Tag Archives: fun.

CONCERT REVIEW: Electric Callboy – Bury Tomorrow – If Not For Me at MGM Music Hall

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MGM Music Hall, another venue that I have (shockingly) yet to shoot in, until tonight, and boy howdy, is it a show for books! We covered the Tekkno Tour last year here at Ghost Cult and it was genuinely one of the funnest shows I’ve ever been to or had the privilege of covering, and this time around we have a new crop of bands along for the ride. This time around the US,  Electric Callboy brought along British metalcore legends Bury Tomorrow and Pennsylvanian metalcore outfit If Not For Me out on the road this time to bring the party. Electric Callboy just dropped their new collab single with BABYMETAL that rules! So gang, it’s a Sunday night in Boston and we have German party metal and international metalcore on the menu… LET’S EAT!Continue reading →


EP REVIEW: Atreyu – The Hope Of A Spark

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Having approached their twentieth year of being a staple in the metalcore scene, the prodigies of Atreyu still haven’t lost their spark (no pun intended) with the new EP The Hope Of A Spark (Spinefarm Records). Drawing from the commonalities of the quintet’s personal lives, each song is truly a shared effort among the five of them – not only musically, but conceptually.

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INTERVIEW: Brett Roos of Steaksauce Mustache on The Power of Having Fun in Metal

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Brett Roos of Steaksauce Mustache checked in with Ghost Cult last year to discuss the origin of the band, being “Happy Party Core” – being prolific music makers, their last album “All Juice No Noise” touring, a wide array of influences, and keeping the fun at the forefront of everything they do.  

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ALBUM REVIEW: Electric Callboy – TEKKNO

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Considering many people’s initial exposure to German act Electric Callboy was down to the unforgettably bonkers video to 2020’s breakthrough hit ‘Hypa Hypa’, it might come as a surprise to some that the electronicore/metalcore act from Castrop-Rauxel has been around for twelve years and that latest album TEKKNO (Century Media) is actually their sixth full length studio release.

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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Beekeeper – “Vargas”

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San Diego Thrash metallers Beekeeper are streaming their debut music video today, here at Ghost Cult! The clip for their track ‘Vargas’ is a comedic romp that shows off track and will remind you of the hilarious 1990s videos Beastie Boys made with Spike Jones and the kind of videos Exodus would make is Paul Baloff were still alive, Satan rest his soul! ‘Vargas’ was directed by Luc Hollywood, edited by Luc Hollywood and Adam Wollach, and comes off of their 2017 album Slaves To The Nothing. Watch the clip now! Continue reading →


Twisted Tower Dire – Wars In The Unknown

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Formed nearly a quarter of a century ago, Twisted Tower Dire is one of those bands that never made it big, but has always been likable and consistent in their music. This Virginia-based act has been rather quiet since their last release, Mark It Dark (Cruz del Sur Music) in 2011, but now they’re back with a much-anticipated new record. Their sixth full-length album, Wars In The Unknown (No Remorse Records), boasts about how this quartet can still accomplish solid and entertaining Heavy Metal.Continue reading →


God Damn- Everything Ever

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tumblr_odyjn04t6c1tcuaago1_1280When you release an album as strong and visceral as “Vultures” as your début calling card which British rock band God Damn did in 2015- then you might forgive the band for heading their bets when it came to their second offering. It would have been very easy and very tempting to deliver another slab of their corrosive, howling rock’n’roll. In this age of not really being able to take real risks, giving the punters another Vultures might have been a very good idea indeed.Continue reading →


Gyre- Morai

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Gyre - Morai album cover 2015

If you don’t know who Gyre is already, no worries. You’ll know them soon enough.

This potent New York/New Jersey quintet musical abilities suggests that they grew up on a steady diet of Metallica’s …And Justice For All, Mastodon’s Leviathan and near an open vat of gamma radiation. They like to pummel and thrash while keeping a high standard of technical proficiency.

Formed in 2011, these tri-state area dudes have stayed busy as Morai is their third release in that 4 year span. While Morai is technically an EP, its 36 minute run time and wall to wall cramming of riffs make it feel more like an LP. ‘Manifest’ gets to a running start with punishing groove and hounding pace that has recalls Gojira or Sylosis. It’s immediately followed up by ‘I Release’ which is the kind of thrash exercise you would’ve expected from Trivium if they hadn’t been led astray by commercial success and polished David Draiman productions.

