ALBUM REVIEW: Strigoi – Viscera


 

In 2010 following the death of his father, Paradise Lost’s founding guitar player and principle songwriter Gregor Mackintosh formed Vallenfyre with Hamish Glencross (ex-My Dying Bride). The aim was to provide an outlet for his grief by recording the heavier black / death metal-influenced music he had been writing, with Gregor also on vocal duties, a role he had never performed in Paradise Lost. In 2018 after three albums Gregor announced the project had come to a close, but from the ashes rose Strigoi, formed with Vallenfyre bassist Chris Casket (Devilment, ex Extreme Noise Terror), which would continue in a similar vein with 2019’s debut album Abandon All Faith.

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Endorphins Lost – Seclusions


There was once a fabled war between Punk and Metal. It seems hard to believe today with the two being so often deeply entrenched both musically and ideologically these days, but alleged reports of intense violence at cross-genre shows are a thing of legend. A sort of peace deal was brokered with the advent of Crossover Thrash, Grindcore and Hardcore, particularly the Metallic Hardcore subgenre. It’s here in the grey area of what is Punk and what is Metal we find Endorphins Lost, a Hardcore/Powerviolence outfit straight out of the Pacific Northwest with Seclusions (From The Head Of Zeus).Continue reading


Eindhoven Metal Meeting: Part II – Live At Effenaar


On day two of Eindhoven Metal Meeting, a surprising amount of energy has been drained by the inevitable afterparties that spread through Eindhoven, but also to the neighbouring town of Tilburg. Metalheads simply cannot stop a party once they get going, and so the next day starts up a little slower. Thinking I may be able to skip the long line for the pat downs if I arrive a bit later, I’ve decided to arrive between the first and second band. Nope. There is still a line as many more of the partying metalheads had a similar idea, as did many of the day ticket holders. Thankfully the line is a fair bit quicker today though than it was yesterday, and I manage to get the first band of the day.

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Eindhoven Metal Meeting: Part I – Live At Effenaar


Every year as people around the world gather to celebrate their own midwinter celebrations, usually focussing around light and warmth, the Effenaar venue in Eindhoven instead celebrates the dark and heavy. Eindhoven Metal Meeting is seen by many as the Christmas party of the Benelux metal family. As in previous years, Ghost Cult Magazine sent me to report, and take some snaps.Continue reading


Venom, Dark Tranquility, Coroner And More Booked For Eindhoven Metal Meeting


With just over a month to go, the 2017 Eindhoven Metal Meeting approaches The lined up boasts the likes of Venom, Dark Tranquility, Coroner, Carpathian Forest, Master’s Hammer, Destroyer 666 and many more. The full lineup is listed below and tickets are still available but expected to sell out. As always, the “longest-running indoor extreme metal festival” in the Netherlands will take place Friday 15 & Saturday 16th of December 2017 at the Effenaar venue in Eindhoven. Continue reading


My Dying Bride Cancels For Eindhoven Metal Meeting, Dark Tranquility Added


Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, My Dying Bride has dropped out of this December’s Eindhoven Metal Meeting. Apparently, the cancellation was beyond the control of both the band and the festival. The good news is, Dark Tranquility has been added as an exclusive headliner on December 15th, the first night of the fest. More details, ticket links, and the full lineup so far are listed belowContinue reading


The King Is Blind – The Deficiencies Of Man


TKIB The Deficiencies Of Man Cover

As Extreme Metal enters its middle-age as gracefully as you’d expect, an odd phenomenon can be observed. Bands and musicians who had previously “grown up” and abandoned extreme or brutal musical elements now grow up even further and discover that, actually, they rather miss blast-beats and growled vocals after all. My Dying Bride predated the trend by at least a decade with 1999’s The Light At The End World (Peaceville) but have since been joined by Paradise Lost, Bloodbath and Vallenfyre amongst others. England’s The King Is Blind, fresh from a successful slot at this year’s Bloodstock, are the latest addition to the ranks of Mid-Life Crisis Metal (featuring ex members of Entwined, The Blood Divine and Cradle Of Filth). They are also one of the most savage.

