CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED: Slayer Released Their Debut Album “Show No Mercy” 40 Years Ago


 

Melding their NWOBHM influences with their sinister intentions and hella fast speed Metal, Slayer hit the scene as a band in 1981. After their recorded debut on Metal Blade’s Metal Massacre II, and then later that year – Show No Mercy would arrive on December 3rd, 1983, also via Metal Blade. This was less than a month after being hastily recorded. Few understood how important a debut or band would become.

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FILM REVIEW: Don’t Fall In Love With Yourself – Directed by Jon Nix


 

I don’t know anything about the director of this documentary or why he made it. I knew about Justin Pearson (Three One G Records, The Locust, Deaf Club, Dead Cross, Retox, Satanic Planet, Planet B) because I saw him play live a few times with Deaf Club, but I had no idea about his history or influence or voluminous work history within the scene. I’ve briefly chatted with him, and he was very polite, humorous but not overly so, somewhat accessible but just out of reach. But his onstage performance is provocative in a way that is inviting:

Do something.

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Empire State Bastard Shares a New Single – “Tired, Naw?”


 

Having just dropped their debut album Rivers of Heresy (Roadrunner Records) extreme metal supergroup Empire State Bastard have shared a new stand alone single – “Tired, Naw?” The track is streaming on all DSPs now. The band features members of Biffy Clyro with Dave Lombardo on drums! Stream the new single now!

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Ghost Cult’s Weekly Ritual – Rock and Metal News Show Livestream 10-13-23


Catch up on what you missed this week in the world of Rock and Metal news with our show! #musicnews #rocknews #interviews #newmusicfriday #metalfestivals #tourdates #metalconcerts #vinylcollector #metalmerch

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INTERVIEW: Mike Vennart and Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro) of Empire State Bastard Breakdown “Rivers of Heresy”


Ghost Cult Keefy caught up with Mike Vennart (ex-Oceansize) and Simon Neil of Empire State Bastard. The supergroup features the duo from Biffy Clyro, along with Dave Lombardo (Mr. Bungle, ex-Slayer, Dead Cross, etc.) After getting rained out at Riot Fest, the guys were kind enough to circle back with Keefy to pick up the chat with us. They discussed their love of extreme metal including Grindcore and Death Metal, a breakdown of the new album, subverting the expectations of Biffy fans, working with Lombardo, adding Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) to the live line-up on bass, signing to Roadrunner Records, their first USA gigs, and much more!

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CONCERT REVIEW: Chat Pile – Nerver – Empire State Bastard Live at Le Poisson Rouge


 

Le Poisson Rouge (LPR) is one of the great music venues in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Located on Bleeker Street, just a block and a half south of Washington Square Park, it plays host to a wide variety of musical acts ranging in style from Disco to Punk to Hip Hop and some Heavy Metal. Wikipedia notes that the room capacity is 700 but that likely includes a hallway bar and other spaces. In anticipation of a crowd heating the place, the air conditioning is always set on arctic and the room stays fairly comfortable. No food is served there but Bleeker is almost entirely made up of restaurants, so there will be something available for any taste. Something very interesting happened at LPR recently, and three bands rattled the windows of the entire neighborhood for a night.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Gunship – Unicorn


 

What is it about our aching nostalgia for the eighties that finds us being drawn back to this magical decade? Perhaps video did not actually kill the radio star until the end of this era?

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Festival 2023 Part 3


 

Friday:

A challenge of being a concert photographer is seldom experiencing a full set. Often, I dash between stages, trying to capture each band as if on a Pokémon quest – though “gotta shoot ’em all” has a different ring to it. Nonetheless, the silver lining is I often witness a good portion of every set over the weekend. Here are my top picks and suggestions from Bloodstock’s two smaller stages, showcasing their stellar support for the underground scene and nurturing emerging metal talent in the UK and beyond.Continue reading


Empire State Bastard Share New Sing and Video “Moi?” – Books Exclusive Saint Vitus Bar Headline Show


Empire State Bastard have shared “Moi?,” the fourth new song to be released from the band’s eagerly anticipated debut album Rivers of Heresy which is set to arrive worldwide on September 1st. Available on today on all streaming platforms, “The Looming” follows the band’s recent singles “Harvest,” “Stutter,” and “The Looming.”Continue reading


CONCERT REVIEW: The Misfits – Megadeth – Fear Live at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre


 

I am not going to say that reunion tours are not shameless cash grabs. Up to this point, KISS and Bauhaus are the only bands successful at luring me out to them. However, The Misfits were an equally important part of my youth. The mere thirty-minute drive into Tampa, was too tempting, despite my lingering resentment with Danzig’s terrible Elvis tribute album. Going to an outdoor venue in Florida after May, added to the difficulty level of taking my misanthropic self into a 20,000-seat-capacity amphitheatre. Fear being on the bill provided more motivation, however thanks to misinformation regarding the start time at the venue and Tampa traffic, Fear had finished their set as I set foot into the venue.

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