Tag Archives: music reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Arcadea – The Exodus of Gravity

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The Exodus of Gravity (Relapse Records) is the follow-up to Arcadea’s 2017 debut. Brann Dailor is still handling the drums and vocals, with Core Atoms returning to handle the bulk of the synth duties. At the same time, they are also joined by Mastodon‘s current touring keyboardist João Nogueira, adding to the layers of prog unfolding here. There is less of a synth wave feel this time around. His drumming is more aggressive. He piles on layers of vocal overdubs to try things he does not normally explore with his day job. The title track would feel more like current-day Mastodon if the synths were replaced by guitars. “Fuzzy Planet’ is the lead single and the best of the first three songs, as it takes things in a more new wave, Gary Numan direction, while applying some funky grooves. This sets the project apart as a more distinct entity. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Signs Of The Swarm – To Rid Myself Of Truth

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Shortly after debuting on Century Media Records back in 2023, Deathcore outfit Signs Of The Swarm have put forth their latest installment under that label with To Rid Myself Of Truth.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Burning Sun – Retribution

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Guitars quite literally illustrate the opening action of “By The Light”, a group of paladins attacking an evil necromantic death cult. Their failure and the sole survivor Emaly’s efforts to avenge the deaths form the balance of Burning Sun’s Retribution (Metalizer Records), a Power Metal tour de force of a concept album in the vein of Helloween and my last album reviewed for Ghost Cult, Martyr. Pancho Ireland’s vocals maintain smooth power akin to Bruce Dickinson.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Hundreds of AU – Life in Parallel

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Hundreds of AU was formed by the renowned veterans, who are strongly aligned towards the DIY scene– from You and I, the Assistant, and Hell Mary; aiming to fuse decades of sharp Hardcore undertones in the most volatile, vital way possible. Combining all-around chaotic riffs and intense melodies with recurring themes that revolve around journeys of personal exhaustion as well as indignation towards systemic injustice– including capitalism and urban decay.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Dreams Of Being Dust

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Much like their distinct name, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die continue to pen unique songs with flavor and character, and new studio album Dreams Of Being Dust (Epitaph Records), is no different.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: In This House of Mourning – Enlèvement

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Striding through a bleak and unsettling journey through the scopes of arcane, malevolent sounds centered around Funeral Doom, Death-Doom, and Extreme Metal; In This House of Mourning releases a full-length entitled Enlèvement–(Self-Released). The album is a 34-minute journey surrounding the discourses of misanthropy and malevolence-centered aesthetics. Aside from the unfiltered, soul-baring thematic discourses, some of the quintessential elements of this album, when it comes to the musical side are the raw production and intricate exploration of a dark, atmospheric sonic worldbuilding.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Fell Omen – Caelid Dog Summer

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A solo project from darkest Athens, Fell Omen is the brainchild of Greek multi-instrumentalist Spider Of Pynx (a.k.a. Dimitris Corax Augoustinos). A combination of old-school Metal, Dungeon Synth, Punk and classic Black Metal, Caelid Dog Summer (True Cult Records) is the band’s second album, their first, Invaded by a Dark Spirit, only landing in February of this year. A busy little Black Metal bee indeed.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Marissa Nadler – New Radiations

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Marissa Nadler’s 10th album, New Radiations (Sacred Bones Records), finds her stripping down to a more minimalist yet cinematic feel. It feels spacious, yep, with an intimate yearning. Her vocals are produced in a similar reverb-heavy manner. Her approach to vocals continues to expand the well-layered vocal harmonies. The harmonies are more prominent in the mix time, adding more depth in the absence of more Rock-oriented instrumentation. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Svartsot – Peregrinus

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“Danish Folk Metal.” That was the promise. Svartsot delivered on the promise. Delivered splendidly. I’m not sure if Ghost Cult Magazine has a Danish-speaking reviewer on staff, because the thing’s not in English.  There might be a song or two in English, but the vocals are gutteral-grunt incoherent-style Metalcore. So, after a brief discussion of the rather complicated story of this concept album about a Thirteenth Century Crusader, I’ll spend the rest of this talking about the music of Peregrinus (Mighty Music).Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Blackbraid – Blackbraid III

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The third chapter of Blackbraid is upon us! Blackbraid III (Self-Released ) has been released onto the world, continuing where the previous chapter ended. This installment in the series keeps all of the elements we have all come to love from Sgah’gahsowáh’s (Editor’s note: translated from Indigenous American for “The Witch Hawk”) solo project, with even more guitar leads to melt your face. A few ticks under an hour places Blackbraid III slightly shorter than its predecessor. It’s worth every minute, so keep that finger off the skip button.Continue reading →