It can not be said that Nick Cave’s career has not aged gracefully. Sure, The Birthday Party feels like another life, but with each album released in the past two decades, Cave has successfully moved towards filling the gap Leonard Cohen’s death would leave. Wild God (Play it Again Sam) continues to uphold his legacy while carrying the hopeful shimmer of a life not met with the kind of tragedy Cave has known. After the death of his son, he is moving past the kind of grief that haunted some of his more recent work. Even at 66 years old, Nick’s vocals have held up, even if the title track is more spoken than sung.Continue reading
Tag Archives: depression
ALBUM REVIEW: Pallbearer – Mind Burns Alive
Five albums into their career, the fact Pallbearer was once a Doom Metal band has faded into the haze of the atmosphere that dominates Mind Burns Alive (Nuclear Blast Records). Of all the metal sub-genres, fans of doom metal are the most forgiving when it comes to a band outgrowing the confines of the genre. Perhaps this is just Brett Campbell’s beautiful singing voice distracting you from the lyrics, which are as equally as bleak as those on the previous album. There might be a marginally more optimistic tone to “Where the Light Fades.” These depressive expressions are a thread of continuity tethering this bands’ entire body of work. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Frank Turner – Undefeated
A new Frank Turner album is an event. One of the preeminent songwriters of the last two decades, we greet it with high expectations. Not unlike Buck in the book The Call of The Wild by Jack London, life around us becomes increasingly more complicated and vicious daily. Do we become more savage, or learn to “be more kind?” That is often the only question that needs asking. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Oceans – Hell Is Where The Heart Is
Nuclear Blast Records have had a storming year, and they continue their hot streak with the release of Hell Is Where The Heart Is by Oceans. The four piece whose members hail from Berlin and Vienna released their debut EP Into The Void in 2019 followed by Cover Me In Darkness, a second EP in the same year featuring their interpretations of tracks from the likes of Alice In Chains, Deftones and Radiohead, before dropping their debut LP The Sun And The Cold in 2020.
NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: January 1st, 2021 New Music Releases
ALBUM REVIEW: Grey Daze – Amends
Next month will be three years since Chester Bennington ended his life. On what would have been Chris Cornell’s 53rd birthday, not only a fellow musician, but also his best friend and Godfather to his son, he took his life. It has been three years and the sadness persists. Bennington’s struggle with depression and substances was a public affair and through his lyrics, it felt like we knew what he was going through. An exceptional vocalist he fronted a band that dove into multiple genres. Either you liked Linkin Park or you hated them. Regardless, Bennington was the best vocalist of any mainstream band in the 2000s – but, before he told you to shut up, he fronted another band. Continue reading
PODCAST: Episode 92 – Jesse Zuretti of Binary Code on “Memento Mori”
Ghost Cult caught up with Binary Code leader and guitarist Jesse Zuretti to chat all about his new album, releasing this week, May 15th. The three-year journey to release the record was an arduous one for Jesse and he had many personal issues to overcome. He did so with the help of making music, which, if you hear this new album, is amazing. Jesse went into depth about the ordeal he went through, his creative process, how each member of this band and team stepped on this album on every level, working with producer Aaron Smith (7Horns7Eyes) the songwriting process, their cover of Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You”, their abandoned (for now) covers EP, how Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy/Nevermore) came to play on the album, making music as a composer for Marvel Entertainment and more. Warning: this podcast contains a frank discussion of suicide and mental illness and may cause some distress to the listener. You can pre-order Memento Mori here and listen to our chat now!Continue reading
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Brent Smith and Eric Bass of Shinedown Discuss Mental Health on the Faster Than Normal Podcast
Brent Smith and Eric Bass of Shinedown were recently guests on the Faster Than Normal Podcast which is hosted by entrepreneur Peter Shankman. The Grammy-award winning band discussed how they channel their energy and create strategies to overcome depression so they can succeed at their musical career. Faster Than Normal is a podcast about Neurodiversity, (i.e., finding the positives around ADHD, ADD, or simply any “different” type of brain). The band revealed they have recently been in the studio working on new music, their first since 2018’s Attention Attention (Atlantic Records) album. Continue reading
Killswitch Engage Singer Jesse Leach “To Get Help” After Personal Setbacks
In a post to Instagram, Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach says that he needs “to get help” after recently informing fans that he and his wife Melissa have decided to go separate ways, after 16 years of marriage. Leach has relocated to upstate New York and had posted to his new account, with posts indicating he was hitting reset on his life in many ways. Leach let his followers know that he will be back, he would be seeking treatment so that he can avoid becoming “another statistic of suicide.“. Leach has long been an advocate of mental health care, awareness and suicide prevention and has been open about his past struggles with depression. No word yet on how this affects the newly completed KsE album, due out in 2019 from Metal Blade Records. What matters is Jesse and his health and happiness. We wish Jesse the peace, love and the best way forward for his life. You can read the post below. If you or anyone you know is suffering and thinks there is no way out, you are not alone. You matter and you are loved. For resources and help, please visit this link.
Documentary About Mental Health Featuring Mark Hunter Of Chimaira Coming Soon
In honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10th, Down Again, a documentary about mental health featuring Mark Hunter of Chimaira will get a worldwide release. Although not a film strictly about Mark’s time as the frontman of Chimaira, it does include music and scenes from his life in music. Hunter will share his personal story about utilizing his art to battle personal struggles and bipolar disorder in the film. Directed by Nick Cavalier – also recognized for directing Derek Hess’ award-winning Forced Perspective documentary – and will be free and available to stream at the link below. Watch the trailer and teaser clips below. Continue reading