ALBUM REVIEW: Hexvessel – Polar Veil


 

Having reviewed Grave PleasuresPlagueboys for Ghost Cult earlier this year, as a Mat McNerney fan I was excited to see he had another record out, this time via his folk-orientated project Hexvessel.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Grave Pleasures – Plagueboys


 

Grave Pleasures were one of those bands that had been stuck on my ‘must check out at some stage’ list, until now. In case you weren’t aware of the history, they originally formed as Beastmilk back in 2010 and put out debut Climax after which came the name change as well as a string of subsequent releases. Plagueboys is the band’s fourth full-length album overall and the follow-up to 2017’s Motherblood. Continue reading


New Music Friday 4-21-23 Preview


Check out our preview of new Rock and Metal album releases coming out this week!

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PODCAST: Episode 251: The Steve and Keefy Power Hour, April 2023 Edition


Time for another edition of The Steve and Keefy Power Hour! Senior Editor Steve Tovey joins Chief Editor Keefy, recapping March 2023 Rock and Metal Releases and previewing April’s essential new heavy music! Two white guys and music nerds pontificate on the music you love. Also, will we have new music soon from Ghost, Slipknot, Foo Fighters, and Iron Maiden? Shoutout to our amazing team of reviewers worldwide. Also, also, RIP Mat Davies as always. Hosted by Ojaay!

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Hexvessel to Release New Album This Spring, Tour Dates Incoming


Psychedelic Prog-Folk band Hexvessel will release a new album this spring via Svart Records. Kindred is due out on 17th of April 2020, with cover artwork by renowned artists Thomas Hooper and Richey Beckett, which you can see below. A new single will be released on the 24th of January and full album details and pre-orders are coming soon. The bands back-catalog will also be reissued as well. The album promises a darker sound and owing to that, they returned to their original studio in Tampere, Finland, where they recorded their cult classic No Holier Temple, which fused Hexvessel’s folk roots with an occult undercurrent, with the new album mastered by John Davis (Gorillaz/ Led Zeppelin/ Lana Del Rey) in the UK. Hexvessel was formed by English/Irish singer/songwriter Mat McNerney (Beastmilk -now known as Grave Pleasures, The Deathtrip, Carpenter Brut, Me & That Man, Code, Dødheimsgard).Continue reading


Beyond The Gates 2018: Live In Bergen, NO


Once again we return to the frozen north, Norway to be exact. Norway and its many metal festivals are becoming like a second home to Ghost Cult. We are thankful that we get to be part of the international metal community, covering festivals in Europe, Scandinavia, America, Canada and elsewhere. For this year’s epic Beyond The Gates, intrepid photographer Daniel Nyman traveled across the sea and over to the motherland of all that is and honest and true about black metal, and really other great kinds of metal too. Taking place at both The Garage and USF Verftet, these world-class kvlt bands With a keen eye for the grim, please enjoy Daniel’s highlights for the fest. Continue reading


FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Roadburn Festival 2018


The day is finally here! The best underground heavy music festival in the world begins today as Roadburn takes flight for its 2018 edition in Tilburg, NL. The lineup is so good, naturally, you would want to see every band, but it’s of course, impossible. Follow our sensible day by day guide to the can’t miss bands each day below. Continue reading


Damnation Festival 2017 – Live At Leeds University Union


Dragged Into Sunlight, by Rich Price Photography

Over the course of its 12 incarnations, Leeds based Damnation Festival has grown into surely the most important yearly event for underground music lovers the UK has to offer. Far from merely an Extreme Metal festival, Damnation is the closest the UK has to the all-encompassing nature of Roadburn in its celebration of a wide spectrum of sub-genres. This year’s edition seemed to be especially diverse with a rich amount of Extreme Metal sitting alongside expansive entities and experimental Prog outfits. With four stages within the single complex of the Leeds University Union, and a sell-out capacity crowd (admittedly reduced to counter crowding issues from previous editions), the layout does appear labyrinthian at first, but is pretty intuitive and easy to follow pretty quickly; which with a stacked lineup from top to bottom, makes the continuous rushing from stage to stage a little more bearable at least.Continue reading