ALBUM REVIEW: The Obsessed – Gilded Sorrow


Keyboard warriors, warmongering politicians and wicked women, Scott “Wino” Weinrich has got a bone to pick with all of you. He’s also got a truck-load of doom-soaked, monolithic, heavy-metal riffs to unleash. On Gilded Sorrow (Ripple Music), the latest album by metal road-warriors The Obsessed, Weinrich is taking names and kicking ass and he’s got the band and the studio sounds to inflict some sonic damage. Continue reading


Psycho Las Vegas Loses Some Bands Due to Visa and Pandemic Issues


In a story we have been following, Psycho Las Vegas has announced that bands such as Mayhen and Satyricon have dropped off the upcoming metal festival later this month. This is due to ongoing travel/work visa and pandemic related issues. To their credit, the fest has been dealing complaints and addressing on social media, and in emaisl to ticket holders. Other bands still hoping to gain entry into the USA to perform include Efforts are continuing for Emperor, Watain, Crippled Black Phoenix, Cult of Fire, and Psychlona, and we’ll keep tracking this story.   Continue reading


STAFF PICKS: Duncan Evans Top 20 Albums of 2020


2020 has been a strange and difficult year for most people, but that hasn’t stopped the release of some truly fantastic music. As we near the close of this tumultuous and trying year, here are the 20 albums that have resonated the most with me in 2020.

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Ghost Cult Albums of the Year 2020 – Part 3 (20-1)


As we draw down (the moon) on our reveal of the top seventy-five albums of the year, as voted for by the cast, crew, and alumni of this fine rock, metal, punk, hardcore and indie-focused site, we can take a moment to reflect on the power of heavy music, and that every one of the seventy-five albums we are celebrating and acknowledging will have had a positive impact on several of our team and readers.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Wino – Forever Gone


As much as Wino deserves his doom godfather status for fronting groups like The Obsessed and Saint Vitus, there’s something to be said for his more recent singer/songwriter excursions. Whether going it alone or with such collaborators as Conny Ochs, the acoustic style suits him surprisingly well and the volume contrast brings a fuller perspective to his haggard lifer persona. This is especially true for his third album, Forever Gone (Ripple Music), which may be his most low-key effort to date.Continue reading


Psycho Las Vegas Announces 2021 Fest with Danzig, Mercyful Fate, Katatonia, Ulver, Emperor, WITTR, and More


Psycho Las Vegas has announced their return in the summer of 2021. If you had tickets for this year, you are in luck! Most of the lineup will return next year, except Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ty Segall & The Freedom Band, and Crowbar. This still looks like one of the best festivals in the world next year, in a year overpacked with re-scheduled events and tours. See the full lineup below.Continue reading


Psycho Las Vegas 2020 Canceled, Festival Set to Return in 2021


Psycho Swim, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV 8/15/19

Psycho Las Vegas has shared the bad news that they have canceled the 2020 festival that was set for August due to ot the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Psycho Las Vegas 2021 has been scheduled to August 19-22, 2021. “Nearly all the bands” have agreed to return for the 2021st dates. The full announcement is expected after they confirm those last bands. Continue reading


CONCERT REVIEW: Today Is The Day – The Obsessed – Somnuri – Prostitution: Live at Market Hotel


There are few lineups that conjure up the magic of underground metal like the twin pairing of Today Is The Day and The Obsessed. Both groups have had an outsized influence on the underground and it’s hard not to be enamored with what they have done for this scene. With their charismatic frontmen, Steve Austin and Wino respectively, this lineup came together as a sort of minor miracle, celebrating the magic of the new Today is the Day record at a release show that reminded those of us in attendance exactly why these guys are viewed as the true masters of noise metal. Riffs and heavy vibes abounded on the Brooklyn faithful, and after a heady warmup set from Prostitution and then punishing riffage from Somnuri, we were ready for the main events! Continue reading


Wino (The Obsessed, Saint Vitus) Signs with Ripple Music, New Acoustic Series Unveiled


House of Blues, Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV 8/17/19

Ripple Music, purveyors of some of the best Heavy Music on the planet have announced the signing of Doom and Stoner Metal icon Scott “Wino” Weinrich. Wino’s new solo album, Forever Gone, will launch Ripple’s new “Blood and Strings” series, in which some of the most admired names in riff-rock and metal unplug to record albums of acoustic heaviness. Wino is, of course, the iconic singer and guitarist associated with some of the biggest names in the genre, such as The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand and Shrinebuilder. Wino’s new solo album was produced by Frank Marchand, and more details about the album and “Blood and Strings” are coming soon. Continue reading


The Obsessed – Sacred


Scott “Wino” Weinrich and The Obsessed were one of the few bands waving the doomy, Black Sabbath-loving flag when, frankly, doom and Sabbath were not cool. They kept the faith during the dark days when it wasn’t cool to like big, slow, heavy riffs.Continue reading