Ghost Cult caught up with Page Hamilton of Metal legends Helmet! Their 2023 album “Left” was released via earMUSIC, and is a document of where the band is musically, mentally, and politically. Page shared a track-by-track breakdown, discussed his creative process, why he went so deep on politics in his lyrics this time, the longevity of the current lineup of the band, and much more!Continue reading
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ALBUM REVIEW: Helmet – Left
Helmet are a legacy band, who at over 30 years into their career– albeit with an early 2000’s hiatus– are still very much thought of as a specific, early mid-nineties era band when alternative rock was king. And for good reason, as they are a band who certainly had a huge influence with early Interscope Records such as Meantime (1992) and Betty (1994), providing a sludgy down-tuned version of the more commercial alternative styles of the time.
ALBUM REVIEW: Prong – State of Emergency
Tommy Victor is an unsung hero of Rock. The Prong frontman (and the band’s only constant) has been putting out great records under the Prong banner since 1989’s Force Fed. Between then and the band’s latest — thirteenth studio album State of Emergency (Steamhammer / SPV) — there’s been a brief flirtation with commercial success in the early-mid nineties, an extended hiatus before and after the band’s unfairly-maligned Scorpio Rising album from 2003, and a steady stream of quality material over recent years.
ALBUM REVIEW: Black Stone Cherry – Screamin’ At The Sky
When your first two albums are such bonafide classics as to not only launch you to rock fame but also firmly establish your sound and style in everyone’s conscience, it can be difficult to find the space to grow amongst the weeds and weight of expectation, particularly when your third album saw some of the earnestness and depth not quite sacrificed at the altar of “the commercial gamble” (one that paid off, whether or not you choose to blame it on the Boom Boom), but tempered in exchange for slick, rock arena fillers.
ALBUM REVIEW: Dying Fetus – Make Them Beg For Death
The story of Dying Fetus is one for the storybooks, indeed. Formed in 1991 (and spawning Misery Index in the process), guitarist/vocalist John Gallagher chose the name in jest with the sole purpose of raising ire and eyebrows.
ALBUM REVIEW: Exmortus – Necrophony
Exmortus did nothing halfway when orchestrating their epic, hourlong, quasi-conceptual new record, Necrophony (Nuclear Blast Records).
ALBUM REVIEW: Crypta – Shades Of Sorrow
If Crypta failed to make it onto your radar after their 2021 debut, they’ve returned to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
ALBUM REVIEW: Outer Heaven – Infinite Psychic Depths
Powered by an insatiable appetite for thoughtful tempos and laborious aggression, Outer Heaven exhausts everything they have with Infinite Psychic Depths (Relapse Records), eleven songs rife with bombastic energy and acidic vocals.
EP REVIEW: Aasar – Nothing to Nowhere
Nothing to Nowhere is the debut EP from new Seek and Strike Records signee’s AASAR. Hailing from the cold mountains of Italy, the four-piece absolutely show they mean business by delivering a relentlessly dark journey of noise, with an underlying hypnotic melody that keeps you hooked from start to finish. While lyrically the record is strongly influenced by themes of Norse and Egyptian mythology, with a concept exploring the spiritual journey of a man headed towards damnation.
ALBUM REVIEW: Structural – Decrowned
Israeli-based tech-death outfit Structural are no strangers to taking time to hash out any kinks before finishing a full-length. Five years removed from their self-released debut album, the five-piece accentuate their talents on Decrowned (ViciSolum Productions/Sound Pollution).