Days of Darkness 2018, Various Venues, Baltimore, MD


Days of Darkness, Ram’s Head Live, Baltimore, MD 10/28/18

Brought to you by the minds behind Maryland Deathfest, Days of Darkness Festival held their 2018 edition last month in the same hallowed halls that host MDF: Rams Head Live and Baltimore Soundstage. Once again, Ghost Cult was on hand with our intrepid photographer supreme Hillarie Jason on hand to capture the moods and the moments from the fest.Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Riot Fest 2017 – Douglas Park, Chicago


Nine Inch Nails at Riot Fest 2017, by Omar Cordy/OJC PICS

Riot Fest was started a few years back in the grand spirit of the old school one-off festivals of lore. It was intended to be special from the get-go and they have done a reasonable job of sandwiching themselves into a busy summer of Lollapalooza, Chicago Open Air, and many other destination festival shows. Having a mix of alternative rock, metal, Hip-Hop, indie rock, and more has helped carve out its own niche, and between special performances, varied food and beer options, late-night after parties, and basically the cool factor Chicago offers as one of the best cities in America, it’s no wonder fans flocked to the event from all over the world.Continue reading


Vans Warped Tour 2017: Phoenix, Arizona


Hawthone Heights, by Originate Designs Photography

The Vans Warped Tour. Twenty-Three years of a traveling road show that showcases a plethora of bands. Some people thumb their nose up as it being full of emo wannabes or full of bands no one has heard before. But those people ignore the fact that this is an institution. Twenty-three successive years of promoting hundreds of bands on a full summer tour. It’s pretty much the longest most successful American festival; it rivals the festivals in Europe. Continue reading


River City Rockfest – AT & T Center, San Antonio, TX


A blazing hot day in the Texas sun could not dampen the enthusiasm for the Bud Light sponsorded River City Rockfest, in late May. The fans came out heat or no heat to heat to the AT & T Center in San Antonio to rock out. Keeping hydrated and covered was priority number one, but the fun was was never out of of sight. Twenty-two bands played on 4 stages throughout the day and 27,950 fans attneded – the largest crowd in the five-year history of the fest. Continue reading


Blackest Of The Black Festival – Silverado, California


As the earth shook and the ground parted, so did the gates to another world open, spewing forth demons of the Blackest of the Black. Bands, fans, vendors and the occasional celebrity descended upon Oak Canyon Park—a quaint little camping spot nestled in the hills of Silverado, California—for the Blackest of the Black Festival. This gathering of the depraved and debauched was the brainchild of none other than Jersey native and trailblazer of horror punk and doom-goth-metal, Glenn Danzig. Opening day of the festival coincided with the release of Danzig’s new album, Black Laden Crown (Nuclear Blast Records), his follow-up to 2015’s Skeletons. Continue reading


Monster Energy Fort Rock – Live At JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida


The fifth annual Monster Energy Fort Rock took place Saturday, April 29 & Sunday, April 30, 2017 at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida, and helped kick off “The World’s Loudest Month” series of music festivals. Offering rarely seen combo of great lineup, awesome venue, great food, and killer fan experiences, Fort Rock has become an essential part of America’s destination music festivals. Headlined by Def Leppard, Soundgarden in one of Chris Cornell’s last performances ever, and A Perfect Circle, 25 bands performed throughout the weekend. Julia Sariy was on hand for Ghost Cult to document the fun! Continue reading


New England Metal And Hardcore Festival 19, At The Worcester Palladium


The long running New England Metal And Hardcore Festival held its 19th annual event recently and the lineup was excellent. As usual, fans came from all of New England and even further reaches of musicdom to hangout and rock at the grand old lady of music venues in Massachusetts, The Worcester Palladium in Worcester, MA. Hillarie Jason covered the festival once again for Ghost Cult and shot the awesome pictures for this piece! Continue reading


Roadburn Festival 2017 Part II, Tilburg Netherlands


Baroness, by Susanne A, Maathuis Photography

The outside area around 013 was set up as a place to relax away from all the noise. You can hang out at the picnic tables, drink local specialty Schröbbeler (a sweet herb liquor) and enjoy food from one of the many food trucks that adorn the festival these days. Continue reading


Roadburn Festival 2017 Part I, Tilburg Netherlands


Have your earplugs at the ready and put your day job put on hold, because the day we marked on our calendar 366 days ago has finally arrived. In the vibrant and ever-changing Dutch city of Tilburg, an influx of heavy music fans from all over the world are taking over the town as Roadburn Festival is ready to kick off. A couple of thousand people will spend their weekend sauntering between five magnificent stages, from the cushy cafes of Cul de Sac and Extase, to the wooden beams and stained glass windows of Het Patronaat and the two fabulous stages of music venue 013: the 3000-capacity monster main stage and it’s little quarter capacity brother The Green Room. Roadburn 2017, we are ready for you!Continue reading


Welcome To Rockville 2017: Metropolitan Park


Under the sweltering Florida sun, some of the nation’s hottest rock bands graced Jacksonville’s Metropolitan Park. Welcome To Rockville was back for its last year at these grounds, and attendees lined around the block to get in. Featuring budding acts I Prevail, The Charm the Fury, and my new favorite Starset. Continue reading