Having established a successful collaboration with 2020″s May Our Chambers Be Full (Sacred Bones Records, review here), Thou & Emma Ruth Rundle flesh things out further with The Helm Of Sorrow (Sacred Bones Records). The four songs on this EP are more or less cut from the same cloth. A blend of Sludge, Grunge, and Shoegaze serves as a stylistic backdrop for the dynamic synthesis and occasional clashes between Rundle’s harrowing restraint and Thou’s distorted violence.
The Cranberries have long been synonymous with their biggest hit, 1993’s single ‘Zombie’ has now hit 1 Billion views on YouTube. They are the first Irish band ever to hit this milestone. The bands original label UMe/Island Records, ‘Zombie’ joins a small club of iconic artists to reach this landmark and the video is the fifth most viewed rock video of all time globally according to Louder Sound. From their album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, and written by Dolores O’Riordan as a protest song after IRA bombings in Warrington killed two children and injured 56 others in March 1993, “Zombie” was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin and was produced by long time Cranberries collaborator Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur). The official video directed by Samuel Bayer – who now notches his second billion viewed clip following Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. O’Riordan passed away in 2018. ‘Zombie’ went on to top the singles charts in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland and was #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US. In 1995 it was awarded ‘Best Song’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and was voted #1 on Australia’s Triple J Hottest 100 chart in 1994. On January 16th, 2018, Colin Parry – father of Tim Parry, the twelve-year-old victim of the Warrington bomb – thanked Dolores O’Riordan for the ‘majestic and (also) very real lyrics” in the track.Continue reading
One year ago today the light went out of the world just a little, as The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan died in London. She was just 46 years old, and by all accounts had a lot of music left in her. One year after her passing, the band has released a new single from their upcoming final album In The End (BMG). You can now purchase and stream the single ‘All Over Now’ and pre-order the album below. Continue reading
According to a report released by BBC News today, The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan died by drowning due to alcohol intoxication. In what the coroner termed “a tragic accident” the west London coroner’s court heard during an inquest that she had been drinking heavily before she was found dead in room 2005 of the Park Lane Hilton hotel in Park Lane, London in the morning of January 15. She was found by a maid the morning after she checked into the hotel. She was submerged face up in the bath, wearing a long-sleeved vest and pyjama bottoms. When paramedics arrived, police were performing CPR on her in the bathroom. At 9:16 a.m., she was declared dead.Continue reading
Unlikely stars Bad Wolves, have a platinum record, a worldwide number 1 hit song, two YouTube videos with millions of views, and more success than they ever dreamed of when the band was formed as a side project several years back. Even though all this has happened and more accolades are on the way, frontman Tommy Vext keeps things at an even keel by staying humble. We caught up with Tommy at the headquarters of Eleven Seven Music Group to discuss the debut album Disobey, the pressures of having a “hit”, whether or not his band is a “supergroup”, practicing self-care on the road, what happened to all the old music clubs in New York, and whether or not modern hardcore bands are real tough guys or not. Also appearing, Tony the stuffed Tiger! Thanks to Tommy, Eleven Seven, and Bad Wolves for their time. Interview by Keefy with videography by Omar Cordy of OJC Photography. Live Bad Wolves photos by BunnySyn Photography for Ghost Cult.Continue reading
Chart-topping metal band Bad Wolves have received a Platinum record in the USA for their runaway hit “Zombie”, a cover of The Cranberries 1993 classic. Notably, the band is the first rock band to reach platinum for a 2018 release and the first since Imagine Dragons in 2017. The plaque was presented to Bad Wolves by their co-manager, Zoltan Bathory (Five Finger Death Punch), Eleven Seven Label Group CEO Allen Kovac, and promoters Larry and Fred Frank of Frank Productions/Live Nation prior to their set at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, NJ. Normally at Ghost Cult, we don’t pay attention to charts, popularity or what a band sells, but this is a momentous moment for a metal band, and all the proceeds (over #$250,000 USD) from the single have gone to the children of singer Dolores O’Riordan, for whom the track is dedicated. Continue reading
Now in its 11th year, Manchester’s SOS Fest is going from strength to strength and firmly establishing itself as one of the very best small festivals going. The key to the festival is family, the whole thing is family run, and has the kids firmly at its heart. For every parent wondering if it’s time to start their kids at a festival then this is the one for you. There are kids everywhere, from playing happily in the kids’ area, performing sets on the acoustic stage, doing press, and generally rocking out it’s clear from the atmosphere that SOS really is THE family festival. Continue reading
Bad Wolves who have a worldwide hit song with their cover of ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries, delivered a check last night for 250k USD to the family of Dolores O’Riordan. The band presented the check before their show last night at The Gramercy Theater in New York City. The band had promised that all royalties from the track would go into a fund for her children. O’Riordan was set to record her parts for the cover, before she passed away unexpectedly at age 46. Continue reading
Whether you like it or not, Bad Wolves aren’t the next big thing. That’s because they’re already the current new big thing in metal. Thrust into the spotlight by a set of serendipitous circumstances surrounding their recording of The Cranberries ‘Zombie’, a version that Dolores O’Riordan herself was scheduled to record vocals for the week that she passed as part of her endorsement of the song, Disobey (Eleven Seven) is a multi-faceted contemporary, very heavy, yet commercial album that does a whole lot more than the frankly excellent cover version might suggest you should expect.Continue reading
After the news broke out about the tragic loss of Dolores O’Riordan last month, modern metallers Bad Wolves revealed that they were planning on collaborating with the late vocalist on a cover of ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries. Continue reading