INTERVIEW: Henri Sattler of  God Dethroned Discusses “The Judas Paradox,” Influences and More


Dutch extreme metal legends God Dethroned has been around for over 30 years presenting tunes with recurring themes related to the infernal hellscapes, war histories, and ancient myths. To this day, they have toured with many renowned names such as Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Immortal and Marduk. Their sounds have gone through many evolutions throughout the trajectory of their musical career, from death metal during their early years, to melodic death metal, and eventually blackened death metal. They are returning with their new album The Judas Paradox this September, out via Reigning Phoenix Music. While they draw inspiration from a myriad of things ranging from the catacombs or religion, mythology from all over the world, to the story of Judas as well as the nature of good and evil, the Ghost Cult editorial team on behalf of Ralka Skjerseth took a chance to reach out to the almighty God Dethroned to talk about the lyrical influences behind the creative process of this album, the Dutch extreme metal scene, and a lot more things.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Neal Morse – The Dreamer – Joseph: Part One


 

This latest release from Neal Morse certainly doesn’t lack ambition – a prog rock opera, the sixteen tracks run for an hour plus, and this is only the first part of his musical version of the Biblical tale of Joseph, the coat of many colours, dude.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Liturgy – 93696


 

When it comes to describing 93696 (Thrill Jockey), the latest album by Liturgy, one could just as well start by describing what this album is not. It is not a record to easily put on in the background and definitely not a go-to if you want to reduce your anxiety. Pretty much the opposite is true. This is a record screaming in your ears for attention, that induces anxiety all along the way. 

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PODCAST: Episode 18 – Twin Temple Talks Satan, Music and Sex Magic


Ghost Cult got to catch up with Twin Temple recently at their sold out show at Saint Vitus Bar, in Brooklyn. We chatted with the group about their new album, … Brings You Their Signature  Sound: Satanic Doo-Wop, their new record deal with Rise Above Records, the principles that propel the band, their influences, their extremely NSFW music video, and more. Continue reading


Sermon – Birth Of The Marvellous


In times of upheaval is partisanship the answer? In a world of divisive political opinions and warring religious ideology, where should one stand? Hate cannot be combated with hate, it can only be effectively defeated with love and unity. Theologically and spiritually seeking balance in the world is the main aim of UK anonymous mystic merchants, Sermon, and they do so with their debut album, Birth Of The Marvellous (Prosthetic Records).Continue reading


Slayer’s “South Of Heaven” Was Released Thirty Years Ago


What do you do for an encore when you have released arguably the greatest album in metal history, at the zenith point for the genre? Well if you are Slayer, you blow people’s minds and release South Of Heaven (Def Jam) as the follow-up to Reign In Blood (also Def Jam). Although some of its slower mid-tempo jams threw fans for a loop, Slayer’s fourth album is full of gritty, true to life bangers and classic tracks. Let’s revisit this masterpiece which turned thirty years old today. Continue reading


Marilyn Manson – Heaven Upside Down


Nearly a quarter-century into his career, Marilyn Manson continues to explore the grimy underside of humanity that makes other artists shy away to safety, and enthralls his fans. This is not an easy task and while his missteps have been very public, it would take a very jaded listener to find fault with the recorded consistency he has put down, especially of late. I’m not sure why 2015s The Pale Emperor (Hell, etc) took so many off guard; as if the man wasn’t capable of holding our attention any longer. That album exuded a mature brilliance; an almost “an elder statesman of rock” type of vibe. A modern classic rock album, the type we used to get often, but are now scarce since real rock gods are dead or in hiding. Manson is not ashamed to swing his sticky rock star dick around, but it’s his writing, lyrics and vocal delivery that really sent that album over the top. In some ways he has actually done one better on the follow-up, Heaven Upside Down (Loma Vista/Caroline International).Continue reading


Fen – Winter


Of all the grandchildren of heavy metal subgenres, one of the most precocious and still burgeoning is atmospheric black metal. As my colleague Richie HR noted in his recent new column for Ghost Cult, it seems that even the most mainstream bands are reaching for opportunities to expand their sonic palettes to include the more unconventional, and extreme styles. However, time and time again we return to the underground to seek greatness, from those who follow their own path, and eschew typical glory. One of those bands is Fen.Continue reading