Tag Archives: Ghost Cult Magazine

Coffins/Ilsa – Split EP

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coffins ilsa split ep ghostcultmag

You can file Coffins and Ilsa’s Split EP (Relapse Records) under heaviest thing you’ll jam out to for a while. No time to waste here with pretentious orchestral arrangements or cliché samples; Coffins and Ilsa immediately start their brutal eardrum massage with relentless riffs and grooves.

Case in point? You only get roughly 12 minutes of music on this EP. Maximum effort and distortion crammed into two songs.

Japan’s Coffins gets first crack at it with ‘Tyrant’ and they somehow make it sound more demonic than on last year’s Craving to Eternal Slumber. The guitar tone remains Coffins gnarly, but the production has dialed up the grit and smoke inhalation. Jun Tokita’s grunts sound like the product of a lifelong sand and gravel diet and are perfectly paired to Uchino’s skilsaw on asphalt guitar tone.

Tempo-wise, Ilsa aren’t as jackhammer intense as Coffins, but they certainly bring the decibels on ‘Cult of the Throne.’ But what they lack in speed, they make up for with an even grimier atmosphere and steady double bass stomp. Orion Peter’s pained howling and the crawling breakdown at around the 4:15 mark conjure up images of prime Eyehategod.

You may not get much in the way of running time, but Coffins and Ilsa satisfy if heaviness is what you crave. Can we get a tour now?

8.0/10

HANSEL LOPEZ

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Moon Tooth-Chromaparagon

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Moon_Tooth Chromaparagon album cover ghostcultmag

 

New York natives Moon Tooth started off their new year by self-releasing their first full length album Chromaparagon whether the music world was ready for it or not. From listening to the result, it is clear the band members were ready.

The Keith Haring like album cover conveys exactly the colorful and primal, yet poetic sounds that the band comes up with. It is all off to a driving start with the first track ‘Queen Wolf’. The song was also the first off the album to be released alongside a music video. Although there is trouble understanding the lyrics during a few parts, one can tell that a badass story is being told.

These stories are what make up the entire album. They could also be interpreted as personal revelations or even poetry. One gets the feeling that if Jim Morrison had been born at a later time, this is what he would be doing. The lyrics are the strongest point which is not surprising since the entire band shares the credit of writing them; vocalist John Carbone brings them to life. The music is quality too and the instrumentation is similar to Mastodon.

Moon Tooth primarily describes themselves as being hard rock and progressive, but it is evident from tracks like ‘Little Witch’ that they can channel other influences. As the title suggests, the song is reminiscent of the Misfits horror inspired punk and is a fun jam. ‘Bats in the Attic’ is another thoroughly enjoyable tune. Because it is an instrumental, it breaks up the album well.

The only point at which Chromaparagon falters in the least is ‘White Stag’. After listening to an intense and thought-provoking album, it can be heard to listen to a gentler ten minute track. Overall, it is quite an impressive début album and a great way to start off the musical year.

8.5/10

MELISSA CAMPBELL

 

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Audio: Metal Blade Founder Brian Slagel Guests On The Jasta Show

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Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records, photo credit Stephanie Cabral

Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records, photo credit Stephanie Cabral

Metal Blade Records founder/CEO Brian Slagel is the latest guest on The Jasta Show Podcast, hosted by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed. Brian and Jamey discussed changes in the record industry, vinyl, cassettes, Candiria, Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Metallica, Armored Saint, Chef Chris Santos and Black Light Records, Goo Goo Dolls, publishing, Metal Blade’s 35 anniversary in 2017, Between The Buried And Me, King Diamond and much more.

https://soundcloud.com/jameyjasta/episode-166-brian-slagel-founder-of-metalblade


Greg Fidelman Revealed As The Producer Of The New Metallica Album

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Kirk Hammett of Metallica,, by Victoria Anderson

Kirk Hammett of Metallica, by Victoria Anderson

In an interview with Alternative Press, Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed that Greg Fidelman is the de facto producer of the bands new album, which is said to be currently in the final phases of recording. Recently performing their first show of 2016 at CBS Radio’s The Night Before concert event at Super Bowl 50, both James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich claimed on stage that there would be a new Metallica album released during 2016.

 

Kirk commented on Fidelman’s level of involvement:

“We have not brought in any [other] producer and it looks extremely [unlikely] we’d bring one in this late into the project.”