TKIB play chunky, aggressive Death Metal that wears its Celtic Frost and early-90’s-Peaceville influences openly, but isn’t afraid to shake them around a little bit either. The core of their sound is thick, crusty riffing that calls to mind Bolt Thrower as often as it does Frost or early My Dying Bride, backed by the insistent pummelling beats you’d expect from the drummer of Extreme Noise Terror.

Commanding, powerful barked vocals and the occasional melodic lead fill out the sound effectively, and the pace alternates from slow Doom drudge to hungry Entombed-style lurching to tight, controlled blasting. Song-writing is taut and confident, if (understandably, at this point) lacking in variety, and each track expands on TKIB’s manifesto of powerful, aggressive Death Metal that embraces its heritage without wallowing in empty nostalgia.

At only four tracks and around twenty minutes, The Deficiencies Of Man (Mordgrimm) never has time to get boring, but also doesn’t have the chance to show us how much depth TKIB are capable of – keeping their material both interesting and savage over the course of a full album will be the next big challenge for them. Until then, this is a short but potent demonstration of a band who realise that truly “growing up” means not having to pretend that you prefer Morrissey to Morbid Angel.

 

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8.0/10.0

 

 

RICHIE H-R

 


New Music Premiere: The King Is Blind – The Deficiencies of Man


The Deficiencies of Man TKIB

 

 

Ghost Cult Magazine is proud to bring you the US première stream of the debut EP from The King is Blind, The Deficiencies of Man (Mordgrimm)! Featuring veterans of the UK death, doom and grindcore metal scenes, TKIB is a fist right to the guts musically and is a wake up call to fans waiting for an injection of life in a scene that is slowly regaining steam of late. The band counts among its ranks former members of bands such as Cradle of Filth, Entwined, and Extreme Noise Terror, so their pedigree checks out on paper. What about the music? Deficiencies of Man is a holocaust of brutality encompassing many classic touch points of underground metal with a unique and modern voice. The band just played a weekend of shows in the UK to showcase the new material, including an impressive turn at Bloodstock Open Air on the Sophie Lancaster Stage. The EP releases officially on September 1st.

 

TKIB Promo B&W

 

The Deficiencies of Man details:
Recorded, produced and mixed by Tom Donovan (Telepathy, Dingus Khan) at Tom Donovan Studios, Essex (UK).Mastered by Tim Turan (Emperor, Marilyn Manson) at Turan Audio, Oxford (UK).

Label: Mordgrimm
Catalogue Number: GRIMM48
Barcode: 5023903273468
Distributed by Shellshock

The King Is Blind are:
Lee James Appleton – Guitars
Steve Tovey – Vocals/Bass
Paul Ryan – Guitars
Barney Monger – Drums

Discography:
Promo 2013 (Demo) – 2013
Bleeding the Ascension (Demo) – 2014
The Deficiencies of Man (EP) – 2014

 

 

SORRY, THIS EXCLUSIVE STREAM HAS EXPIRED….

 

 

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The King Is Blind to Release Debut EP on Mordgrimm Label


TKIB Promo B&W

 

UK merchants of the extreme, The King Is Blind will release their debut EP on the Mordgrimm label this August. Dubbed with the foreboding title ‘The Deficiencies of Man’, the release will coincide with their appearance on the Sophie Lancaster stage at the prestigious Bloodstock 2014 (BOA) this summer, for which TKIB was one of the first bands announced earlier this year.

 

Amongst its deadly ranks the band counts former members of Cradle of Filth, Entwined and Extreme Noise Terror; giving you an idea of the harsh glories about to beset your ears.

 

Watch this space soon for a stream of their new music, as well as a lyric video by director Sam Scott-Hunter (Motorhead, Bring Me The Horizon) for the lead off track: ‘A Thousand Burning Temples’, which is currently in production to head the campaign for the EP release.

 

Self-styled “Monolithic Metal”, with their blistering raw style and bleak tone, the group is already drawing comparisons to legendary acts such as Celtic Frost, but with the touch and heft of the best modern bands.

 

To contact the band for features and interviews email the band.

Upcoming The King Is Blind live shows (UK):

9 July – Portland Arms, Cambridge (supporting Felix Martin)

7 August – Arts Centre, Colchester (EP release show supporting Fen)

9 August – Bloodstock 2014, Sophie Lancaster stage

 

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