You cannot really put into words what Exodus has meant to Thrash Metal. Without their contribution, we’d have a lot of Heavy Metal thunder, but no lightning to ride. The band has had its share of ups and downs and only in the last half of their career have they even had the same lineup on albums more than once, as was this incarnation of the bad did in 1989. With legend, but problem child Paul Baloff dismissed after masterwork Bonded By Blood, Steve “Zetro” Souza had settled in and down as the frontman and vocalist. Band leader Gary Holt kept an iron fist on the writing in these days, and with good reason. His riff style and due diligence in songcraft helped give the band their pivotal third album, Fabulous Disaster (Relativity, Music For Nations).Continue reading →
Palisades is slaying the end of 2018 with a new album, Erase The Pain, out today on Rise Records. Check out their explosive new video for the track “War” right now!
What do you do for an encore when you have released arguably the greatest album in metal history, at the zenith point for the genre? Well if you are Slayer, you blow people’s minds and release South Of Heaven (Def Jam) as the follow-up to Reign In Blood (also Def Jam). Although some of its slower mid-tempo jams threw fans for a loop, Slayer’s fourth album is full of gritty, true to life bangers and classic tracks. Let’s revisit this masterpiece which turned thirty years old today. Continue reading →
Venom Inc. will be kicking off the next leg of their “Blood Stained Earth World Tour” next week, which will take them throughout Asia, before the band haunts the UK with label mates Suffocation, Nervosa, Aeternam and Survive. Today the legends have shared a new lyric video off of Avé to help promote the must see tour. Continue reading →
Once in a while, the art that society needs to help it pull through collective dark times comes along right at the precise time. In another life, that album would have been a new album from a reunited Rage Against The Machine, the legendary rap-rock band. However, what we’ve got instead is the début full-length album from Prophets of Rage, the supergroup with members of Rage, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill added in for good measure. After an EP and a slew of singles telegraphing the powder keg of potential greatness to come had dropped, the full meal real deal thing is here. Forget about the quarter of the album already released, and the hype train pulling into the station. Prophets of Rage, may not save the world, but they coming out swinging, making damn sure they will try.Continue reading →
Following hot on the heels of their second EP, The Hellfire Demos II (Nuclear Blast) released just a few short weeks ago, Midlands based Memoriam now drop their highly anticipated, and appropriately titled, début album For The Fallen (Nuclear Blast) on us like a Death Metal atom bomb.Continue reading →
Experimental post-hardcore trio Philm, featuring Gerry Nestler (Civil Defiance) on vocals, guitar and piano, bassist Pancho Tomaselli (War, Project N-Fidelikah), and Venezuelan-born drummer, Anderson Quintero will release a 10” vinyl EP to launch the band’s new line-up. You can watch the new lyric video for the single ‘The Seventh Sun’ below:Continue reading →
Experimental post-hardcore trio Philm will return to live action next week with a show at the Whiskey A Go Go for Ultimate Jam Night. Continue reading →
Swedish Heavy Metal kings Sabaton have made a career out of examining the history of conflict, be it world wars, or the internal fallout people deal with. Neither cliched or romanticized, the band examines the realities of war and what happens to societies in its wake. They take their themes very seriously, not just capitalizing on a fascination, but reveling in helping keep history alive. One might argue that their new album The Last Stand (Nuclear Blast) is the most fully realized, most concept heavy piece in their entire career. Ghost Cult’s Keith Chachkes chatted with singer Joakim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström to chat to preview the new album:
Having had an early preview of The Last Stand, we were impressed with with how much story and information is packed into each track. We asked to hear a little bit about the record and the concept for it:
Joakim: Yeah. It’s a bit outside of the comfort zone for us, because normally, it’s the thing in modern warfare except for all of this extra stuff. I think on this one, both musically and lyrically, we are expanding our horizons a bit if you will. We are covering the concept of “The Last Stand”, the Battle of Thermapyle in anchient Greece. We pretty much traveled all around the world both times geographically, and we end up in the Soviet – Afghan war of 1988. Yeah. They’re all from different places on this planet, and different places in time actually.
War is an aspect of society that informs all human life. Sabaton really pays a service through their music to educate fans. People don’t give you enough credit for it.
Joakim: We’re not trying to educate anyone, but I’ll be the first to say if somebody learns something from listening to our songs, then I will be the first person to be happy about it, if you know what I mean. We are of course not teachers or professors, but we can tell so many fantastic stories or about fantastic people in our past, so why make up new ones?
There is a real cinematic feel to this album too. Not just samples, not just the speeches in there, in ‘The Lost Battalion’, or ‘Uncertain’. Was that something that you guys were focused on with the writing, or is that a natural Sabaton thing?
Joakim: I think it comes with the subject. We never think if we are going to go bigger, smaller, faster, harder, slower. We just want to be better. Whatever is necessary to make that dream come true, and to make every, the natural progress … Yeah, we try to focus on becoming better rather than changing because sometimes better is harder, sometimes better is softer or faster. On this level, with those subjects, the epic feel is stuck on a way we didn’t feel, and we hope others feel the same way.
‘Shiriama’ and later album tracks like ‘The Winged Hoosar’ really captured me lyrically. Some of the best lyrics the band have ever done individually.
Pär: Thanks man. I’m happy to hear that.
I loved the lyric video for ‘Lost Battalion’ too: the idea and the execution. I know a lot of bands are on the fence about how effective lyric videos can be.
Joakim: In a sense, for us, having a … I don’t want to say that other bands who do it don’t matter. I’m not trying to say that at all out of respect for others, but for a band like us, we’ve spent so much time on lyrics and the research, and it can give the song a much deeper meaning. I think a good lyric video is really important than carrying camp packs trying to look cool sometimes. We take our music very seriously, but we don’t take ours levels very seriously if you know what I mean.
Sabaton is always a fun band, especially to see live. It seems like they are having a lot of fun out there, despite the often dark subject matter. A lot of bands from the scene, where it’s very dark subject matter, the bands tend to come off as dour, evil, and extreme. To a man, the guys in Sabaton seem very sweet.
Joakim: Yeah. When it comes to metal heads, why would we be aggressive. We can get it out in our music or onstage. In general, nine times out of ten at least, the metal head is usually the nicest one who will stand up and help an old lady across the road.
Sabaton fans are some of the most loyal in the world. What should they look forward to with the new album?
Pär: I think the roller coaster ride is what you’re looking for. The Last Stand is short as it gets for an album, but we’re going in directions we haven’t gone before. I feel very strongly about it because this is one of the best albums we ever did I think.
Director Rick Kosick is streaming a seven minute video documentary about the making of Philm’s second album Fire From The Evening Sun. The band features drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer), Gerry Paul Nestler (Civil Defiance) and bassist Francisco “Pancho” Eduardo Tomaselli (WAR).
Says Kosick:
“Philm recorded the drum tracks for Fire From The Evening Sun at the House Of Rock studios in Santa Monica, California, the home of the late actress/singer Kathryn Grayson.
“This studio/home is amazing; it has a great vibe, which makes a comfortable working environment.
“When I was filming, I had no idea that Dave Lombardo was going to lay down all twelve drum tracks in one day. Impressive!
“What I remember from that day was that Dave was really focused, and he had this look on his face that he meant business. I’m still surprised that he didn’t tear a hole in his drumhead, because he was playing like a madman. Pancho and Gerry were both on top of their game that day as well, and three of them executed everything without any problems. I mean, what can you expect from professionals, right?
“I’m happy how everything turned out with this video, and what a great opportunity to be able to document this important process of making an album.”