“The title ‘producer’ itself is a bit ambiguous. It differs from person to person. You can call Rick Rubin a producer, but he’s not the [same] type of producer as Bob Rock, who is there for every note. At the same time, Rick Rubin gets stuff done. Greg Fidelman is a different type of producer in that he’s with the engineer always looking to try and move the project forward. And that’s different from, say, Dr. Dre, who is the type of producer who is actually making backing tracks, producing music, writing music. In the hip-hop world, Dre is a producer. It’s so ambiguous. If you go by the traditional term, we’re doing it with Greg, pretty much.”

“Greg is a real pleasure to work with. Even though he can be a bit of a taskmaster, he listens to you. He’s super-flexible. He knows how to crack the whip without fucking pissing people off.”

 

Hammett also commented on the difficulties of making an album for Metallica at this point in their career:

“The hardest part” about recording Metallica is coordinating the bandmembers’ schedules so that the production process can move forward at a comfortable pace. “Hey, for us, life has its demands,” he said. “We’re trying to make an album and go on tour, trying to be a band, but we all recognize that if someone has a family situation, that takes priority over everything. That’s another reason why [the new album] is taking so long. That’s another obstacle for Greg Fidelman He’s always joking about it, but it really takes a lot of, like, you know, tap dancing and juggling.”

 

The new Metallica album will be their 10th album of original music, not including live albums, compilations and covers. It will be the first new full length album from the band since 2009’s Death Magnetic. Fidelman may be seen by fans as a controversial, but safe choice for the band in the producer’s chair. Known for his work with Slipknot and Slayer, Fidelman came under fire from fans for the sound quality (clipping) associated with the Death Magnetic finished product.

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Audio: Asking Alexandria – Here I Am

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Asking Alexandria the Black Sumerian Records ghostcultmag

Ahead of their new album The Black due out March 25th from Sumerian Records, Asking Alexandria are streaming a new song. ‘Here I Am’ can be heard at this link or below:

 

 

Asking Alexandria, by Bret B Photos

Asking Alexandria, by Bret B Photos

The Black will be the first new music with new frontman Denis Shaforostov at the helm. Guitarist Ben Bruce reflects on changing singers and the new course the band has set:

“We hadn’t reached our destination yet, and Danny (Worsnop) had. I think it was necessary. When it happened, I was devastated. I lost my best friend. We even started referring to this part of our career as ‘the black period.’ It was the darkest time, but we weren’t going to give up. If he hadn’t left, I don’t think we would’ve been as inspired as we were. I also don’t think Asking Alexandria would still be around. Instead, we’re more excited than ever about this band.”

 

asking alexandria band 2016 ghostcultmag

The Black track listing:

01. Let It Sleep

02. The Black

03. I Won’t Give In

04. Sometimes It Ends

05. The Lost Souls

06. Just A Slave To Rock N Roll

07. Send Me Home

08. We’ll Be Okay

09. Here I Am

10. Gone

11. Undivided

12. Circled By The Wolves

 

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Hush – Nihil Unbound

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Hush Nihil Unbound EP cover ghostcultmag

Not that they can be easily discerned of course; but the lyrics within Nihil Unbound (Independent Release), the second EP from New York State terrorizers Hush are graphic, harrowing and affecting, yet possess a haunting beauty. The enveloping, suffocating music is difficult but immensely rewarding: initially a seeping torture yet, as with opener ‘…Gazes into You’, often given a tribal quickening and the slightest lift with a low-pitched chord sequence.

The employment of two basses will surprise no-one daring to venture inside, the oppressive riff of ‘Oror’ as deep and dark as the Marianas Trench yet moved forward by Mark O’Brien’s controlled but brutal drums. The portentous centrepiece and three-quarter section of this hideous track send shivers down the spine but it’s the guttural roars and screams of Charles Cure and Jeff Andrews that tear the soul apart.

The tension here is not merely physical, but a diseased parasite sucking life from the listener in a delicious fashion. The crawling pace of ‘Shinda nu No Shashin’ is given feverish attitude by the leashes restraining each instrument: the sound of the strain almost detectable, the sparing chords and murderous roars placing every nerve-end on edge with the aid of a quickened, buzzing riff. Even the tuneful, Post-like air moving through the intro of ‘A Permanent Echo Through the Dream’ carries a sense of foreboding, the lead flurries lightening the sound and tempo but not the feeling of disgusting horror: this is only heightened by the pauses and ensuing dulled explosions as the track slows to its awful coda.

