There isn’t much in terms of smoke and mirrors when it comes to Void Ritual’s debut LP, Heretical Wisdom (Tridroid Records). It’s a straightforward black metal album through and through. And that’s a great thing. In a subgenre where it’s far too easy to coast on cliché and spectacle, a little earnest effort goes a long fucking way.Continue reading
Formed in 2012 from the same country that gave us The Nobel Peace, ABBA, Opeth, Europe, Ikea and Volvo are Swedish rockers Dead Lord. This hairy, denim and leather clad quartet make music of a decidedly vintage flavour, awash with 1970s classic rock influences like Thin Lizzy and AC/DC. Their third album In Ignorance We Trust – on the otherwise heavy label Century Media Records – sees them continue down this path, sweet twin guitar melodies, catchy choruses and crunching riffs recorded in analogue in the sunny climes of Madrid.Continue reading
According to an old review by Metal Hammer’s James Gill, there are two types of people in the world; those who like instrumental metal albums, and those who don’t (and those who do obviously own at least nine guitars, each with an increasing number of strings).Continue reading
Swiss folk metallers Eluveitie – a band with up to nine band members at anyone time – are no strangers to line-up changes. But for their seventh album, Evocation II: Pantheon [Nuclear Blast], the group have ditched electricity and revisited the depths of authentic Celtic mythology. Continue reading
Wrexham’s Neck Deep are a true British success story and have now found themselves as one of the biggest pop punk band’s on the planet. Their sophomore record Life’s Not Out To Get You (Hopeless Records) became an instant genre classic and pushed the band to global recognition. It even secured a Top 10 placing on the Billboard chart.Continue reading
Genius is a gangly word to throw around, and at Ghost Cult, we don’t use it lightly, or all that often. For Steven Wilson, that tag has applied more often than not to his output in his thirty-year-plus career. As he pulls further and further away from his progressive metal heyday; he runs headlong to return to his early roots in the 1980s of No Man Is An Island/No-Man (look it up if you don’t know it) project. His loose goal going in was to make a pop-rock album in the vein of lightly prog-flavored favorites of his youth such as Peter Gabriel, Tears For Fears, XTC, and others. He achieved this on To The Bone (Caroline International), without any pretense you might associate with an artist making a choice like this.Continue reading
Is head banging your thing? Alright, then keep reading, because I’ve got the perfect album for you.
InVisions is terribly similar to so many popular hardcore/Metalcore bands it’s ridiculous. However, the undeniable truth is that each track from their newest self-released album – Never Nothing – has a little something-something that forcefully welcomes you into a jam sesh filled with passionate lyric butchering and head banging action. So, yeah, you’ll have fun with this one! Continue reading
From the near brink of implosion to a glorious comeback that could be the story of the last few years for Aussie natives Thy Art Is Murder (TAIM). The much publicised departure and return of vocalist CJ McMahon has been well documented. Put simply if this new album ‘Dear Desolation’ (Nuclear Blast) is the result of all this perceived turmoil then it was worth going through for everyone involved both band and fans alike..Continue reading
Since 2013, these driven musicians have been determined to create something genuinely different, something that can stand out amongst every other “competing” track you might come across in the music industry and Hundred Suns’ The Prestaliis (New Damage) has undeniable potential. The brand new three-piece consists of warmly familiar faces from bands Norma Jean, Dead and Divine and Every Time I Die. You’ve got Cory Brandan on vocals, Chris LeMasters on guitar and Ryan Leger on the drums – a concoction of highly skilled musicians. Continue reading
From the cover art of their Winged Death (Century Media) 7” EP released back in May, to its 1970s style typeface and the name of the band itself, you don’t have to be a genius to work out that Swedish act The Lurking Fear are about all things old school Death Metal, and Lovecraftian themed horror. Continue reading