Tag Archives: Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW: Mountain Caller – Chronicle II: Hypergenesis

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Mountain Caller’s latest release, Chronicle II: Hypergenesis (Church Road Records), is the much-anticipated follow-up LP to 2020’s Chronicle I: The Truthseeker. The London-based three-piece (Claire Simson on guitar, El Reeve on bass, and Max Maxwell on drums) perform mostly instrumental music that (so it is said) “[transcends] language and [communicates] through the universal language of sound”.

And, true to the words of the press hype in question, Hypergenesis does indeed cross musical boundaries in a way that, whilst not entirely new, feels burstingly fresh and urgent.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: GUHTS – Regeneration

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GUHTS (presumably pronounced guts?), formed in 2019 and comprises of musicians from Witchkiss, Black Mountain Hunger, SleapingDreaming and Nefariant. And excitingly, Regeneration is being co-released by two excellent labels, Seeing Red Records (US) and New Heavy Sounds (UK).Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Cognizance – Phantazein

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New year, new label… Following their first two releases under the Prosthetic Records banner, UK-based Death Metallers Cognizance are back with Phantazein, a concept album via Willowtip Records that focuses primarily on “art, obsession, and the profound influence of one’s environment.”

The five-piece outfit surpasses typical Death Metal and on this record introduces elements of Technical Death Metal and thrash. None of this puts a strain on the production value, which is a well-oiled machine – and certainly sounds like it – from start to finish.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Yersin – The Scythe Is Remorseless

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A beguiling atmosphere. A deliberate sense of urgency. A cacophony of turmoil and finality: blackened Grindcore-meets-crust purveyors Yersin needed only a hair under twenty-five minutes to effectively and enthusiastically encapsulate all of the above mentioned techniques, and then some.

The Scythe Is Remorseless (Trepanation Recordings) sounds as if the Sunderland-based trio recorded seven tracks in the midst of an apocalyptic phenomenon known only to them. The sound bites and pierces; the vocals pummel and decimate. Together, it’s enthralling.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Resin Tomb – Cerebral Purgatory

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One of the many things Resin Tomb got right on Cerebral Purgatory (Transcending Obscurity) is how compact yet fully fledged the tracks are. None of the eight songs run longer than 4:20 (nice), and even so, there is a recurring theme of individuality permeating through the entire debut full-length. A combination of desolate Death Metal and gregarious Grindcore is never a bad thing, either. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Bronson Arm – Bronson Arm

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Having followed Learning Curve Records for a fair old while, it was exciting to see one of their number, Bronson Arm, pop up on the Ghost Cult reviews list. Other noteworthy acts from said label that are worthy of investigation include The Tunnel, Something Is Waiting and Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, to name but a few.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Magnum – Here Comes The Rain

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This review was submitted before the sad news of the passing of guitarist and band leader Tony Clarkin. Our condolences and best wishes to Tony’s family, friends, and the members of the band. 

It only takes a few moments of opener “Run Into The Shadows” to be welcomed with open arms back into Magnum’s world, as the opening guitar motif intertwines with the dancing keyboards and Bob Catley’s distinctive storyteller-cum-favourite-uncle’s-croon transports us into the kingdom of madness once more, forty-six years after Catley and Tony Clarkin recorded the band’s debut album, a fantastic record that laid the groundwork for a marvellous career. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Saevus Finis – Facilis Descensus Averno

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For quite some time now, but arguably in the last few years especially, Transcending Obscurity Records has been one of the most consistently excellent champions for new, exciting and often innovative extreme metal acts, both in quality and in the sheer volume of their releases. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Engulf – The Dying Planet Weeps

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The Dying Planet Weeps (Everlasting Spew Records) – Engulf‘s first full-length – is the solo project of Hal Microutsicos (Blasphemous.) The opening track benefits from a dissonant throb, rather than following the course most death metal takes in pummeling you with a head-first assault. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Cariosus – Will, Until Beauty

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Labeled as a Melodic Death Metal band, Cariosus instead is better defined as a melting pot of exquisite musical elements. Though that descriptor may not sound as flashy or attention grabbing, bear with me (it’s worth it). Will, Until Beauty (Self-Released), the duo’s first full-length, meshes deathcore, metalcore, tech-death and even some progressive techniques while boasting eight thunderous – thunderous – tracks.Continue reading →