Having recently blown me away at Damnation Festival, I was particularly looking forward to seeing Sinistro a second time in little over a week. Their last album Semente (Seasons of Mist) has been getting a lot of listens since seeing them at Damnation last week. Continue reading
Fifteen years ago, a Latin metal band from New Jersey took over the air waves. Fifteen years ago, my twelve-year-old life was forever changed. Fifteen years later and the boys in Ill Nino are celebrating Revoluton/Revolucion’s (Roadrunner Records) quinceanera by playing the album in its entirety and I just happened to be lucky enough to have two of those tour dates nearby.
They always play a good chunk of songs off of this record in general but there was still an air of excitement and anticipation at both locations as many of us weren’t quite sure what to expect. Now, when I say that Revolution/Revolucion was played in its entirety, I mean, every single song. Yes, even that one, the last track and possibly the only one your mother likes; ‘With You’. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much and part of me believed that, with the rest of the set list being so much heavier, that ‘With You’ would be forgotten and left out. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Did I cry? Like a giant, metal baby.
I would have loved to have seen ‘Fallen’ for the first time, maybe next time. For those of you playing at home, it’s a bonus track on the fancy red edition of Rev. As in the past, we were also treated to some favorites off of Confession (Roadrunner Records) with ‘Te Amo…I Hate You’, ‘Cleansing’, and ‘How Can I Live’, plus ‘This is War’ from One Nation Underground (Roadrunner Records). Still waiting on getting my Spanish renditions of ‘How Can I Live’ and ‘What Comes Around’…Someday…
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I think anyone else who has been able to catch the boys on this 15 Years of Revolution tour will agree. The crowd sang along to every word of every song and we truly were a family.
A lot has happened since I picked up Revolution/Revolucion back in 2001. Ill Nino has remained close to my heart both as a band and as people and they have allowed me to form some incredible, life long friendships with fellow fans from around the country and even the world. I don’t think there will ever be an Ill Nino show where I am not immediately transformed back into that weird twelve-year-old girl, just starting middle school, and I’m okay with that because it just means that I get to hold onto that thrill and adoration for a little bit longer. Here’s hoping we get another special tour for when Confession hits fifteen in 2018.
Set List:
Intro – God Save Us
If You Still Hate Me
Unreal
Nothing’s Clear
What Comes Around
Liar
Rumba
Predisposed
I am Loco
No Murder
Rip Out Your Eyes
Revolution/Revolucion
With You
Te Amo…I Hate You
Cleansing
How Can I Live
This is War
WORDS BY ALEIDA LA LLAVE
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Saturday 2nd April sees the latest all-day event to grace the UK city of Manchester. The NOIZ All-Dayer is the brainchild of Eytan Dorron Wineapple, a popular and passionate figure of the local Metal scene, and this third such event sees an incredible Low-end bill decorated with other displays, including an art exhibition. While Brit heavyweights The Wounded Kings, Witchsorrow and Hang the Bastard are arguably the biggest names of the fourteen bands on show, of equal note is Israeli outfit Dukatalon’s first appearance on these shores.
Despite the predominance of the monolithic chord, the packed lineup shows variance: Birmingham Industrial duo Khost and Psychedelic Heavy Soul trio Vodun make mouth–watering appearances, whilst the occult groove is also present in the form of Sussex-raised Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell. It’s a bill reflecting Eytan’s love of crushing strings, but also reflects his desire and devotion to bring the best acts to his local area: “Yeah, I’m really happy with the lineup”, he says, “It totally delivers on our promise of big riffs and heavy tones.” It seems the inclusion of the fabled Dukatalon, meanwhile, is a testament to networking and to the curator’s dedication and hard work: “This is their first UK tour. I got in touch with the band through a mutual Israeli friend and went from there.”
So does the strength of the bill create headaches for future events? Eytan doesn’t think so. “I wouldn’t say it adds any pressure. It’s just a natural thing to want to make things bigger and better than previous times. For sure this lineup is bigger, and the production will be slicker. No doubt the same will be said about the next one, however, so no, there’s no pressure.”
Encouraging words for the future, then. This is a festival with something a little different: a host of visual and audio delights to ensnare the senses, smack-bang in the centre of Town, and at £12 a ticket it’s as good as a free gig. You know what to do…
PAUL QUINN
On 1st June 2013, I spent my mid-honeymoon Saturday at Gulliver’s in Manchester, watching the gig of my life for the princely sum of a fiver. Undersmile I knew and loved; Blackburn’s Bastard of the Skies were (and still are) my favourite band; and the magnificent Ishmael were to put in their final and most intense performance later in the evening.
The second band on the bill however, West Midland trio Grimpen Mire, flattened the intimate venue with a devastating set that left me open-mouthed. The most striking element was the gnarled, gangly frontman: wringing hideous notes from his bass with vicious intent, the pain and bitterness of his roared lyrics etched across his face. I chatted with the band after their set and was struck by their collective warmth; their excitement over their forthcoming ‘split’ with their Lancastrian friends on the bill (it would eventually materialise to critical acclaim the following April) shining through. We got on so well that we agreed to share a few pints when we next met.
Sadly and suddenly, a posting to their still-maintained Facebook page last Tuesday 9th June alerted fans to the passing of that wonderful frontman, Paul van Linden; this after the seemingly reluctant decision by the band to split almost six months earlier. The thread following the announcement, full of heart-rending condolences and reminiscences, reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the modern UK Doom and Sludge scene – testament to the regard the band was held in by its peers, and to the impact the bassist / vocalist left on all he met, however fleetingly. Luminaries of the scene such Conan, Sea Bastard and the band’s fellow protagonists on that fantastic night two years ago have all posted their own tributes to their own pages.
