Crowbar will be releasing their new album, The Serpent Only Lies, on October 28th via eOne (Pre-order it here). Before they start putting those new songs in their set list, they had one last run of shows, and absolutely crushed the chaotic crowd at Saint Vitus Bar on Monday night.Continue reading
There are a few things in America you need to see before you die. The Statue of Liberty from a boat, so you can understand how this country was born. You need to see the sunset at the Pacific Ocean from a beach in California, and you need to see the sunrise in the Rocky Mountains. And you need to see a KISS concert once at least n your life. Continue reading
We have a philosophy at this website that goes something like this” few bands ever have managed to keep the highest level or artistry, yet still have commercial success.” As we have been tracking here at Ghost Cult, appreciation for progressive music is at an all-time high in 2016. Usually this type of thing doesn’t bode well for quality, but this era of bands is a different animal. It is a boon to fans to have so many strong, legendary figures continuing to be great and tremendous younger bands across all the sub-genres with bright futures. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the second leg of the Devin Townsend Project, Between The Buried And Me, and Fallujah tour. Continue reading
30 years.
Throughout those 30 years, Lou, brother Pete, Craig, and Armand carved a distinct path of fury, camaraderie, and comedy. And on their anniversary tour, they did not fray from that tried and true formula.Continue reading
One thing about Zakk Wylde he never does what is expected of most guitar heroes. In his nearly 30 year career, he has always thrown curveballs at listeners, paved his own road, and still delivered for fans. Continue reading
Despite arriving early a mix up over press passes meant that I caught only the last few minutes of Iron Swan’s set as I made my way down the long hall of the corporation, fighting through a dense crowd who were nodding appreciatively to gloomy doom offering.Continue reading
After a fairly quick work day and speedy drive to the city we are met with the universal issue when in any city , PARKING! But after spotting a Wookie known as Tim Ledin (also of Ghost Cult) and acquiring a spot we await the start of the show!
Slowly the intersection is flooded with metal heads like zombies at a mall, and slowly we all shamble in to the hopefully air-conditioned venue. For those who have not been to Cuisine en Locale AKA Once Ballroom there’s an upstairs bar to the left of the main door way and straight ahead is the main dance hall, both excellent for watching the bands and having beers. Upstairs obviously having the best vantage point to the stage aside from of course directly in front of the 3 ft high structure.
First band of the night probably had the youngest members out of all of them Black Mass. Brendan O’Hare and two cohorts make up a thrashing mad three-piece akin to Blue Cheer but of speed metal. Brendan’s vocals sound a lot like Max Cavelera and Chuck Schuldiner’s love child of sorts and back up vocals from the bassist really add dimension and punch to the already catchy vocal lines. Ending their set with the sing along of “East Coast Thrash” with a very easy line to remember with three magical words!
Up next is Lich King keeping the thrash train a moving and if you’re reading this and haven’t witnessed them live its like a mash-up of all the good things about Slayer and Exodus rolled in to one! I’m not a thrash junkie like many of my friends may be but sometimes every thing blurs together and in a flash its gone , sadly that was my experience with this band, not saying they are bad or aren’t deserving of praise just not this writers cup of tea, check them out for yourself and form your own opinion. maybe you’ll have something to show me or a song I should listen to that may really get my attention and I will become as big a fan as some of you readers.
Magic Circle is next to take the stage and start of with a quick jaunt of ‘Kings and Queens’ by Aerosmith song then almost as quickly diving in to the opening song of their set. Two more songs in I am bathed in riffage similar to St. Vitus or Pentagram and I am finally in my element and enjoying my self and being swooned by vocals very similar to the late great Ronnie James Dio being channeled from the other side, I was almost sad to see them end but now we enter the main event, the reason we are all here sweating , now .. it is time for THE WITCH!
Between sets people step out side to take a smoke break and that is where I happen to find Adam Clemans having a smoke and had a quick chat about the tour and whats in store on the set and whats in BOTH Wolvhammer’s future and the witch with Clemens at he helm and 2017 sounds promising.
What do I really need to say about this new line up of Skeletonwitch that hasn’t already been said? Yes, Chance is no longer the singer no he probably isn’t coming back to the band, but most importantly, yes Adam Clemens is the best fit for the band for the foreseeable future. Let me tell you why: because he is a new fresh face and well of ideas the band needs at this time. the band didn’t want a chance sound alike they wanted to try and move forward from his leaving and go in a new direction while still maintaining the Skeletonwitch sound, and I believe they’ve achieved that. although at first I wasn’t overly enthused about the choice after seeing Clemens works with the guys and the sound of the songs found on their new EP The Apothic Gloom (Prosthetic) Clemans fits perfectly among the blackened riffs the band had been writing.
