FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Eindhoven Metal Meeting Kicks Off Today with Katatonia, Carpathian Forest, Dark Funeral, Alfanhanne, and More


The long-running great Black and Death Metal Festival Eindhoven Metal Meeting kicks off today at the legendary Effenaar venue in the Netherlands. Ghost Cult is honored to once again cover the fest, which we have supported for the majority of its history. Leading the stacked lineup this year are Katatonia, Carpathian Forest, Dark Funeral, Alfanhanne, and many more! The fest will start today with a warm-up party and follow up with full lineups on Friday and Saturday, with another round of killer bands. Last-minute combination tickets are still avaialble at the links below. Check out our day-by-day list of bands and the running-order time schedule as well, here. Continue reading


NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: New Rock and Metal Releases 2-9-24


What new Rock and Metal releases are you looking forward to this week?
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PREVIEW: New Music Friday New Rock and Metal Releases 2-9-24


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Alfahanne Share Single and Video “Alfa Omega” Featuring Nattefrost and Announce New Album


Returning to Dark Essence Records, Swedish rockers, Alfahanne, are ready to roll out their fifth album, Vår tid är nu. It is due out February 09th 2024. This week, they have also released a single and video for the track “Alfa Omega,” featuring Nattefrost. Head into the article below to catch the video and find out more.

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Exclusive Video Premiere: Alfahanne – Avgrundsgravitation


Swedish black and roll legends Alfahanne are releasing their new album Det Nya Svarta via Indie Recordings on April 7th. Today Ghost Cult partners with the band to bring you the world première of their new music video for the track ‘Avgrundsgravitation’.Continue reading


Alfahanne – Blod Eld Alfa


blod_eld_alfa-33915409-frntl

The blurb on the label’s website for “Black ‘n’ Roll” outfit Alfahanne says they mix “Black Metal with Classic Rock and Punk” topped off with some “Goth influences”. Well – at least they’re managing expectations.

Whilst broadly true, this mixture fails to produce anything particularly interesting on the band’s latest effort – Blod Eld Alfa (Dark Essence). Weak, repetitive “riffs” coupled with lacklustre production reminiscent of so many mid-90s demo CDs conspire to produce a weak, reedy sound that ultimately fails to evoke any metal claws, banging heads, Sid Vicious sneers or Sisters of Mercy wafts.

The insipidly limp drums sound like a budget drum machine left on repeat, the guitars sound like they’re being played by zombies and the vocals (that seem to be trying to ape one of Dani Filth‘s trademarks for a whole album) sound like they were recorded in Mum’s kitchen.

In a 9-track album of tedium, only 1 song – ‘Skallerormsgift’ – inspires any comment. It’s fairly atmospheric, displaying some Goth chops, a bit of rhythmic variety, shouty vocals that presumably comprise the claim to “Punk” and a pleasant outro that crescendos nicely. Hmmm. That’s not very Black Metal is it?

The band say this music should stop you from feeling pleasure or pain. This leads me to conclude that they set out to record an album of musical anaesthetic. If so, they have excelled themselves.

 

3.5/10  

 

PHILIP PAGE


Watain, At The Gates, Satyricon Confirmed For Blastfest 2015


blastfest 2015 poster

Blastfest will be held 18-21st February 2015 in Bergen, Norway and in case you missed this lineup announcement, here it is again:

Alfahanne
Aspherium
Asphyx
At The Gates
Baptism
Blood Red Throne
Bolzer
Bömbers
Borknagar
Byfrost
Craft
Crib45
Cryptopsy
Dark Funeral
Dark Tranquility
Dead To This World
Decapitated
Demilich
Den Saakaldte
Djevelkult
Destroyer 666
Destruction
Endstille
Esoteric
Falloch
Finntroll
Gehenna
Hecate Enthroned
Impaled Nazarene
Kall
Melechesh
Moonsorrow
Morgoth
Naer Mataron
Orange Goblin
Paradise Lost
Primordial
Purple Hill Witch
Rotting Christ
Samael
Sarke
Sarkom
Satan
Saturnus
Satyricon
The Sickening
The 3rd Attempt
Tortorum
Tsjuder
Vallenfyre
Winterfylleth
Wyruz
+ more yet to be announced.

