ALBUM REVIEW: Orbit Culture – Descent


 

Orbit Culture is making big waves in the contemporary Metal scene. This Swedish quartet started out a decade ago and there is a groundswell of rumblings that they could be one of the next hottest acts in the genre. Their rare and remarkable talent would absolutely deserve such recognition. Even in their earlier years, they went over and above the traditional melodeath elements by supplementing them with more fervid aptitude. Now they are preparing to release their fourth full-length album, Descent (Seek & Strike Records) and these savvy Swedes have taken their dynamically different drive to new heights by creating songs laden with more fortitude and technicalities.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Sevendust – Truth Killer


Closing in on 30 years into their career, you couldn’t blame Sevendust if they took their foot off the gas at this stage. They have indicated as much that they are looking to tour less intensely as they have been, as the bands have families and are thinking of their futures. The band has slogged it out for decades on countless tours, metal festivals worldwide, and at times, more intimate unplugged gigs as well. While there are surely not a lot of new mountains to climb, it’s refreshing to see that the band is still hungry, and challenging themselves to create quality new songs on their 14th album Truth Killer. Following a successful run at Rise Records, the band has found a new home in Napalm Records, home to many of their peers and touring partners. The vibe at Napalm fits better than Rise did, as they head into this next phase of their career.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Creeping Death – Boundless Domain


For a band named after one of ‘tallica’s finest songs from their early vintage period, you might be forgiven for thinking that Boundless Domain (MNRK Heavy) is a record full of modern Thrash Metal bangers … but you’d be wrong. Creeping Death purvey pure and unadulterated Death Metal, taking in all forms of the gory art with splashes of old-school, blackened, and doom thrown in the mixer.

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EP REVIEWS ROUND-UP- ft. Black Coast – Halocene – Tokky Horror – Loud As Giants – Swollen Teeth – Spinebreaker


 

Bursting onto the scene, as Potteries pounders Black Coast did with Outworld their 2021 debut, is one thing, keeping the momentum going is another, and from the onset of the raging ‘REAL (Are You Listening)?’, it’s clear the five-piece contemporary metal outfit are not just looking to do that, but they intend not to waste the opportunity this five-song offering gives to remind people just how good and how potent they are ahead of any subsequent longer releases.

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ALBUM REVIEW: DevilDriver – Dealing With Demons Vol. II


Dez Fafara is a man who needs little introduction, having arrived on the scene at the height of the nu-metal explosion with Coal Chamber, whose debut album landed in 1997 to provide Roadrunner Records with a band to rival the impact that the likes of Korn and Deftones were having on the genre. But when relationships started to turn sour in Coal Chamber signaling the end of their initial run, rather than fading into obscurity, the larger-than-life vocalist reinvented himself for round two of his unique career in metal, with DevilDriver.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Raider – Trial By Chaos


 

I’m a Thrash junkie. My addiction started as a teen when I started dabbling in Megadeth. From there I had to go harder adding more extreme bands to my growing addiction. Several years later and now a full-blown addict, it’s become increasingly more difficult to scratch that itch. When Raider showed up in my inbox, I knew I found what I was looking for.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Judiciary – Flesh + Blood


 

Texas metalcore hopefuls Judiciary don’t so much rewrite the mold on Flesh + Blood (Closed Casket Activities) so much as up the Lamb Of God meets Machine Head influences instead of poorly biting At The Gates like most other metalcore bands.

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INTERVIEW: Franck Potvin of Bad Rescue on The “Singles Approach to Releases, and DIY Music


Ghost Cult caught up with Bad Rescue co-founder Franck Potvin earlier this year to discuss a new series of singles the band has been releasing in 2021, and 2022. The brainchild of brothers David and Franck Potvin (Lyzanxia, Phaze I, One-Way Mirror), the band has combined their influences to make captivating heavy music with stunning videos on a shoestring budget. Franck discussed the origin of the band, working with his brother, their many influences such as Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, thoughts on streaming music, recording in his personal studio, the importance of artwork, marketing, and much more!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Judicator – The Majesty of Decay


When one thinks about the Power Metal genre, several European bands might come to mind. There are the greats like Blind Guardian, Helloween, and Rhapsody of Fire that have carried this grandiose genre for many years. Yet things are beginning to change. A fresh take on speed, symphony, and big vocals is occurring in North America and Judicator is one of the bands making it happen. They have been around for ten years and are getting ready to release their sixth full-length, The Majesty of Decay (Prosthetic Records). Even with a handful of lineup changes over the past decade, the sound that made people’s ears perk is still there. Known for writing about historical events and people, this new release is a concept album that takes on a much darker theme.

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