SATURDAY
With the weather nothing like the crispy oven-cooked hellfire of last year’s Summerpocalypse, Bloodstock is a much happier place this year, and not even the first downpour of the weekend can dampen the spirits. Especially as today is Corpse-paint Day where everyone is invited to daub themselves in black and white make-up and become angry badgers for the next few hours.
On Devil Music (out now on Run For Cover Records) Austin, Texas three-piece Portrayal of Guilt up the ante with a thirty-minute barrage of inventively malevolent extreme metal, firmly achieving what they’ve hinted at on recent releases: greatness.
The brainchild of guitarist/vocalist/everything-ist Andrew Lee, US death metal mob Ripped To Shreds has been tearing up the Californian underground scene since 2016 and shows no sign of slowing down with its third full-length studio release 劇變 (Jubian) (Relapse Records). Originally created as a solo project to increase the visibility of American-born-Chinese in extreme metal, the band now acts as a four-piece and flies that flag with just as much pride as before but to a larger audience.
Four years after previous studio outing, Heir To Despair (Candlelight), Japanese avant-garde black metal act Sigh switch record labels once again and return with twelfth full length album Shiki (Peaceville). In their native language, the title translates into many different things such as ceremony, colour and motivation but the main themes present here are “four seasons” and “time to die”. A concept derived from a traditional Japanese poem, frontman Mirai Kawashima takes an existential approach to the seasons, watching cherry blossoms (a symbol of Spring) in full bloom while going through the Autumnal stage of his life with Winter just around the corner.Continue reading
Molder ticks off a lot of my sonic checkmarks, but something isn’t quite right here. If Engrossed in Decay (Prosthetic Records) were a dish in its ingredients section you’d read that it contains Autopsy, early Death, Slayer, and a hint of vintage Carcass. Seems like a pretty appetizing meal, right? And there are several moments to sink your teeth into, but overall, I was left unsatisfied. I’ll still recommend the eatery, no doubt, but here’s to hoping that the next entre hits the spot.
It’s near midnight and I’m driving down New Hampshire Route 111. I’m not headed anywhere of importance and have no real sense of urgency. Not another vehicle for miles and the sole sources of light are the moon and the occasional lonely lamppost. The accompaniment for this very calming dark drive is Deafheaven’s latest, Infinite Granite (Sargent House). May seem a bit moody or even scary to others, but this drive and soundtrack make for a wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here moment for me.
If you can rely on one thing it’s that legendary Norwegian twosome Darkthrone will continue to not give a flying fig about convention or what people think about them until the day they die. No live shows since 1996, an early decisive leap from death metal to black metal, a total lack of adherence to any kind of rule book, and a succession of albums which basically read as unadulterated love letters dedicated to the music on which they grew up. If you don’t get Darkthrone by now then you never will.
Ghost Cult had the massive honor to chat with music legend Thomas Gabriel Fischer of Triptykon (also Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, and Triumph of Death) to discuss his brand new album Requiem (Live at Roadburn 2019) featuring the Metropole Orkest out now via Century Media Records. We discussed the masterpiece creation of this opus that had begun with Celtic Frost in 1987, the massive undertaking that is composing for and working with a live orchestra, how his band also collaborated live, the preparation process, his new band members, the importance of Roadburn Festival and its leader Walter Hoeijmakers, Thomas personal creative journey towards completing Requiem, how he carries on the spirit of Martin Ain (RIP) and his mentor H.R. Giger (RIP) in his work, the progress of future music in the face of the current pandemic, and much more. You can purchase Requiem here (USA https://triptykon.lnk.to/RequiemLiveAtRoadburn, or Europe https://www.cmdistro.de/Category/Requiem/173? Page=1&PageSize=25&Sort=13) and check out our chat below. Continue reading
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Twitching Tongues has shared a brand new single, a cover of Celtic Frost’s classic ‘Necromantical Screams’, from their album To Mega Therion. The song is streaming on Bandcamp and released from the bands’ archives “for those under quarantine”. Please support this awesome band with your wallet or purse and jam this cover now! Continue reading
While much of the press materials that came along with ColdClaw‘s Anti-Martyr: Decades to Suffer (Ritual Sound Records) drive the point home about this California act dealing in Black Metal and Crust, I found that description a bit lacking. Yes, there’s gnarly black metal guitar licks all over the album but I’m detecting trace bits of Melodic Death Metal, Hardcore and perhaps some Thrash as well.Continue reading