The problem with American Black Metal bands, is they are often comprised of Punk Rock kids from Brooklyn or any other hipster city, who appropriate the sonic aesthetics that work for their indie-rock sensibility lacking any sense of darkness. There are a few bands who have proved an exception Tombs, Weakling, and Nachtmystium. Blake Judd’s struggles with addiction are responsible for giving Nachtmystium its legitimacy his harrowing accounts of inner torment are far more intense than faux Satanism. After all, exorcising one’s demons can not be faked. Blight Privilege (Lupus Lounge) is Judd clawing his way back up from the abyss to make music again. This album might not be as experimental as his past work but it feels more honest.Continue reading
Tag Archives: Immortal
CONCERT REVIEW: Abbath – Imperial Triumphant – Black Anvil – Final Gasp Live at Gramercy Theatre
New York City’s Gramercy Theatre was the epicenter of a black metal storm on a late spring night, with Abbath headlining the night in support of his “Dread Reaver” North American tour. The intimate venue, packed to the brim with die-hard fans, became a cauldron of raw energy and dark atmospheres, punctuated by the thunderous performances of the opening acts: Final Gasp, Imperial Triumphant, and Black Anvil.Continue reading
Abbath’s European “Return to the Raven Realms” Tour Dates Kick Off
Iconic extreme metal frontman, Abbath, is kicking off his Return to the Raven Realms Tour, June 20th, 2024. Abbath and his band will perform a carefully selected set of old fan favorites and metal anthems he co-wrote and recorded in the period 1992 – 2009. The run starts at the Tivoli Ronda, Utrecht, NL, and takes in 16 dates across the EU and UK, closing at Finland’s HELLsinki festival. Check out the live listings in the article below.
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Thunderflix Add New Releases from Soulfly, Immortal, Soilwork, and More, Revealing Their Top Ten Streaming Titles of 2023
Metal video streaming service, Thunderflix, have shared the top ten releases on their service for 2023. Featured among them are Death, Ozzy, Powerwolf, Opeth, and more. The site has also teamed up with Nuclear Blast Records, and added a huge batch of new material. Head into the article below for more.
END OF YEAR GUEST POST: Samantha Mobley of Frozen Soul’s Top Albums of 2023
We are still wrapping up all the goodness of 2023 with some fun guest posts from bands, friends, and fiends! Check out this list from Samantha Mobley of Frozen Soul, who had a baller year, made our Top Albums list, many of our staff and peer guest lists, and has tons of touring planned for 2024!Continue reading
Ghost Cult’s Album of the Year Countdown 2023: Part 1 (75-41)
2013 saw Ghost Cult crown Surgical Steel (Carcass) as our inaugural Album of the Year in a democratic aggregated vote process, untouched by editorial hands (other than the sliding of the abacus balls from one side to the other – or rather the logging of votes and the use of a rather rudimentary spreadsheet), a format we continue to utilise as the years pass, and the seasons grey. Our dedicated team of writers, editors, photographers make their submissions on demand following a month of much wringing-of-hands and profanities being aimed into the editorial mailbox.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Wayfarer – American Gothic
American Gothic (Profound Lore) opens with a great deal of fanfare – a Western-tinged throb of guitar before you are reminded Wayfarer are a Black Metal band: snarled vocals control the mic, the drummer leans into a deliberate double-bass attack rather than joining the blast-beaten status quo… the band displaying a dynamic progression as songwriters on their fifth album as they continue to get even better with each release.
ALBUM REVIEW: Mork – Dypet
At this point, I’m really not sure if Norwegians are resilient, tough, or just plain masochistic. Three months into a year that has already seen record-low temperatures set across the globe and they seem quite happy to let it stay that way. Forget thoughts of spring or summer, Thomas Eriksen, the mastermind behind black metal act Mork, seemingly wants the world to remain in perpetual winter, grimmer and more frostbitten than your average Immortal video.
ALBUM REVIEW: Majesties – Vast Reaches Unclaimed
The Swedish death metal scene, especially the Gothenburg-based one with quintessential names like At the Gates, Entombed, and Dark Tranquility surrounding, is indeed all-around influential; many bands heavily inspired by the Gothenburg death metal scene have emerged throughout the past years. The Minneapolis-bound Majesties is one of the said bands. With members originating from the equally groundbreaking extreme metal acts Obsequiae and Inexorum, there was born a convergence, an allied force between those two acts– which is Majesties who recently have just released their first full-length entitled Vast Reaches Unclaimed, through 20 Buck Spin.
ALBUM REVIEW: Veilburner – VLBRNR
In the world of heavy music, there needs to be some degree of weird, strange, maybe even taboo. Without this, all we have is anger and aggression with little bursts of sadness. This need is currently being filled by that of Pennsylvania’s own duo dissonant black/death metal group, Veilburner. These two have been dropping full-length releases consistently since 2014 (first I am hearing of it, color me interested) but now the sixth record has disturbed the planet in the form of VLBRNR (Transcending Obscurity). Sometimes the most comforting music, given the right environment and levels of vulnerability, is actually the most uncomfortable music.