Category Archives: Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: King Yosef – Spire of Fear

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King Yosef has always leaned into the more abrasive end of their music, and Spire of Fear (Bleak House Records) has pushed it even further into that direction with an increasingly confrontational aggression. Sonically harrowing with the genre-defining mechanical stomp. That is not to say the entire album just grinds with a robotic pulse, as there are moments like “Glimmer” to provide a more melodic contrast. It’s a darker song with a very reverb-drenched mix that sets the vocals at the end of a dark tunnel. It tapestry of cool sounds that don’t hook into years but serves stark monument of sound.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Deftones – private music

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Five years can seem like an eternity if one is a big enough fan of a band, and waiting half a decade for new music from Deftones has certainly had fans chomping at the bit. Deftones’ 2020 album Ohms (Reprise Records, review here) took on a heavy and reflective tone that mirrored the emotional distress of the pandemic and lockdown. Now, Deftones followers can rejoice, as the band have emerged with private music (via Reprise and Warner Records), with eleven tracks of silver lining to what’s been a tense 2025. Co-produced and recorded in California and Nashville with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Korn, Alice In Chains, Mastodon), who worked on 2010’s Diamond Eyes and 2012’s Koi No Yokan (both also Reprise/Warner).Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Martyr – Dark Believer

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The press kit for this record reads normal, until we look a little deeper. Martyr formed in 1982 and earned attention three years later with a major single and album. Further details about tours and acts sharing the stage – standard stuff for a forty-plus-year-old act. Then, “[U]nleash their seventh studio album Dark Believer through ROAR.” Wait, what? Seventh? When did they form? Huh. That’s like Guns ‘n’ Roses pace.

Let’s have a listen, shall we?

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ALBUM REVIEW: In This House of Mourning – Enlèvement

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Striding through a bleak and unsettling journey through the scopes of arcane, malevolent sounds centered around Funeral Doom, Death-Doom, and Extreme Metal; In This House of Mourning releases a full-length entitled Enlèvement–(Self-Released). The album is a 34-minute journey surrounding the discourses of misanthropy and malevolence-centered aesthetics. Aside from the unfiltered, soul-baring thematic discourses, some of the quintessential elements of this album, when it comes to the musical side are the raw production and intricate exploration of a dark, atmospheric sonic worldbuilding.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Fell Omen – Caelid Dog Summer

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A solo project from darkest Athens, Fell Omen is the brainchild of Greek multi-instrumentalist Spider Of Pynx (a.k.a. Dimitris Corax Augoustinos). A combination of old-school Metal, Dungeon Synth, Punk and classic Black Metal, Caelid Dog Summer (True Cult Records) is the band’s second album, their first, Invaded by a Dark Spirit, only landing in February of this year. A busy little Black Metal bee indeed.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Marissa Nadler – New Radiations

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Marissa Nadler’s 10th album, New Radiations (Sacred Bones Records), finds her stripping down to a more minimalist yet cinematic feel. It feels spacious, yep, with an intimate yearning. Her vocals are produced in a similar reverb-heavy manner. Her approach to vocals continues to expand the well-layered vocal harmonies. The harmonies are more prominent in the mix time, adding more depth in the absence of more Rock-oriented instrumentation. Continue reading →


PODCAST: Glacially Musical 244 – Ozzy Osbourne Strikes Back With “Diary of A Madman”

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Nik,  Keefy, and  Don continue to ply their trade: breaking down Ozzy Osbourne’s second classic solo opus, “Diary of a Madman!” Sadly, this was Randy Rhoads’ final studio album.  Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Svartsot – Peregrinus

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“Danish Folk Metal.” That was the promise. Svartsot delivered on the promise. Delivered splendidly. I’m not sure if Ghost Cult Magazine has a Danish-speaking reviewer on staff, because the thing’s not in English.  There might be a song or two in English, but the vocals are gutteral-grunt incoherent-style Metalcore. So, after a brief discussion of the rather complicated story of this concept album about a Thirteenth Century Crusader, I’ll spend the rest of this talking about the music of Peregrinus (Mighty Music).Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Blackbraid – Blackbraid III

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The third chapter of Blackbraid is upon us! Blackbraid III (Self-Released ) has been released onto the world, continuing where the previous chapter ended. This installment in the series keeps all of the elements we have all come to love from Sgah’gahsowáh’s (Editor’s note: translated from Indigenous American for “The Witch Hawk”) solo project, with even more guitar leads to melt your face. A few ticks under an hour places Blackbraid III slightly shorter than its predecessor. It’s worth every minute, so keep that finger off the skip button.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Lord of the Lost – OPVS NOIR Vol. 1

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Lord of the Lost is back with OPVS NOIR Vol. 1 (Napalm Records)  which is a grandiose take on Metal that feels like it’s gotten bigger this time around. Midway into the opening track, you can hear how they ae moving up the bill on European festivals with this album. This album comes on the heels of opening slots for Iron Maiden, which forced them to step up their game. They have not dumbed things down for an American audience, so you are either into this or you are not. Yes, the harsher vocals might appeal a little more to Western audiences, but they’re only one aspect. 

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