As we move into the meaty part of the Ghost Cult albums of the year for 2022 (as chosen solely by the team that dedicate their time to promote, analyse and share the love for the great alternative music that we exist to talk about), we find a mix of old favourites and a sprinkling of new rising and shining stars…Continue reading
After a false start, someone (naming no names) got rather over-excited about a new Power Metal band that promptly disappeared out of the collective consciousness, it wasn’t until mid-January, and a new 40 Watt Sun album, that alternative, rock and metal really got out of the starting blocks for 2022.Continue reading
Zeal & Ardor have booked a North America tour for this summer and fall as headliners. The tour kicks off September 11th in Brooklyn and runs through October 7th in Berkeley, California, and includes stops in Canada. The band will also appear at this year’s Aftershock Festival on October 8th. Direct support will come from Sylvaine and Imperial Triumphant. Tickets go on sale at 10 am local time on Thursday, June 30th at the links below.
We have been showing a lot of love to Season of Mist artist Sylvaine, who released her new album, Nova, on March 4th 2022! She just kicked off a tour supporting Amorphis in North America, and you can check out the dates below. To celebrate one of the most important artists of 2022, we are collaborating on a new giveaway with her and her label for your chance to win one of three awesome prizes! Prizes including a vocal lesson from Sylvaine, a guitar pick, a CD, and print on demand merch are up for grabs! Enter to win on our Instagram at the link below. The giveaway is only open to US residents (sorry), and it ends May 2nd, 2022 at 11:59 PM. Full rules and prize value below
The second part of his ongoing conceptual “Leather” trilogy, Frank Huesco, the French darksynth artist better known as Carpenter Brut, follows up 2018’s Leather Teeth with the sequel, Leather Terror (No Quarter Productions/Universal Music/Caroline Records). Conceived during lockdown and featuring absolutely no electric guitars, this latest synth-driven piledriver serves as the soundtrack to an imagined 1987 horror movie about Bret Halford, a nerdy science student who resorts to somewhat dubious scientific methods to win a girl from her high school jock boyfriend. After his experiment turns unrequited love into disfiguration and madness, Halford becomes “Leather Teeth”, the scarred, peroxide blonde frontman of glam rock band Leather Patrol. Picking up the story at this point, Leather Terror uses its twelve tracks to show Halford taking his new serial killer rock star identity and wreaking revenge on those who abused him.
Sylvaine is the pseudonym of Norway’s Kathrine Shepard, a classically trained composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. Since 2014 Shepard has been releasing albums as Sylvaine, of which Nova (Season of Mist) will be the fourth (not counting a 2020 split with Unreqvited).
Carpenter Brut has shared a mew single, the first from their upcoming new album Leather Terror, due outt on April 1st, 2022. For the track “Imaginary Fire” the French electronic music great has enlisted Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Black Queen, Killer Be Killed, Jerry Cantrell) on lead vocals. The album also features guest appearances from Ulver, Gunship, Persha, Sylvaine, and Johannes “Jonka” Andersson of Tribulation. Check it out here: Continue reading
Sad news as the 2021 edition of the legendary extreme metal annual event Inferno Festival in Oslo, Norway has been canceled due to the ongoing covid-19 outlook and restrictions this spring. The festival has put out a statement canceling, offering to roll over tickets and offer a refund period as well. Bands booked for 2021 that have reconfirmed for 2022 include Kreator, Mayhem, Venom, Ihsahn, Kampfar, Ved Buens Ende, Vreid, Cadaver, Myrkskog, Entombed AD, Asphyx, Benighted, Bølzer, Dark Fortress, Tulus, Whoredom Rife, Djerv, Hamferd, Dyscarnate, The Great Old Ones, 1914, Sylvaine, Asagraum, Nyrst, Isvind, From The Vastland, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, Nachash, Ulvehyrde, Kosmos Brenner, Sovereign, Gnida, Eridu, Zifir, Solbrud, Xenoblight, Oranssi Pazuzu. Read the statement from the festival here:
