One of the least high-profile sign-offs since Button Gwinnett affixed his moniker to the Declaration, Ghost Stories (Frontiers Music srl), billed as Blue Oyster Cult’s final studio album, still qualifies as a “must have” for aficionados, even if it will never be widely celebrated or remembered in the same way as Secret Treaties, Agents Of Fortune, Cultosaurus Erectus, or Fire Of Unknown Origin.Continue reading
Social media might be to blame for the increasing enmeshment of Pop music into the Rock genre. Pop artists are more marketable and interchangeable with social media influencers. What record label would not want an artist with the iconic charisma of Taylor Swift? Continue reading
Deathcore stalwarts, Ingested, once again release into the world their own blend of pig squeals, breakdowns, and hypnotizing guitar leads. This collection of slamming tracks makes up their eighth full-length album called The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams (Metal Blade Records). While the subgenre has fallen far from its once prominent standing in the heavy music world, the UK natives put together quality deathcore without trying anything too experimental. Ten tracks hit you right in the face for forty-five minutes before finally letting go.Continue reading
My Dying Bride might be the most important Doom band ever. Their second album Turn Loose The Swans (1993, Peaceville Records) redefined the genre, forsaking Sabbath worship, and creating a romantically depressing river of sonic darkness from which they sailed. Continue reading
Avant-Garde Death Metal mentallers with serious swagger and a slew of crazed ideas, Netherlands-based wild bunch The Monolith Deathcult are back.
The Demon Who Makes Trophies Of Men (Human Detonator Records) is an imaginative, irreverent slice of noise that screams “Attack! Attack! Attack!” for much of its grim, punishing but seriously rewarding running time.Continue reading
Iron Monkey were one of the OGs from the UK underground Sludge Metal scene back in the mid-late nineties and had a run that included the reissue of their self-titled debut album (1997), and their follow-up Our Problem (1998) – on the mighty Earache Records. Continue reading
Sinister Oath (Relapse Relapse), the sixth full-length from Tokyo-based Coffins, is a measuring stick for the Death/Doom scene, providing an undeniable starting point for anyone looking to dip their toes into the genre, performers and fans alike. Continue reading
Every so often, I get a message from the captain here at Ghost Cult to potentially squeeze in a review. Let’s just say, this was an easy “sure thing” when I saw it was the new, self-titled album by The Absence (Listenable Insanity Records). While it has been a while since I last listened to these Floridian thrash-meets-melodic-death-metalers, the lineup has seen some big changes outside of vocalist Jamie Stewart and returning drummer Jeramie Kling. The good news: we all get another thirty-seven minutes worth of killer, groovy, riff-tastic, death metal!Continue reading
In the mid-80s under the shadow of the Regan-era Cold War tension, bands like the Cocteau Twins crafted sonic fairylands that shone out from their depressive souls.
It makes sense that today’s youth would want to experience a similar escape.Continue reading
Great music, like great movies, can take you to another world. Instrumental synth-based duo Zombi work their transporting, soundtrack-oriented magic on the sublime, cinema-literate Direct Inject (Relapse Records).Continue reading