The first word that comes to mind when listening to Gravehuffer’s new album NecroEcolosion (Black Doomba Records) is “fun”. Gravehuffer takes us on a journey through many different styles. Their versatility and ability not to be genre bound is on full display with this entry.
Today on the block we have Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes by Australian Stoner Doom band Fumarole, out now from the excellent Interstellar Smoke Records. I’ve heard a couple of their singles and dug what I heard, so I was definitely stoked to get the album in hand. Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes starts off pedal down and never really lets up. Loaded with hooky as hell riffage, driving rhythms, and killer spots where the bass and drums lay down the groove while the guitar has its fun. The solos are tasty, they have a rock feel sprinkled with some blues that truly add to the overall vibe.
2R0I2P0 (Twenty Twenty RIP, Relapse Records) is a collaboration album from two luminaries of the Japanese experimental music scene, Boris and Merzbow. Boris has released a vast number of albums over the past 25 years, and their sound ranges from psychedelic post-rock to crushing metallic doom riffery. Noise artist Merzbow (the brainchild of Masami Akita) has been even more prolific, having released hundreds of records over a 40-year career.
Greek/Swedish Heavy Metal disciples Code Noir will release their new EP tomorrow, Jack of all Spades, and it’s full of bangers that take you on a journey to the center of your mind! The album releases on CD and digital formats via Leviaphonic Records and pre-orders are available now at the link below. Ghost Cult is proud to bring you this album today!
This year has been as chaotic as anyone has ever seen. And for chaotic times we need good, solid, tight riffs, and Junior Bruce provides them on their album Pray For Death (Sludgelord Records). The Florida quintet brings an album with absolute bangers for fans of Stoner/Sludge Metal. Having a clash of different styles, Pray for Death is an album that reflects the collective anger society has against whatever anyone they choose to be mad about, still combining a certain melancholy that grows some of the most interesting aspects of Junior Bruce.
Fear Factory, by Melina D Photography
According to a report by Metalsucks, Dino Cazares has posted a snippet of him playing new Fear Facotry riffs over on his Twitter account. Cazares has been posting a lot on Twitter to stay in touch with his fans, while he presses forward on the new Fear Factory album, tentatively titled Regenerate and due out in 2021 from Nuclear Blast Records. No word yet from the guitar legend how the progress goes on replacing Burton C. Bell, who announced his departure from the group after thirty years last month.
Consistency is the best word that can be used to describe a band like The Ocean. After releasing the critically acclaimed album Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic (Metal Blade Records/Pelagic Records) in 2018, the Germans come back with can possibly be a solid candidate for album of the year in Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic (Metal Blade Records/Pelagic Records). And it’s just that this band keeps raising the musical and creative bars that are out there. They are not afraid to crush any musical barriers and do love to delve into unknown territories and as a result, they always come out on the winning end of it.
“Deftones 2020” would be quite the fitting campaign slogan this year. Faced with frightening realities, unexpected downs, and challenging changes, Deftones have swooped in to provide a sonic escape and maybe even a ray of hope in a time that has been plagued by a series of unfortunate events. Though President Chino Moreno may seem like a stretch (for now), Deftones have spun these unforeseen circumstances and unprecedented experiences into something fans can hold onto during this period of struggle: the highly-anticipated LP, Ohms, due out September 25th (Warner Records). 2020 is also a hallmark year in the Sacramento-born band’s career, as they celebrate 25 years since dropping their searing debut Adrenaline, 20 years since releasing their incomparable album White Pony, 10 years since unveiling their emotive and piercing record Diamond Eyes, and one presidential term since gracing fans with their eighth studio album Gore. Now, vocalist Chino Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, drummer Abe Cunningham, programmer Frank Delgado, and bassist Sergio Vega welcome Ohms, 10 tracks of heavy and reflective material that mirror the emotional distress of the pandemic and lockdown, the political power struggle that the world is witnessing, and the internal conflicts many are facing.Continue reading
Heavy alt-Rock band The ReAktion has announced they are heading into the studio this fall to record a brand new album, their fourth, and their first since What A Day in 2018. Acclaimed veteran Mike Exeter (Black Sabbath, Cradle of Filth, Judas Priest) will produce the album. Exeter is also an ongoing collaborative partner of Tony Iommi, so expect The ReAktion’s trademark riffs and vocals to sound as big as ever. Their prior albums Similitude and Selknam generated a huge buzz, saw them tour internationally, including a standout appearance at Knotfest 2015. This will be one of the most anticipated albums of 2021.
Black Spirit Crown’s first proper album sits right on the line between Doom and Stoner Metal with hints of Prog seeping through. The fuzzy riff work is rooted in Sleep and Electric Wizard tradition, the hustling tempos remind me of Orange Goblin, and the tripped-out atmospherics and vocal filters echo Howling Giant or Mastodon. These traits were already distinct on the Red Sky EP released in 2017 and the Cleveland group takes them to even further extents with Gravity (Self-Released).