ALBUM REVIEW: Softsun – Eternal Sunshine – Heavy Psych Sounds


 

Going into silent moments before winter, a change of soundtracks is needed. This album helps to achieve that goal. Gary Arce from Yawning Man started Softsun a couple of years ago. On Eternal Sunshine (Heavy Psych Sounds), Arce uses guitar tones similar to those employed with  Yawning Man, but with a more melodic shoegaze vibe. This project’s strength actually lies in the vocals of bassist Pia Isaksen. She brings a more song-focused element to the table by creating a more tangible narrative. Her voice weaves sleepy melodies in the spaces left by the floating guitar parts.  The second song works off a similar formula, as the opening track that finds the band continuing to capture a languid mood as the vocals coo their way into a lonely sunset. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Yawning Man – Pavement Ends


If you have ever eaten a gummy and thought:

“This is not doing shit!”Continue reading


CONCERT REVIEW: Genocide Pact – Darkness Everywhere – Form Decay Live at Neck of The Woods


Walking into Neck of the Woods, surprised that they have two shows at the venue, and to see Genocide Pact perform downstairs stage. As I approach the stage to see the remaining few moments of the opening band Form Decay with fans crowded up to the front. Sadly, I had missed their set, but seen them before, and they are genuinely a great local band to check out.Continue reading


EP REVIEW: Mastiff – For All The Dead Dreams


It can only be attributed to an act of divine blessing that the world has been treated to the match made in heaven that is Mastiff and Church Road Records.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Tombs – Feral Darkness


 

The new Tombs album, Feral Darkness (Redefining Darkness), is another chapter in the sonic tome chronicling Mike Hill‘s travels to throb of the abyss. To say this sounds like a Tombs album is a broad statement that neglects the stylistic shifting due in some part to the band’s revolving lineup. The first thing you might notice upon first listen is that there are fewer Black Metal moments. Instead, the album is driven by the kind of aggression that characterizes Death Metal. The vocal approach is not all guttural. Forceful declarations, not unlike what you might have heard on a Celtic Frost album. Continue reading


Ghost Cult Magazine Turns 13 Years Old Today


 

We Who Are Not As Others…

October 8th, 2025 sees Ghost Cult Magazine’s 13th year in business! Established in the doomsday year of 2012, Ghost Cult Magazine has been a daily music news, interviews, and reviews website dedicated to covering Rock, Metal, Punk, Metalcore, post-Hardcore, Hardcore, Indie Rock, Doom, Prog, Death Metal, Black Metal, Sludge, Industrial, Grindcore, Dark Folk, Synthwave, other related genres, and geek culture as well! Shout out to our founders, current co-owners, past collaborators, partners, and you dear readers! Stay tuned for a new merch giveaway tonight! 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Malevich – Under a Gilded Sun


There are truly many directions you can go in music by taking influences from all over and finding a sound that is respectful to all of those influences. Malevich continues to evolve this approach with their latest release, Under a Gilded Sun (Church Road Records). This nearly forty-minute journey borrows from black, death, and sludge metal with dashes of grindcore mixed in. There are a few tracks on the album that feature a build-to-climax song structure, similar to how post-metal bands structure their songs.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Tar Pit – Scrying the Angel Gate


The sophomore album from Portland’s Tar Pit, Scrying the Angel Gate (Transylvanian Recordings), sets Lovecraftian themes against a style of doom that relishes the blues-based jams. An organ haunting the opening track from the back of the mix. The backbone of the song is a lumbering wall of fuzzed-out riffage. This song eventually builds the dynamic into a more metallic attack. Vocalist Don Gozalo brings an emotive howl to the songs. Unlike most doom frontmen, he is not as blatant an Ozzy disciple. This helps set their overall sound apart from their peers. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: King Potenaz – Arcane Desert Rituals Vol. 1


Sweden’s DIY Stoner/Doom label Majestic Mountain Records is always best-known for releasing the most eccentric, adrenaline-fueling tunes possible, and fair to say that Arcane Desert Rituals Vol. 1 by Southern Italy’s King Potenaz is one of them! 

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INTERVIEW: Ralka Skjerseth and MoE Discuss Avant-Garde Metal


The ever-dynamic outskirts of Oslo and their music scene always has something exciting to offer the deeper you explore, and the Norwegian rock unit MoE, which has been around since 2008, is one of them. Often described as Experimental and Noise-infused with avant-gardish Sludge undertones, they are bound to incorporate DIY approach in their creative process and present minimalist compositions in alternative and experimental ways. Well-known for involving challenging approaches in Rock and Noise settings, they aim to break boundaries in the stereotypical spectrums surrounding those two genres, aiming to provide their listeners a sonic experience laced in the depths of full-blown intensity. 

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