As one half of the infamous Funeral Doom Metal band Bell Witch, Dylan Desmond is a musician renowned for powerful and contemplative soundscapes and is no stranger for emotive music. Following from the band’s Patreon launch a couple of years ago, Desmond has since been prominently experimenting with Ambient, synth-led music in part made to accompany segments of films (as anyone who has seen Bell Witch live will attest to their use of visual artistry in their performances). A further result of this is this solo output Je Est Un Autre, with a moniker taken from quotes of surrealist poet Arthur Rimbaud which, unsurprisingly, is a deep thought-provoking piece. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Kraftwerk
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: Helen Money and Will Thomas – Trace
Helen Money, aka Alison Chesley, is a cellist who has worked with some pretty heavy hitters in the alternative/underground scenes including Jarboe, Bob Mould, Steve Albini, and Neurosis. In addition to these, she has also released music as part of the band Verbow and as a composer for film, theatre, and dance.
ALBUM REVIEW: Perturbator – Lustful Sacraments
James Kent, based in Paris, has released several records since 2012 under the name Perturbator. His music under this moniker can be loosely defined as synthwave but, in reality, Perturbator’s evades such straightforward categorisation. Incorporating elements of early synth-based music, as well techno, gothic rock, ambient music, and metal, Perturbator has been compared to Kraftwerk, John Carpenter, and Nine Inch Nails, amongst many others.
Nine Inch Nails, The Doobie Brothers, Depeche Mode, The Notorious B.I.G., T-Rex and Whitney Houston Voted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has officially announced its 2020 inductees: The Doobie Brothers, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., T. Rex and Whitney Houston will all join the class of 2020. They will be inducted on May 2 at a ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall. Surprisingly metal favorites Judas Priest, and fan-favorite Soundgarden which includes late frontman Chris Cornell, The Dave Matthews Band and Pat Benetar did not get enough votes to be elected. Other deserving artists on the ballot and not earning election include Thin Lizzy, Motörhead, Kraftwerk, MC5, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, and Todd Rundgren. Continue reading
Judas Priest Makes a Case for Entry Into The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in New Video
Heavy Metal legends Judas Priest has just shared a new video touting their nomination fo the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Packed with their greatest songs and a ton of facts about the bands’ fifty-year card-career makes the case for the band rightly deserving the honor. Not only is “The Priest” one of the longest-running original heavy metal bands ever, elected to multiple Halls of Fame by press and fans, but also as relevant as ever with their 2018 album Firepower (Epic Records). They will celebrate their anniversary as a band next year with the 50 Years of Heavy Metal tour, headline dates, opening for Ozzy Osbourne, and headlining festivals such as Wacken Open Air. The band is nominated for the hall along with other rock and metal icons Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Motörhead (both on the ballot for the first time), Nine Inch Nails, Thin Lizzy, Todd Rundgren, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, as well as stiff competition from Pop, Rock and Rap icons such as possible entrants Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, the Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, T-Rex, and the iconic singer (and likely lock to get in) Whitney Houston. Judas Priest is doing solidly in the early fan voting (fifth behind DMB, Pat Benatar, The Doobies, and Soundgarden), but the fan vote barely counts in the end and is a symbolic gesture.Continue reading
ALBUM PREVIEW: We Have Heard the New Tool Album and Here is What We Think So Far
Ghost Cult had the opportunity to visit RCA Records’ headquarters in New York City to take part in an exclusive Tool listening event for press for Fear Inoculum, releasing on August 30th. We appreciate being counted among the major media in attendance and getting to experience this highly anticipated new album. Although this is not a full review (check back next week), this contains our initial thoughts on Tool album number six. Continue reading
Lost In Kiev – Persona
With a penchant for wistful, stirring music, Parisian post-Rockers Lost In Kiev encapsulate euphoria and Industrial melancholy. Given this, third album Persona (Pelagic Records) has added import as a practical soundtrack to the recent devastation of their home city’s finest cultural landmark, as well as being the score for their accompanying film. Despite the opening title track’s initial sequences carrying more than a hint of Jean-Michel Jarre, that stark metallic synth adds a sinister element: while the inclusion of rampaging, howling leads in tandem with Yoann Vermuelen‘s metronomic drums gives a resonating power.Continue reading
Sólveig Matthildur – Constantly In Love
Sólveig Matthildur, synth legend for Icelandic Darkwave pioneers Kælan Mikla, is a troubadour of the keys. Winning accolade upon award for her debut solo album Unexplained Miseries & the Acceptance of Sorrow (Self-Released), second full-length Constantly In Love (Artoffact Records) aims to build on that emotional heart with an added sense of frost-bitten drama, an ill-fated love story articulating emotion from both protagonists.Continue reading
The Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame Nominates Def Leppard, Rage Against The Machine And The MC5 Among Others
The annual Rock N Roll Hall of Fame nominations are here and there are few surprises in the list. Def Leppard, Rage Against The Machine, The MC5, Radiohead, Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Devo, Janet Jackson, Kraftwerk, Ll Cool J, Roxy Music, Todd Rundgren, John Prine, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, and The Zombies are all nominated. The top vote-getters will be announced in December and inducted March 29, 2019 at a ceremony at Brooklyn, New York’s Barclays Center. HBO will broadcast the event later next year. To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to released in 1993 or earlier. A voting pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class, and fans all vote. The HoF notoriously makes questionable omissions from the voting process with a seemingly inherent bias against hard rock and heavy metal with bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Kiss never getting in. Motorhead, Slayer, Pantera, Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, the New York Dolls, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Ice-T, Hole, Faith No More, Soundgarden, Primus, Smashing Pumpkins and Alice In Chains. are among the artists who are eligible, but not included. Metallica will likely be the only band that started out in thrash metal to ever get in at the present.Continue reading