Mayhem have one of extreme metal’s most *ahem* colorful histories. With that notoriety along with their groundbreaking and phenomenal album, De Myseriis Dom Sathanas, Mayhem has always been the black metal band to check out when you first discover the genre.
Ghost Cult Keefy sat down with Art J. Geezar of Art of Shock to discuss their new album “Shine Black Light” – due out on September 8th, 2023 via Century Media! Art discussed the last few years of the band, the songwriting behind the album, and the lyrical meanings of the songs.
Music, essentially, is a weapon to destroy the walls we built around us – and Finnish metal melancholists Insomnium are amongst its strongest wielders. Their ninth masterpiece, Anno 1696, released in early 2023 led us deep into the dark and troublesome past of Northern Europe, a time of witches, of superstition, of bloodlust and frenzy. And of werewolves. In November, Insomnium continue the epic story of Anno 1696 on their addendum-like EP Songs of the Dusk, featuring 22 minutes of music and three more journeys into a dark and foggy past. “We simply had eleven great songs, and we thought that this material is too good to be ‘just’ bonus tracks,” Niilo Sevänen (bass, vocals) states. “They are part of the big story, so you can think of them as the director’s cut material that tells a little extra. For those who want to have more.”
Today marks the release of the title track, “Song of the Dusk”, that is available on all digital platforms. Make sure to watch another majestic video from Riivata for the epic, almost 10-minute-long saga here:
As the dog-fighting solos of “Give Her To The River” battle across the sunlit horizon between your ears, flurries of shrapnel-barbed melodic notes and runs fired first from one side of your headphones then the other, for those of us who are battle-hardened Heavy Metal warriors it’s hard not to grin and surrender to the glory of the Ghost At The Gallows, for the Spirit Adrift has claimed another champion to its horde.
There is no way the album title is meant to foreshadow what’s on the coming horizon. However, Amongst The Low And Empty (Century Media Records) accurately describes Signs Of The Swarm’s newest release. Lacking in ingenuity or inspiration, the deathcore purveyors recycle a small handful of techniques – over-exaggerated marble mouth, sparsely timed drum hits – to muster a record that has value as something intense and heavy, but decidedly not something ground-breaking by any means.
True Norwegian black metal pioneer Mayhem will be releasing a monumental live album, ‘Daemonic Rites,’ on September 15, 2023 via Century Media Records! The record is a comprehensive look at the legendary band’s chaotic and intense performances from various cities around the world over the last two years. The album promises to be a thrilling sonic journey for fans and a testament to Mayhem’s unparalleled live prowess. In conjunction with the upcoming release, Mayhem is now unveiling a first look with a performance video of the first single, “Malum (Live 2022).” Filmed during the band’s March 2022 concert in New York City in collaboration with renowned director Zev Deans, the clip encapsulates the intensity and ferocity that Mayhem brings to the stage. Watch the video now!
The production is as smooth as ice. The riffs and musicianship are chilly. Combined, this record is no doubt a stone-cold killer… Now with all the puns out of the way, let’s get to the meat and bones of the phenomenal record that is Glacial Domination (Century Media), the sophomore long-player from the Texas-based death metal act, Frozen Soul, who, to the uninitiated, has been deservedly lumped in with like-minded and acclaimed modern acts such as Undeath and 200 Stab Wounds. The eleven tracks are the culmination of blue-collared musicians laying down white-collared death metal. Continue reading
Grave Pleasures were one of those bands that had been stuck on my ‘must check out at some stage’ list, until now. In case you weren’t aware of the history, they originally formed as Beastmilk back in 2010 and put out debut Climax after which came the name change as well as a string of subsequent releases. Plagueboys is the band’s fourth full-length album overall and the follow-up to 2017’s Motherblood. Continue reading
No matter how rotten the State of Denmark ever was, the fecundity of fetidity seems ever more prevalent in the Belgian ward of Ghent; more specifically within the parish boundaries of the Church of Ra, is something far more foul. Missionary for ruinous, dark, and heavy music, six-string dire wolf Lennart Bossu presents a new vehicle to spread the word of power of exacting, challenging, but ultimately rewarding, dark metallic music captured and presented under the guise of Predatory Void, a quintet of local luminaries to Bossu who have helped mould and shape a new, slightly more straight-forward, yet no less demanding than Amenra, force.
It was a typical, quiet Monday evening last week in downtown Detroit. Except at the city’s treasured music venue, Saint Andrew’s Hall. There was a bit of a hullabaloo happening at the preferred concert spot because metal titans, Enslaved and Insomnium brought their North American co-headlining tour to town. Both of these acts are experts in their respective genres and both of them are on the road to promote their newest full-length albums that have come out earlier this year. The place was buzzing with anticipation as metal fans of all sorts filed in to hear the new tunes.