ALBUM REVIEW: LOVEBITES – Electric Pentagram


Released in Japan and the UK earlier in the year, other territories have had to wait until now to hear the latest album by Japanese power metallers, Lovebites. Every bit as impressive as their previous records, Electric Pentagram (Victor Records) even draws inspiration from the likes of Slayer for their latest release, the appropriately titled opening track, ‘Thunder Vengeance’ having been conceived after watching the legendary thrashers at Download Festival Japan in 2019. Not that you’d be able to tell from the chorus, which carries a hook so beefy you could eat it for Sunday lunch.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Trivium – What The Dead Men Say


There was a time when it looked like Trivium were going to be huge. Seriously huge. Arriving on the scene with two critically acclaimed albums, they rose fast, eventually exploding onto the international platform with a career-defining performance at Download Festival in 2005. Continue reading


Download 2020 is Officially Canceled


 

The 2020 edition of Download UK festival has officially been canceled due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The event was set to take place on June 12-14 at Castle Donington, with headlining performances by Iron Maiden, KISS and System Of A Down with additional bands such as Deftones, Korn, The Offspring, Disturbed, Gojira, Alestorm, Black Veil Brides, Daughtry, and Of Mice & Men and many more. The festival organizers announced the cancelation in a statement on Facebook.Continue reading


Sepultura Books Two Headline UK Tour Dates Around Download and Sunstroke Fests


Sepultura has just released their killer new album Quadra, via Nuclear Blast. Read our review here. Now as part of their Quadra world-tour, the band has booked two more shows in the UK this summer, surrounding their dates at Download Festival and Sunstroke Fest.

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Mastodon, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes, Alter Bridge, The Darkness, Sepultura and More Added to Download UK


A bunch of new bands have already been added to the bill on this year’s Download UK Festival. The new acts include Alter Bridge, Bowling For Soup, The Darkness, The Distillers, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Mastodon, Funeral For A Friend, The Menzingers, Employed To Serve, 3 Doors Down, Milk Teeth, Motionless In White, Holding Absence, Lacuna Coil, Loathe, Sepultura, Amaranthe, Cemetery Sun, Fire From The Gods, Gender Roles, Haken, Hatari, Heavy Lungs, Higher Power, JJ Wilde, Kill The Lights, Modern Error, Northlane, Press Club, Polyphia| The Raven Age, Renounced, Shvpes, Sleep Token, SULLII, The Glorious Sons, The Hara, The Skints, Tempt, Twin Temple, Thy Art Is Murder, Wage War, and Will Haven! Also announced are the Day And Stage Splits, WWE NXT UK returns, and Kerrang! Radio Hosts the Finding Fresh Blood contest for a chance to perform on The Avalanche Stage. 2020 Download headliners Iron Maiden (Legacy Of The Beast Tour), Kiss and System Of A Down this summer and takes place on 12 – 14 June 2020 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Continue reading


Download Festival UK 2020 Adds Volbeat, Killswitch Engage, Babymetal, The Pretty Reckless, Airbourne, Skillet, Baroness, and More!


A bevy of bands have been added to Download 2020! New on the bill are Volbeat, Killswitch Engage, Babymetal,The Pretty Reckless, Airbourne, Skillet, Baroness, Lit, Bush, Wednesday 13, British Lion, Electric Wizard, Periphery, Obituary, Pup, Dying Fetus, Bleed From Within, Dead Label, Stone Broken, Blues Pills, Puppy, P.O.D., Wayward Sons, Wargasm, Dead Posey Blackout Problems, Bleed From Within, Cellar Door Moon Crow, Chelsea Grin, Dead Label, Dead Posey, Lotus Eater, Marianas Trench, Powerwolf, Puppy, Theory, The Last Internationale, The Wildhearts, and Uncured.and more to be announecd. They join headliners Iron Maiden (Legacy of the Beast Tour), Kiss and System Of A Down next year. The world’s premier rock event takes place 12 – 14 June 2020 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Tickets are on sale now at the link below. Check out Ghost Cult’s 2019 Download coverage here!Continue reading


Kiss, Iron Maiden, System Of A Down, Deftones, Korn, The Offspring, and Disturbed Booked for Download 2020


Download Festival 2020 had made a major announcement for their first bands for next year’s event. The fest will be headlined by Kiss, Iron Maiden, System Of A Down but also, Deftones, Korn, The Offspring, Disturbed, Gojira, Alestorm, Black Veil Brides, Daughtry, and Of Mice & Men! Many more bands to follow in the coming months! Tickets go on sale 25th September at 2 pm BST at the link below. Continue reading


The Punk Rock MBA Examines Why “Rock Is Dying”


The Punk Rock MBA has made a living (actually) on their ‘What Killed the Genre” series of videos on their YouTube channel. Now he has posted a new video making a case for the fact that Rock is Dying or already dead if you watch the video. He makes a fair, data-driven case. Of course, he is talking about mass appeal and popularity, the rock and metal underground has never been stronger in our opinion. He mentions Slipknot, Metallica, Tool, Blink-182, Ghost, Five Finger Death Punch, A Day To Remember, Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit, The Used, but also Travis Scott (and Kylie Jenner), Riot Fest, Download Festival, Self-Help Fest, Wacken Open Air, and more. Continue reading


PODCAST: Episode 39: Ben Ward of Orange Goblin Talks US Tour and British Doom


Ghost Cult caught up with the great Ben Ward of the venerable Doom Metal overlords Orange Goblin! On the eve of their first US tour in five years, Ben was gushing about coming back to the states, his excitement to play at Muddy Roots Festival, his personal festival highlights of his career like Download Festival at Castle Donnington, the Mercyful Fate reunion, choosing sick opening bands such as The Skull, Mothership and WoFat, incorporating left-turns musically, and his love of beer and pizza! Orange Goblin’s current album The Wolf Bites Back is available now from Candlelight Records.

Orange Goblin – US Live Dates

Tuesday, August 27th – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre # https://livemu.sc/2G0Fzzl

Thursday, August 29th – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #* http://bit.ly/2K4fEKU

Friday, August 30th – Cookeville TN @ Muddy Roots Music Festival http://bit.ly/2FQOZfc

Saturday, August 31st – Dallas TX @ Gas Monkey #^ http://bit.ly/2Vo5B4I

Sunday, September 1st – Austin TX @ Come and Take It Live #^^ http://bit.ly/2Iabq1P

Monday, September 2nd – Los Angeles CA @ Regent Theater ## http://bit.ly/2YPQ14a

# – wsg The Skull

^ – wsg Mothership

* – wsg Weedeater

^^ wsg Mothership & Wo Fat

## – wsg Black Cobra

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Download Festival UK 2019


Throughout the journey from my home in the North of England to Leicestershire’s infamous Download Festival, I could be sure of only two things as a first time attendee; that I would absolutely see Tool headline, and that I would have to endure what was to become the muddiest weekend of my life in order to reach that point.Continue reading