The verbalised pain emanating from closer ‘Shattering the Great Chain of Being’ reaches horrific proportions; whilst the relentless pounding, carrying the maleficent weight of Roman galleon ‘pacers’, is accompanied by more spiking leadplay and howling, whistling bass notes which reverberate through the mind and don’t release their grip. Those who have not yet experienced Hush must prepare themselves for an extremely uncomfortable journey, one that at times verges on the unbearable. For those of us who like music to take us to the very edge of sanity, however, this is a phenomenal experience.

8.5/10.0

PAUL QUINN

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Killswitch Engage – Incarnate

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Killswitch Engage Incarnate Album cover ghostcultmag

Massachusetts metalcore legends, Killswitch Engage, are back with another solid release, Incarnate (Roadrunner). This is the second album released since Howard Jones left the group and original singer, Jesse Leach, stepped back into his vocal duties. While I will avoid the Jones vs. Leach debate, I will say that this work may be the most mature work from Leach-fronted Killswitch. The Westfield, MA natives continue to tinker with their sound to make the heavy, heavier and the melodic, more emotional and memorable, but do not stray too far away from what they know works. In no way would I call this an experimental album, but neither is it a safe one.

Killswitch Engage 2016

Incarnate is one of those albums that gets stronger the farther down you go. While some of the opening tracks are good songs, the second half of the album avoids the “more of the same” sentiments that I am sure many metalcore deserters would use. ‘Embrace the Journey…Upraised’ kicks off the second half of the album which showcases the Killswitch sound the best. Thunderous verse riffs with harsh vocals that lead into a hardcore pre-chorus followed by an uplifting, memorable chorus. The bridge/breakdown builds off of the pre-chorus parts to bring the track together. ‘It Falls on Me’ is one of the tracks that broke the mold a bit and borrowed some post-metal influences (The Ocean certainly came to mind, specifically the Pelagial album). The bridge of the track brings some of the ever emotional, yet catchy tremolo guitar work with a nice delay effect to create a spacey feel. The outro of the song reminds the listening that this is Killswitch Engage with a breakdown and harsh vocals to complete a very Jekyll and Hyde track. ‘We Carry On’ might be the best track written by the band since The End of Heartache era. This track brings together all of the elements present on Incarnate and then blend them together into one epic ballad. Heavy guitar riffs, catchy melodies, uplifting lyrics with both harsh and clean vocals, plus a little more of the spacey guitar effects seen on ‘It Falls on Me’ are all eloquently mixed. The closer, ‘Ascension’, is a return to the norm and wraps up the record perfectly. This is certainly the most “hardcore” track on the album and leaves the listener with Jesse Leach shouting “This is fair warning…your time… will… come!”

 

With so much music coming out the past couple of years, and mostly on the extreme side, it is always nice to return to the middle of the spectrum. Killswitch Engage once again has pulled me back to my youth with this release. My hometown heroes came through and then some on Incarnate.

8.0/10

TIM LEDIN

 

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Gadget – The Great Destroyer

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Gadget – The Great Destroyer albumcover ghostcultmag

It might be ten years since Sweden’s Gadget vomited their brilliant last album The Funeral March (Relapse) all over our collective faces, but it’s safe to say that time has most definitely not mellowed them. Charging at you with all the subtlety of a lobotomised orangutan swinging a lead pipe, their third full length release The Great Destroyer (Relapse) lives entirely up to its name.

Not so much carefully combining elements of Hardcore, Grindcore, and Death Metal as mashing them together by stamping on them repeatedly until a fetid brown liquid begins oozing out from underneath, Gadget’s only intention is to get in, get out, and leave you feeling like you’ve gone twelve rounds with a runaway steamroller.

But it’s not just unrelenting speed they hit you with. Oh no, there are other types of lovely auditory pulverization to endure here as blastbeats and frantic, slashing riffs turn into mid-paced grooves and thundering breakdowns at the drop of a hat. And just when you think you’re getting a reprieve, in comes another whirlwind of attitude, led from the front by vocalist Emil Englund, his singing style a cross between a walrus having its throat ripped out and an exasperated geography teacher venting his rage at a class of disinterested teenagers. And if that isn’t enough for you, Napalm Death‘s Barney Greenway stops by to punch you in the face with a guest appearance on the thirty eight second ‘Violent Hours (For A Veiled Awakening)‘.

