Tag Archives: Ghost Cult Magazine

Audio: Tal Wilkenfeld New Single Corner Painter, Launches Pledge Campaign For New Album

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Talk Wilkenfeld 2015 from FB ghostcultmag

Acclaimed bassist Tal Wilkenfeld (Jeff Beck, Ryan Adams, Jackson Browne) has launched new single ‘Corner Painter’, from her forthcoming solo singer/songwriter album. The track features Benmont Tench and Blake Mills and you can hear the track at this link. Tal is performing the song on her current run of tour dates as the opening act for The Who. You can see fan filmed video of the track below as well.

 

Tal has launched a Pledge Music campaign to support the album. Corner Painter is available as a free grat track for those who join, and is also on iTunes too. She already reached 15% of her goal in just a few days. Here is a message from her on the campaign:

 

Hey Everyone in internet land!

Tal Wilkenfeld here. Some of you may know me as a bassist, but lately, my focus has been singing and songwriting.

I’ve been in the studio for several years, on and off between sessions and touring with other artists, working on my album with some pretty amazing musicians (Benmont Tench, Blake Mills, Sonya Kitchell, Jeremy Stacey, Paul Stacey and Zac Rae.) The tracks are done and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it! Now I’m looking to mix and master it, and hopefully, if all goes according to plan, release it in the summer.

I would love for you guys to support this process and pre-order my album. Along with this new music, you can also grab exclusive opportunities such as a limited amount of skype bass lessons, signed instruments, handwritten lyric sheets… even a concert in your living room!

Thank you for your support, and for pledging for my album!

~ Tal

 

tal-wilkenfeld corner painter single ghostcultmag

 

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Tal Wilkenfeld on Periscope

 

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Video: Mamiffer – Parthenogenesis, Tour Begins Next Week

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Mammifferband photo 2016 ghostcultmag

Mamiffer released their new music video for the track ‘Parthenogenesis’ from their forthcoming SIEGE Records release The World Unseen on Apr 1st. You can watch the video at this link or below:

 

Mamifer is a duo comprised of Faith Coloccia and Aaron Turner (ISIS, Sumac, Old Man Gloom). Next week they kick off their short tour of the US. The World Unseen comes in several formats like CD, 2xLP, and digital formats via SIGE Records in the U.S. (pre-order it here) and as a CD with a bonus disc on Daymare Records in Japan.

Mammiffer the world unseen album cover ghostcultmag

The World Unseen track listing:

1. By the Light of My Body

2. Flower of the Field II

3. 13 Burning Stars

4. Mara

5. Domestication of the Ewe – part I

6. Domestication of the Ewe – part II

7. Domestication of the Ewe – part III

8. Parthenogenesis

 

Mamiffer – US tour dates:

Mar 24 Boise, ID : Treefort Music Festival

Mar 25 Salt Lake City, UT : Diabolical Records

Mar 26 Denver, CO : Lost Lake

Mar 28 Omaha, NE : O’Leavers

Mar 29 Columbia, MO : Club Berlin

Mar 30 St. Louis, MO : Foam

Mar 31 Knoxville, TN : Big Ears Festival

Apr 1 Cincinnati, OH : Northside Yacht Club

Apr 2 Chicago, IL : Co-Prosperity Sphere

Apr 3 Milwaukee, WI : Cactus Club

Apr 4 Minneapolis, MN : Icehouse

Apr 5-9 Iowa City, IA : Mission Creek Festival

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Video: Andy Black Of Black Veil Brides Teases New Video, Announces Solo Headline Tour

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andy black ghostcultmag

Andy Black, the solo performing alter-ego of Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack, has announced his début headline tour of the USA. He announced the tour with a teaser for his forthcoming new video for the track ‘ a teaser for his ‘We Don’t Have To Dance’ on his Instagram account. You can see at this link or below:

 


Andy Black Solo Headline US Tour:

May 23: Baltimore Soundstage- Baltimore, MD

May 24: Brighton Music Hall- Allston, MA

May 25: Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA

May 27: Highline Ballroom – New York, NY

May 28: GameChangerWorld – Freehold, NJ

May 29: The NorVa – Norfolk, VA

May 31: Arizona Pete’s – Greensboro, NC

Jun 01: The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA

Jun 03: State Theatre – St. Petersburg, FL

Jun 04: The Social – Orlando, FL

Jun 06: Trees – Dallas, TX

Jun 07: The Rock Box – San Antonio, TX

Jun 08: Warehouse Live – Houston, TX

Jun 10: Slowdown – Omaha, NE

Jun 11: Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN

Jun 13: Agora – Cleveland, OH

Jun 14: Altar Bar – Pittsburgh, PA

Jun 15: The Opera House- Toronto, ON

Jun 17: The Crofoot- Pontiac, MI

Jun 18: Bottom Lounge- Chicago, IL

Jun 19: Liberty Hall- Lawrence, KS

Jun 21: Bluebird Theater- Denver, CO

Jun 22: The Complex- Salt Lake City, UT

Jun 24: The Showbox- Seattle, WA

Jun 25: Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR

Jun 27: The Boardwalk – Orangevale, CA

Jun 28: Social Hall SF – San Francisco, CA

Jun 30: Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA

Jul 01: Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ

Jul 02: El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

Andy Black We Dont have to Dance ghostcultmag


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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