on the bill included death metal greats like Autopsy, Demolition Hammer, Exhorder, Uada, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Malignancy, Unleashed, Skinless, Skeletal Remains, Outre-Tombe, Bell Witch, Dehumanized, Tomb Mold, and many more. Check out these EXCLUSIVE photos by Hillarie Jason Photography and we’ll see you next year! Saluer et tuer! Continue reading →


Damnation 2018 – Leeds, UK

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In the face of trying financial times for bands and gig-bookers alike, the fact that Damnation Festival still pulled off another sell-out edition is both impressive and heartening. Despite their own admissions about a couple of missed opportunities this year, Damnation always manage to bring an unmissable line-up that caters for a wide fan base, be it lovers of Extreme or the more Progressive, and once more they have done so with love and more than a few surprise additions!Continue reading →


Monster Energy Aftershock Festival 2018 Live At Discovery Park

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As 2018 nears its close, Danny Wimmer Presents and crew once again graced California’s capital with the very popular (and very sold-out) Monster Energy Aftershock Festival, now in its seventh year. How sold-out, you ask? Oh, you know, just a mere 60,000 plus humans—the festival’s biggest turn-out yet.Continue reading →


Descendants Of Crom Festival 2018, Various Venues, Pittsburgh PA

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Sojourning to the Steel City, where the steel these days is mostly from the music, Descendants of Crom Festival enjoyed a second annual event recently and Ghost Cult was there. From the pre-fest gala and parking lot party (think of a modern “Heavy Metal Parking Lot” with stoner rock and doom fans), three nights of badassery at both Howlers and the Cattivo club, it was a rager. Shout out to the sponsors Blackseed Records and Riff Relevant among others. Highlights of the weekend included sets from Heavy Temple, Howling Giant, Doomstress, Come to Grief, Thunderbird Divine, Toke, Geezer, Duel, but really you can’t really go wrong with a deep lineup like this. We can’t wait for next year and round three! In the meantime, check out these photos by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging for Ghost Cult. Continue reading →


Beyond The Gates 2018: Live In Bergen, NO

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Once again we return to the frozen north, Norway to be exact. Norway and its many metal festivals are becoming like a second home to Ghost Cult. We are thankful that we get to be part of the international metal community, covering festivals in Europe, Scandinavia, America, Canada and elsewhere. For this year’s epic Beyond The Gates, intrepid photographer Daniel Nyman traveled across the sea and over to the motherland of all that is and honest and true about black metal, and really other great kinds of metal too. Taking place at both The Garage and USF Verftet, these world-class kvlt bands With a keen eye for the grim, please enjoy Daniel’s highlights for the fest. Continue reading →


Psycho Las Vegas 2018: Live From Hard Rock Hotel And Casino

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Psycho Las Vegas has grown and evolved over the years and has shaken off any comparisons to niche European fests and your traditional US fest, itself having no close comparisons, and being its own beast. Having everything under one roof including your stay can lead to late and debaucherous nights for some, packed and planned diverse schedules for the devout, a little compromise of both for others, but an all around good time for all. For a journalist working the fest, it goes by in a blur but you still experience having those stand out moments as well as highlights of your own. Continue reading →


Impact Music Festival 2018 Recap

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Bringing together the best bands in the world and socially conscious music fans, Impact Music Festival’s debut edition was a rousing success. The successor to the Rise Above Festival by the same organizers- Music Matters, had incredible bands, thousands of rock and metal fans, the “arrest” of Marilyn Manson (not really), and the fewest complaints of a music festival in recent memory in Maine. Check out our recap with EXCLUSIVE photos by Evil Robb Photography.Continue reading →


BLOODSTOCK 2018- Part 2: Catton Hall, Derbyshire UK

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SATURDAY

With everyone firmly into the swing of things by now, Saturday’s main stage openers Nailed to Obscurity opened proceedings strongly enough but were promptly blown out of the water by one of the major surprises of the festival – Power Trip. A combination of thrash and early death metal, the Texan act were a blur of riffs and speed, whipping up the early afternoon crowd into an explosive cyclone of energy. Continue reading →


BLOODSTOCK 2018 Part I – Catton Hall, Derbyshire UK

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With people on social media proudly sharing photographs of their recently purchased or newly patched up tents, or cirrhosis-inducing beer supplies during the days and even weeks leading up to the event itself, by the time the big day actually arrives, anticipation for Bloodstock 2018 has already turned into a Christmas-like level of excitement.Continue reading →


Fortarock 2018 – Nijmegen, Netherlands

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Having a thriving metal scene and more gigs on an area the size of a pinprick on a globe, it’s surprising that the Netherlands doesn’t really have any big outdoor summer metal festivals, like Wacken, Hellfest and Graspop, ever since Dynamo Metalfest called it quits and recently revived in super small-scale all we’ve had is Fortarock. With its three stages and two-day lineup, it’s still charmingly small for the big boys, but it manages to pull impressive headliners and after having taken a break for one year, it sure is back in 2018.Continue reading →