If you enjoy music which leaves you with a sore head, ringing ears, a big grin, and a string of drool hanging from the corner of your mouth, then The Great Destroyer is the album for you. Got Attention Deficit Disorder? No problem. The lengthiest track on here is the five and a half minute closer ‘I Don’t Need You – Dead and Gone’, while the others rattle in around the sixty second mark.

The production is dense and claustrophobic, but also clear enough to hear the individual skill from each musician. Guitarist Rikard Olsson may sound like his arm is about to come off at the shoulder and hit someone in the face but there’s control and definition amongst the blur of speed, and rhythm section William Blackmon (Drums) and Fredrik Nygren (Bass) make playing this fast seem almost effortless.

Listening to ‘The Great Destroyer’ is like having the Drill Instructor from Full Metal Jacket spitting abuse into your face for half an hour. It’s like having to watch a repeated loop of that part in American History X where Edward Norton tells that kid to bite the kerb and stamps on his head. It’s like trying to catch a cement mixer between your teeth, and it’s like watching an enraged gorilla hurl itself against the safety glass after beating its keeper to death with the bones of its former keeper.

Enjoy.

8.0/10

GARY ALCOCK

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Skeletonwitch – Well Of Despair

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Skeletonwitch Well Of Despair abum cover ghostcultmag

Fandom is a curious thing. People feel very intense about about a band and sometimes fret when there is a change. Bands change members all the time. That is the nature of people trying to play music for a living under mixed circumstances at the best of times. For thirteen years Skeletonwitch has been one of the most heavy and consistent bands in the American metal scene. They have made some great records, opened tours for major names, and spread their sound around the globe. Fans certainly didn’t want to accept the change when the band suspended and removed former singer Chance Garnette, due to his personal issues, and much chatter on line centered around the future prospects of new music. Cleverly the band didn’t reveal new vocalist Adam Clemans (Wolvhammer) until just recently and now have debuted the first new music with Adam, in the form of new single Well of Despair (Prosthetic).

Although this track s but a small taste of what is to be expected later this year in the form of a full EP, ‘Well of Despair’ was recorded at Baltimore’s Developing Nations with Kevin Bernsten (Noisem, Magrudergrind, Mutilation Rites) earlier this year. Musically the track is as much of a declaration of intent as anything else. Galloping drum beats pound from the speakers. All the things that made Skeletonwitch great, this track has it. It’s a quick slab of brutal thrashy black-metal inspired riffage that is sure to make fans headbang like mad and take notice. Clemmons sounds excellent. He has a gnarly growl and a lung power equal to Chance’s. It will be great to hear him tackle the back catalog during the forthcoming Decibel Tour with Abbath, High On Fire, and Tribulation. But ‘Well Of Despair’ is a powerful introduction to the next phase of the band. If you had any doubts about the future of the band, throw them out the window now!

 

Skeletonwitch 2016 new band photo ghostcultmag

7.0/10

KEITH CHACHKES

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Prog Rock Legend Keith Emerson, Dead At Age 71

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RIP Keith Emerson ELP ghostcultmag

 

2016 continues to be the year of devastating losses in the music world. News has come down that Keith Emerson, famed for his work with progressive rock giants Emerson, Lake And Palmer has died at age 71. The band confirmed this with a message on their official Facebook.

“We regret to announce that Keith Emerson died last night at his home in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, aged 71. We ask that the family’s privacy and grief be respected.”

 

Bandmate Carl Palmer commented on Emerson’s passing:

 

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend and brother-in-music, Keith Emerson,” Keith’s longtime bandmate Carl Palmer said in a statement. “Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come. He was a pioneer and an innovator whose musical genius touched all of us in the worlds of rock, classical and jazz. I will always remember his warm smile, good sense of humor, compelling showmanship, and dedication to his musical craft. I am very lucky to have known him and to have made the music we did, together.”

 

Emerson was one of the finest keyboard and players ever in music history, a true innovator and was unrivlaed as a showman. ELP was last active as a touring band in 2010. We send our deepest sympathy to his family, friends and fans.

elp keith Emerson RIP ghostcultmag

 

Keith Emerson (1944 – 2016)We regret to announce that Keith Emerson died last night at his home in Santa Monica, Los…

Posted by Emerson, Lake & Palmer on Friday, March 11, 2016