ALBUM REVIEW: Domination Campaign – A Storm Of Steel


What Domination Campaign, a duo comprised of Psycroptic bandmates Jason Peppiatt (vocals, guitar, bass) and Joe Haley (drums), have tried to do with A Storm Of Steel (Prosthetic Records) is craft a Death Metal record that reveals the perils and horrors of war (World War II, in particular) in a way that is less sensationalist, and more raw and real.Continue reading


Guest Post: Joseph Spiller Of Caricature- End Of Year List


Caricature video still

As we dash towards the holidays and the end of the year Ghost Cult is feeling good about this season of giving. So we are giving our fans a chance to get to know our partners, peers, and friends  from bands in the world of music. They will chime in with some guest blogs, end of year lists, and whatever else is on their minds as we pull the plug on 2015. Today we have Joseph Spiller of progressive metal band Caricature. Caricature put out the acclaimed Shadows: Maxi Single this summer have a full-length in the works for 2016. Here is Joseph’s “Most Topesty Cool Favorite Releases of 2015”.


1. Tigran HamsayanMockroot

Tigran Hamasayan - Mockroot album cover 2015

How often can an album tote a definite influence of Meshuggah, Dave Brubeck, Keith Jarret, and Porcupine Tree? Add on top that this is still a pure jazz record? Pfffft. This is the sound of someone furthering and redefining a genre.

 

2. Fetty WapFetty Wap

Yeah, before anyone says it sucks because it’s not metal, listen to this record. Fetty is all hits, all the time. Zoogang knows how to make pop hooks as if it’s in their DNA.


3. Steven Wilson Hand.Cannot.Erase

Steven Wilson, by Melina D Photography

Steven Wilson, by Melina D Photography


Backing band of the century along with the golden god of Prog. Though it gets overly self-indulgent from time to time, Hand.Cannot.Erase is absolutely stunning.

4. Psycroptic Psycroptic

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Do you even riff, Bro? Joe Haley most definitely does.

 

5. GhostMeliora

Ghost, by Meg Loyal Photography

Ghost, by Meg Loyal Photography


I never got the hype on this band. I actually disliked almost everything prior to Meliora, but goddamn, did Papa bring that A-game with this heavily Dave Grohl “inspired” record.

 

6. Abigail Williams The Accuser

Abigail Williams The Accuser
Who doesn’t love a good comeback? Possibly the best thing Ken Sorceron has ever done. Crushing and beautiful with rich song structures. BUY THIS RECORD NOW!

 

7. Lamb of GodVII: Sturm Und Drang

Lamb of God, by Evil Robb Photography

Lamb of God, by Evil Robb Photography


After all that went on with Randy, the band came back and tell that tale along with snapshot a troubled time in the world perfectly. The riffs and drumming on this record are some of their best to date, and Josh Wilbur killed it on the production side.

8. Baroness Purple Record

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Another “Comeback Record” of sorts. Stronger, more refined, defined. The mesh of only the finest points of Yellow & Green mixed lush instrumentation and what sounds like an intense infatuation with The Cure. This one has it all.

9. Ellie GouldingDelirium

Ellie Goulding - Delirium album cover - Copy
Though not an immensely technical singer, Goulding has a golden voice. The slight raspiness and harmonically rich tambre makes me envious. This album is LONG for the pop genre, but its all top quality with fantastic hooks meshed with smooth beats and tranquil melodies.


10. Solution .45Nightmares In The Waking State

Solution 45 - Nightmares In The Waking State album cover - Copy
If you don’t know who this band is, we probably cannot be friends. GROOVES

EXTREMELY HONORABLE MENTION:
I’ll be MeSoundtrack

glen-campbell-poster

The delayed release of the soundtrack to the documentary about the legendary guitar player, singer, songwriter, and former member of The Wrecking Crew, Glen Campbell, who has been battling Alzheimer’s Disease for the past few years. This has two live songs from his final tour that will blow your mind considering his state, along with songs from his daughter that will make you cry while your heart flutters. The title track, penned by Mr. Campbell himself as a final letter to his wife and family will give you goosebumps (unless you don’t have a heart.

 

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Psycroptic – Psycroptic


Psycroptic_ST_Cover-300dpi_RGB

Psycroptic’s new self-titled album doesn’t quite sound like the extreme metal of 2015. And that’s not a knock whatsoever on the record. It just seems to be from another decade.

An artifact from an era where death metal bands played it no frills. A generation before neck tattoos and digitally altered vocals became fashionable (cough, deathcore). It’s from a time when death metal didn’t dabble in synth atmospherics or space age themes.

While I do enjoy many of those atmospheric/concept minded bands (The Faceless, Fallujah, most artists on the current Unique Leader roster) that are so prevalent today, it’s always fun and even refreshing to hear something more on the raw side of the sonic spectrum. And the less we say about modern American deathcore the better.

While everyone is in fine form, guitarist Joe Haley is still the main attraction. It seems like every nook and cranny on this album is packed with the man’s incessant riffage. See ‘A Soul Once Lost’ and ‘Echoes to Come’ for prime examples of wrist snapping fret action. As strong as Haley’s performance is he never lets the guitar pyrotechnics become overbearing or completely overshadow the songs. Psycroptic is a lean 39 minute recording that is all about tight songwriting and clean production. If anything it’s a little too clean. I would’ve appreciated just a tad more low-end in the mix.

And in that regard, this self-titled offering is much like their 2012 wrecker, The Inherited Repression, Psycroptic’s current musical makeup is as much about groove as it is about death metal and its concussive blast beats. ‘The World Discarded’ is the perfect marriage of tech wizardry and Pantera/Testament groove. It’s a mating of sounds that leaves Psycroptic sounding more akin to Gojira than to Decrepit Birth.

It’s not your kid brother’s idea of extreme metal, but that doesn’t mean it can’t kick all sorts of ass.

8.0/10

HANSEL LOPEZ


Nervecell Streaming “Amok Doctrine”


nervecell

Nervecell is streaming “Amok Doctrine,” off their newly released album Psychogenocide, out now via Unique Leader Records here.

Produced and engineered by guitarist Rami H. Mustafa at Spellbind Studio in Dubai, UAE with drums engineered by Joe Haley at Red Planet Studios in Hobart, Australia, then mixed and mastered by Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawscy at Hertz Studios (Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated) in Bialystok, Poland, Psychogenocide boasts Psycroptic’s David Haley on session drums as well a guest vocal appearance from Nile’s Karl Sanders on “Shunq (To The Despaired…King Of Darkness).”

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