A fifteen-minute conversation was all I ever had with Paul. Long enough to know, however, that he made a lasting impression on me. The many who met him seem to share the same opinion: a hugely talented musician, the brutal intensity of his stage presence contradicted entirely by his warmth, wit and unflinching honesty. Everyone at Ghost Cult magazine offers our sincere condolences to his wife Alex, his daughter Lizzie, and his loyal, devastated bandmates Jim Goad and Ian Davis.
Please ensure this amazing artist and his band are never forgotten by downloading their music, now available in entirety through Bandcamp.
PAUL QUINN
Nothing like a sunny day to visit the bowels of the basement of Sound Control for some grimy sludge and hardcore from a bunch of miscreants. First up today at the ungodly early hour of 4:30 PM are Bury’s own Pist who impress early on with their mixture of Eyehategod swagger and Mancunian grit. Guitarist John Nicholson churns out slabs of metallic blues while David Lee Rowlands shrieks manage to shake up the early goers.
Unfortunately Siege Mentality completely fail to capitalise on Pist’s momentum. The ex-Iron Witch mob trade in generic hardcore punk with plenty of spit but no polish. The quintet’s interchangeable throwaway compositions all follow the well-worn post Discharge hardcore punk template and are forgotten straight after they are aired.
Thankfully Tombstones get us back on track. Sticking to the tune low and play slow ethos the Norwegians win the audience back with their primordial slabs of noise ‘King Of Daze’ and a storming cover of Melvins classic ‘The Bit’ which have the audience eating out of their hands.
King Parrot are aptly named because they have plenty of squawk but so little of substance. Their performance ignites a decent size pit but the irritating screeching of vocalist Youngy is greatly off putting, as is his moronic stage banter and insistence on soaking the first couple of rows with water. Their warp speed racket sounds allows some to get their mosh on but the band come across as sexually repressed Neanderthals’ with no memorable songs to speak of.
Weedeater do not fuck around. These deranged Louisiana rednecks slam into their set with a frightening vigour. Dave “Dixie” Collins is a cross-eyed lunatic screeching out his lyrics while drummer Travis Owen slams his kit tossing his sticks around and kicks his high hat all while continuing to play without missing a beat. Numbers like ‘Weed Monkeys’ are impossible to resist such is their reckless delivery and visceral delivery. These trailer park titans came to throw down and impress with a watertight set of potent sonic hits which leaves the audience deliriously happy and hungry for another fix.
WORDS BY ROSS BAKER
A beloved haven of British punk rock, the Star and Garter pub is rough and ready, but a great setting for an intimate performance from SST Records luminaries Bl’ast. Many will have felt the pull of guest rhythm section, namely former Queens Of The Stone Age men Joey Castillo and bass playing hellraiser Nick Oliveri, himself fresh off his second solo acoustic tour of the UK. Make no mistake about it, this is a set of high-octane punk from a much overlooked underground act that helped shape the face of American hardcore.
Before the main event it’s time for Denim and Leather to warm up an already sweaty venue with their skinny frontman flailing across the stage. The group mainline Black Flag intensity with a few soiled Discharge riffs in an effective manner, warming things pleasantly for the headliners.
Bl’ast are like a kick to the gut. The predominantly thirty plus audience really wake up to the raw intensity before them. Vocalist Clifford Dinsmore passes the mic around and Oliveri hammers out guttural basslines while Castillo is a hive of activity behind the kit. Focussing heavily upon their It’s In My Blood and Take The Manic Ride records, this may be an exercise in punk rock nostalgia but it cannot be denied that this old workhorse can still “go”.
A frantic moshpit ensues at the front of the stage with Dinsmore gleefully egging the crowd on, with the punters hanging on his every word. Even members of Denim and Leather get in on the action hurling each other around amongst the audience. The venue may be an intimate one but it is barely able to contain the celebratory atmosphere within it.
The punishing “Something Beyond” rides another grimy Oliveri bassline with Castillo beating his drums with such vigour he manages to dislodge a fan from the app above him. Without missing a beat he hurls the offending item into the audience who catch it and parade it around like a trophy before dumping it unceremoniously back on-stage.
They may be greying, but this was still a righteous display of exuberance which belied their veteran status.
WORDS BY ROSS BAKER
PHOTOS BY LUKE DENHAM PHOTOGRAPHY
Dallas Toler-Wade has been the established frontman for a couple of albums now and while the stability as brought us Annihilation Of The Wicked new opus ‘The Gates Of Sethu’ falls just short of the Egyptologists high standards. Karl Sanders steady hand has seen the band through the departure of Chief Spires and Jon Vesano yet before their hymns to Ra may begin, we have Frenchmen Svårt Crown and Canadians come Roman centurions Ex Deo to lead the charge.Continue reading
Following the acclaim Audrey Horne have received following the release of current album Youngblood it’s a shame that more punters haven’t chosen to venture down to NQ Live for this promising triple bill. Continue reading
“We have toured the U.K. three times this year. We are very pleased with the response we have received here.” Olav, guitarist/vocalist of Norway’s Doom Metal supergroup Sahg, is clearly a fan of venturing across to conquer Britain. Ghost Cult caught up with three of the band members backstage before tearing down Manchester’ NQ Live.Continue reading
Lanky Rae, a slender gangrel, wicked and base with a flagrant disregard for life and law. She’s the eponymous demon child portrayed in tonight’s opening track and her spirit seems entirely inhabited by vocalist Uta Plotkin, who croons with an impudence perfect for the role. A sharp stomp that oozes character and style, ‘The Ballad Of Lanky Rae’ is Witch Mountain at their brazen best.Continue reading