ALBUM REVIEW: Pamplemousse – Porcelain


 

Sporting more fuzz than a Pomeranian, Pamplemousse‘s Porcelain (A Tant Rêver du Roi) shows its Grunge and Garage roots. Sporting heavy guitar distortion and ample drums (it’s a duo), these thirty-nine minutes cruise by.

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ALBUM REVIEW: LÜT – Lüt


Somehow, I’ve dealt myself a significant number of not-in-English albums recently. LÜT‘s self-titled fourth album from Indie Recordings is the latest. This Norwegian Power Punk quartet displays a range of the genre’s styles, particularly in the vocals of Mads Erland Ystmark, Orjan Nyborg Myrland Stensby, and Maurius James Platt.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Faun – Hex


While walking the dog, I hit “play” on Faun‘s Hex (Believe/Pagan Folk Records) and the neighborhood transformed into a little medieval village, albeit with a glossy retromodern feel. Pagan Folk music by way of Yanni sums up the ambiance of this audio village.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Joe and The Shitboys – Greatest Shits


Either Straight Edge is making a comeback, or I’m just picking differently these days. I mean, I picked this one because the descriptor shouted to me: “queer vegan shitpunks.” I had to hear this thing.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Burning Sun – Retribution


Guitars quite literally illustrate the opening action of “By The Light”, a group of paladins attacking an evil necromantic death cult. Their failure and the sole survivor Emaly’s efforts to avenge the deaths form the balance of Burning Sun’s Retribution (Metalizer Records), a Power Metal tour de force of a concept album in the vein of Helloween and my last album reviewed for Ghost Cult, Martyr. Pancho Ireland’s vocals maintain smooth power akin to Bruce Dickinson.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Martyr – Dark Believer


The press kit for this record reads normal, until we look a little deeper. Martyr formed in 1982 and earned attention three years later with a major single and album. Further details about tours and acts sharing the stage – standard stuff for a forty-plus-year-old act. Then, “[U]nleash their seventh studio album Dark Believer through ROAR.” Wait, what? Seventh? When did they form? Huh. That’s like Guns ‘n’ Roses pace.

Let’s have a listen, shall we?

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ALBUM REVIEW: Svartsot – Peregrinus


 

“Danish Folk Metal.” That was the promise. Svartsot delivered on the promise. Delivered splendidly. I’m not sure if Ghost Cult Magazine has a Danish-speaking reviewer on staff, because the thing’s not in English.  There might be a song or two in English, but the vocals are gutteral-grunt incoherent-style Metalcore. So, after a brief discussion of the rather complicated story of this concept album about a Thirteenth Century Crusader, I’ll spend the rest of this talking about the music of Peregrinus (Mighty Music).Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Nefarious – Addicted to Power


 

I spent entirely too long trying to sub-genrefy NefariousAddicted to Power (Relentless Metal Records). Among the eight tracks on this non-stop aural assault, Thrash, Power, and OG NWOBHM/Warlock/Accept-era influences share a sonic landscape littered with anger, cynicism, and Lovecraft. Before we go any further, let me say I enjoyed this album thoroughly and recommend it highly. You may question that at times if you keep reading.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Onslaught – Origins Of Aggression


Among the decades-old origins of Thrash, Hardcore Punk looms large. Many acts evolved from those humble rage-fueled beginnings. Onslaught never forgot; Origins Of Aggression (Reigning Phoenix Music), a celebration of the band’s forty years, aggressively reminds us of their fidelity.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Kicked In The Teeth – Watling Street Chambers


In a better universe, Lemmy Kilmister lives. In that universe, Motorhead goes about twenty percent more Punk for their most recent album. 

Because we live in our universe, we got lucky. Kicked In The Teeth gave us Watling Street Chambers (Rare Vitamin Records), which my ears tell me might as well be the same thing.

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