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Blastfest 2015 Adds Four more Bands


Blastfest 2014 Poster

 

Norways Blastfest is expanding to a four-day festival with over 60 bands due to perform. The festival, located in Bergen will run from the 18th to the 21st February and will feature performances from the likes of At The Gates, Paradise Lost and Primordial.



Press Release:
Blastfest Is Expanding!

Blastfest has accepted the challenge and has delivered! It is official, Blastfest will be even bigger! With very positive results and excitement of a recent poll, the Bergen, Norway festival have decided 3 days of metal madness wasn’t enough and have expanded the festival into a 4 day event with a total of 60 bands! That’s 4 days, 4 venues, and 60 bands! Yes. 60 BANDS! The festival is now running from Wednesday February 18th to Saturday February 21st.

And that’s not just the only announcement the festival will make today because just like the recent state of updates the festival are keeping form and have just confirmed another 4 bands to the already exploding poster! So without further adieu, we are pleased to report the addition of true Norwegian black metal veterans Gehenna, British symphonic black metallers Hecate Enthroned, Norwegian death metal titans Blood Red Throne and death thrashers Wyruz!

Gehenna
Gehenna
All of our grenade prayers have been answered; the word became flesh! It’s with a shivering voice of the utmost excitement that Blastfest welcome Norwegian black metallersGehenna to the lineup of 2015! These purveyors of the dark arts have long been regarded as one of the most important acts to come out of the Norwegian black metal scene in the 90’s. It’s therefore with great delight that the festival welcome them back to Bergen for their first ever Blastfest performance.

Hecate Enthroned
Hecate Enthroned
Back in the 90’s a band made its way to the forefront of the symphonic black metal scene alongside bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, receiving praise for their ability to be both extreme in their expression as well as incorporating symphonic elements. We are of course talking about UK act Hecate Enthroned. As of today the band is still going strong, if not turning towards an ever heavier expression with their now death metal-infused take on the black arts. Blastfest are very pleased to have them cross the North Sea to perform live in Bergen for the very first time ever, as part of the festival!

Blood Red Throne
Blood Red Throne
If you were asked to name a Norwegian death metal band, chances are that the first name to enter into your mind would be that of Blood Red Throne. Ever since the release of their first four-track demo back in 2000, they have been a household name in death metal circles. It’s therefore with great pride that Blastfest welcome the ravenous war machine, the primitive killing machine that is Blood Red Throne into the fold. Be prepared for blood spatter and arterial lust!

Wyruz
Wyruz
Some say Blastfest needed to add more thrash metal to the lineup, so they have decided to include prime death/thrash act Wyruz! These guys have been going strong for over a decade now, and are dead set on destroying everything at Blastfest 2015.

Lineup
Alfahanne | Asphyx | At The Gates | Baptism | Blood Red Throne | Bolzer | Borknagar | Byfrost | Craft | Crib45 | Cryptopsy | Dark Funeral | Dark Tranquility | Dead To This World | Decapitated | Demilich | Den Saakaldte | Djevelkult | Destroyer 666 | Destruction | Endstille | Esoteric | Finntroll | Gehenna | Hecate Enthroned | Impaled Nazarene | Melechesh | Moonsorrow | Morgoth | Paradise Lost | Primordial | Rotting Christ | Samael | Sarke | Sarkom | Satan | Saturnus | The Sickening | Tortorum | Tsjuder | Vallenfyre | Wyruz + more yet to be announced.

Blastfest will be held 18-21st February 2015 in Bergen, Norway.

4 Days | 4 Venues | 60 Bands | Exhibitions | Clinics | Stand Up Comedy | Tattoo Convention | Theme DJ’s

Tickets on sale now: http://blastfest.no/?page_id=60

www.blastfest.no
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