Boy is it exhilarating when a group of meticulous and notable artists get together to show the world how music is done the right way!Continue reading
Tag Archives: USBM
ALBUM REVIEW: Amiensus – Reclamation
The geography of Minnesota is described as being a largely woodland abundant area and, famously, waters, often referred to as “The land of 10,000 lakes”. Such scenery has become synonymous with Black Metal; in particular some of the genre’s more melodic bands as well as acts such as Amorphis (albeit the latter has only A Thousand Lakes). It is no surprise then that visuals of Minnesota would also create such Black Metal, with Amiensus’ roots being in the state. Also, much like some of their similar sounding peers, the likes of Reclamation (M-Theory Audio) are also a somewhat immersive experience which feels ready for the outdoors.Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: Hulder – Devil Master – Worm – Necrofier Live at Thee Stork Club
The Bay Area is a funny place. In the three-plus years I have lived here I have seen countless great shows in venues large and small. When it comes right down to it, the best shows have been the intimate ones. The uncomfortable ones. The ones when you are right up against people to an unhealthy level, but you’re all feeling every moment of the music together, the ritual, the metal of it all. These are the unforgettable ones that are burned into my brain. Having never been to Thee Stork Club before, I can tell tonight was going to be one of those nights as I headed over for The Decibel Tour, featuring Hulder, Devil Master, Worm, and Necrofier.Continue reading
PODCAST: Episode 419 – Christian from Necrofier on The Decibel Tour, Hells Heroes, Festival, Danzig, and More
Keefy hung out at Thee Stork Club in Oakland with Christian of Necrofier for an interview. Necrofier is on The Decibel Magazine Tour with Hulder, Worm, and Devil Master! Christian chatted about the tour, Necrofier’s 2023 album Burning Shadows in the Southern Night (Season of Mist), past touring with Danzig, booking Hell Heroes Fest, and much more!Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Wayfarer – American Gothic
American Gothic (Profound Lore) opens with a great deal of fanfare – a Western-tinged throb of guitar before you are reminded Wayfarer are a Black Metal band: snarled vocals control the mic, the drummer leans into a deliberate double-bass attack rather than joining the blast-beaten status quo… the band displaying a dynamic progression as songwriters on their fifth album as they continue to get even better with each release.
EP REVIEW: Wolves In The Throne Room – Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge
A mere two years removed from the fifty-minute colossus that is Primordial Arcana, Wolves In The Throne Room have undertaken a full 180 with Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge (Relapse Records). The four-track extended play is spearheaded by “Beholden To Clan”, and is supplemented by three instrumental-dominant tracks.
ALBUM REVIEW: Woe – Legacies of Frailty
It has been six years since we last saw new material from Chris Grigg’s Black Metal outfit Woe, and on a global scale it has certainly been an eventful and ultimately catastrophic time in which humanity seems consciously hell-bent on self-destruction and that of the world itself. It is pretty easy to see therefore just where Grigg’s inspiration comes from in the overarching narrative of Legacies of Frailty (Vendetta Records), an album that holds the anguish of such at its forefront alongside a sound of striking ferocity.
CONCERT REVIEW: Mizmor – Unreqvited – Funeral Leech Live at Saint Vitus Bar
To say I was ecstatic walking into St. Vitus Bar for the first time in four years would be a massive understatement. As I approached the familiar corner of Manhattan Avenue and Clay Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and the ominous black door with a bunch of metal heads already gathered outside, I could feel a rush of happiness through my entire body and brain. Not very grim or troo sounding, I know. Saint Vitus Bar is just not another place to me, it was like a second home to me for the second life that I had living in New York from 2016 to 2021. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, but the reality is that I deeply and truly love this venue and everybody associated with running it. The fact that it survived the worst of times in the music industry is a testament to the power that it built and the fans that continue to support this place. Unsurprisingly, the show was a sellout tonight.
CONCERT REVIEW: Batushka – Swallow The Sun – Stormruler Live at the Brooklyn Monarch
Mid-August always carries a wistful air as the summer heat reaches full swing but so does our knowledge of its impermanence. What better way to quell our gloomy pondering than with a black metal show at The Brooklyn Monarch?
INTERVIEW: Blackbraid on “Blackbraid II” – Touring, and Staying DIY
Ghost Cult Keefy caught up with Sgah’gahsowah of Blackbraid! On the strength of the recently released album “Blackbraid II” – the artist and his brand have taken the world by storm in a few short years. In a candid chat, we discussed working outside the normal channels of the music industry to find success, plans to stay DIY, and more.