If Gyre is about anything, it’s about that shred life. Whenever a song feels like its losing momentum you can count on Juan Soaz and Chirag Bhatt to come in and make it rain exquisite leads and solos. Title track and album closer ‘Morai’ takes a while to get where it’s going, but once there it’s quite a bit of fun as Soaz and Bhatt work effortlessly of one another. And that’s not to say that bassist Ian McCartney doesn’t get his licks in as you can appreciate his work in the mid-section of ‘Behind the Eyes.’

The clean singing can run the gamut from adding a new dynamic layer (‘Manifest’) to feeling completely unnecessary (the tail end of ‘Morai’). Actually the vocals as a whole are the department where they sound the least confident. Frontman Ying Chee’s growls are serviceable, but feel undistinguishable from so many other howlers in the game today. I’d certainly like to see the vocals be on par with technical wizardry from the other players in future releases.

While some small shortcomings keep it from being truly elite, Morai is a strong metal showcase from a very young band. The kind of effort that lets you breathe easy regarding the future state of metal and forget those who fell short of their potential.

9.0/10

HANSEL LOPEZ


Album Stream + Tour: Brian Marquis – I Miss The 90s + Upcoming Tour Dates

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Brian Marquis is streaming his I Miss the 90s EP, out now via Equal Vision Records. The EP is comprised of five covers of 90s favorites and features guest vocals by Vinnie Caruana (The Movielife, I Am the Avalanche), Will Noon (fun., Straylight Run) on drums, Julio Tavarez (The Black and The White, As Tall As Lions) on bass, and Doug Grean (ex-Scott Weiland, The Terpsichords) on piano/keyboards.

TRACKLISTING
01: Say It Ain’t So (originally by Weezer)
02: Rooster (originally by Alice in Chains)
03: Shadowboxer (originally by Fiona Apple)
04: High and Dry (originally by Radiohead)
05: Something in the Way (originally by Nirvana)

This Summer, Marquis will perform daily and run production on the Acoustic Basement Stage on the 2015 Vans Warped Tour for the fourth consecutive year – a stage that he founded in 2011 under the guidance of Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman.

TOUR DATES
Level and The Square w/Brian Marquis
May 27: Viper Room – Hollywood, CA (EP RELEASE SHOW)

2015 Warped Tour Dates
Jun 19: Pomona Fairplex – Pomona, CA
Jun 20: Shoreline Amphitheatre – San Francisco, CA
Jun 21: Seaside Park at Ventura County Fairgrounds – Ventura, CA
Jun 23: Quail Run Park – Mesa AZ
Jun 24: Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
Jun 25: Remington Park – Oklahoma City, OK
Jun 26: NRG Park Main St. Yellow Lot – Houston, TX
Jun 27: Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX
Jun 28: AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX
Jul 01: Tennessee State Fairgrounds – Nashville, TN
Jul 02: Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood – Atlanta, GA
Jul 03: Vinoy Park – St.Petersburg, FL
Jul 04: Coral Sky Amphitheatre – South Florida Fairgrounds – Miami, FL
Jul 05: Tinker Field – Orlando, FL
Jul 06: Morocco Shrine Auditorium And Grounds – Jacksonville, FL
Jul 07: PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC
Jul 08: Farm Bureau Live – Virginia Beach, VA
Jul 09: First Niagara Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 10: Susquehanna Bank Center – Philadelphia, PA
Jul 11: Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheatre – New York, NY
Jul 12: Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, CT
Jul 14: Xfinity Center – Boston, MA
Jul 15: Darien Lake PAC – Buffalo, NY
Jul 16: Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
Jul 17: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON
Jul 18: Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD
Jul 19: PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
Jul 21: The Pavilion at Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA
Jul 23: Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH
Jul 24: The Palace of Auburn Hills Parking Lot – Detroit, MI
Jul 25: First Midwest Bank Amphitheater – Chicago, IL
Jul 26: Canterbury Park – Minneapolis, MN
Jul 27: Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
Jul 28: Marcus Amphitheatre – Milwaukee, WI
Jul 29: Klipsch Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
Jul 30: Cricket Wireless Amphitheater – Kansas City, KS
Aug 01: Utah State Fairpark – Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 02: Pepsi Center Parking Lot – Denver, CO
Aug 05: Qualcomm Stadium Parking Lot – San Diego, CA
Aug 07: Portland Expo Center – Portland, OR
Aug 08: White River Amphitheater – Seattle, WA

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