We have all missed shows and big tours this past year, but as we turn a promising corner, it’s only appropriate to have some fresh stadium-style Rock to accompany our reemergence.
Tag Archives: Hard Rock
ALBUM REVIEW: Royal Blood – Typhoons
From the moment of Royal Blood’s self-titled debut seven years ago, the Bristolian duo’s rise was meteoric. Their music is simple, brutal, and effective – taking inspiration from Queens of the Stone Age and The White Stripes and combining big hooks, tasty riffs, and volume to full effect. This beefed-up take on indie rock can only take you so far though, so on the new album Typhoons (Warner Records), they looked toward Dance and Disco to broaden their sound. Continue reading
EXCLUSIVE STREAM: SD-17 – “Last Chance”
Born out of the chaos that was the lockdown year and back from a lengthy hiatus from music overall, SD-17 is the Rock and Metal project of New Mexico artist Tim Haverman. Armed with a new single – “Last Chance,” Tim is back and with an exclamation point! He has written over forty songs to plot his return, but “Last Chance” is a veritable statement track with surging riffs and passionate vocals guaranteed to inspire!! Listen to it right now
ALBUM REVIEW: Bewitcher – Cursed Be Thy Kingdom
Bewitcher has always stood out for having a more melodic slant than their Blackened Speed Metal peers and that distinction is at its most apparent on their third album. The band’s Venom meets Running Wild style leans much in the latter’s favor on Cursed Be Thy Kingdom (Century Media Records). The guitar rhythms are noticeably more accessible with more flamboyant leads above them and more dynamic song structures to match. Even the blatant Welcome To Hell worship on ‘Satanic Magick Attack’ has an almost Hard Rock flair to it.
EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: True Villains – “Dig Your Grave”
Nashville-based Hard Rock band True Villains are back with their anthemic new single and video “Dig Your Grave” and Ghost Cult is excited to share the premiere with you today! The track is the bands’ third Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Halestorm) produced track the band has released, following “Blood In The Water” and “The Villain.” The Adam Ewbank directed clip blends a storyline with a band performance for a cool presentation too! The track is killer and highlights their innate sense of groove and ability to write great hooks. Check out the video now!
ALBUM REVIEW: Moonspell – Hermitage
Every album that Moonspell releases explores a different facet of their Gothic Metal style, sometimes responding to the one before it in a constant tug-o-war between darkness and light. Their thirteenth album, Hermitage (Napalm Records), is no exception. In contrast to the grandiose symphonics of 2018’s 1755, the band opts for a scaled-back, atmospheric approach with more Prog influence thrown in than usual. It seems to invoke the band’s early vibe without going full throwback and also reminds me of Tiamat or Opeth in spots.
EP REVIEW: Of Mice And Men – Timeless
Relentless Metalcore prodigies Of Mice & Men have been through the wringer with their share of lineup changes, so a lockdown surely isn’t enough to break the united strength they have built. Conversely, it has only fed their resolve as they announce their plan for an EP trilogy, the first one titled Timeless. Prioritizing quality over quantity, Timeless (Sharptone Records) places Metalcore’s simpler times in a new context by using its nostalgic facets to tell a story we can all relate to today.
ALBUM REVIEW: Damon Johnson and The Get Ready – Battle Lessons
Since leaving Black Star Riders, Damon Johnson (ex-Alice Cooper, Brother Cane) has focused on his solo career, with his new album Battle Lessons (Double Dragon Records, Straight 8 Entertainment) with The Get Ready his second solo album in three years. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Mastodon) and joined by drummer Jarred Pope (Tom Keifer) and bassist Robbie Harrington (Steve Vai), Battle Lessons is a hook-filled slab of melodic Hard Rock.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Dead Daisies – Holy Ground
A new album and a new singer. The Dead Daisies’ latest album Holy Ground (SPV Steamhammer) is their first with the “voice of rock” Glenn Hughes, and his powerful pipes are a perfect match for the band’s well-honed classic rock. Having been in Deep Purple and more recently Black Country Communion Glenn is no stranger to famous bandmates and supergroups. The lead single ‘Unspoken’ shows that despite the ever-revolving door of bandmates, the music is as thunderous, hooky and rocking as ever.
ALBUM REVIEW: Blind Golem – A Dream Of Fantasy
There’s no talking about Blind Golem’s first full-length album without mentioning Uriah Heep. The Italians initially began as a Heep tribute band and desired to write their own music in a similar Seventies Rock style, going so far as to give the artwork that Demons and Wizards aesthetic and even getting Ken Hensley himself to record keyboards and slide guitar just months before his tragic passing. A Dream Of Fantasy (MaRaCash Records) makes for an inevitably derivative listen with that established, but it is also an undeniably infectious labor of love.