Pulling put all the stops and playing a majority of The Apothic Gloom as well as some older material mixed in with fan favorites (with the exception of my favorite ” submit to the suffering” which Adam assures me is going to be on the set in October but they will not be coming to Boston…) an other notable change is guitarist Nate Garnette has picked up on backing vocal duties which also adds to the songs as well as the performance. Sweating through the expansive set and a few beers later sadly the set is over and now begins the mad rush out of the building and back to our homes to try and make it home safe and to bed after an amazing week night show.
ANDREW FRANCIS
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The 1990s was a simpler time in the world. Before the internet was huge, and before everyone had a cell phone. Before apps, downloading, WiFi, and streaming. The rock music seemed a bit more genuine in the post Nirvana second half of the decade especially and even the bands with hits, didn’t have a hard time being sincere while making catchy rock music for the masses. For four years the annual Summerland Tour has been the traveling home to this party tour that still knows what you did last summer, and every time. Summerland 2016 featured all returning bands from previous tours, each one capable of headlining this show any day: Sugar Ray, Everclear, Lit, and Sponge. Sponge opened the proceedings and had the shortest set, but they have always been one of the best and most underrated live acts to come from that era. Lit followed with their infectious pop-rock and closed with their biggest hit, ‘My Own Worst Enemy’. Everclear has led this tour several times and the depth of their set list always proves their credibility to this day. Led by Art Alexakis, the band plays hit after hit and still goes pretty hard nightly. Smash radio hits (when radio was radio still) may have softened the fury that Sugar Ray once had in their youth. But you can’t deny the catchiness of the majority of their songs or the fun they bring. Even though they eschewed some of their stronger originals for some odd covers on this tour (EMF and The Ramones) one can’t deny that this music just smacks of warm nights, cold beers, and good memories. Caught and captured for Ghost Cult in Las Vegas by Jesse Lambert of Arch Angel Studios, you can see why year after year the Summerland Tour still packs em in!
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Baroness continues to tour heavily all over the globe behind late 2015 release Purple, released on their own Abraxan Hymns label. Purple is not just the latest release in the bands’ storied career, but represents a zenith of songcraft and musicianship they may not be able to top. Like every step in their career, all the music of Baroness is cinematic in the best sense. It doesn’t just tell a story, it envelopes you in all the peaks and valleys emotionally you could imagine. When we look back on it, this may be the band to define this generation. Purple is that great an album that the band doesn’t shy away from leaning heavily on new songs like ‘Kerosene’, ‘Shock Me’, ‘Chlorine And Wine’ and ‘Morningstar’ to name a few. They also peppered in hits on this night from across their impressive album catalog. The entire crowd singing a long with every word, moving with every chord and beat, non-stop. The band was captured on this night for Ghost Cult, by Evil Robb Photography at Royale in Boston:
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PHOTO SET BY EVIL ROBB PHOTOGRAPHY
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Most bands don’t survive 35 years on luck, and if you know the history of Anthrax, you know that good fortune hasn’t always been on their side. But what they have always displayed is a ton of heart and soul, and of course the great anthems that made them one of the standard bearers of Thrash Metal. Having just celebrated the a fore mentioned anniversary date and being one of the oldest operating bands of the “The Big Four” of Thrash still making impactful new music, Anthrax has proved their staying power in their recent release For All Kings (Nuclear Blast/Megaforce). With their second new album since the return of front man Joey Belladonna’s golden voice and dynamic performance style, the band has ridden high this summer over a wave of European festivals and rare headlining shows across the continent. On this night in Madrid, Spain at the Sala Arena venue, the band stretched out in a longer show, more fitting of their own legendary high-energy gigs. Unconstrained by the shorter set time of a festival slot, the band played new songs off of For All Kings such as ‘You Gotta Believe’, ‘Monster In The End’, and ‘Evil Twin’ right along side fan favorites like ‘Caught In A Mosh’, Madhouse’, and modern classic ‘In The End’. The band showed why they are still in demand with their wild stage show, as seen in the photo set here captured by Lisa Schuchmann for Ghost Cult.
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PHOTOS BY LISA SCHUCHMANN
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