ALBUM REVIEW: Paradise Lost – Icon 30


 

Named after the epic 17th-century biblical poem by John Milton, Paradise Lost are without a doubt one of the real success stories of British Heavy Metal. Continue reading


Abbath, Darvaza, Devil Master, Dødheimsgard, Grand Magus, Impaled Nazarene, Khold, Primordial, Triumph Of Death and More Booked for Brutal Assault 2024


 

The blackest wave of black metal will undoubtedly come from a act whose name speaks for itself: Abbath will play the songs of Immortal! All fans of the dark genre will also enjoy Triumph Of Death, who, led by Tom G. Warrior (Triptykon, Celtic Frost), will once again play the songs of the legendary Hellhammer. The strongest Norwegian wave with an inimitable style will come with the underground cult Tulus and the personally connected Khold, experimental and avant-garde tones with Dødheimsgard / DHG and Ved Buens Ende, and the Nidrosian-connected Darvaza will put on a wild show. Continue reading


INTERVIEW: Hamish Glencross of Godthyrmm (ex-Vallenfyre, My Dying Bride) “Distortions” Album Breakdown


 

Ghost Cult Keefy caught up with Hamish Glencross of Godthyrmm (ex-Vallenfyre, My Dying Bride, Solstice) to discuss the just-released second album from the band – “Distortions!” It’s out now via Profound Lore! We chatted about the new album, his adjustment to being a frontman, their trilogy of albums, how their friendship with Pallbearer influenced the band, guest appearances, the influence of Metallica and classic metal, and much more!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Godthrymm – Distortions


 

And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Blank canvas. Blank page. No words. Then came … Poetry. Psalms. Hymns. The power and the glory. OMG – Oh My Godthrymm! This is the one, my good brothers – one for the ages, one for the rampages, the spillages, the courageous.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Phlebotomized – Clouds Of Confusion


 

With a career that has spanned 30-plus years to date (factoring in a 16-year departure), Dutch Death Metaller’s Phlebotomized are a band with a legacy and a cult following even amongst extreme music. Attributed as being one of the first such bands to use additional instrumentation including synths, theirs was a sound that was considered by many unique and pioneering at the time and in part a clear influence on many bands since then and in the current day. With this in mind, how does the new Phlebotomized hold up in the current day? On the evidence of Clouds Of Confusion (Hammerheart), pretty well.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Grief Symposium – …In The Absence of Light


What was the first bit of heavy music you ever heard in your life? Did you level up, gaining mana from the ear-peeling riffs and shouts? Lovers of extreme metal surely have had experiences like this in their lives, where their entire world is tossed upside-down a new band, or a clutch of new demos from an emerging scene. This is how my ears felt hearing Grief Symposium, with a new take on the Death / Doom sub-genre with their debut, …In The Absence of Light (Church Road Records). Although mysterious and secretive, they did not set out to reinvent extreme music, but rather invent themselves, and a sound that should echo for a long time.

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ALBUM REVIEW: MMXX – Sacred Cargo


 

A new doom metal “supergroup” releasing a COVID-19 lockdown album in late 2022. That sentence, which describes MMXXSacred Cargo (Candlelight) in plain terms, will no doubt inspire a variety of different thoughts and feelings in people with an interest in such things. Some might dismiss the concept (album) out of hand. After all, the band’s name translates as “2020” and, well, not only is it not 2020 anymore, but the mere mention of that year is liable to inspire at least a wearied eye-roll if not a flashback to genuine out-and-out despair.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Frayle – Skin and Sorrow


 

Skin & Sorrow (Aqualamb) is the second full-length release from Cleveland, Ohio’s “heavy, low and witchy” duo Frayle. The band consists of multi-instrumentalist Sean Bilovecky and singer Gwyn Strang, who between them cite the influence both doom metal (Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Sleep) and avant-garde pop (Björk, Portishead). Frayle’s stated aim is to create “music for the night sky”.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Deathwhite – Grey Everlasting


The very essence of doom metal is not for everyone, what with its bumper-to-bumper pacing and tame singing. In some cases, the very notion of metal is difficult to pick apart from the rest of the music.

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Crowdfunding Campaign Launched for Peaceville Records Founder Paul “Hammy” Halmshaw who is Terminally Ill


According to reports from Decibel and Metal Sucks, Peaceville Records founder Paul “Hammy” Halmshaw is terminally ill with a heart condition and needs help to cope with his condition from fans, and peers. There is a crowdfunding campaign launched via JustGiving. Peaceville has given the world albums by such legendary musical acts as Katatonia, Autopsy, Darkthrone, Paradise Lost, and My Dying Bride. Hammy, who is now 56 years old, was recently diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a hereditary, terminal condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened and enlarged. “As a result, the heart cannot pump enough blood to the rest of the body,” according to MedlinePlug.gov.

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