Formed in 2012 in Portland, Oregon, doomsters Holy Grove follow-up their 2016 debut Holy Grove (Heavy Psych Sounds) with the rather imaginatively titled Holy Grove II (Ripple Music). Thankfully, the music contained on this weighty slab of metal is far more inventive than its moniker, as the band delivers five mighty tracks of absorbing progressive Cosmic Doom.Continue reading
Can someone precisely point out to me when the decision was made to return to the vintage death metal sound? First off, I am by no means complaining. If this wave of neo-Morrisound bands keeps pounding out albums like Extremity’s Coffin Birth (20 Buck Spin) you can park a tractor-trailer worth of those motherfuckers on my driveway. In just the span of a few years, we’ve gotten remarkable work from bands like Tomb Mold, Mortuous, Gruesome, Necrot, Gatecreeper and Horrendous by playing death metal like its 1991.Continue reading
As Ghost Cult reported earlier in the week Metallica was honored and presented with the Polar Music Prize by the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, the highest arts award the country of Sweden gives out. To pay tribute to the band, Candlemass and Ghost frontman Cardinal Copia performed the global hit song ‘Enter sandman’ as Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillio watched. Watch it now!Continue reading
On their fifth and self-titled LP (Svart), Witch Mountain are trying to decide if they’re the most melodic Doom Metal act or the heaviest Blues band currently on the planet. Blues informed riffage has always been a part of Doom, and we dearly thank Black Sabbath for that contribution, but many a modern practitioner have ditched tradition in favor of harsher noise. Witch Mountain is not about modern convention, but about sticking with tried and true basics. Continue reading
Legendary doom metallers Candlemass will release a brand new EP and game soundtrack, next month! House Of Doom is due out on May 25th via Napalm Records. Pre-orders are live at the links below. Certain editions of the album will only be made available after unlocking them in a special Candlemass game! The band are also working on a new full-length album that will appear late in 2018.Continue reading
A début EP can be a very worthwhile investment for a new band, indeed. A chance to introduce the world to their sound and style, without having to commit to (or wait until you’ve written) a full albums worth of material; a chance to not just test the water, but begin to feel out what really works and what doesn’t within a band’s prospective oeuvre. And in the case of Godthrymm, boasting a cast of talented beasts a-plenty, they’ve more than made the most of the opportunity to plant their dark and melancholic flag. Continue reading
Swedish doomsters Sorcerer has an interesting story. Formed in Stockholm in the late 80s, they’d already broken up by the time a compilation of their demos was released in 1995. And that was it. No more demos, no proper début albums. Cue twenty years of silence suddenly punctured by 2015’s In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross (Metal Blade); a massive record that was one of my favourite Doom records that year.Continue reading
Hitting the halfway point of Maryland Deathfest is usually a milestone that no one really notices and those who do will actually not speak of it. No one wants to think the weekend is going to end nor that the end is already halfway here. Instead, hangovers are nursed, more questionable food is consumed, and everyone marches back to Rams Head Live and Baltimore Soundstage for another day of partying. Fortunately for myself and my party of friends, we know how to party but dodge the hangovers. So, we made sure to be on time for Soundstage opening up with the first band playing slightly before four in the afternoon. That included polishing off a bottle of vodka left behind by the previous renters of the Air BnB. Thank you to those unnamed heroes! Continue reading
Memorial Day weekend in the United States is a time to remember our veterans who have served in the country’s military and most will commemorate such an occasion with cookouts. In Baltimore, Maryland, the partying starts a few days before the weekend but the celebration is about extreme music. This weekend is known to the fans as simply, MDF, or in full, Maryland Deathfest. Doom metal, black metal, grindcore, punk, and of course, death metal, take over multiple venues in the Inner Harbor area of the city all weekend long as the streets run black with hideous, graphic band t-shirts. For me, this is my sophomore year of the festival and could not be more excited to return.Continue reading
The 2017 Maryland Deathfest took place this past weekend in Baltimore, and from what I’ve heard, it was a dream come true for extreme metal fans. With a lineup that included bands like Candlemass, Morbid Angel, Autopsy, Akercocke, Insect Warfare, Birdflesh, Gorgasm, Terrorizer, Uada, Vader and more, how could it not be right?
In case you were like me, and missed out on all the fun, we have a TON of live footage from the festival for you below!Continue reading