INTERVIEW: Gost (James Lollar) Discusses His “Prophecy” Album, Performing Live, and Touring


Ghost Cult Keefy caught up with James Lollar, aka Synthwave/Metal master Gost! His new album “Prophecy” is soon out on Metal Blade Records and we discussed his career, the differences between his recordings and live performances, touring, the music business, and more!Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Gost – Prophecy


The term “heavy” is most often associated with Metal. But Metal is not the only genre of music capable of invoking heaviness. Of all the other genres capable of tapping into heaviness, synthwave is not going to be first on the list. Continue reading


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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ALBUM REVIEW: Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World


 

Ever since their original EPs dating back to the start of the 21st Century, Enter Shikari have been one of the stand-out bands of the alternative UK scene for bringing together a variety of sounds under a single uniform. Not only being one of the more experimental bands in their field but also one of the only bands to showcase these genres in a fully realised art form that just, quite simply works. Now twenty years on, the band’s Spark (see what I did there) has not faltered at all. It’s been incredible to see this journey showing the group adding more and more genres to their arsenal. In the prior two albums, Enter Shikari have shown they’re more than able to dip into Brit-Pop to classical with ease. The ever-present question that lingers on after each release is: what could the band do next?

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CONCERT REVIEW: The Last Rockstars (Yoshiki, Miyavi, HYDE, Sugizo) Live at Hammerstein Ballroom


Japanese supergroup, The Last Rockstars, has landed in the U.S. The band’s shining roster includes Yoshiki (X-Japan) on piano and drums, vocalist HYDE (L’arc-en-ciel), and expert guitarists Sugizo (X-Japan and Luna Sea) and Miyavi. Following an explosive live debut in Tokyo, the band trekked stateside.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Carpenter Brut – Sierra Live at Brooklyn Steel


 

Deep in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a nice long walk from the train, I’ve finally made it to Brooklyn Steel for a night of French musical goodness. Carpenter Brut can be considered both the name of the keyboardist/mastermind who perfers to be anonymous and also the name of the group itself. Take your pick. Starting the two-band bill night was Sierra who is making her American debut on this tour. Her EDM and Darkwave tones set the vibe perfectly for this moody dance night. She also was the sole vocalist performing live at this show. Armed with her DJ rig, drum pads, and hypnotic beats; Sierra is someone I’d like to see again.

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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.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Deftones – White Pony – Black Stallion


 

Deftones had a banner year in 2020, dropping their impeccable Ohms (Reprise Records, review here) and celebrating the 20th anniversary of arguably their best album, White Pony. Unbeknownst to fans, and music journos, there is an entire secret history of White Pony the band revealed this year. For years we had been hearing that the band was interested in a remix album, either of an entire past release or perhaps a new album. It turns out, the band always intended White Pony to have a companion album or EP of remixes, called Black Stallion. Among the fanbase, this potential release lived in the lore of their minds, as much or more than the Eros sessions we may, or may not ever see the light of day (and we understand why guys). Now the band has capped off their year with the fleshed out and realized Black Stallion release (also Reprise).

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Adult Swim Festival


For just one weekend the Banc of California Stadium was transformed into a carnivalesque outdoor funhouse for the Adult Swim Festival. The stadium was alive with colorful distorted animations reminiscent of children’s cartoons and claymation scenes warped and hyperbolized beyond the mind’s comprehension, while a giant Meatwad dome sat across an even larger inflatable slide shaped like Morty’s head vomiting a rainbow.

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3TEETH – Metawar


One of the best parts about reviewing albums is getting to deconstruct the music on the album and expose the soft squishy underbelly that the band hides deep within the tracks. The newest release from 3TEETH, Metawar (RED Music), is a case in point. The third studio album from the Los Angeles-based band is a cataclysmic master stroke pregnant with thinly veiled innuendo and tightly coiled enigma. Let me break that down for you in Skullgurl terms, this album is fanfuckingtastical.Continue reading