One of the least high-profile sign-offs since Button Gwinnett affixed his moniker to the Declaration, Ghost Stories (Frontiers Music srl), billed as Blue Oyster Cult’s final studio album, still qualifies as a “must have” for aficionados, even if it will never be widely celebrated or remembered in the same way as Secret Treaties, Agents Of Fortune, Cultosaurus Erectus, or Fire Of Unknown Origin.Continue reading
Yeah, you can score one more for the good guys up here representing extreme metal in New England. Massachusetts more specifically. And that’s not against our friends in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Rhode Island as they are also vital components of the scene, but Massachusetts just hits a little differently.Continue reading
Inhuman Condition released just Fearsick last year and are already back with a brand new EP. Color me fuckin’ stoked! Fearsick was on my shortlist for the album of the year in 2022. When it comes to old-school slick and sick Death Metal, few do it better.
Was today the day I realized that blasphemy became played out? Having listened to Angerot’s The Profound Recreant (Redefining Darkness Records) a few times enjoying the volleys of blasts and cacophonous noise I can’t help but wonder if I’ve already heard some of these numbers or themes before. Continue reading
Anyone familiar with progressive thrashers Voivod will be fully aware of the Canadian quartet’s leanings towards the surreal and strange world of science fiction, so the Ultraman EP (Century Media Records), a short-form tribute to cult Japanese TV icon Ultraman, should really come as no surprise.
The room is maybe a third full as The Temperance Movement start, though this quickly rises through their set. I’ve been intrigued to how good they will sound live, liking their stuff but not having previously caught them in a concert setting before and I’m pleased by how easy they make their laid back blues rock sound at this gig, with the quantity of people in at this time a good mark of respect, having seen similar sized bands struggle for one-hundred or so in this large room, one of the larger available in Manchester. The sound is good, if a touch quiet, meaning the emphasis is on clarity rather than loudness, something a number of bands I’ve seen previously in this venue fall victim to. There’s a decent level of applause for them throughout as the room approaches two thirds full, just as we get to the midpoint of their set. As the crowd grows further still, the band continue to please, with the movement of people dancing, combined with the now usual phones recording being the proof of the pudding. A strong showing from the evening’s upstarts, giving the Blue Oyster Cult a pretty high bar to hit. Continue reading
Legendary psychedelic rock band Blue Öyster Cult have booked a tour of the UK for winter 2019. The band has been churning out hits and heart-stopping shows for over 40 years. Direct support will come from The Temperance Movement. Tickets go on sale at 10 AM local time on Friday, 27th July and will be available at the link below.Continue reading
A chimaera of Sludge, Metal, Doom and Hardcore, the Medway (UK) has disgorged a barrel of riffs and grooves from the febrile minds of AllFather, riff-mongers almighty.
As a teaser of what shall be, and to bridge the gap between their self-released digital EP No Gods, No Masters and 2016’s impending Bless The Earth With Fire, for which the band are currently seeking a suitable label home, Ghost Cult are pleased to exclusively stream ‘Blood Red Sunset’, the EP’s bonus track, and a reworking of AllFather’s first ever song.
AllFather 2015 Photo Credit: Pheobe Capon of Pheobe Capon Photography
Vocalist Tom affirms:
The power of the riff compels us, and G̶o̶d̶ Iommi guides our hand. Like chucking Conan the Barbarian and Godzilla into a bear-pit, only the best ideas come out, bloodied, but alive! AllFather take those bloodied ideas and battle-hardened riffs and deliver their own brand of metal. Whether taking the sadistic advocates of austerity and racism to task, or revelling in the way the sun glints off a raised battle axe, AllFather recognise that the world is a hard, cruel fucking place, and write songs big enough scare off the darkness.
With a bonus track this good, one can only guess the quality of the upcoming release:
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/230522794
You can download the band’s earlier material on a pay-what-you-want basis via AllFather’s Bandcamp page but with the disclaimer that there is far, far, better to come…
AllFather play the following UK shows between now and the end of the year:
Nov 6: Lady Luck Bar – Canterbury, UK
Nov 13: The Red Lion – Gravesend, UK
Dec 11: Harp Restrung – Folkestone, UK