Ghost Cult Keefy chatted once again with a friend to the channel Joey Vera of Armored Saint! the band is about to join up with Queensryche to tour the US, with both bands playing old-school sets. Joey discussed the tour, the artistry of bass playing, and the bands’ plans for a new record, due out in 2025 via Metal Blade Records!Continue reading
Tag Archives: Jazz
INTERVIEW: Page Hamilton of Helmet Breaks Down His New Album “Left’
Ghost Cult caught up with Page Hamilton of Metal legends Helmet! Their 2023 album “Left” was released via earMUSIC, and is a document of where the band is musically, mentally, and politically. Page shared a track-by-track breakdown, discussed his creative process, why he went so deep on politics in his lyrics this time, the longevity of the current lineup of the band, and much more!Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Polar Sun – Wax – Wane
Rising from Brighton, United Kingdom, the genre-bending quintet Polar Sun (formerly known as Porshyne) self-release their new album Wax / Wane, which presents a mix of styles from electronic and Jazz to post-Rock and Math Rock.
ALBUM REVIEW: ZAHN – Adria
German instrumental three-piece ZAHN (featuring members of Einstürzende Neubauten and Heads) combines musical elements that might seem strange on paper, but make perfect sense on record.
ALBUM REVIEW: Plini – Mirage
Work on Mirage began shortly after Plini’s acclaimed second album, Impulse Voices (2020).
Has it been worth the wait?
EP REVIEW: The Callous Daoboys – God Smiles Upon The Callous Daoboys
Much like the Atlanta band’s name is a mocking twist on the Dallas Cowboys, their take on metalcore is a mocking twist on the genre. Normally this sort of thing is not my personal taste, and I write it off as MySpace metal, however these guys have perverted in such a manner that it appeals to me. They are aggressive yet highly skilled in the mathematics of their contorted riffing.
INTERVIEW: Bruce Lamont of Yakuza Breaks Down His “Sutra” Album and The Economics of Tribute Bands
Ghost Cult caught up with Bruce Lamont of the long-running Chicago-based avant-guard Doom Metal band Yakuza! Their new album “Sutra” was recently released via Svart Records, and we chatted with Bruce all about the album, the current lineup’s contributions as a team, Bruce’s evolving approach to saxophone and vocals, his lucrative other gig in the Led Zeppelin tribute band Led Zeppelin 2, vinyl releases, and much more! Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Black Duck – Black Duck
Black Duck can best be described as a supergroup featuring as it does key members of the Chicago music scene such as guitarist/bassist Douglas McCombs (Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day), guitarist Bill MacKay (Broken Things, Sounds of Now), and drummer Charles Rumback (Colorlist, Leaf Bird). I confess to only really being familiar with McCombs due to his involvement in those bands who I’ve listened to for a number of years and hence why my interest was peaked when selecting this album for review purposes.
ALBUM REVIEW: Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream…
Avenged Sevenfold are potentially one of the most divisive metal acts out of the US since Metallica. All you need to do is look at their previous two albums, 2013’s Hail To The King & 2016’s The Stage to see the extreme polar oppositions these albums created. The former for how the band wore their Metallica influence on their sleeve, creating their own version of The Black Album, and then the following 2016 release throwing all of their previous influences and sounds up in the air, bringing in outside sources from the likes of Pink Floyd, and creating a wholly new progressive rock/metal experience.
ALBUM REVIEW: Yakuza – Sutra
This experimental Chicago band has been toying with the dark sonic corners for over twenty years. It’s been eleven of those years since we have had a new album from Yakuza, and it is good to dive back into their land of twisted shadows. The focus has shifted to a more deliberate brand of heavy, that places them not far from the sonic zip code of older Mastodon. The differences are fewer guitar pyrotechnics and a much darker trajectory than the Atlanta progsters. Bruce Lamont’s baritone moan carries a hint of anger as the opening track is framed with dissonance.